I have a great brewing idea that i want to make. I’m not going to say what it is because i don’t want anyone to steal it(muahahaha). In the recipe i want vanilla flavors and fro reading several books and the forums here i know of 2 different ways of achieving this. I know of the scraping a vanilla bean pod and fermenting the beer on oak chips. I’ve never done either of these and i was wondering was the difference of flavor that the two impart and which would you suggest. Keep in mind i want the vanilla to be quite noticeable but (obviously) not overpowering.
I’d recommend going with the oak, if you want it more subdued. Vanilla bean will be more straight forward vanilla flavor but the oak will have subtle vanilla. Sounds like that is what you want.
Well that’s what I was going to do at first but this will be a desert beer. So i dont plan on people chugging the stuff. I’m afraid the chips won’t give me enough vanilla flavor
I would add a little part of a bean in the glass when serving and add whatever on top? 
You will have great success by scraping the bean for a dessert beer. If you want it noticeable but not overpowering then only go with 1 or 2 beans per 5 gallons. Of course, I don’t know your secret recipe but lactose is also a great addition for a “dessert” beer to add sweetness.
+1 I made a vanilla milk stout and the lactose and the vanilla worked well together.
As far as subdued taste goes, I used three beans(although they were old beans) scraped and cut and soaked and in vodka. I strained and added the vanilla vodka at bottling time to half of a 5 gallon batch. There was a faint but detectable vanilla finish. It was really subtle but delicious.
I guess the thing I like about the oak is the complexity it gives you besides just “vanilla”. But if straight vanilla is what you want I say definitely use the beans.
Much easier way, grasshopper.
Interesting. Do you find that the syrup gives you better results than just using vanilla extract? I’d also be concerned about bottle bombs if I used syrup at bottling.
If you take the sugar in the syrup into account there should be no issues with bottle bombs. However you may not get enough flavour from the syrup if just using priming sugar amounts. If you have time I recommend oak. as Drew says it’s a more complex flavour than just vanilla.
Use pure vanilla extract and save your money on the beans.
1/3 to 1/2 bottle should be fine for 5 gallons. If bottling, check the sugar amount you’re adding via syrup and adjust the priming addition accordingly. They do make sugar-free versions, as well, but I tend not to use those in my beers if making a dessert type of beer or fruit-flavored beer.
Generally speaking, the advice to “start low and go slow” with flavor additions and spices is wise. Every beer is different, but I’d imagine that a milk stout could possibly handle up to a full bottle of the vanilla syrup (for a 5 gallon keg), especially if it is excessively roasty for your taste–the vanilla syrup will help mellow that roast a lot. But, I would start with 1/3 bottle and see how you like it first.
I believe I recall Southern tier’s Creme Brulee stout, they scraped vanilla beans and made a sugar syrup with the beans in there while it cooked, then that syrup went into the primary after the bulk of fermentation was complete. Theres another idea!
Many ways to de-intugment a feline as the BrewTv guys say, just hafta find the one you like.
ive also steeped vanilla pods in vanilla vodka with success. 2 fresh pods in about 8 oz of vanilla vodka for 2 weeks. then add that liquid at bottling.
I’ve never compared the cost savings, but I’ve found a big ol’ costco bottle of pure vanilla extract to be very convenient.
The one time I used whole beans the beer got infected (was actually infected before I put the beans in, but I was hopeful) so I can’t speak to flavor differences.
Admittedly I haven’t tried every extract out there, but I’ve tried some good ones. I have yet to find one as good as the Hawaiian vanilla beans I use. Even the extract from the same company isn’t as good as the beans. They have much better aroma and a more rounded flavor.
One of you guys said the extract would save me money, how much do the beans cost ive never bought any
Sorry for the double post but I intended to use oats to get a bigger mouth feel how does that compare to adding lactose
it really depends, but they can be a couple bucks each.
I’m with Denny, every extract I’ve tried of any flavor tastes weird in beer if you use it in any large proportion. If you are using very small amounts such that you can barely notice the intended flavor, then the unintended flavors can’t be detected. I recently used a very small amount of vanilla extract as an enhancer in a pumpkin beer and it worked out well. By very small I mean less than 0.5 ml.