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I want to make an extract that punches you in the face with vanilla

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capoeirista13

capoeirista13

Honey Master
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Aug 17, 2008
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But I have no idea how to make an extract. It seems like you just put your flavoring items in some alcohol and let it sit. So how much vanilla do I use to get it to be a really strong vanilla flavor? I have vodka 40 ABV and grain alcohol 75 ABV, don't know which one to use or how much of it to use. Also don't know how much to use in a 5 gal batch or when to put it in.
 
Well, I'm no cook, and I'm not very good at this stuff yet. But it seems to me that the vanilla that you buy in the store is already an extract. It would just be a matter of using the right amount to suit your tast buds. Maybe?
 
I personally use vanilla beans. I have used extracts in the past, but I think I get much more "real" vanilla taste from the beans than the extract. Most supermarkets now sell real vanilla beans with an okay quality at least but tend to be a little expensive. If you live in an area with culinary specialty stores, you can buy bulk at a much lower cost. I was able to get 100 beans for about $17.00 this way, and the quality was much much better than what is in my local supermarket.

As for making mead... just split the bean, scrape the insides, and put both bean and the "insides" in your recipe. I take the total amount vanilla I am using and but 1/3 in primary, and 2/3 in secondary, but feel free to experiment and find what tastes good to you.
 
Vanilla extract in a bottle is exactly that--vanilla soaked in alcohol. I'm a fan of making your own anyway, you can control the flavor and strength to exactly your specifications. I haven't done a vanilla extract but I would guess 3-5 beans in a liter would be a good place to start. Those things are potent. You can use relatively fewer with the 75% alcohol and more with the 40% since more alcohol = faster extraction.

As for adding to mead/beer/whatever, the most abundant advice I've seen is always to do it by taste. Pull off a sample of known volume, add a known volume of vanilla extract. Taste. Repeat until you like it. Then do some math to figure out how much to add to the whole batch, but only add about 3/4 of that amount. Let it sit and mingle for a week or a month and taste it. Lather, rinse, repeat until it suits you. You might also consider adding slightly more than "perfect" to account for fading flavors over time. In my short experience vanilla stays pretty potent, so a light hand is best.
 
Oops... I didn't realize that this was the Likker Quicker category. I just saw the title heading at the bottom of the main page.

I know this is something that we learned in culinary school... I think most commercial places use approx. 1 or 2 beans per gallon. So what you're proposing should do the trick. Of course, the longer the contact time, the stronger the flavor.
 
capoeirista13 said:
But I have no idea how to make an extract. It seems like you just put your flavoring items in some alcohol and let it sit. So how much vanilla do I use to get it to be a really strong vanilla flavor? I have vodka 40 ABV and grain alcohol 75 ABV, don't know which one to use or how much of it to use. Also don't know how much to use in a 5 gal batch or when to put it in.
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If you are making the extract itself: I would suggest you use the 40 ABV. put 1 cup of it in a jar with 6 vanilla beans. Take the vanilla beans, spit and scrape. Put the scrapings into the alcohol. Then slice up the pods into 1-2 inch sections and put those in too. Then you shake the container vigorously once a day for 2 weeks. Then let sit for 2 months. Then run the mess through a coffee filter to get out the seeds and pods. You will then have vanilla extract that will be every bit, even a bit more, than store bought extract. You can keep and use that extract for sevearl decades. You may use 8 vannilla beans in a cup but too much and it wont extract all the flavor.

If you are making a vanilla mead: Then as they indicated below split and scrape into the mead in the secondary fermentation. I personally didn't scrape but just split and put in. Then let sit for a few months. For 6 whole vanilla beans, 3 tahitian and 3 bourbon for type of bean, I am getting a nice vanilla bean flavor. Remember that vanilla is not all that strong of a flavor and it does need a certian amount of sugar for the flavor to come out. Too much vanilla and not enough sweet and you wont properly taste the vanilla. If you don't believe me then try this, take a vanilla bean, small section and chew on it, taste the flavor. Then clear the pallet and try again with a bit of sugar. You will taste the vanilla more in he second taste. I prob wouldn't go more than 8 vanilla beans in a 5 gal batch. Leaving it for longer brings out the flavor. Also, the vanilla flavor comes out more the longer you age it.
 
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