I added a whole vanilla bean to a gallon batch I'm bulk aging on 4-13-12. And subsequently have learned that some people split them and scrape them, I assume to get as much flavor from them as possible.
Do you think I should fish the bean out of the carboy (which shouldn't be too hard, its floating) and split it?
Or should I remove/discard that one and split a new bean in half and add it?
And while I'm asking, is there a particular length of time I should leave the bean in? I was planning to bulk age this gallon for quite a while longer before bottling (and was planning to leave the bean in it until I'm ready to bottle) at least a few more months.
I want to get as much vanilla flavor as I can.
And btw, I didn't have any vanilla bean in it during primary fermentation.
Cheers and thanks in advance for your input.
Do you think I should fish the bean out of the carboy (which shouldn't be too hard, its floating) and split it?
Or should I remove/discard that one and split a new bean in half and add it?
And while I'm asking, is there a particular length of time I should leave the bean in? I was planning to bulk age this gallon for quite a while longer before bottling (and was planning to leave the bean in it until I'm ready to bottle) at least a few more months.
I want to get as much vanilla flavor as I can.
And btw, I didn't have any vanilla bean in it during primary fermentation.
Cheers and thanks in advance for your input.