I have 6-7" Dark Vanilla Beans about 1/4" diameter. I am planning on using them to flavor a light to almost neutral Rum.
How many per quart or gallon at 40% ABV would one recommend using?
Thanks

I vote for half a bean per gallon sample after a few days maybe a half to a quarter mean per quart. As the man say strong hooch can draw the essence out of stuff pretty easy. Never clowned around much with vanilla beans but know some hundred proof with a lime floating in it can make a quart taste more like a lime than the lime does in three days. If it dont taste strong enough to suit give it more time or add a bean fragment or something. You prob gonna have little black specks floating around in there. Smart idear might be to make the tincture as described and add that. Not sure anybody want to wait 8 weeks to get some is the only thing. Try Adam's extract. That is the the kind my Mama used. Save the beans for ice cream. Just a thought.

Thanks popapina..knew somebody bound to show up who know sheet from shineola on the deal. This got my few remaining live brain cells spinning on mundane topics. For instance is what you are making an extract or a tincture? Its a tincture..lol. The difference seems to reside in the ratio of flavorings to hooch. Extract gets in the 3 to one range whilst a tincture dont have any upper limits maybe. I mean if the rumor got out somebody was drinking vanilla extract it could ruin a person's reputation. Think everybody had an alcoholic uncle who did that back in prohibition. Little Bay Rum aftershave and canned heat on the side.

http://www.richters.com/...edicinal/20041219-2.html

Hmmm..that should work. Great creative adjectives you got going there. I am writing down the carboy of unrealistic expectations to be used again. Hope you aint got that patented..lol.

Hey you got a good clone for Capn Morgan? I got a pal who needs to know how to make that stuff real bad. Thanks. I cant help him cuz I dont think I ever had none..and sure couldnt afford to go buy some as a reference sample...least till my humpback brother manages to straighten himself up. Let me know.

Hey thanks..that sounds highly plausible. I will pass this on expeditiously. May even run off a batch myself just to see what all the fuss is about.

Sounds mighty fine. Did you ever figger out how much dunder the wash can survive and still carry out its fermentational chores?

Hear you on the food. Stated a new ferment today. SF..which dont smell right to me for some reason and some rye flakes. Got to bulling around and forgot to add the rye..kick kick. Thinking the fella at BH say just soak it in hot water for a while..so tried that angle and dumped it just a while ago. Hoping the yeastes will find it accepatable or at least knock some flavor out with the alchyhol levels. Old ferment checking 1.040 and floating mighty high in the waves and aint made no progress in the last two days. If I have one more catastrophic failure..I am headed direct back to bread yeast. I have a pound looking for a target..lol. Thanks Doc.

Dumped some bread yeast in the new ferment last night but think it was still a little too hot to catch. Expected it to be rollickingn this morn but it aint. Added another pinch or two of distillers yeast. Hopefully something will get cranked up.