Vanilla Vodka for a Chocolate Milk Stout?

[Enoch52]

I'm getting ready to make a chocolate milk stout (from Northern Brewer's BBP all-grain kit) and you need to soak cacao nibs in vodka. I've never done this before and I'm not especially knowledgeable about spirits. What vodka would you recommend?

I know that low-end vodka will probably impart some flavors I don't want, but I was considering maybe a vanilla vodka like Smirnoff or 360 Madagascar?

 

[Jag75]

I'm not sure , however I am getting ready to do the same thing. I got the recipe from blind bill. It's a double chocolate milk stout. He said to toss in the vodka and the nibs . It's not listed as to what type of vodka. I will be keeping an eye on your process . I kinda like the idea of vanilla vodka .

 

[Leezer]

I used a whipped cream vodka last time which has a very similar taste to vanilla. Both the nibs and vodka went into the fermenter. Flavor wise I didn't really notice a difference between that and using regular vodka in the finished beer, but it didn't impart any bad flavors. Can't recall the brand of vodka, but it seemed like there was only one kind on the store shelf.

 

[Kickass]

I buy cheap plastic bottle vodka, pour it into a grey goose bottle and viola! I use it for tinctures/flavor extracts like you're doing, mixed drinks and whatever other uses there are for vodka.

I'm not sure 999 people out of 1000 could ever tell a difference.

 

[Jag75]

I buy cheap plastic bottle vodka, pour it into a grey goose bottle and viola! I use it for tinctures/flavor extracts like you're doing, mixed drinks and whatever other uses there are for vodka

I'm not sure 999 people out of 1000 could ever tell a difference.

A coworker buys kind of mid grade liquor. He runs it through a brita water filter and he swears that it will end up tasting like an expensive bottle .

 

[Enoch52]

A coworker buys kind of mid grade liquor. He runs it through a brita water filter and he swears that it will end up tasting like an expensive bottle .

I've heard that filtering less expensive vodkas reduces the ABV somewhat and makes them taste a lot more expensive.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, for the imperial chocolate stout I keep on tap at all times I soak nibs and a couple of scraped and smushed vanilla beans in dark rum. I originally used vodka but quickly switched to dark rum and never looked back...

Cheers!

 

[Enoch52]

fwiw, for the imperial chocolate stout I keep on tap at all times I soak nibs and a couple of scraped and smushed vanilla beans in dark rum. I originally used vodka but quickly switched to dark rum and never looked back...

Cheers!

That sounds good!