Enjoying beer is a passion of many people, it is the reason The Good Drink exists.  Many people enjoy beer in many different ways.  From mixing beers (Black and Tan, Snakebite) to cooking with beer to mixing different ingredients with beer to my personal favorite, the beer float, there are many different ways to enjoy a brew than just cracking one open and quaffing it, though I don't think anyone would disagree with that particular choice. In fact, Smoked Porter is known as a great beer with which to make a float using vanilla bean ice cream.  That's where Stone Brewer Laura Ulrich got the idea to just go all out and infuse the beer with vanilla beans.

Laura got the idea from liking a float made with Smoked Porter, even though she doesn't like ice cream (blasphemy!), but I won't judge.  She decided to prepare some vanilla beans and add them to her glass and it turned out to be delicious.  I can vouch that real vanilla beans infused into a beverage makes it far richer than if you made a float with ice cream, so I think her heart was in the right place.  She has given instructions on how to prepare the beans over on The Stone Blog and I can't wait to try it.

"Thinking of adding vanilla beans to your homebrew? It’s super easy. Think of it like brewing a tea with vanilla beans and tossing it in your brew. Here’s how we do it:

-    Slice the beans down the side w/out slicing the whole bean in half
-    Open the beans and scrape out the goo
-    Cut up the leftover bean shells
-    Boil the goo and diced shells in water
-    Let it cool to the proper temperature and add it to your brew!"

 Yeah, sure, there's some labor involved, but it's surely a labor of love.  I'll have to give it to the lovely Ms. Ulrich for trying this bold combination and I encourage people to experiment with their beer just like she has!  Now, your snobs will tell you that you MUST NOT under ANY circumstances add any additional ingredients to your beverage, lest you corrupt it purity but come on, now, beer is about having fun!  Laura has definitely shown that she knows how to have fun with her beer and bring some new flavors and experiences to the table.  Go check out the article and maybe you'll be just as impressed as I am and try it in the near future.  I can think of several brews this little technique might be fun with... Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Fort Collins Double Chocolate Stout, Guiness Extra Stout, hell, this would be fun to try with any stout or porter available!  I'll be trying this soon and I will be sure to report on its deliciousness!