I have a Randall at my bar that i would love to start using. I would like to know from those that have used one before how much weight in Hops it takes to fill one for use? I have also thought of using Whole Vanilla Beans also, any opinions on those also? Thanks in advance.
I built one from a whole-house water filter for maybe $40-$50, and it works great. Mine holds about 1.25 ounces of whole-leaf hops. Side-by-side taste test confirmed it definitely adds aroma and flavor. I worry that you wouldn't get much flavor from whole vanilla beans. Not enough contact time in the Randall. Usually you slit the beans, soak them in liquor (eg vodka) for a day or more, then dump the vanilla-flavored liquor into your batch of beer. But, hey, give it a try anyway and let us know if it works!
