Dork42775

Recipes 

I am doing my first brew tomorrow and am wanting something a tad different than your usual starter. I am planning on a somewhat hoppy Porter and would like to add some dark coffee beans plus maybe a spice like Nutmeg, Ginger, or maybe Cinnamon.

First, when should I add the coffee beans? I have heard doing it while I steep the grain preparing my wort and I have also heard to do it when I transfer to my secondary fermentor. It seems to me that during the steeping would be simplier for a beginner like myself but would that work as well?

Second, what are your opinions on any of these spices added to this hoppy Porter? I was thinking of the Nutmeg or maybe even adding Molasses but does that sound dumb to you guys? Also when would I add either one of these items?

Thanks in advice

5 Is Not Enough

Recipes 

Man, if you have the equipment and you want to try some specialty ingredients, I say go for it w/ a double batch. Split it in 1/2, do the same recipe twice, first w/out , then with the spices... right after. You'll be glad you have the extra beer and you'll get some REALLY good comparison experience, the type that even the more experienced brewers would love to have tried.

sirsloop

Recipes 

I'm not real sure how the spices AND the coffee will taste. I have a coffee stout on tap at my place right now. Its a standard stout beer kit, and I added a pound of expresso grounds to the wort at flame out. If you add it early and boil it, the coffee has a tenancy to taste like its been left in the pot for a hour (go figure)

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JimC

Recipes 

Double Post :/

JimC

Recipes 

I would pick one of:
- Spices
- Coffee
- Hoppy

I think two or three of them together will end up tasting off as the three compete. Each of the flavors is a spotlight flavor, something you build a beer around. IMHO take it a bit slower and pick one, then do the other two later. It just seems to me like you are trying to cram to much into one beer.

How to Spice:
Let beer finish. Before you bottle, prepare a spice solution with vodka and your spices. Pull off a pint of your beer and add spice solution with in small, measured quantities until you get the taste you are looking for. Do some math to size up the spice addition to your batch size and then dump it in with your priming sugar and bottle like normal. This prevents you from under or over spicing.. which is the most common problem with spiced beers.

How to Coffee:
Brew a cup (or two) of strong coffee, add to secondary. You don't want boil beens or grinds, as that will pull all the astringency out (just like it you never want to boil the water you make coffee with). Plus if you boil the grinds for any length of time you will also drive off all the good florals and coffee aromas.

TheJadedDog

Recipes 

+1 on only picking one of the three ingredients to mess with.
Since this is your first beer I would almost even recommend not messing with any of them, but it's your beer so have at it.

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And now we go AG!

On Tap: Nadda
Primary: Nadda
Planning: Extra Special Bitter

Evan!

Recipes 

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MOSS HOLLOW BREWING CO.
Aristocratic Ales, Lascivious Lagers

.planned:
•Scottish 80/- •Sweet Stout •Roggenbier
.primary | bright:
98: Moss Hollow Soured '09 72: Oude Kriek 99: B-Weisse 102: Brett'd BDSA 104: Feat of Strength Helles Bock 105: Merkin Brown
.on tap | kegged:
XX: Moss Hollow Springs Sparkling Water 95: Gott Mit Uns German Pils 91b: Brown Willie's Oaked Abbey Ale 103: Merkin Stout
98: Yorkshire Special 100: Maple Porter 89: Cidre Saison 101: Steffiweizen '09 (#3)

mot

Recipes 

i just did a cofee stout, researched on when to add it alot. I put it in right at bottling and let in condition in the bottles. I just used esspresso. If you keg or bottle I would throw it in then...Mine tatsed great

JavaBeans

Recipes 

I did a coffee porter almost exactly the same way. I used an aeropress which makes a very strong coffee, but at a lower temp than espresso. I was trying to minimize the oils that came out of the coffee. Mine was fantastic too.

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Primary: Cream Stout
Secondary#1:
Secondary#2:
Secondary#3:
Conditioning:
On tap: Hoegarden Clone

edb

Recipes 

My next beer is going to be an espresso stout, I also have Turkish coffee but not sure how that would work out.

For the spices, I recently had one from the LHBS that had cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in it. Seriously it was one of the best beers I've ever had. He used the vodka infusion method for it and added it to the secondary.

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Primary Fermenter: