Newest Threads

firebird77 · 01-22-2010, 03:15 AM

My love for Guiness Extra Stout was my motivation to bumping up the ABV, but for this go-around I'm leaving it as is.

I know that adding fermentables would in turn produce a higher gravity beer, but my question was specifically what a few people would add if this was their brew.

firebird77 · 01-22-2010, 07:57 PM

Just a thought...should I worry about the fact that the espresso grounds will not be sanitized? I won't be boiling them, and I can't think of any other way to sanitize them.

archiefl98 · 01-22-2010, 11:18 PM

I haven't worried about them yet and haven't had a problem. If you want, you could probably soak them in vodka or something.

ReverseApacheMaster · 01-23-2010, 12:28 AM

If you add them at flameout it shouldn't be a problem. The wort should still be hot enough to sanitize anything that goes in.

If you are going to cold brew (or warm brew and then cool it) there is a risk, but many people seem to follow that practice just fine. I would think warm brewing it would sanitize the espresso, and as long as you put it into a sealed, sanitized container immediately after it was brewed, you would eliminate 99.99999% percent of the risk.

firebird77 · 01-23-2010, 05:35 PM

I figured this. For some reason I thought my primary wouldn't be able to fit a 5 gal batch (it's a Lowes paint bucket) but I measured it and 20 qt leaves ~20% headspace. I set up a blow off tube just in case.

Last night I left the primary in my bedroom, ambient temp ~66* and the wort was at about 73* this morning. Now I've moved it to the basement, floor temp is 62* on concrete, 63* with a layer of carpet. The directions reccomend an ambient temp around 65*, but what would be the ideal wort temp using Cooper's Dry Ale yeast?

ReverseApacheMaster · 01-23-2010, 07:17 PM

You would be fine keeping it down there.

ak40kush · 01-23-2010, 09:53 PM

I use to work in a independant coffee shop and to use fresh ground espresso to steep with your specailty grain yould be pretty effective, but however i think it would be best for oil extraction to make espresso as you normally would and let it sit with some fresh ground espresso beans for 24 hours before adding it to your wort prior to pitching yeast. this way over the fermentation process or secondary fermentation less flavour is lost. this is achieved by the additional grinds sitting with your espresso. just food for thought. i plan on using this process for making a coffee porter some day...

Chuck_Swillery · 01-24-2010, 07:41 AM

Something else to keep in mind is the style of coffee beans you use. Some styles are very acidic and can impart a tart character where others are very mild overall and may be hidden by a stout. Find a good green coffee beans supplier on-line as they usually describe each different bean's profile like you'd see with hops. You could probably come up with just the right profile your looking for with the right research. Roasting your own beans isn't hard at all and you could futher control your ingredients - all depends on how far you want to go. Also, cheap beans, like all cheap ingredients save a buck but loose on quality. My two cents....

ak40kush · 01-24-2010, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck_Swillery

Something else to keep in mind is the style of coffee beans you use. Some styles are very acidic and can impart a tart character where others are very mild overall and may be hidden by a stout. Find a good green coffee beans supplier on-line as they usually describe each different bean's profile like you'd see with hops. You could probably come up with just the right profile your looking for with the right research. Roasting your own beans isn't hard at all and you could futher control your ingredients - all depends on how far you want to go. Also, cheap beans, like all cheap ingredients save a buck but loose on quality. My two cents....

All to true my friend. another thing to consider is if its free trade. from my experience its not exactly top notch quality its more so if you want that fuzzy feeling inside when you buy it, i dont want to knock all the 'free trade' plantations though. the ethiopian stuff we had once was alright.

now im wondering if flavoured coffee can negitively effect a beer. Any preservatives in it anyone knows about?

CrAzYmOuSe · 01-25-2010, 01:04 AM

Flavored coffee beans are a no no to coffee enthusiasts. I can tell you that most people recommend using a simple bean and if you want to add flavor afterward like hazelnut or something else, you do so with a syrup after brewing(talking about drinking coffee only here). The beans that one would buy that come flavored are oily. Many high end manufacturers of coffee/espresso machines say to not use flavored beans because they gum up the workings of the machine.

I personally just brewed a espresso stout yesterday where the recipe calls for adding the espresso at bottling or optionally at secondary. I am torn but have some time before I have to decide which way to go and might split the batch to see what works best. Either way I will be using simple organic beans so to not add any oily texture to the brew and I have a nice home unit to make my espresso in.

I love both beer and coffee so this one seemed like a win/win to me.