Coffee Porter

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josh940711

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I'm brewing a coffee porter and I just went into the secondary. I'm adding cocoa nibs so my question is how much and how long?? Should I go the entire time in secondary with them? I've read that too long will make the beer more bitter. I tried it and the coffee flavor made it already bitter . Thanks for any help
 
I cold-steeped some coffee and added it to the bottling bucket. After 3 weeks of bottle conditioning the flavor was definitely noticeable, but not overwhelming.

I have no idea about cocoa. What kind of malts did you use for this porter?
 
It was a kit and when I tried It I could definitly taste the coffee flavoring it was actually a "spice kit" that had ground coffee and some cocoa bits that went into the boil at the last 15 min. I
Was thinking of adding cocoa nibs last week of secondary before bottling and bottle conditioning as well
 
josh940711 said:
It was a kit and when I tried It I could definitly taste the coffee flavoring it was actually a "spice kit" that had ground coffee and some cocoa bits that went into the boil at the last 15 min.
Click to expand...

Adding coffee to the boil isn't a good practice at all. The high heat leads to the kind of flavor associated with getting a cup of coffee from a pot that was brewed several hours ago and has been sitting on the heater pad. It's a shame that the kit instructions have people doing that.

Cold brewed coffee added at bottling/kegging time is the way to go.
 
I recently brewed an imperial porter, adding about 8.5 ounces of course ground coffee in the keg post fermentation, it sat refrigerated for about 7 days. To my taste, the coffee is over powering. Perhaps it will mellow over time but that may be wishful thinking.

I'm not sure if it was too much coffee or if it was steeped too long.
 
I used 8 oz of cracked beans. This was a blend of 2 recipes. I added after boiling and before the fermenter and let steep 10 minutes before cooling. When checking gravity I have tasted and there is a significant coffee flavor. Other recipes I see call for 2 or4 oz. I am going to add vanilla and cocoa to the secondary. I will let you know the outcome. As for a recommendation...it's easier to add then take away.
 
ultravista said:
I'm not sure if it was too much coffee or if it was steeped too long.
Click to expand...

Probably a combination of the two and the fact that it had been ground. You may have been fine with whole beans sitting in there for 7 days, maybe not.

When I cold brewed for the coffee porter I currently have on tap, I used 4oz course ground dark roast and let it steep at room temp about 12 hours in a french press before straining off the liquid and keeping it sealed in the fridge until needed the next day. It gave a nice amount of coffee flavor without being too much, so I'll probably do the same next batch.
 
I've made many coffee stouts and I always use cold brewed coffee added to the bottling bucket (slowly the first time till you get the taste you want)
Take notes if you can't remember amounts and taste. No need to secondary w/this method.
 

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