firebird77
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
For my third ever batch of beer I am looking to make an Espresso Stout. My LHBS carries Brewer's Best kits, so for simplicity's sake I was considering purchasing the BB Irish Stout kit, and steeping fresh ground espresso. So far I have a few questions:
What is the best way to impart the espresso taste? I have heard of people putting whole beans in the secondary (which I am without, for now), cold-brewing espresso and adding it to the wort (when?), or steeping ground espresso during the boil. I am going for a fairly strong coffee note, however I obviously still want it to taste more like a beer than a cup of espresso.
Should I cut back the amount of bittering hops, or add them later to compensate for the added bitterness of the espresso? I am planning on doing a full boil (assuming I can get the keggle together in time) and know I have to already cut back the hops 20% all around.
I have read that priming with DME produces finer carbonation than using corn sugar, which would be desirable in this style. Can anyone back that up?
For reference, here is the list of ingredients in the kit:
http://www.brewersbestkits.com/pdf/1023_Irish_Stout.pdf
For my third ever batch of beer I am looking to make an Espresso Stout. My LHBS carries Brewer's Best kits, so for simplicity's sake I was considering purchasing the BB Irish Stout kit, and steeping fresh ground espresso. So far I have a few questions:
What is the best way to impart the espresso taste? I have heard of people putting whole beans in the secondary (which I am without, for now), cold-brewing espresso and adding it to the wort (when?), or steeping ground espresso during the boil. I am going for a fairly strong coffee note, however I obviously still want it to taste more like a beer than a cup of espresso.
Should I cut back the amount of bittering hops, or add them later to compensate for the added bitterness of the espresso? I am planning on doing a full boil (assuming I can get the keggle together in time) and know I have to already cut back the hops 20% all around.
I have read that priming with DME produces finer carbonation than using corn sugar, which would be desirable in this style. Can anyone back that up?
For reference, here is the list of ingredients in the kit:
http://www.brewersbestkits.com/pdf/1023_Irish_Stout.pdf