has anyone added coconut?

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grhsgomer

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So im thinking about doing a cocnut chocolate porter but am not sure on how i would go about getting the coconut flavor. Has anyone had sucess with this because i also know that it is kind of a subter flavor alot of the time.
 
Toasted coconut in secondary works best, try using the search feature and you will find quite a few threads about coconut in porters and stouts.
 
I did a toasted coconut vanilla porter, added 2 lbs of organic toasted cocount flakes to the secondary and it came out real nice.
 
I added some to lime once and I drank them both together.

True story. I was at a cooking class once and we were making coconut sorbet, which requires a little lime juice for acidity. At the moment we were to pitch our juice into the sugar/coconut mixture I said "oh, this is too perfect... I really need to say it..."

The guy I was partnered with said "I'll play along... what do you think I should do now" "You put the liiiimmmmee in the coconuuuut..." "oh ok thanks" "thanks for playing" "no problem."

His wife didnt get it. She was pretty.
 
I made a coconut porter and the flavor is not noticeable to be worth the trouble of filtering it out of the secondary. I ended up with chunks in each bottle which grosses me out. Kona Brewing make a coconut brown ale, one again I didn't think the coconut brought much to the table and ended up giving it a hot alcohol flavor.
 
I made a coconut porter and the flavor is not noticeable to be worth the trouble of filtering it out of the secondary. I ended up with chunks in each bottle which grosses me out.

You're doing it wrong. I put the toasted coconut in a hops bag and tie it up, and then rack on top of that. The beer gets exactly as much coconut flavor as I intend, and no chunks.


Kona Brewing make a coconut brown ale, one again I didn't think the coconut brought much to the table and ended up giving it a hot alcohol flavor.

Any hot alcohol flavor you got is not from the coconut. Maybe the store you bought it from kept the cans sitting in a back room with no air conditioning for a month or two in the middle of summer before they stuck it on the shelf for you to buy.
 
I made a coconut porter and it came out well, one of the most popular of the 14 beers I made last year. The coconut is quite noticeable, though word is it fades away over time.

I used 24 oz unsulphered coconut flakes from the grocery store, toasted in the oven for 10 mins at 350 (careful with this, it's easy to burn the ones on the bottom of the tray even though the ones on top look unchanged, so stir them up every few mins), and then put in an extra large steeping bag and added to the secondary for a week before bottling. If you want just a hint of coconut I'd go with less, if you want extreme coconut more, but 24 oz seems to give a solid smell and flavor without totally overwhelming the other porter elements.

Note that a) you'll loose 1/2 gallon or more of beer through absorbsion into the coconut and b) the coconut oil seems to seriously reduce the beer's head (I had none 3 weeks after bottling, and only a small amount now).
 
You're doing it wrong. I put the toasted coconut in a hops bag and tie it up, and then rack on top of that. The beer gets exactly as much coconut flavor as I intend, and no chunks.

Any hot alcohol flavor you got is not from the coconut. Maybe the store you bought it from kept the cans sitting in a back room with no air conditioning for a month or two in the middle of summer before they stuck it on the shelf for you to buy.

I tried adding it to the primary after fermentation and put my auto-siphon in a paint strainer bag. I still got chunks. The hop bag sounds like the way to go! I might have to try it on a smaller scale. I did freeze distill a gallon and that removed the chunks and more coconut come out after in those bottles.

I bought it in the middle of the winter and the liquor store is usually pretty good with their beer, huge selection and it has always been good. I'll have to try it again to see if I just got a bad bottle.
 
I came here to suggest toasting it as well. Coconut is fatty and toasting it drives some of that off which helps in head retention. Just use about a regualr store size bag (I prefer organic shredded) and toast on a cookie heet (use foil, helps with clean up) for about 30-45 minutes at 350, stirring often. Use a very fine nylon mesh bag with weights. Put in keg and rack your finished beer into it. If bottling only, well I'm sure others can offer advice on that.
 
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