"The Doctor" Kava Coconut Porter

I've been wanting to brew a beer with kava root for quite some time, as I have found that kava root's effects are quite synergistic with alcohol (especially beer). Also, I have had kava drinks with coconut, and thought coconut paired nicely with kava's slightly astringent and earthy taste. A few months ago, I had brewed a great coconut porter, so I figured that it would be a good base recipe to use for a kava beer.

I brewed this beer last night and will report on how it turns out in the end. I haven't been able to find another person who has brewed with kava, so hopefully this will turn out well... If it does, it will certainly be a very relaxing beer to drink, which is why I decided to call it "the doctor."
Here is the recipe:

"The Doctor" Kava Coconut Porter
Style: Robust Porter
Type: All Grain
Calories: 177 (per 12 oz.)
OG: 1.056
FG: 1.020
ABV: 4.72 %
IBU's: 42.67
Batch Size: 5.00 Gal
Boil Time: 60 minutes

Primary: 14 days @ 68.0°F
Secondary: 14 days @ 72.0°F
Bottle/Keg: 14 days @ 74.0°F

Grains & Adjuncts
8.50 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter
2.00 lbs Chocolate Malt
0.75 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L
0.50 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine Malt

Hops
1.30 ozs Northern Brewer - 60 mins
0.75 ozs Goldings, East Kent - 10 mins

Yeasts
Wyeast Labs 1318 - London Ale III

Additions
1.00 tsp Irish Moss - last 15 mins of boil
1.00 lb Coconut (toasted) - 14 days Secondary
1.00 lb Kava Root - soaked for 4 hours prior to kegging (see notes below)

Mash Profile
Medium Body Infusion - 60 min @ 154.0°F
Add 17.62 qt ( 1.50 qt/lb ) water @ 174.0°F

Carbonation
10.1 psi Force Carbonation @ 40.0°F

Notes
Toast flaked coconut in oven @ 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Put coconut into muslin bag, weigh it down with marbles, and add to secondary. Let soak in secondary for 14 days (entire duration of secondary).

I used whole kava root, but you can also use kava chips (do not use kava powder). Break up kava root or chips as much as possible, then smash with a mortar and pestle and place into a double-bagged mesh bag. Add marbles (or other weights) to the outside bag. Rack beer onto kava in a fermenter bucket just prior to transferring to keg, after secondary fermentation is complete. Let sit for 4 hours, then squeeze the bag to extract all of the kava. Do not stir the beer as you will stir up a great deal of sediment, and rack to your keg (or bottles, if you want to bottle condition).

I found a great source for whole kava root from Hawaii (http://www.konakavafarm.com), and the quality of the root is fantastic. Hopefully, it will work well in this beer!

Your recipe sounds great. Love to hear how it turns out!

Two things...

First as an MD and a Pharmacist, just want to remind anyone wanting try this recipe that people with liver problems and or those taking antidepressants, benzos (Valium, Xanax, klonopin, Restoril, etc...) or those taking St. john's wort, that mixing kava and any of these, amount others, could result in a synergistic, not additive, seditive effect where 1+1=10 not just 2, resulting in coma and even death. Just be careful when mixing your Alcohol and other drugs. Btw, I am professionally obligated to say that it is not recommended to mix alcohol and kava in the first place...

Second, That said, you may be interested in the link below relating to the extraction of the active components on Kava

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55859

I can't recall how soluable the kavalactones are in water / alcohol and how much time is needed to get the most out of the powdered root but given that there are commercially available tinctures (alcohol based extracts) I doubt that there would be much harm in prolonged exposure of your beer to the root powder. You might want to let the kava powder mix with your brew in the secondary for a few days or so then clarify or run it through a 10-20 micron filter prior to kegging. A yeast cell is about 6-12 microns so you should still be able to bottle carbonate at that range.

Best of luck. Hope it turns out as good as it sounds.

This beer turned out phenomenally! I am so satisfied with it, and my friends have nearly drained the keg! I did not need to use a filter, as the sediment settled enough after 4 hours of soaking, so I was able to rack the beer off of the kava sediment quite easily. Also, kavalactones are highly alcohol and water soluble, and it is recommended that they are soaked at ROOM temperature, which is why I soak the root just prior to kegging. The amount of kava in this batch is not overwhelming, and a pint will mellow you out quite nicely, but not kick you on your ass. And in regards to mixing alcohol and kava, yes they can compound one another, but there have been cultures that have been mixing kava root and alcohol for centuries. Just be careful not to go overboard when you drink this stuff and you will be fine.

I've been an avid kava user for years. Just be careful. This article is helpful for understanding various extraction methods. http://www.henriettesherbal.com/files/articles/kava_phytochemistry.pdf

Hello, I am getting read to brew a kava stout to enjoy this winter. I am writing to ask how you prepared the kava before racking onto it. How did you prevent contamination of your beer as you racked it onto the bacteria (and God knows what else) laden kava? Did you boil it, soak it in alcohol, have a witch doctor bless it, etc, (just kidding about the witch doctor....or may be not, it is kava kava).

I plan to allow it to sit on the root for about 1 day during secondary, or simply placing some kava chips in a sifting bag and putting it in the keg before I rack into the keg. Thoughts?

My big concern is bacterial contamination of the beer with a root that has not been boiled ( as I have heard boiling the root yields it useless).

davidvhead said:

Hello, I am getting read to brew a kava stout to enjoy this winter. I am writing to ask how you prepared the kava before racking onto it. How did you prevent contamination of your beer as you racked it onto the bacteria (and God knows what else) laden kava? Did you boil it, soak it in alcohol, have a witch doctor bless it, etc, (just kidding about the witch doctor....or may be not, it is kava kava).

I plan to allow it to sit on the root for about 1 day during secondary, or simply placing some kava chips in a sifting bag and putting it in the keg before I rack into the keg. Thoughts?

My big concern is bacterial contamination of the beer with a root that has not been boiled ( as I have heard boiling the root yields it useless).

Click to expand...

Hi there! I answered on my other thread, but I figured I'd answer here too. I had no contamination from the root, and all I did was rinse it thoroughly with warm water. Do NOT boil it. Don't even rinse it with hot water. Jus rinse the root in warm water, chop it into pieces, and then throw it into your secondary. You'll be VERY glad you did