Porter = Ice Coffee

Damn. I made a really good robust Porter. I wanted to add a bit of coffee flavor to it by adding some high quality cold brewed coffee. I tasted it before I mixed ~8oz of coffee to my 5 gallons and it was great. I mixed it, added the bottle priming, and tasted it toward the end.

It tastes exactly like VERY GOOD ICED COFFEE.

Good thing I made 11 gallons. The other carboy won't get nearly as much coffee.

Now that's a lesson I won't forget. I expect iced coffee with a head. Should be interesting. I hope the coffee fades a touch

Could surprise some people, though. Is there an Ice Coffee category in the BJCP HBT contest?

Dave

That is interesting. I added 24oz of cold brewed coffee to my Stout and got a noticeable but not overpowering coffee flavor. I didn't taste mine until it had sat for a while so I'm not sure how much the coffee flavor fades. Good luck.

The taste will change once the priming sugar is consumed. I think you'll be surprised when it's carbed up and conditioned.

What kind of coffee did you use and how much coffee bean/crystals/whatever did you use for 8oz.?

If you have two batches, blend them together. That would probably make the perfect ratio of coffee flavor.

jbrookeiv said:

If you have two batches, blend them together. That would probably make the perfect ratio of coffee flavor.

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That's a great idea.

However, to test, I'll take a thief to the "uncoffee'd" beer, add an equal part of "coffee'd" beer and taste. Don't want to use the wrong ratio.

Wait. The first is in the bottle. Doh!

Dave

SkiSoloII said:

That's a great idea.

However, to test, I'll take a thief to the "uncoffee'd" beer, add an equal part of "coffee'd" beer and taste. Don't want to use the wrong ratio.

Wait. The first is in the bottle. Doh!

Dave

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Well, that's a problem! You could maybe slowly pour the bottled ones out and blend 'em, but your beer would probably be oxidized. Maybe make some Black & Tans with the coffee beer and leave the good beer alone?

ReverseApacheMaster said:

What kind of coffee did you use and how much coffee bean/crystals/whatever did you use for 8oz.?

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I used a Guatemalan medium/dark roast, medium/coarse ground with a blade grinder. About 4 ounces to a french press (~4 cups?). Waited 9 hours @ room temp., pressed and put in the fridge in a glass for 2 days (waiting for bottling time).

Recipe for the Porter:

11.5 gallons

18.5 lb. American 2-row
2.50 lb. American crystal 40L
1 lb. 4 oz. British chocolate
7 oz. British black patent
3 oz. Roasted barley
12 oz. Flaked barley
Mashed 60 min @ 152F

60 min 1.3oz Nugget 11.3%
3.25oz Cascade from my garden
15 min 3 oz German Tettnanger 3.2%

20 min 10oz brown sugar
1lb maltodextrine

OG 1.069
FG 1.020

Dave

I recently went to a local brewery's anniversary party. They had a "Randall the Enamel Animal" built up that they filled with coffee beans and ran their Porter through it. It was like drinking an iced latte. It was pretty amazing. I wouldn't want more than about 8oz. of it though. The Porter by itself is one of my favorites.

This isn't at all helpful to your situation of course... Except to say that if you want coffee Porter, next time you could just pour your beer through a coffee filter filled up with beans I guess?

Or maybe just "dry hop" on some whole beans (or corse ground).

Tried it again last nite - something from the middle of the bottling batch. Had a little more beer taste. I'll wait a couple of weeks and try again.

I've got an IPA on tap, and I'll RDWHAHB.

Dave

fivehoursfree said:

Or maybe just "dry hop" on some whole beans (or corse ground).

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I'd be worried about extracting tannins, acidity, etc. from letting them sit too long. Is this a proven method?

Tastes a lot better now. More like beer. Very nice head, too.

However, I still wouldn't drink too much before bedtime!

Dave

I put 16oz. of espresso in a Porter last year and it was fabulous. I noticed that the coffee flavor got less and less over time. Then all the Espresso Porter bottles were gone........ I miss that beer..........

NRS