Recipe design for Java Stout

Any thoughts on tweaking a stout recipe w/ coffee?

Specifically, should I reduce the amount of bittering hops (since coffee is also bitter?) Reduce the roasted barley (same reasoning--creates coffee-like flavor)?

I was planning to steep coarsely ground coffee in the wort after boiling (while the wort if chilling).

All suggestions and/or recipes welcome.

Most recipes I've seen for adding coffee to an ale recommend you make the coffee in the normal fashion and add it to the wort. Some say to put it in the primary, some the secondary. They all seem to agree that the main trick is to add a little, mix, taste, etc.

There's another thread on the subject out there somewhere, but the search function is flaky.

I was talking to one of the local micro-brewers the other night about a java stout the they just put on the market, he said to soak the cracked beans overnight in ambient temp water then add to the primary. You do not want to get the beans hot because of the oils released under heat..

flhrpi said:

I was talking to one of the local micro-brewers the other night about a java stout the they just put on the market, he said to soak the cracked beans overnight in ambient temp water then add to the primary. You do not want to get the beans hot because of the oils released under heat..

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Interesting: sounds like a good opportunity for nasties to get into the primary, though. You'd just have to do the cold coffee extract in a well-sanatized and sealed container I suppose.

i would take whole fresh coffee beans you get at starbucks, smash em' a few times with a hammer,and throw in a couple of ounces into the secondary, use the darkest roast (french) and the freshest avaiable...if you boil them or do anything hot to them your going to loose all that delicate oily goodstuff in there. im not sure but there is probably not a high risk of bacteria/yeast hanging out on coffe due to there high alkline qualities. mmm this sounds good already. another way if your scared of bacteia... is to french roast or turkish roast or espresso, a very strong cup, let it cool, and put the concentrated in the secondary, although im afraid u migh get staling compounds that way...good luck...

The two times I've done coffee beers I've added espresso (cause that's what I make at home, but any preparation method would work) straight to the bottling bucket/keg at bottling time. I start with half of what the recipe recommends, taste, then add more until it tastes right. The only precaution I took was to sanitize the coffee vessel.

I like the idea of adding coffee or ground beans to the secondary for the bulk aging benefits, but I imagine it would be trial and error to get the amount to use nailed down.

Beegee,

How'd it turn out?

Man, i love this forum. Seems like everytime im planning on brewing something and have a question all i have to do is come here and there is already a topic started on it that answeres my questions

E5B said:

Beegee,

How'd it turn out?

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Good (just responding to a similar question in another thread), but to me the coffee flavor has started to fade. I added enough to get a hint of coffee flavor at kegging, but next time I think I'll add just a hair more.