Whole Bean vs Cold Brewed Coffee in Secondary

So I am brewing a pumpkin spice latte stout and I am trying to decide how to impart the coffee flavor in the secondary.

I was originally planning on cold brewing about 24oz of coffee and putting that in the bottom/racking the beer on top but then someone mentioned the idea of putting whole beans in the bottom of the secondary.

Thoughts? Anyone tried both and had better results with one vs the other?

I'm not sure you would get enough flavor out of the whole beans. You could grind them coarse and then put them in a sack, but that might lead to excess grit. I would just go with the cold brew; it gives such full, smooth chocolately flavors. (Although, that's from experience making iced coffee. I haven't ever used it in brewing.)

I cold steeped coffee for my oatmeal coffee stout and added it to the bottling bucket. I believe I added 28oz of coffee to 5 gallons. The coffee flavor was pretty strong, but it faded nicely over the next 3-4 months and was at just the right amount for my taste.

I like the cold steeping the coffee grounds because you get a lot of surface area contact but without the heat you don't extract the tannins.

the only time I used coffee I just poured the coffee into the carboy and racked the beer on it. came out great.

buzzkill said:

the only time I used coffee I just poured the coffee into the carboy and racked the beer on it. came out great.

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how much did you use and did you hot or cold brew?

I have had an oatmeal coffee stout a member of the homebrew club made, he crushed (with a mallet) a handful of whole beans and put them in a mesh bag right in the keg for a couple of days, he called it "pint of joe". The coffee flavor came through quite well, not bitter or harsh at all.

I just made some extra coffee the morning I racked the beer, It sat for at least an hour so it was cool when I put it in. I dumped in 1 cup,but I use big coffee cups and the wife and I like our java strong.

It was a very unsanitary thing to do,but it came out great. I did bulk age for about a month to let the flavors blend.

Kinda off topic - but not too far...

I have an English Brown Ale ( Brewer's Best Box Kit ) that I have some very strong strange urge to hit up with some coffee. ( That's why this thread caught my attention.) So - worth it? I'm kinda adventurous when it comes to ffod and drink - and for some reason think that this would be awesome.

Hannable1975 said:

Kinda off topic - but not too far...

I have an English Brown Ale ( Brewer's Best Box Kit ) that I have some very strong strange urge to hit up with some coffee. ( That's why this thread caught my attention.) So - worth it? I'm kinda adventurous when it comes to ffod and drink - and for some reason think that this would be awesome.

Click to expand...

I say go for it...I experiment with my brews all the time...great way to put your own mark on a kit too!

Since you started the OT - I am heading to NC this weekend (Asheville) any brews from that area that dont get around elsewhere I shoudl try?

I love my coffee stout paired with steaks & roasts. I've also added it into stews with great results.