Coffee stout

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FrewBrew

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Alright, I just ordered a Chocolate stout kit to make a mocha java stout, and was trying to figure out when the best time to add the coffee would be? I was thinking that when I steep the grains it might work best, but wanted to get some input.

Also, will flavored coffee have any effect? should I stick to just PLAIN coffee? I plan on buying whole beans and grinding them myself.

Thanks,

Fru Bru
 
I would strongly caution you against adding them prior to the boil. Boiling coffee alters its chemistry and flavor and you won't get the result I think you're looking for. Generally speaking you don't want your coffee to see over ~205F, and that depends somewhat on the bean and preparation method.

I would brew a pot of coffee and add it at bottling to taste. Something else that might work would be cold-brewing it in the secondary (coarsely grind the beans and have them in some type of filter sock)...I'd use a sparse amount of coffee for that method so that it doesn't overpower things.
 
Normal steeping temperatures are not high enough for coffee and coffee gets ugly if over-extracted. Either brew the coffee separately and add it just before the cool down or bag the ground coffee and steep it in the last five minutes of the BOIL. Most mocha ales use black roasted barley to provide the coffee flavors, Kona Brewing is an exception.

I wouldn't use a flavored coffee.
 
i'm brewing a coffee porter soon (i'm waiting for my supplies to show up right now), i was planning on brewing some good espresso and putting it in the secondary. i would do it at bottling time, but im not sure if it would get properly mixed into the wort, so i think adding it in the secondary will work best. also, just in general (at least for my tastes) , flavored coffee is gross, it probably wouldnt be any better in beer, better off using liqueur for flavor, or some sort of essence/extract stuff.

also definitely use fresh ground beans of the best quality you can find.
 
From Radical Brewing:

"Coffee--Cold Extraction
This is a way of getting a very smooth coffee flavor to add to your beer. Add.5lb ground coffee to 24 ounces of cold filtered water in a sanitized container. All ow this to sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then run the mixture through a coffee filter. All or part of this extract may be added to your beer"
 
Cold extraction produces an interesting variation. I use this method to make concentrate for iced coffee.
 
Something else that might work would be cold-brewing it in the secondary (coarsely grind the beans and have them in some type of filter sock)...

I did that once years ago. I'd advise the brewing coffee then add method.

Use DARK roasted coffee. Darker roast will give it more flavor and less caffeine. Believe it or not, mild roasted coffee contains more caffeine than dark roast. The caffeine gets roasted out of the coffee beans.

I lost my brewing notes regarding using coffee in beer years ago. In fact lost my whole notebook after moving. So I can't give you any advise on amounts or what flavor of beans.
 
ORRELSE's method makes for a very smooth character. For a little bolder flavor, you can cold steep (or cold brew) it in secondary. Use fresh, very coarsely crushed beans.

Word to the wise: Don't over do it! Using the cold steep method in secondary, I used 6oz for 1 week. It's WAY too strong. Cut the volume and or time by half, and you'll still have some good coffee flavor. For a subtle hint, I'd use about 2 oz for a week or less.
 
Sam75 said:
Word to the wise: Don't over do it! Using the cold steep method in secondary, I used 6oz for 1 week. It's WAY too strong. Cut the volume and or time by half, and you'll still have some good coffee flavor. For a subtle hint, I'd use about 2 oz for a week or less.

Really? What beer style was that? I barely noticed it when I used that much as a cold steep. Though that WAS years back. :)

I have to agree though, that it's better to go short than long, when it comes to this ingredient.
 
I just opened my first bottle of my coffee stout today and I have to say it was hands down the best brew I ever made. I steeped a pound of coffee beans that I cracked with a rolling pin in a bag after the boil. I let them steep for 30 minutes, then I removed from the wort before it went into the primary. I ended up with a strong coffee aroma and a pretty noticable coffee flavor to my stout. I couldn't be happier with how it ended up. So thats just another option for you.
 
Denny's Brew said:
Really? What beer style was that? I barely noticed it when I used that much as a cold steep. Though that WAS years back. :)

I have to agree though, that it's better to go short than long, when it comes to this ingredient.

It's the milk stout in my sig. It's probably going to have to go down the sink. I'm going to brew it again (the base beer seems awesome), but change up the coffee part. I'll either use ORRELSE's method (his turned out great), or cut the amount of coffee in secondary.
 
Sam75 said:
It's probably going to have to go down the sink.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rememberance day was yesterday. We'll have to start a new day for brew poored down the sink. My hat is held against my chest and "Taps" is playing on the stereo... :(

Seriously though... How long has that been in the bottle?
Might it not mellow with age? Hate to see it wasted.

Can't remember if coffee is tannic or not, but if it doesn't mellow then you might try rebottleing with some keisosel/chitoson (sorry, I can never spell thouse two right).

one of those is good for removing tannins.

Or you could blend it with another beer made specifically to complement it. If you poor carefully down the side of a brew bucket and add some ascorbic acid, oxidation might be tolerable. Just reduce priming sugar to compensate.
 
I'm getting ready to brew a coffe/oat stout in the sweet stout tradition. I think I'm going to brew the coffee, let it cool, and then add it before I add the yeast. I figure I'll brew the coffee just like I'm going to drink it, but how much should I add? I decided to use less bittering hops because the coffee will add a bitterness of it's own, and I want it to be sweet anyway.
 
rewster451 said:
I'm getting ready to brew a coffe/oat stout in the sweet stout tradition. I think I'm going to brew the coffee, let it cool, and then add it before I add the yeast. I figure I'll brew the coffee just like I'm going to drink it, but how much should I add? I decided to use less bittering hops because the coffee will add a bitterness of it's own, and I want it to be sweet anyway.

I don't see any advantage to adding it to the primary with the yeast. I would let the beer complete primary fermentation and then add it to the secondary to taste as you'll have a much better idea of the final flavor at that point.
 
If you have access to past issues of BYO then check out December 2002's issue.


a good rule to go by is to replace the amount of high roasted malt called for in the recipe with coffee, oz for oz. (If you're adding beans - espresso or liquid coffee would be different) My recently bottled java porter is seriously awesome - I added ground Sumatra with 10 minutes to go in the boil and let it steep for a while, then added Kona to the primary for some extra aroma. It worked out very well. Just something to consider.

I think a good rule of thumb for the hops is to decrease the hop content by five to 8 IBU's, maybe moreso if you use french roast or italian coffee.

btw - did you all prime your coffee brews with sugar or DME? I went with the dme for a (hopefully) smoother brew.
 
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