Add Coffee ??

[Bobb25]

The chocolate milk stout which I brewed last year turned out well, and most tasters enjoy it. However my daughter , who is a coffee-hollic asked if I could do something to add a coffee taste to it. How much would I add to a 5 gal. batch, and would I just brew normal coffee and add it cold to the secondary, along with the chocolate/vodka slurry ?
Bob

 

[radpotato]

I looked into this a while back and saw lots of different methods being used (either ground beans added to fermentor / secondary or adding brewed coffees using different methods). I guess the different brew techniques extract different coffee characteristics. FWIW I cold brew 100g of good quality coffee for 48-72 hours and then add that to the primary after fermentation has finished up; it tasted good to me!

 

[mbbransc]

There are many different methods. I've had the best lasting results with cold brewed coffee added to secondary/keg.

What ever you chose to do, don't just hot brew coffee, let it cool, and add it to the beer. Generally it will be much too bitter and turn vegetal quicker.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

I've tried a few methods and, after considerable trial and error, what worked best for me was 1/2 cup coffee in 2 1/2 cups boiled cold water. Steeped 48 hours in the fridge and then run through a filter into the bottling bucket. The flavor was just right (for my taste) for a 5 gal brew. I know there are other methods that have produced good results so try a few and see what gives you the results that fit your taste.

 

[Vandulus]

I had good results by slightly cracking some coffee beans, putting them into a hop bag and tossing them into secondary. It gave my vanilla coffee wheat a great, smooth coffee flavor that's held up well months after brewing. I look at this method as essentially cold brewing, just skipping a step by adding the beans to secondary.

 

[Peruvian802]

I had good results by slightly cracking some coffee beans, putting them into a hop bag and tossing them into secondary. It gave my vanilla coffee wheat a great, smooth coffee flavor that's held up well months after brewing. I look at this method as essentially cold brewing, just skipping a step by adding the beans to secondary.

This is essentially my method. I usually soak whole beans and a hop bag in star san for a minute or so and then drop drop the beans in the bag into the fermenter after FG is reached. I leave them there for 4-6 days and then rack it to the keg.

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

There is a new(ish) way to brew cold brew called "Flash Brewed" or "Japanese Cold Brew". The process is to brew coffee normally as a drip/chemex/woodneck/aeropress, except run the hot brew straight into ice where its cooled immediately. This is supposed to give you the benefits of hot coffee and cold brew. Plus it uses less coffee as cold brewing is pretty inefficient, so more beans have to be added. Also, this is instantaneous, no waiting for 24-48 hours. But you do have to keep some water out as the ice makes up for it when it melts.

I've tried it and it turned out great (I'm a coffee roaster also). Most of the cold brews I've tried have tasted similar and lacked any true distinction between origins or blends. I could actually taste the characteristics of the Ethiopian I did.

I haven't tried it in a homebrew yet, but I imagine this method would be best if you wanted to showcase the coffee. For example a Coffee Oatmeal Stout, or just a Coffee Stout. If you just wanted coffee flavor in a beer, then any coffee cold brewed would add that. That might be beneficial for when there are a few special additives. For example a Bourbon Barrel Aged Coffee Vanilla Chocolate Porter (Over the top, but you get the point).

I know Terrapin did a 4 pack of a base stout that had 4 different origins of coffee. It was an interesting concept.

 

[unviewtiful]

I've had success adding whole beans similar to a dry hop at the end of fermentation. For a bold flavored beer (stout/porter) 1 oz/gal was a good amount. But I also made a coffee blonde with 4 oz beans in 5 gallons and that was a bit much with the more delicate beer.