Coffee addition

[UnaBonger]

I'm planning on brewing a Coffee Stout today (nothing like waiting to the last minute to figure something out!)

My question is - whats the best way to introduce the coffee to the stout? I can think of 3 ways...

1) Just add already brewed coffee to the wort sometime around flame out?

2) Put ground coffee in a nylon bag and add to secondary essentially cold brewing the coffee?

2) or add ground coffee to the wort while cooking and kind of brew it while the wort finishes boiling?

And then lastly, depending on which method is chosen, how much coffee is added for a 5 gallon batch?

Thanks

 

[Nurmey]

My vote is #2, cold brew in secondary. Brewed coffee will impart that harsh coffee bitterness that is not desirable in beer. Adding it to the boil will cause even more harshness.

How much depends on how much coffee flavor you want. By cold brewing in secondary, you can steep until you get the flavor you want, then remove it.

 

[DrDuckbutter]

when you use a French Press to make coffee (a device that allows grounds to sit in hot water until you plunger them to the bottom) you have to grind the coffee beans very coarsly...unlike a coffee maker, where you grind them finer...so get whole beans and have them ground very coarsly, otherwise you will end up with rocket fuel...
i know this from many years of coffee expertise...
I also know that Terrapin Wake and Bake coffee uses 1 pound of Kona coffee per keg...(not sure how that works out without a calculator present)
but like anything, the quality of the coffee will come out in the beer...so I would recommend starbucks...they have different types, from mild to extra bold...a bolder would work well with a stout...dependig on how dark you are shooting for..
hope that helps a little...

 

[Dog House Brew]

I brew .25lb of Sumatran coffee with my french press. I add it when bottling. It's wonderful and have won a few second place ribbons with it. The coffee aroma and flavor are awesome. I've tried all other types of additions and like this best. Hope this helps.

 

[UnaBonger]

Really appreciate the ideas

 

[UnaBonger]

So I got the stout potion of the brew done yesterday and all seems well...

I'm leaning towards the #2 method of introducing coffee to the stout... I'm wondering if I really need the nylon bag and if I can just put the ground coffee directly into the secondary? (I ferment in carboys the bag would be a b!tch to get out).

 

[HuggerOrange]

It may be a little too late but I actually have done method #1 - brewed a pot of coffee and added it to the primary at the same time as the yeast and it turned out awesome. I think adding to the primary actually "washes" away the bitterness through the fermentation process. I've also noticed that through time the stout and coffee flavors have blended really well.

 

[UnaBonger]

HuggerOrange, Can you give me an idea of how much coffee you used?

 

[HuggerOrange]

HuggerOrange, Can you give me an idea of how much coffee you used?

It was a full 12 cup pot. I used Peace organic coffee, if memory serves it was a bold roast. I ground the beans very fine to maximize coffee taste. I think one of the keys to making this work is quality coffee beans ground and brewed right before you toss it in the fermenter.

 

[Quikfeet509]

I brew .25lb of Sumatran coffee with my french press. I add it when bottling. It's wonderful and have won a few second place ribbons with it. The coffee aroma and flavor are awesome. I've tried all other types of additions and like this best. Hope this helps.

Did you try any other methods before you started adding the coffee at bottling, and if so, what were your critiques?


Thanks.

 

[UnaBonger]

HuggerOrange - Thanks for that info Did the oils in the coffee have any effect on the head?

 

[HuggerOrange]

HuggerOrange - Thanks for that info Did the oils in the coffee have any effect on the head?

Not that I could tell.

 

[twig]

I made a coffee stout (Midwest's Peace Coffee Java Stout) a few months back. Cold-pressed the coffee overnight in a bodum, then added to the secondary. Gave us a nice coffee flavour, but not overpowering, and still had a nice head - more than I expected from an extract/specialty grains kit. I'm not sure of the water volume we used for the coffee (whatever fit in the bodum) but I think it was around 3/4 of a pot.

I partially agree with the previous comment that it's important to use a good coffee, but I don't really think that Starbucks would be high on my list of good coffee sources. In our case, it turned out that the guy who runs the coffee roasting company in town is the brother of the guy who recently opened the only craft brewery in town, so he recommended one of their, fair-trade, organic blends to complement the stout. I think the freshly-roasted beans and cold-pressing really added to the flavour, as it's one of the best brews we've done.

 

[bbrim]

buy something better than starbucks. I make a coffee porter with 1/2 lb. of coffee, comes through very nicely.

 

[moti_mo]

I just brewed a java porter yesterday with my traditional method of drawing 16 shots (~4 cups) of my favorite espresso (Sumatra this time) and adding that to the primary. The espresso brings out the full flavor of the coffee, which balances really well (surprisingly so) with more floral hops (I typically use Magnum and Cascade for this recipe). If you have access to an espresso machine, you might want to try this method at some point in the future. It works great for me.

 

[TurboBrew]

I use method one for my coffee stout, always turns out great. One of my crowd pleasers, even domestic light lovers enjoy it. I just boil 20oz of water with a generous helping of espresso ground coffee. Filter out the grounds ( make sure you use an espresso filter) and throw it in the carboy.

 

[MyOldKentuckyHomebrew]

I've used Jamaican Blue in certain recipes with awesome (and prize winning) results. After cold brewing the coffee. Let it sit for 12-24 hours before putting it into the ferment-or. This will help clarify the coffee and reduce any grounds from getting into the batch. Grounds can add unwanted bitterness.

 

[carnevoodoo]

One of the local breweries around here does a cold press for 4 hours to make their coffee that they then add after fermentation.

This beer wins a lot of awards and is hands down one of the best stouts on the planet.

AleSmith Speedway Stout - AleSmith Brewing Company - BeerAdvocate

 

[Dog House Brew]

I tried brewing a full pot per 5 gal batch. 1 tbs/cup coffee, and brewed on slow setting to max out the flavor. I found that I got a real bitterness to the addition. I always have put the addition in the bottling bucket. I like the freshness in the bottle. Don't get me wrong, the brewed pot still made an exellent stout, just like french pressed better. Use the coffee of your choice and try and see what is your favorite.