Coffee Blonde Ale Recipe critique

[unviewtiful]

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: Blonde Ale
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 11 gallons (fermentor volume)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.048
Final Gravity: 1.013
ABV: 4.59%
IBU: 17.7
SRM: 4.39

FERMENTABLES:
15 lb - American - Pale 2-Row (75%)
1.5 lb - American - Vienna (7.5%)
1.5 lb - American - Caramel / Crystal 10L (7.5%)
2 lb - Rolled Oats (10%)

HOPS:
0.25 oz - Apollo, Type: Pellet, AA: 18.3, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 8.57
1 oz - Cascade, Type: Pellet, AA: 7, Use: Boil for 15 min, IBU: 6.51
1 oz - Cascade, Type: Pellet, AA: 7, Use: Boil for 5 min, IBU: 2.62

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Infusion, Temp: 152 F, Time: 60 min

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
6 oz - Coffee Beans, Type: Flavor, Use: Secondary

YEAST:
White Labs - London Ale Yeast WLP013
Fermentation Temp: 66 F

I have some friends that started a coffee roasting business, so I wanted to do a collaboration with them and incorporate their coffee without doing the typical stout/porter. So here's what I'm thinking for a blonde with some oats to give a nice creamy mouthfeel to compliment the coffee flavor. I've also been liking the London Ale yeast, as it leaves a bit more residual sweetness and slight woody/nutty notes.

Does anyone have experience using oats in a lighter bodied beer? I almost feel like they'll have a more dramatic effect in a grain bill like this, but the only frame of reference I have is using them in a full bodied stout.

I'm also not sure about the hops. I want to keep it around 15-20 IBU, but I also have EKG, summit, mosaic, Apollo, and citra on hand that I could swap in for the cascade. Would any of those go well with coffee?

 

[saltymirv]

I think it looks good. Personally, I'd double both your cascade additions and also do a dry hop of 2oz at least. I'm not sure if you've seen TheMadFermentationist's blog, but he has a write up on a coffee blonde ale. Some take away points were to use a coffee bean that complements the light malt and citrusy hops.

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2014/08/blonde-ale-on-coffee-beans-recipe.html

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2014/10/american-blonde-ale-with-coffee-beans.html

 

[Ungoliant]

Not to insult your intelligence, but here's what I think:

I would recommend using a less intense hop than cascade. It can be overpowering in flavor. I used maybe an entire ounce of it in a porter (5 gal) recently and had someone tell me it was too hoppy (like, seriously?). Also, I don't know what kind of coffee you're using, but keep in mind that coffee can impart additional bitterness to the beer. Especially with a lighter beer. I'd say go with a medium-medium dark roast (cold brewed) and a more mellow flavoring hop.

That being said, it sounds really good. Coffee can definitely work in a lighter beer. A great example would be Ballast Point's Calm Before The Storm Cream Ale. It's made with coffee and vanilla, and it's absolutely fantastic. Goose Island also makes a coffee pale ale, which is also very good.

 

[unviewtiful]

I think it looks good. Personally, I'd double both your cascade additions and also do a dry hop of 2oz at least. I'm not sure if you've seen TheMadFermentationist's blog, but he has a write up on a coffee blonde ale. Some take away points were to use a coffee bean that complements the light malt and citrusy hops.

I've seen that post, and it was part of the inspiration. Have you tried the recipe in that link? I almost think that doubling the cascade would put too much emphasis on the hops and overpower the coffee. But that's just my gut feeling without any evidence to back it up.

Not to insult your intelligence, but here's what I think:

I would recommend using a less intense hop than cascade. It can be overpowering in flavor. I used maybe an entire ounce of it in a porter (5 gal) recently and had someone tell me it was too hoppy (like, seriously?). Also, I don't know what kind of coffee you're using, but keep in mind that coffee can impart additional bitterness to the beer. Especially with a lighter beer. I'd say go with a medium-medium dark roast (cold brewed) and a more mellow flavoring hop.

That being said, it sounds really good. Coffee can definitely work in a lighter beer. A great example would be Ballast Point's Calm Before The Storm Cream Ale. It's made with coffee and vanilla, and it's absolutely fantastic. Goose Island also makes a coffee pale ale, which is also very good.

The coffee I'll be using is probably going to be something light and a bit fruity, so that might work with the cascade. But that's a fair point that it could become overpowering. The other hop I was thinking about was EKG for the earthy/floral notes. I have a bottle of Calm Before the Storm sitting in the fridge that we'll drink on brew day. And I might just have to taste the coffee before I decide on the hops!

 

[Peruvian802]

I've made a coffee blond with centennial and cascade (not much though). As long as the coffee is a lighter roast, the florals from the hops can match well with the floral from the coffee. I used costa rican beans with mild acidity and body.

 

[saltymirv]

I've seen that post, and it was part of the inspiration. Have you tried the recipe in that link? I almost think that doubling the cascade would put too much emphasis on the hops and overpower the coffee. But that's just my gut feeling without any evidence to back it up.

I haven't made it, too many other recipes lined up

He used 4oz of late addition cascade in a 5 gallon batch and said that he should have dry hopped it too. You're making an 11 gallon batch with only 2oz, so 1/4 the ratio he used. He also only used 2oz of coffee bean for 1 day and you plan on using 6oz. Like I said I haven't made this recipe, but based on his notes your beer is going to be very coffee forward with minimal hoppiness. So I guess it depends on what you want to emphasize in the final product.

 

[unviewtiful]

I've made a coffee blond with centennial and cascade (not much though). As long as the coffee is a lighter roast, the florals from the hops can match well with the floral from the coffee. I used costa rican beans with mild acidity and body.

Anything you would change if you made the recipe again?

 

[Peruvian802]

Anything you would change if you made the recipe again?

Nope. I was just thinking that I need to brew it again.

 

[unviewtiful]

Nope. I was just thinking that I need to brew it again.

Would you mind posting your recipe? I'm interested in seeing your hop schedule, in particular.

 

[golfgod04]

My Coffee Blonde Ale Thread

Theres my recipe of what I did for this as a partial mash brewer. I used Secret Squirrel Cold Brew right into the bottling bucket. Its been bottled and tasted it, My friends and I think it came out great and its a little more gold amber color than yellow, it didnt come out dark as the picture suggests and its a crystal clear beer.