Coffee IPA help, add coffee to secondary

[djsereno91]

I’m making a coffee ipa right now, and the recipe I’m using says to add the coffee cold brewed into the secondary. My question is do any of you see the real need for it to be added to the secondary? Or can I just add it at bottling time? I want to try several different styles of coffee, but don’t want to split the batch into multiple secondaries (I’m currently using a single fast ferment conical). I don’t personally see what the difference would be, especially if I’m adding cold brewed coffee rather than coffee beans/grinds.

 

[Upthewazzu]

I'd just add it bottling/kegging. Since I don't secondary any beer, that's the process I use when making my Coffee Milk Stout.

 

[Tall_Yotie]

The only reason I would "Secondary" it is to avoid stirring up trub when mixing in the coffee. No issue adding it before packaging, just taste as you add, and remember that it will mellow out a bit in the finished beer.

 

[Gytaryst]

It is cold brewed to cut down on the acidity caused by hot brewing it. If you're going to add it to the boil there is no reason to cold brew it first, just do a coarse crush on the beans and throw them into the boil.

If you are going to do a secondary fermentation anyway or if you don't mind doing a secondary fermentation, I would add the coffee in at that time. You will get a lot more flavor and aroma out of it added to secondary or when you bottle or keg. I've experimented adding both coffee and chocolate at different times and in different ways. I was in the camp that viewed secondary fermentation as unnecessary for a long time. But when it comes to adding ingredients where you want the flavor and aroma to stand out, I think adding them to the secondary is the best way, imho.

The cold brewed coffee method is simply to give you a smoother less acidic coffee. Be diligent about your sanitation since you obviously don't want to heat up your cold brew to sanitize it. You can also make a coffee tincture using vodka although I wasn't too impressed when I tried that method.

Good luck

Cheers!

 

[bolus14]

As others said no reason to add it to secondary, just expect it to mellow a bit from the time you bottle to when you drink it.

How are you going to use multiple types of coffee when adding the cold brew at bottling time? Are you going to fill the bottles with a specific amount of coffee and then fill the remainder with beer? Or, are you going to add coffee to your bottling bucket, transfer say 1 gal of beer to the bucket, bottle, then repeat those steps 5 times for 5 different types of coffee? I just used 1gal and 5 types of coffee to explain, no clue how many types of coffee you plan to use

Just my 2 cents on this though, I prefer beers that use whole beans added into the "secondary" for 20-24 hours. I think this gives the best coffee flavor and aroma and seems to have the longest "shelf life." I have never added coffee in the boil, but have tasted beers from others that have and it becomes to acrid and harsh for me. Cold brew fades too quick for my liking and seems to get lost easily, depending on the style and strength of other flavors. Coarse ground in the secondary seemed to extra some tannin like flavors the one time I tried it. Those are just my experiences, because of that I have used whole beans, 20-24 hours in the primary, in 4 different beers, with consistent results. A local brewery that does a coffee brown ale every couple months with different beans each time, uses the same method, whole beans for 20 hours and each time has a roughly consistent coffee flavor to it. I say roughly consistent because depending on the type of beans they use you'd expect some to be stronger or lighter depending on the "style" of coffee.

 

[Gytaryst]

I forgot to add...
Some regions produce lower acidic coffees than others. Brazil and Sumatra immediately come to mind. I've heard some say that darker roasted coffee has less acid as well, but I'm not sure. When coffee beans are roasted they create a compound called N-methylpyridinium (NMP). The longer they roast the more NMP they create. NMP reduces the amount of stomach acid that is secreted. So it's not necessarily that darker roasted coffee has less acidity, but that it creates less acidity in your stomach when consumed. I think the acidity where beer making is concerned has more to do with pH than flavor, but I'm no expert. Lighter roasts tend to have a stronger "coffee" flavor, but then again a lot of people associate the darker roasted flavor caused by the maillard reaction as being "strong coffee."

I think in the end it comes down to just experimenting and seeing what works best. Adding cold brew to the boil doesn't make sense from a scientific point, but from an artistic perspective it might make the best coffee IPA in the history of coffee IPA's.

 

[djsereno91]

The only reason I would "Secondary" it is to avoid stirring up trub when mixing in the coffee. No issue adding it before packaging, just taste as you add, and remember that it will mellow out a bit in the finished beer.

Good point, I didn’t think about it mellowing out in the beer. Thanks for the tip!

It is cold brewed to cut down on the acidity caused by hot brewing it. If you're going to add it to the boil there is no reason to cold brew it first, just do a coarse crush on the beans and throw them into the boil.



If you are going to do a secondary fermentation anyway or if you don't mind doing a secondary fermentation, I would add the coffee in at that time. You will get a lot more flavor and aroma out of it added to secondary or when you bottle or keg. I've experimented adding both coffee and chocolate at different times and in different ways. I was in the camp that viewed secondary fermentation as unnecessary for a long time. But when it comes to adding ingredients where you want the flavor and aroma to stand out, I think adding them to the secondary is the best way, imho.



The cold brewed coffee method is simply to give you a smoother less acidic coffee. Be diligent about your sanitation since you obviously don't want to heat up your cold brew to sanitize it. You can also make a coffee tincture using vodka although I wasn't too impressed when I tried that method.



Good luck



Cheers!

I didn’t plan on adding it to the boil just because I felt like I would be less in control of the final product, but good points. I didn’t really know the purpose of the “cold brew” method. Just following a recipe blindly [emoji4]. Also, thanks for the reminder on the sanitation. My buddy is actually the one in charge of the coffee aspect so I will be sure to remind him to be on top of it! Especially since we won’t be heating it back up.

As others said no reason to add it to secondary, just expect it to mellow a bit from the time you bottle to when you drink it.

How are you going to use multiple types of coffee when adding the cold brew at bottling time? Are you going to fill the bottles with a specific amount of coffee and then fill the remainder with beer? Or, are you going to add coffee to your bottling bucket, transfer say 1 gal of beer to the bucket, bottle, then repeat those steps 5 times for 5 different types of coffee? I just used 1gal and 5 types of coffee to explain, no clue how many types of coffee you plan to use

Just my 2 cents on this though, I prefer beers that use whole beans added into the "secondary" for 20-24 hours. I think this gives the best coffee flavor and aroma and seems to have the longest "shelf life." I have never added coffee in the boil, but have tasted beers from others that have and it becomes to acrid and harsh for me. Cold brew fades too quick for my liking and seems to get lost easily, depending on the style and strength of other flavors. Coarse ground in the secondary seemed to extra some tannin like flavors the one time I tried it. Those are just my experiences, because of that I have used whole beans, 20-24 hours in the primary, in 4 different beers, with consistent results. A local brewery that does a coffee brown ale every couple months with different beans each time, uses the same method, whole beans for 20 hours and each time has a roughly consistent coffee flavor to it. I say roughly consistent because depending on the type of beans they use you'd expect some to be stronger or lighter depending on the "style" of coffee.

I’d be interested in adding whole beans to the primary, but since I am experimenting with multiple types of coffee, that makes it a little impractical. Next time though! What I decided on doing is putting about a gallon in the bottling bucket, adding one style of coffee, bottle, then repeat. I’ll probably save the last gallon for a control (no coffee) just for comparison.

Thanks everyone for all the great advice and input!

 

[deadphish]

I’d be interested in adding whole beans to the primary, but since I am experimenting with multiple types of coffee, that makes it a little impractical. Next time though! What I decided on doing is putting about a gallon in the bottling bucket, adding one style of coffee, bottle, then repeat. I’ll probably save the last gallon for a control (no coffee) just for comparison.

Thanks everyone for all the great advice and input!

It took me several batches to get the right amount of coffee, but no over power. Your method is a good way to get it right faster. I know also always cold brew and add at bottling to make sure i have the right combo.

I usually throw some course ground coffee a little after flameout and leave it in fermentor, although not sure home much effect it really has.