Need HELP with Coffee Addition at Bottling

[MarkIafrate]

Hey everyone,

Getting ready to bottle this stout I made and 2.5 gallons of it are getting coffee added. I cold steeped a bunch of coffee grounds of a couple different coffees and it only yielded 1 fluid ounce of extract.

I know this won't be enough since I did some taste-testing with my gravity sample. To make up for it I just added about 8 spoonfuls of coffee grounds to a sanitized tupperware container with lots of cold water and put it in the fridge. I am planning on letting it sit for a few hours and will then see how many fluid ounces of extract I get once I filter it through a strainer or coffee filter.

For those who have done cold brewed coffee additions to kegs or at bottling, how many fluid ounces per gallon do you recommend? I know it varies, but any help is appreciated!

Thanks!
Mark

 

[pkrath84]

subscribed. Coffee brews are why I wanted to start home brewing. Hope it works out. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[d3track]

I think I ended up with about 8 cups of extract with my coffee vanilla stout. I let it steep for three days and added at bottling.

Oh, this was a 5 gallon batch

 

[WoolyBooger]

I used about 2oz (by weight) of coarse ground coffee to about 20oz (by volume) of water for a 5 gallon batch.. I would say I ended up with about 12oz of coffee extract to add to my secondary. I bottled today and the coffee flavor is pronounced, but not overwhelming. I'm pretty happy with it. Good luck, I hope this helps!

 

[MarkIafrate]

Thanks to everyone for their responses! I thought I'd update people on what I ended up doing.

I had originally added about 5 oz. of fine ground coffee into a container and covered with vodka. I let it sit for a few days. When I went to strain I only got 1 oz. of extract (although it was very pungent). I figured this was because I used vodka and not water. Some people might think 1 oz. of coffee for 2 gallons is fine, but by taste testing with my recipe I knew I would need a lot more to get my desired flavor.

I took the rest of the coffe grounds I had (not sure how much) and filled two Tupperware containers with cold water and stuck them in the fridge overnight. This morning I strained the grounds a couple times and go about 31 oz. of coffee. This means I had about 32 total oz. to add to the 2 gallons.

I wound up getting 25 bottles, meaning there was about 1.45 oz of coffee per bottle.

Now if that seems like a lot, that's because it is. Most people would recommended maybe 1 oz. per gallon (depending on the recipe).

My advice from this? Plan to do 1 oz. per gallon of beer for most recipes, but be prepared to use a lot more or a lot less. Get enough coffee to add 1 ounce per beer.

When you're getting ready to bottle, I suggest taking your gravity sample and to measure it out. See how many ounces is in it and then start added coffee to it a bit at a time. You'll be able to judge from that how much you need. Do your best to scale up your measurements and add that amount to the beer.

Like I said, you may have a lot of extra coffee, but if that's the case, just drink it! Remember, it's probably better to add too little than too much.

In about 2-3 weeks I'll try and remember to come back and let everyone know how it turned out.

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[pkrath84]

Sounds good! Thanks for posting this.

Just a random tidbit from my coffee cold brewing experience... When making cold brew coffee and letting it sit 12-14 hours, the general rule for mixing your now, "extract" is 3:1 (water:coffee). That ratio is for a regular strength cup of coffee. Espresso is 1:1.

Just thought I'd share that. I dont know how it will work in vodka but I figure any information might be useful. Hopefully someone finds the info useful.

 

[C-Rider]

I use one measuring cup of cold brewed coffee in a 1.75 gallon batch at bottling time. A lot depends on how strong your coffee comes out which is why I always did it at bottling time so I'd know the taste.
We have a cold brewing setup w/a filter built in and a cork at the bottom. The grounds and water go in and sit over night. Then pull out the cork and let it drain in to the bottle it comes with. This is so strong that 3 Gatorade caps is all I need to make a cup of drinking coffee.

 

[Pelican521]

So the ratio of 3 to 1 would translate to 3 cups of water to 1 cup of coffee grounds? Sounds like it would be very strong. Is that right?

 

[2005STi]

I would add a little, stir, taste, repeat until the taste was right. This is what I did and I think it's a great way to be sure you get just the right amount for your taste.

 

[strambo]

I cold steeped 8 oz of ground coffee (by weight) in about 1qt of water (for 5 gals). Added it all to the beer and it came out perfect...a little on the strong side, like Lagunitas Cappucino Stout level, but that's what I wanted.