Sanitizing flaked coconut (question

[Panderson1]

Recipe is a Coconut IPA. Using flaked organic unsweetened Coconut.

No toasting so the oven is out. Would these be fine out of the package to throw in the fermenter (bagged) for 2 days before kegging? Or do I need to go buy some vodka? Also the coconut seems to be dehydrated so the vodka would soak into the coconut a little?

 

[Steveruch]

When do you plan to add the coconut?

 

[day_trippr]

Assuming the coconut would be added post-fermentation (because otherwise its fragile character contributions will be subject to CO2 scrubbing) I would be reticent to pitch it without some attempt at sanitation. Having put like 90% of the effort into a batch and then put it at risk near the end is not something I'm keen on.

As the oven is out for whatever reason, some Everclear or a neutral vodka soak would be effective without significant impact...

Cheers!

 

[Panderson1]

When do you plan to add the coconut?

2 days before kegging. Fermentation is done. I could do it in the keg but getting it out would be an issue. I always get a leak when using floss/fishing line. W lube

 

[Jayjay1976]

Bake it at 160f for 20-30 minutes, that's all it takes to pasteurize. Then put it in a hop sock with either a ping pong ball or a shot glass to either float it or sink it according to your preference, and throw it in the keg. Is there a reason you'd need to pull it from the keg after a while? You could also zip tie it to the dip tube so that as the beer is consumed, the coconut is eventually hanging up above the beer.

 

[Panderson1]

Bake it at 160f for 20-30 minutes, that's all it takes to pasteurize. Then put it in a hop sock with either a ping pong ball or a shot glass to either float it or sink it You could also zip tie it to the dip tube so that as the beer is consumed, the coconut is eventually hanging up above the beer.

That's a good idea. We will probably drink enough of it the 1st night to get it above the beer. So throwing it in the keg for 2 days at high psi to carb. Then drink it. I could even open the lid and pull it out if I wanted. Thx.......... The recipe says toasting the coconut leads to a nutty flavor so avoid toasting.

 

[Jayjay1976]

That's a good idea. We will probably drink enough of it the 1st night to get it above the beer. So throwing it in the keg for 2 days at high psi to carb. Then drink it. I could even open the lid and pull it out if I wanted. Thx.......... The recipe says toasting the coconut leads to a nutty flavor so avoid toasting.

I don't think you would see any toasting at 160f but it's worth doing a bit of testing.

The way pasteurization works is hight temp/short time is as effective as lower temp/longer time. The lowest effective temp I believe is 160f but you probably don't need a full 20 minutes with a food that has so little moisture/thermal mass like dry, shredded coconut.

There are charts somewhere on the web outlining the recommended times and temps, sorry I don't have a link for you.