Im planning on adding 5 tbls of coffee grounds to my wort at the last minute. Could i just add them directly to the wort, whirlpool then siphon through a strainer or will i need to use a hop bag or some other kind of retainer?
I've added coffee a few ways.
Mash
Boil
Bottle
The most successful was adding the coffee at the mash. The coffee flavor was intense but still smooth. Adding the coffee during the boil the coffee was strong and harsh. You can also add brewed coffee at bottling time. I did that too but the flavor was mild. I may just not have added enough though.
You don't want to steep the ground coffee for a half hour in a french press. You want to be at about 4-5 minutes. Overextracting coffee will make it very bitter.
I've done a few things too. And heard a few things.
1) I've added during last bit of the boil and the coffee flavor was acidic and overly strong.
2) I've added at transfer to secondary after using a French Press and only slightly warm water. I let the coffee steep for at least a half an hour. I've heard that this adds a lot of aroma but not all that much flavor.
3) I've added crushed beans 12 hours before bottling. I've heard that this adds a lot of flavor.
On the last coffee beer I made I actually combined 2 and 3. I did half of the coffee I was planning on using for step 2 and the other half for step 3. The beer turned out wonderfully.
I will also agree with a previous post that coffee is not at its best when boiled (and I knew this but made a beer doing that anyway). It releases a lot of acid which hurts the flavor.
I would also recommend always using some kind of a bag with coffee. The beans and grinds can and do float so even a siphon won't get everything. And when that junk gets in a bottling wand.....
The roast of the bean will make a big difference on the acidity and oils. French Roast, for instance, is a very oily roast. If you have a local roaster then they could work with you on the best possible balance of acidity, flavor and oil.
As for brewing with coffee beans, never done it.
You get good results by cold-brewing the coffee and adding it during packaging.
I brewed 16 oz espresso and added it to my bottling bucket. My
espresso Porter turned out fabulous.
chilort said:When I used warm water it wasn't over 100 degrees. I thought about cold brewing. I was told it would take at least a half an hour. I wanted a little more ooomph, so I used warm water.
I understand that cold brewing takes closer to 24 hours. The result is like de-bittered coffee concentrate.
There's a device called a Toddy that cold brews a pound of coffee. I have not tried it, but friends have recommended it.
Enter your email address to join: