Coffee beans in stout

So I am a big coffee enthusiast. My favorite coffee brewing methods are the pour-over method and the newly aeropress method. Of course, I grind my coffee beans (purchased from local roasters) every time I brew a cup of coffee.

I do not utilize dark roasts, only light to medium roasts.

My favorite coffee beans seems to be the natural processed varieties from Panama. I know semi-washed and washed processed beans do give you fuller bodies and stronger notes, but the natural processed varieties are more aromatic.

I want to bring that aromatic attribute to a coffee stout, all grain.

Here are my questions:

Use coffee beans as an addition to secondary? Or use it in the boil?

Should I use the whole beans, or grind them? If grind, to which size (fine or coarse)?

Anyone who has experience with utilizing coffee beans in their beers, please do advise.

Thank you.

 

Use them in the secondary like a dry hop. I prefer to use beans roughly crushed. I've tried the cold brewed method before and I didn't like the outcome.

I use about a handful of beans, crush them with a hammer, put them in a sanitized nylon sock, and drop in my seconday (I use a corney for a secondary). 24-48 hours will give you a good aroma and flavor. Obviously, the longer you let it ride, the more intense the flavors


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I've used whole beans with great success. I do about 7-8 oz for 24 hours in a bag as I'm cold crashing. Great for flavor and aroma. Doesn't impart any color (I've mostly done this on pale ales). This did not have any significant effect on head retention for me.

 

What is a corney?

I read this article on cold-brewing and utilizing it for coffee stouts
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/cold-brew-coffee-adding-coffee-beer/

 

Whole beans are the way to go. I have literally posted every day in the past week in some topic trying to spread the word. Just take them from a sealed bag and toss 4oz or so in for as long as you would dry hop. Incredible aroma and flavor. Easier and more effective than the whole sterilized cold steep

 

I've only done the cold press, which I liked. Since I am doing mOOps Flapjack stout (midway through boil right now actually!) I will try his whole bean method this time.

 

This is hilarious. Must be that time of year...

Do a search, I've linked to an article about a hundred times on dry beaning.

 

how would I go about adding coffe beans to a brew if i was making it from a kit where you just add water and sugar? I noticed phrases like cold crashing and dry hopping and they mean nothing to me!
is there only very particular times or phases during the brew you could add the beans or could I just throw a few beans at the start when im mixing the contents of my tin with water.
like with 5 litres of boiling water and the contents of the kit +the beans, then make up to 20 litres and add my yeast.

 

Lots of threads on this. I have had good success adding 24 ounces of strong cold brewed coffee to either secondary or at kegging/bottling. Most either do this, or add crushed or whole beans into secondary. Not much risk of infection at this point with either method as there is alcohol present after fermentation.

Common thread seems to be to avoid adding during/before fermentation as it will reduce flavor, and avoid exposing beans to hot water, as this could impart tannin's and impact head retention.

Easy answer. After you mix your kit and boil, you will let it ferment for awhile..... kit will probably say 1 week, but longer is better - 3 weeks. Wait until fermentation is complete and airlock activity has mostly ceased and then add the coffee or beans. If using beans, toss them in the fermenter and let them sit in the beer for a few days before bottling. If adding liquid cold brewed coffee, mix gently to avoid imparting oxygen.

To cold brew coffee, mix 3-4 ounces of ground coffee with 20-24 ounces of water and let sit for 24 hours at room temp. Then either filter or press with a french press.

 

You can add it to the fermenter after you pitch the yeast. Once you have the wort made, it doesn't matter if you're all grain partial mash or total extract

 

I'm intrigued about a coffee Pale ale. Tell me more.

 

thanks, would you recommend adding them straight away? or later on in the primary fermentation, I bottle mine so I couldn't do it during my secondary.

 

It is best to do it after primary fermentation is complete. Primary fermentation will mostly occur during the first 3-4 days. The easiest way would just be to simply open your fermenter 3-4 days prior to bottling, and just toss in the beans or coffee.

Primary fermentation is different than a primary fermenter. It is a process - mostly the active portion of fermentation where yeast are reproducing rapidly and consuming the sugar in the beer - and producing alcohol. Usually your airlock will bubble a lot during this phase as CO2 is being produced as a byproduct. Secondary fermentation is more the later aging portion where the yeast cleans up after itself and then settles out. Secondary fermentation can occur in your primary fermenter. Many of us just use a single fermenter and let it sit for 3-4 weeks before bottling/kegging. Read this link.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/learn/homebrewing-101/step-3/

Generally any interesting flavors.......... coffee, vanilla, chocolate, etc.... are best added after the primary fermentation is complete for better flavor.

 

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

 

thanks, that was very helpful.

 

Good luck and have fun. Getting to experiment with adding coffee to stouts, Chamomile tea to Witbiers, etc... is what helped get me into brewing. Of course now I focus on IPA's.

 

Here's a write-up -- http://thesinglehop.wordpress.com/2014/11/09/coffee-pale-stout/

 

Cornelius "Corney" keg.

 

This is exactly what I did. I used Starbucks Espresso beans. Very Effective!

 

I've steeped in a muslin bag after flameout, which worked pretty well.
I've also done the cold brew in the secondary. Produced what was basically alcoholic coffee & was a PITA.

I'm going to have to try this whole bean thing.

 

How do I cold brew? Should I use 20-24 ounces of cold water, or add hot water and drip, then let liquid rest for 24 hours at room temp?

 

Cold brewing - add an ass load of VERY course ground espresso roast into a hop sock or other similar bag. Dunk in water and let sit at room temp over night or longer.

Then take the grounds out and boil the liquid to sanitize and cool.

To be specific, an ass-load is a very scientific unit of measure.

 

http://www.chow.com/recipes/30487-basic-cold-brewed-coffee

 

If throwing into the primary after primary fermentation is complete... do I need to do a quick dunk in some vodka?


They would be coming straight from an unopened bag... but I would need to weight them out..

 

I don't think it's necessary. The risk of infection is pretty low.

 

Agreed. I never boil the cold brew, just push the plunger down on the French press, then dump into keg and rack beer on top. I'm intrigued by this pale coffee beer. I have a coffee nut brown ale on tap right now that I'm thoroughly enjoying.

 

I tasted a pale stout recently, and have had a coffee IPA in the past, and I was intrigued. I think it would be really easy to do them poorly, but properly done, they can be tasty.

 

Coffee IPA.

I must try this.

 

A pale stout is what I'm going for..... basing it off a recipe which only had the coffee beans going in for the last five minutes of the boil.... I thought something more like a dry hop would be better, so that is what I'm going to try....

 

I made a coffee blonde ale with 3oz whole beans in primary. It turned out exactly Like I wanted. Nice pale ale body and color that smells like a freshly roasted cup of Joe. Complete mindf&&k watching people try it