1 Gallon Brew - Coffee Add question

[damianinpa]

All,
I'm going to brew my first beer in a few days. It is a 1 Gallon kit as I want to make up to a 12 pack. The recipe I picked is Goose Island Sweet Porter. I'd like to add some coffee to this recipe and wanted some suggestions. After researching, I'd like to star with Dry hopping vs the cold brew method. I was thinking about adding 2 oz of espresso beans (from grocery store) in a muslin bag 3 days before bottling (after fermentation has ended). Does this sound right?? Being a 1 gallon batch, I wasn't sure if that would be the correct amount. I love a stronger coffee flavor in my beer.

 

[C-Rider]

The times I've done it have been w/cold brewed. I use 8 oz in 2 gallons.

 

[stieg000]

2oz in a 1g batch will give you a noticeable coffee flavor for sure. You don't need to bag whole beans. They'll float and you can rack off them no problem.

 

[sixwinds]

Agreed, cold brew is the way to go and super easy! I'm all for adding flavors to beer, but my suggestion for a new brewer is to brew the recipe without any additions first to make sure you know what the base tastes like. Then adjusting for your next brew becomes much easier.

 

[Sadu]

You get some bitterness from adding beans, not sure about cold brew. I like to dial back the hops a bit if I plan to add coffee.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

I’ve used cold brew as well. Dry hopping with hops never causes issues because the hops have a antiseptic in them. You may want to consider doing something to your coffee beans to sanitize them. I breifly boiled my cold brew, but many would say that will drive off the aromatics. For me though, piece if mind is important. Also, after everything is said and done a gallon will get you 8-10 bottles.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

I have never added coffee to a brew ill defer to the experts on that. But I did brew this kit not long ago and the second bottle I (prematurely) sampled I immediately had the same thought and dumped about a 1/4 cup of black coffee in my pint. Can confirm super tasty.

 

[damianinpa]

I'm just getting back to this. I brewed my 2nd batch of 1 Gallon which is Caribu Slobber brown Ale. My only alteration was using less hops at beginning of boil as I don't like hoppy beer. I want to try adding coffee to this batch. I bought Espresso beans and wanted to ask again for some opinions of how much/how long. I'm thinking 2 oz but, maybe 1 oz since this is 1 Gallon? I do like strong coffee flavor though in beer. Also, I plan to put semi crushed beans in Muslin bag and add once fermentation. I'll let it soak for 3 days. Is that too long/too short? I'll cold brew in another batch in the future and try that to compare.

 

[TGFV]

Are you planning on using decaf or non decaf?

Just asking because that is something that may change your plan a bit, I didn't think about it but having several double coffee Porter's before bed makes me think about it if I use coffee again for another brew

 

[damianinpa]

Caffeinated coffee. Yeah, I don't drink them before bed or I'd be up. LOL As an example of what I like, Sam Adams makes a Coffee Nitro Stout.