best way to add coffee?

[DrummerBoySeth]

I am considering adding some coffee to my next RIS, but I have no idea what the best way to add it is. I have thought about putting coffee grounds in the secondary. I have thought about cold brewing some strong coffee and adding that into the secondary. The problem is that I have never used coffee in brewing before, so I have no idea which is the best method, or what quantity to use with each method.

Does anyone have experience with a coffee addition like this?

 

[MalFet]

I would definitely recommend a cold-brew over adding to secondary. Get a cheap but reasonably fresh dark roast, coarse grind it and steep in cool water for 24 hours.

Quantity is tricky, since it depends on both taste and recipe. But, I've found the best way to handle this kind of thing is to buy a commercial beer similar to the stout you want to brew (without the coffee, though), and then to try the beer with various doses of coffee extract.

 

[Channel66]

If you are using coffee beware of the oils that most columbian beans produce. I find it best to cold brew some course ground coffee, and add that to the secondary 24 oz is what I have done on a 5 gal batch of stout before, added a nice note but didnt overpower. I would pour a measured sample of your brew, and use a measured amount of coffee on the sample, then add coffee to taste, scale up to full scale from there.

adding beans/grinds to the secondary gives too much contact time which releases a fair amount of oil which IMHO is a good way to ruin a brew.

 

[Rhuarc]

I do not recommend using French Press... We tried this back in November and put in 8 cups of coffee. It is very acidic, and the harshness overpowers the beer. I would recommend with going not more than 2 to 4 cups of cold pressed coffee to keep the acidity low.

 

[Stauffbier]

I used about 3 oz of espresso roast in about 1.5 cups of water, cold brewed in the fridge for 24 hours and then pressed and added to the bottle bucket. I made a vanilla espresso stout with this, and it's delicious! I'm a coffee lover, though. With that said I agree with the other posters on experimenting with volumes until you get the taste you like.

 

[RM-MN]

Black malt will give you some coffee flavor without the associated risk of the oils from the real coffee. Be sparing with it, this is a strongly flavored malt. I made this recipe and the flavor from the black malt was strong. I should have only used 2 ounces instead of the 4 that I put in.

http://hopville.com/recipe/1015461/specialty-beer-recipes/double-deception-cream-stout

 

[bobbrews]

There is a KBS clone on this website which recommends the following for a 5 gallon batch. Pay attention to the other bitter elements you use in the recipe and adjust accordingly for your particular beer. KBS contains a lot of sweeter flavors, but it's also 73 IBUs and under 1.019 FG.

2.0 oz. Sumatran coffee grounds, flameout
2.0 oz. strong, cold-brewed Kona coffee, 2-6 month secondary

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/kbs-clone-recipe-zymurgy-185487/

 

[CannibalAJ]

+1 on the cold brew. my espresso porter turned out amazing

 

[Fijidave12]

I've used a combination of a couple oz of coffee malt along with 3-4 oz of espresso that I pulled at work to use in secondary for an Imperial Oak Aged Espresso Stout. Turned out perfectly. If you find a barista who actually knows what they're doing, the espresso shots won't be burnt or bitter. On this next batch, I'm going to be using a Kemex for the coffee addition. Makes one of the best cups of coffee you can find--full flavor, no bitterness, can be very concentrated. You might have luck finding one at a local coffeeshop; but I doubt you'll find one in a Charbucks. An AeroPress is also another great home option. Makes a really good shot quickly. Yeah, I'm a complete coffee nerd.

 

[hillhousesawdustco]

I've had success with cold brewing and adding to the last week of secondary. I also once used a couple of starbucks "via" instant packages in secondary and that actually worked surprisingly well too.

 

[ixceleratori]

I added a whole expresso bean to each of my bottles in one case (and more for extra kick on the next). It seems to have an effect! Word to the wise, don't eat the bean if you do this. I thought it would taste like beer, but it definitely did not!

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

I added a whole expresso bean to each of my bottles in one case (and more for extra kick on the next). It seems to have an effect! Word to the wise, don't eat the bean if you do this. I thought it would taste like beer, but it definitely did not!

Do I even want to ask what it DID taste like?