Brewing with coconut?

[svthomas72]

I am thinking of brewing an imperial stout with coconut and aging it with rum soaked oak cubes. Problem is, I have never brewed with coconut before. When/how do I put it into the wort? At flame out? Do I use fresh coconut? Or do I toast it in the oven first? I have heard of issues in the boil with coconut fat, and I have also heard of putting it into the secondary fermenter. Help! I will probably shoot for a brew day in about 2 weeks. I'm brewing a light beer for the wife this weekend, and when my fermenter frees up from that, I will begin planning this one.

 

[Snuffy]

https://homebrewanswers.com/coconut-stout-recipe/

 

[svthomas72]

https://homebrewanswers.com/coconut-stout-recipe/

Gracias!

 

[Dgallo]

Shredded unsweetened coconut toasted and spread thin on paper towels to soak up the oil. Use it as a rate of 0.20 - 0.40 lbs per gallon and added it on the final days of fermentation.

This has been the best way for me to get robust coconut flavor but still maintain great head retention

 

[Panderson1]

Shredded unsweetened organic coconut. I've noticed it doesn't do much in the boil. I've added it for 20 mins and can't taste it. It's best added to the fermenter or keg. 2.5 days is my sweet spot. Any longer and it's too powerful. Depends on what you are going for. This was an IPA. It does seem to affect the head retention for some reason. Have a method being able to remove it from the keg/ferment. Also I keep it in the oven at 175f for 25 mins and it doesn't "toast" the flakes. I don't like the toasted flavor. You might though so you can go higher in the oven.

 

[Marco Brewing]

I have had success using sweetened coconut, toasted, and doing a double dry hop (dry nut) for about 6 days each. It imparts a very nutty flavor, increased ABV, and I get good enough head retention if I age the beer properly.

 

[50calshooter]

I have always used one 14oz bag of sweetened shredded coconut to five gallons of beer. I spread it out on a cookie sheet and toast it until it is golden brown (That's why I use sweetened coconut-it makes better toasted coconut). I wrap it loosely in a bag made from a folded sheet of cheesecloth-three layers allows good flow and contains the coconut (Give it a dip in a sanitizer and let it drip off the excess sanitizer). Place it in the secondary vessel and give it 1-2 weeks. Yes, the remaining yeast will get active again because of the sugars in the coconut but not enough to mess with your recipe or target ABV. I've made stouts, porters, brown ales, and dark wheat beers using this technique. They are always a good seller at my brewpub.