Coconut added at flameout

[tyrub42]

TL/DR version: would adding 200g coconut flameout and 50g during dry hopping contribute anything to a NE pale?

Hi everyone,

I've used coconut in stouts before as a 'dry' addition after fermentation but haven't used it in the boil before.

I want to make a coconut/lime pale ale, but I don't want to toast the coconut as heavily (was planning on toasting shredded low oil coconut on a baking tray, so there is brown toasted coconut on top but the bottom is still barely toasted). I was planning on adding it at flameout for two reasons:

1. I don't have to worry whether it's been heated to sterilization temps

2. Coconut is so bulky that I'd need a really large bag to add more than 100g as a dry...nut, and fumbling with that much volume makes me uncomfortable about chances of o2 exposure

My concern here is that I've been reading a lot of experiences of coconut flavor not really coming through at all unless it's added to the fermenter. Wondering if anyone has positive experience of getting coconut flavor coming through as a flameout/whirlpool addition. I don't need it to be a coconut bomb but was definitely hoping to get some coconuttiness in the final beer along with lime zest flavor and a decent-but-restrained hop bill of citra and azacca (around 2.5 lb/bbl total hop rate).

I definitely can add 50-100g of heavily toasted coconut with the dry hops but as for the other 200g coconut, I was planning to add it at flameout. Do you think this would contribute anything to the beer, or is all of this likely a waste of time?

Thanks!

 

[Staticsouls]

I don't know that you will get much at those measurements. I am assuming this is a 5ish gallon batch, and I don't know how much flavor you want either.

I do a coconut ale with lactose sugar that is around 5.5 abv. I add six bags of Simple Truth Organic™ Unsweetened Coconut Flakes from Ralph's throughout the brew. 1 bag in mash, 1 at end of boil and 4 bags right into primary as soon as the yeast starts to slow down a little. The residual sugars in the coconut always restarts fermentation for me. I think the coconut is already sterilized or pasteurized I'm the bag, otherwise it would spoil quickly. I have never had an issue and brew this beer often.

Don't be shy with coconut additions in my opinion.

 

[tyrub42]

Yeah I hear ya. I have 500g and wouldn't be against using all of it in this batch, but I'd only want to use 100 max in the dry hop portion. Kinda figured throwing 400g in the flameout/whirlpool would be too much.

The plus side is that it doesn't have to be a coconut bomb since it'll have lime zest and hops as well, but I would like at least some coconut flavor in it.

Does 400 flameout/100 whirlpool seem likely to be a waste?

7 gallon batch btw. Not sure why I didn't think that was important to include in the op. My bad!

 

[Panderson1]

"Dry hopping" about a 1 lbs of unsweetened coconut for 3 days gives me a lot of aroma and flavor. No more than 3 days or it's too much. This is for my IPA

 

[Beer666]

Only added in the boil once and did not get anything out of it. I use 700g in secondary in 2 nut milk bags. Not noticed any oxidisation doing this but only add it to stouts.

 

[tyrub42]

Only added in the boil once and did not get anything out of it. I use 700g in secondary in 2 nut milk bags. Not noticed any oxidisation doing this but only add it to stouts.

I was afraid of that. I guess the worst case scenario of not getting much coconut isn't really so bad, but we'll see. Might go with 500g in the 7 gal but more likely to just do the 250 and hope it gives a little something together with the lime

 

[Beer666]

I was afraid of that. I guess the worst case scenario of not getting much coconut isn't really so bad, but we'll see. Might go with 500g in the 7 gal but more likely to just do the 250 and hope it gives a little something together with the lime

Yes its only a bit of wasted coconut. I would be curious to see what you think about it. Coconut and lime sounds great!
One thing I did recently was adding some amoretti coconut puree when i kegged. Goes really well with toasted coconut and its potent and smells amazing.