Coconut Brewing: sweetened or unsweetend, that is the question

[mrphillips]

I have a chocolate porter in the primary right now, and decided to add coconut to it.

All I can find is Bakers Sweetened coconut, and I didn't know if its flavor would turn my porter into a syrupy-tasting mess or not (the porter is already riding on the sweet side (1/2 lb. Special B and 1/2 lb of crystal 40 was used with only 30ibu's to balance her out).

I will be toasting the coconut regardless, so I'm not worried about infecting the beer, just worried about the flavor. I was also planning on adding an honest pound of coconut, so I wouldn't mind hearing some first-hand experience in this department either.

As always, thank you for any info you can pass my way! I'll post the recipe down the road...if it turns out

 

[Soulshine2]

I made a toasted coconut choc coffee porter last year and I used nearly 4 lbs of (unsweetened)coconut in the entire 5 gallon batch ,and its very faint.
Your honest 1 pound ,you probably wont taste it at all.
Your 30 ibus may overpower the other flavors youre wanting to come forward.
Go back to the home page ,scroll through the pages , there is an entire article dedicated to brewing with coconut. I suggest you read that a couple times for reference.
good luck

 

[303Dan]

I agree with the above recommendation about amount, and will add also that you should use a mesh bag. I used toasted unsweetened coconut for a porter once and let it free float in my conical and the day I tried to rack it was one of the worst brewing related days of my life. Fair warning.

 

[mrphillips]

I agree with the above recommendation about amount, and will add also that you should use a mesh bag. I used toasted unsweetened coconut for a porter once and let it free float in my conical and the day I tried to rack it was one of the worst brewing related days of my life. Fair warning.

Oh I planned on keeping it under lock-and-key inside a grain/hop bag. I have my own horror stories surrounding free-radicals in the secondary. Haha.

I made a toasted coconut choc coffee porter last year and I used nearly 4 lbs of (unsweetened)coconut in the entire 5 gallon batch ,and its very faint.
Your honest 1 pound ,you probably wont taste it at all.
Your 30 ibus may overpower the other flavors youre wanting to come forward.
Go back to the home page ,scroll through the pages , there is an entire article dedicated to brewing with coconut. I suggest you read that a couple times for reference.
good luck

Good God! 4 pounds was barely noticeable?!?! Thanks for the info. What brand of toasted coconut did you use?

 

[mrphillips]

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[mrphillips]

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[AkTom]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/coconut-ipa.586566/
This is an ipa recipe. It should work for a stout.
I’ve made it several times. Love it.
cheers

 

[mrphillips]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/coconut-ipa.586566/
This is an ipa recipe. It should work for a stout.
I’ve made it several times. Love it.
cheers

Excellent 1st hand experience! I can't go back in time and add coconut to the boil (there's always next time!), but the amount/time in secondary is great info. I've read online that the coconut flavor subsides rather quickly...but that doesn't seem to be your experience. That's why I love HBT!

Do you recall the unsweetened coconut brand you used? For some reason it's like finding hens teeth around my neck of the woods.

 

[Soulshine2]

Oh I planned on keeping it under lock-and-key inside a grain/hop bag. I have my own horror stories surrounding free-radicals in the secondary. Haha.




Good God! 4 pounds was barely noticeable?!?! Thanks for the info. What brand of toasted coconut did you use?

brand? i dont remember, it came from the grocery store baking aisle

 

[Soulshine2]

I would also recommend using a wide mouth fermenter. at the time all I had was a glass carboy and trying to get the coconut out of the neck of it after the secondary was a PITA. If you havent read the article yet, know that coconut needs a watchful eye while toasting . it can go from "not yet, almost there " to burnt in a split second. keep stirring and flipping it during th toast process and then let it sit on paper towels to absorb the oil , coconut oil will kill beer head so you should try to also include a malt to boost head retention.

 

[AkTom]

 

[AkTom]

View attachment 665565

 

[AkTom]

View attachment 665565

This, it’s a nice subtle coconut flavor, not over powering. I have not noticed a diminishing flavor over several months. Now I need to brew it again.
Cheers

 

[mrphillips]

Perfect! That just happens to be the brand I picked up from the store today! They only had 2 bags (10oz each), so it looks like I'm only putting in 20oz.

In your opinion, would leaving it in the secondary for a full week be too long? I have 1.5 lbs of chocolate malt, a 1/2 pound of special-B, and a 1/4 pound of roasted barley in the grain bill, so there's already some pretty strong flavors floating around (not to mention 30ibu's).

I would also recommend using a wide mouth fermenter. at the time all I had was a glass carboy and trying to get the coconut out of the neck of it after the secondary was a PITA. If you havent read the article yet, know that coconut needs a watchful eye while toasting . it can go from "not yet, almost there " to burnt in a split second. keep stirring and flipping it during th toast process and then let it sit on paper towels to absorb the oil , coconut oil will kill beer head so you should try to also include a malt to boost head retention.

I foresaw this as a possibility, so I threw in some crystal 40 and a bunch of flaked oats. Fingers crossed that she can stay frothy for at least a sip or two.

 

[AkTom]

I don’t think a week is too long. If it is, I apologize and will be over to collect my punishment. I’ll take it home and finish the batch off for you.
Cheers

 

[Soulshine2]

Perfect! That just happens to be the brand I picked up from the store today! They only had 2 bags (10oz each), so it looks like I'm only putting in 20oz.

In your opinion, would leaving it in the secondary for a full week be too long? I have 1.5 lbs of chocolate malt, a 1/2 pound of special-B, and a 1/4 pound of roasted barley in the grain bill, so there's already some pretty strong flavors floating around (not to mention 30ibu's).



I foresaw this as a possibility, so I threw in some crystal 40 and a bunch of flaked oats. Fingers crossed that she can stay frothy for at least a sip or two.

once you add the coconut , it will restart fermentation so wait until that stops and stabilizes.

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

I buy unsweetened, toast and then dry nut in a bag.

 

[mrphillips]

I don’t think a week is too long. If it is, I apologize and will be over to collect my punishment. I’ll take it home and finish the batch off for you.
Cheers

God bless you, sir. You're the embodiment of selflessness. Haha!

 

[mrphillips]

Here's the whole recipe in case anyone's interested. I tasted the base beer and it is suuuuuper chocolatey with just a touch of roast. The hops are a bit more aggressive than the style might call for, but I like it that way. It keeps me coming back for more!

5 gallon Batch - mash @ 158 - 90min. boil - OG 1.060 FG 1.018 ABV 5.5% IBU 30 SRM dark a.f.

5 lbs. extra pale dme
1.5 lbs. chocolate malt
1 lb. flaked oats
.5 lb. cara 45
.5 lb. special-B
.25 lb. roasted barley

4oz. cacao nibs (primary)
20oz. toasted unsweetened coconut (secondary)

1.5oz. challenger hops 5.3aau @ FWH (24 ibu's)
.5oz. challenger hops 5.3aau (6 ibu's)

S-05 yeast

Ferment @ 62 degrees 7 days, 70 degrees for 14 days

 

[mrphillips]

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[mrphillips]

once you add the coconut , it will restart fermentation so wait until that stops and stabilizes.

Will the unsweetened coconut really have enough sugar to jumpstart the fermentation? Any idea if it'll give me any noticeable drop in gravity points?

 

[AkTom]

I don’t think it does much.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

View attachment 665565

Wow. Don't ever recall seeing this type of coconut at any local grocery store. Perhaps, time for another check...

 

[mrphillips]

Wow. Don't ever recall seeing this type of coconut at any local grocery store. Perhaps, time for another check...

I had to hoof-it to a Fresh Market to find it. Worth the trip! It's delicious.

 

[Soulshine2]

Will the unsweetened coconut really have enough sugar to jumpstart the fermentation? Any idea if it'll give me any noticeable drop in gravity points?

mine did ...didnt take long to jump start it again either. i had to install a blowoff tube again too. it tried climbing out of the carboy ,made a mess.
drop in gravity points? id have to check my notes but I dont think the FG was off by much, it was more experimental so ...idk , it will depend on your grain bill ,OG,etc. Take notes

edit- I just checked my recipe and I'm so sorry. I used a total of 2 pounds , not 4 as stated earlier. still...if i ever make it again i will be adding at least another pound of coconut. 2 just wasnt enough to get a level of flavor I was looking for.

 

[mrphillips]

mine did ...didnt take long to jump start it again either. i had to install a blowoff tube again too. it tried climbing out of the carboy ,made a mess.
drop in gravity points? id have to check my notes but I dont think the FG was off by much, it was more experimental so ...idk , it will depend on your grain bill ,OG,etc. Take notes

edit- I just checked my recipe and I'm so sorry. I used a total of 2 pounds , not 4 as stated earlier. still...if i ever make it again i will be adding at least another pound of coconut. 2 just wasnt enough to get a level of flavor I was looking for.

Thanks for sharing your notes! I ended up doing 20oz...cause that's all I could find.

I was surprised to see that my bubbler had started going just a day after I added the coconut (similar to your experience). Not to the point that I'll have a blowoff, but interesting nonetheless. I'll be kegging this concoction this weekend, so we'll see how it all shakes out!

 

[Soulshine2]

Thanks for sharing your notes! I ended up doing 20oz...cause that's all I could find.

I was surprised to see that my bubbler had started going just a day after I added the coconut (similar to your experience). Not to the point that I'll have a blowoff, but interesting nonetheless. I'll be kegging this concoction this weekend, so we'll see how it all shakes out!

let it take its sweet time to finish out. you kick started the yeast again and you know yeast has no set schedule. you may get a decent coconut flavor in the first couple pulls ,but it will most likely wane from there. not meaning to discourage you but ive not read too many coconut home brewers that found the right amount yet. Next time I use it I will probably add some vanilla extract. I add a few drops of it to the glass and it is a nice subtle addition. You could add some at packaging .

 

[Jag75]

I definitely wanna do a choc coconut porter or stout . I've been reading the coconut threads and watching you guys dial this in lol.

 

[codywatkins]

Did a coconut stout back in November
Used 3/4 pound toasted dry hopped for a week
Did another 3/4 pound toasted for a week
Still has wonderful coconut aroma and flavor

 

[mrphillips]

Did a coconut stout back in November
Used 3/4 pound toasted dry hopped for a week
Did another 3/4 pound toasted for a week
Still has wonderful coconut aroma and flavor

I keep reading online that the coconut flavor leaves quickly...but so far you're the second person on this thread who has used coconut and says the opposite. Just one more reason why I love me some homebrewtalk.
We'll see if mine follows suit.

let it take its sweet time to finish out. you kick started the yeast again and you know yeast has no set schedule. you may get a decent coconut flavor in the first couple pulls ,but it will most likely wane from there. not meaning to discourage you but ive not read too many coconut home brewers that found the right amount yet. Next time I use it I will probably add some vanilla extract. I add a few drops of it to the glass and it is a nice subtle addition. You could add some at packaging .

Love the vanilla idea...but if the yeast decides to keep chuggin' along, I'm not sure if I can wait to taste it.