Coffee Mead

[BigStone777]

...depending on which coffee you use I guess... hm, is there a coffee extract that could be used maybe? I am thinking more about the honey/ green tea/ ginger thing.

 

[BigStone777]

2) As you pointed out - you start seriously altering your ratios... lots more water. And the used grounds would be just that - used.

Ok, what about boiling the coffee to get rid of some of the water, and make it stronger? I'm talking coffee, not leftover grounds...

 

[Driftless]

Ok, what about boiling the coffee to get rid of some of the water, and make it stronger? I'm talking coffee, not leftover grounds...

Okay - I am curious about the coffee concept. Since I am still not convinced that french-roast and mead belong together...

But if cold steeping is all the rage for brewing purposes, why not just dump some ground un-brewed coffee in your primary, or secondary, and let it do its thing for a few days... Save a lot of boil time, brew time, etc. Those grounds will just sink to the bottom eventually.

Sidenote: Just collected about 2kg of coffee cherries (apparently we are just in between fruiting events...) and am considering whether to add the skins. The skins have an earthy vegetation taste, while the the pulpy insides hold the sweet goodness... Of course, if there was a way to use the mucilage for mead, and save the coffee beans for roasting, then I would I have the perfect circle...

Just thinking out loud after another night of unbridled baijiu drinking...

 

[JezzaUK]

I know this is an old thread, but did anything ever come of all this coffee mead talk - and if so, how was it?

Would certainly be interested in people's recipes if some good came of it?

 

[KevinM]

I'm curious how summersolistice's came out now that you've brought this up.
There was a place here that did a coffee mead using an Ethiopian Harrar from a local roaster(Bnektar & Chazzano).
As much as I like coffee, I can't really say it was my favorite mead to taste. It tasted good, smelled a little weird (I just don't like the smell of old coffee) and I'm not sure what I'd serve it with.

 

[JezzaUK]

If you cold steep coffee beans in alcohol (vodka maybe?), the presumably this would avoid the "old" taste to the coffee? Think fresh coffee beans would be better for this, but I've no idea where they can be obtained in the UK.

 

[K5MOW]

Wow it sounds great!!!!

Roger

 

[KevinM]

Good question, I don't know if they hot steeped or cold steeped. I've used coffee once in a beer where I cold steeped, but someone recommends de-oiling espresso.

Try searching for roasters or a green coffee bean source if possible. Roast your own, it's pretty easy to do and pretty darn tasty.

 

[Wonderbird]

I am leaning towards trying this with a 5 gallon batch of mead made with 4 gallons of liquid... (Then, adding 1 GALLON of freshly brewed gourmet - fresh roasted - fresh ground, etc. coffee during the first part of the cooling process....)
I am hoping the natural anti-oxidants in the coffee would not "kill the yeast" or anything....
I will definitely be experimenting with this concept... (Had to join this web site just because this thread showed up on a search engine...)

The reason for this approach would be that the HIGH HEAT of boiling messes with coffee... For excellent coffee you want the temperature just below boiling when you introduce it to the coffee grounds... (So no reason you can not boil the water first and then add it to the coffee to make sure it is close to sterile and does not introduce "nasties" to the mead...)

Being only 20% coffee it would probably make for a HORRIBLE cup of joe... (but I could definitely see people sensing a "hint of coffee" when trying to describe the flavor of the mead!! LOL)
I have my own coffee roaster and good sources for green beans... Right now I'm pretty weak on the "mead" side of things so I'd be happy to get together to work on this with someone who has more mead brewing skills to work on this concept... (I'm located in Apple Valley, CA)

Wonderbird

 

[Wonderbird]

Most problems with bad taste of "old coffee" is that you do not want to subject coffee to heat for too long... Ugly things start to happen... If/when I try making a coffee mead I am going to introduce the coffee during the "cooling cycle" of the mead so that the coffee is not subjected to the heat of the boil...

 

[pittsjr]

How is everyone's coffee mead turning out? Curious to hear about some results.

 

[cnealey]

I'll often toss a few beans in every bottle just before corking. You definitely get a great coffee note and this method allows for variability/experimentation... no beans in one bottle, a dozen or more in another and everywhere in-between. It can also add to the presentation.