sambogi76
Well-Known Member
Im going to brew a coffee stout tonight, but I want sure on how much coffee to use for a 5 gallon batch. Would 4 oz. be too much? I don't want it to be super over powering. Your help is appreciated.
Coffee stout
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troutab81
Well-Known Member
When I did mine, I brewed about 2-4 cups of coffee and put it in my secondary for a couple of weeks. Let the coffee maker extract the flavor for you and that way I didnt need to steep/etc.
chefchris
Well-Known Member
I did 8 oz on my first coffee stout. TOO MUCH! I would have no problem with 4 oz. I cracked the beans as usual and tossed them in the fermenter. Let it sit for 24 hours then package.
I usually steep 8 oz. of coffee during chilling. Some say the oil will affect the head retention but usually not the case for me. Also, if im really going for coffee beer, I will make some espresso and add that to the bottling bucket. I raised my last batch of stout to 10 shots to 5 gallons and it was very strong. I enjoyed that batch very much but will probably drop it to 6 or 8 shots next time.
I recently make a coffee stout that I added 4oz of ground coffee to the beer in secondary for ~36 hours before bottling. By all accounts that I have read, it is best not to add the coffee to the boil if you want a nice smooth flavor. Boiling the coffee will extract too much harsh bitterness.
Full disclosure: the beer is still carbing up (only about 10 days in), so I can't say yet whether or not my method was a success.
Full disclosure: the beer is still carbing up (only about 10 days in), so I can't say yet whether or not my method was a success.
archiefl98
Well-Known Member
I like my coffee stouts to be just that -- coffee first, stout second. I usually put anywhere from 8 oz to 1 lb of grounds in right at flameout. I also like my coffee bitter, so maybe I don't notice any crazy harshness. The vacuum-sealed Cafe Bustelo bricks of espresso grinds work really well for a ton of flavor. Other times I'll use about 8 oz of Starbucks French Roast beans ground up. I've never tried adding actual made coffee to the beer. I think I might try that next.
Torchiest
Well-Known Member
Wow, lot of good ideas, and most of these variations seem doable. Now I'm definitely interested in making a coffee stout, although I'm debating using decaf. Seems like there is a decent risk of energy drink/booze bad mojo with fully caffeinated coffee. What are people's experiences with drinking coffee in beer? Do you get too cracked out? Or does the alcohol balance it out nicely?
I usually only drink 2 pints at night if im having beer but it seems to be perfect. Or grab one of these during lunch and no afternoon coffee for me. Probably my favorite beer to make. I go heavy on chocolate malt with a tad of roasted barley and some oats. Up the base grain for higher alcohol. Oh so good chocolate coffee espresso stout
