Cold brew coffee

[Metalchef1]

This is probably already in a thread somewhere but I was not able to find it.
I'm brewing an all grain double chocolate Stout and I would like to add some coffee.
I do not drink coffee and really have no experience with using it.... Especially in brewing.
I want to do cold brew to mitigate the astringent qualities that hot brewing would add to the profile.
That being said...
Chocolate will be the primary flavor as I will be, on top of malts, be adding bakers chocolate to the mash.
How much cold brew coffee do I need to add to achieve a present but background flavor. I have seen too many different opinions usually with "I haven't done this but I think" or "I'm going to try and brew this" with no follow ups or updates on the flavor.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Jtk78]

I just bottled a milk stout that I added cold brew to. I had recently drank a Firestone milk stout that had a nice little coffee note on the back end, and that was my motivation.

I ended up using 5oz of courtly ground Sumatra coffee in a french press filled with RO water and stuck it in the fridge overnight. It seemed like a ton of coffee. I was going to use 6oz and stopped at 5. I added it to the bottling bucket, and actually refilled the press with more RO water and let it steep while I was getting the priming solution ready and prepping to bottle.

About a week after I bottled it, I had a friend who also homebrews in from out of town. They convinced me to open one even though we knew it wouldn't be ready. The aroma of coffee was intense, as was the taste. It was good, just a lot more in my face than my plan.

Fast forward 2 weeks, and it has mellowed out a lot. Nearly too much. The aroma was still there, but much more subdued. I didn't really get much of the flavor until the last half of the glass. I don't plan on having another one for at least a week or two. I'm not sure if or how I'd change things up yet.

 

[Weezy]

I'm not sure where you love, and I say this since you're not a coffee drinker, but good and inexpensive, premade cold pressed coffee can be had in better grocery stores. They usually have concentrated liquid stuff as well (not the ready to drink bottled).

 

[Metalchef1]

I have no issues making the cold brewed coffee myself... I was just curious about a quantity to add to the batch.
It seems like 5 Oz isn't enough.
Any guesses what would be?

 

[Jtk78]

I have no issues making the cold brewed coffee myself... I was just curious about a quantity to add to the batch.
It seems like 5 Oz isn't enough.
Any guesses what would be?

I plan to have another one of mine (with the 5oz from above) this weekend, and hopefully share one or two. When I get a little more feedback, I'll update for you.

In fact, if you're in the Chicago land area by chance, I'd be happy to give you a couple to try.

 

[Upthewazzu]

A little goes a long way. I did a coffee/chocolate/vanilla/milk (lactose) stout a couple years back and even with all those flavors the coffee overpowered them all by a wide margin.

 

[Jtk78]

I just poured another one from a bottle that had been in the fridge about 36 hrs. Please keep in mind this is still a young beer. My plan was to make a mini-mash (1lb 2 row, 1lb flaked oats, 1lb flaked wgeat) with the remaining fermentables being 5lb of LME. I did not get very good conversion on the mini-mash so the beer is about 4.5%. I had temp issues, it was just a disaster. I did add 1lb of lactose in the last 10 mins of boil. I added the coffee as noted earlier in the thread.

I was aiming for a nearly thick, sweet, stout with a quick coffee note. I didn't really get that. The beer is much thinner than I was hoping and isn't as sweet as I wanted. Maybe it would have been sweeter without the coffee, but I think the coffee actually saved the beer.

I have a horrible nose (which is not great for this hobby) but I definitely get a coffee aroma. Not the stale, burnt overwhelming smell, but a mild version of opening a bag of new grounds.

If you've ever had chocolate covered coffee beans, that's the type of coffee note I'm getting. A little more subdued than munching on a bean, but that flavor profile. It's not going to your kitchen coffee pot and grabbing a cup of black coffee, it's not bitter, or overpowering. It's exactly how you hope the aroma taste. Subtle but smooth.

I don't know how this beer will age. I would definitely change some things WHEN I do this again, but as of right now, the coffee amount would not be it. Now if you want the coffee to steal the show, I'd bump it up.

My offer stands of meeting you to share a couple if you local.

 

[Metalchef1]

Id love to try some and thanks for the offer. I have my house in Chicago but I'm a trucker so my home is my sleeper. Might be difficult to find the time but I'd love to give it a shot.
If there is a way to private message through here send me one and we can set something up.

 

[Jtk78]

Pm sent.

 

[rhoadsrage]

Do a search for Japanese Iced Coffee. Basically get an AeroPress and make a hot coffee and press it over ice or into really cold beer. Then you can sample and add more if you think it needs it.