Does type of coffee in beer really matter?

[Fordiesel69]

In terms of coffee, when you drink it, you certainly can tell the difference in terms of the brand and style. When you add coffee to a secondary for your coffee porters / stouts, is the flavor really affected that much?

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Certainly! I used to add Brazilian and Columbian beans - hearty and roasty, like the stouts and porters themselves. But I started adding lighter roasted coffee to made the brews a little bit more intricate.

 

[Braufessor]

Yeah - it can taste different. It also makes a big difference how you add it.... there are a variety of ways. My personal preferred method is to use whole beans, break/crush them very lightly.... so, they are basically broken in 2-3-4 pieces. Add them to the beer for 12-18 hours or so, and then get the beer off them and into serving keg. Generally, when I do this, I am doing it to a RIS. The RIS has fermented out and then been stored in a keg in the fridge to sit for a month or two. I put a screen on the dip tube of an empty keg, fill with star san, push the star san out with CO2, Pop the lid and throw the coffee in quick while leaving the gas on 2-3psi to reduce O2 getting in (1/2-1 ounce beans per gallon), seal it back up then I jump the RIS from the secondary keg onto the beans in the other keg. After 12-18 hours, I jump it back into serving keg and carbonate.

 

[TheAleRunner]

I've found that the type of roast (light, medium, dark) impacts the flavor moreso than the specific type of bean. I've done many batches of my coffee porter, and for me, a medium roast whole bean in the fermentor for 24 hours before kegging works best. Dark roast beans give a little too much roastiness and astringency for my tastes.

 

[quijiba]

Yeah - it can taste different. It also makes a big difference how you add it.... there are a variety of ways. My personal preferred method is to use whole beans, break/crush them very lightly.... so, they are basically broken in 2-3-4 pieces. Add them to the beer for 12-18 hours or so, and then get the beer off them and into serving keg. Generally, when I do this, I am doing it to a RIS. The RIS has fermented out and then been stored in a keg in the fridge to sit for a month or two. I put a screen on the dip tube of an empty keg, fill with star san, push the star san out with CO2, Pop the lid and throw the coffee in quick while leaving the gas on 2-3psi to reduce O2 getting in (1/2-1 ounce beans per gallon), seal it back up then I jump the RIS from the secondary keg onto the beans in the other keg. After 12-18 hours, I jump it back into serving keg and carbonate.

That's an interesting technique. I've only ever crushed the beans (sort of like you, lightly) but let them sit for much longer than 12-18 hours (more like 3-6days ish) in a secondary, then I typically just press a 1% ish solution of coffee and add it for kegging/bottling.

 

[corkybstewart]

As a longtime coffee roaster I prefer to roast about 1/2 pound of Colombian decaf beans(they're not much good for anything else), grind very coarsely, and steep the grounds in 150F water until the water is cold and the grounds have settled to the bottom of the flask. Strain into the keg or bottling bucket and it's perfect. I prefer a medium roast, too light a roast and the flavor fades, too dark and it overwhelms.

 

[j1laskey]

It sure does! I make a Vietnamese Coffee stout quite often. Sometimes I use Trung Nguyen and other times I use Cafe du Monde. Same recipe for both beers, but two distinctly different beers.

 

[eadavis80]

I'm glad to see this thread. I read that Founders Breakfast stout uses Kona coffee so I picked up some beans this morning. I plan on lightly crushing them and then adding them to my secondary (which currently has 2 chopped up vanilla beans soaking up my Irish oatmeal stout) for 2-3 days before bottling. I'm hoping it results in a nice vanilla java porter kinda' beer!

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I'm glad to see this thread. I read that Founders Breakfast stout uses Kona coffee so I picked up some beans this morning. I plan on lightly crushing them and then adding them to my secondary (which currently has 2 chopped up vanilla beans soaking up my Irish oatmeal stout) for 2-3 days before bottling. I'm hoping it results in a nice vanilla java porter kinda' beer!

I hadn't heard that, but I'd really doubt that they use 100% genuine Kona coffee. It's over-hyped and thus expensive for any of the decent to good stuff. Similar to Jamaica Blue Mountain.

A lot of times you'll see, "Kona-style" or "Kona-inspired blend". I was at the store the other day and I saw: "Kona Roast" with a small disclaimer, "Contains 10% genuine Kona beans, and a mix of other origins."

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I hadn't heard that, but I'd really doubt that they use 100% genuine Kona coffee. It's over-hyped and thus expensive for any of the decent to good stuff. Similar to Jamaica Blue Mountain.

A lot of times you'll see, "Kona-style" or "Kona-inspired blend". I was at the store the other day and I saw: "Kona Roast" with a small disclaimer, "Contains 10% genuine Kona beans, and a mix of other origins."

I wouldn't say Kona coffee is overhyped, it is a wonderful coffee. I agree that 100% Kona is not likely used in a commercial brew- that would add great expense even at wholesale prices.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Yeah it can be good; I think it's over-hyped relative to the cost. There are quite a few other coffees for much much cheaper that taste as good or better.

 

[Jawbox0]

I will also add that the times I've tried a light roast in my beers it's often imparted a vegital flavour, like green peppers almost. I prefer a little darker roast for that reason.

 

[brick_haus]

There are quite a few other coffees for much much cheaper that taste as good or better.

As a long time Kona lover, Peaberry if I can find it, I would love to know the coffees of which you refer. I also agree that its too expensive. Please share.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

As a long time Kona lover, Peaberry if I can find it, I would love to know the coffees of which you refer. I also agree that its too expensive. Please share.

I would say the most easy to find reliable rival of Kona would come from Columbia. There are some very good 90 plus rated coffees coming out of Columbia that are really impressive as a single origin.

A second rival to me would be some of the peaberries from Tanzania. They have the body your used to finding in Kona coffee along with the fruit flavors.

Third, probably my favorite, is Burundi. Probably the least similar to Kona on my list, but it's more fruit forward and multi dimensional.

The thing is, im a light roast guy. A lot of roasters get Kona and play it safe with a darker roast, when it shouldn't or doesn't need to be treated that way. If it were up to me, I'd sacrifice a little body for fruit flavors.