First run at making cold brew coffee and dispensing it on Nitro

[TsunamiMike]

Ok, so I found highly rated coffee, bags for the grinds and figured I could use either a keg or one of my brewing buckets for the steeping process. I am sure most of you have gone through this already and may be able to offer a better step by step recipe as all i can find online is small batch.

I have a 3 gallon keg to use, anyone that can share a recipe?

Filters: Amazon.com: (2-Pack) Organic Cotton Cold Brew Coffee Bag - Designed in California - Reusable Coffee Filter with EasyOpen Drawstring Cold Brew Maker for Pitchers, Mason Jars, & Toddy Systems (Large 12" x 12"): Home & Kitchen

Coffee: Amazon.com : Stone Street Cold Brew Coffee, Strong & Smooth Blend, Low Acid, 100% Arabica, Gourmet Coffee, Coarse Ground, Dark Roast, Colombian Single Origin, 1 LB : Grocery & Gourmet Food or Amazon.com : Cold Brew Organic Coarse Ground Coffee, Colombian Supremo, Dark Roast, Coarse Grind for Cold Brew Coffee & French Press, 2 LB : Grocery & Gourmet Food

 

[davidabcd]

The only advice I have is to 1. grind the coffee yourself, test it a time or two before committing to a keg and 2. use a sieve first before using a filter to remove fine particles.

 

[TsunamiMike]

gotcha, I planned on using my hop spider in place of the sieve to remove particles and attaching the filter to the bottom of the hop spider to get out the silt...

Will that suffice?

 

[TsunamiMike]

I have a coffee "grinder" but isnt a true "burr grinder".... any thoughts on that?

 

[davidabcd]

I have a coffee "grinder" but isnt a true "burr grinder".... any thoughts on that?

It would just be a bit of practice to get the size right and then the taste where you want it. Do small-ratio batches. Hop spider is a fine idea and that will work with the filter.

 

[TsunamiMike]

Okie Dokie, tried two brands of coffee and made 24 oz of each, went with Stone Street and Cold Brew labs and really like the cold brew labs.

Now I am looking to use my 3 gallon corny keg and make a larger amount as that 24 oz lasted through a tasting and this morning, lol.

So by my calculations I have to buy 5lbs of coffee to do a 4:1 ratio....

Whats the best way to do this?

 

[davidabcd]

It makes me want to make a giant pitcher of cold-brewed coffee now.
Good hunting on the method.

 

[archi77]

Following, as I’ve been trying to figure the same thing out. No way I want to grind 5# of beans a few ounces at a time on my personal grinder!

 

[Beholder]

I make 4 gallons at a time using a pound of coffee to gallon of water ratio. The steeping time ranges between 16 and 20 hours depending on what I’ve got going on. The last tip is to split the coffee 50/50 caff and decaf to drop the octane a bit since extraction is quite a bit higher with the long steeping. I also use beer gas rather then pure nitro for serving, but that’s since I prefer the beer serving and don’t mind the slight bitterness the carbonation puts into the coffee.

You have it right that the grind is the largest PITA in the process. I have a Gaggia grinder that I used to use for espresso (before I got an integrated grinder machine) that I had set to the largest grind setting. Using that takes maybe 30 min to put 4 lb through it. I have looked for a more commercial unit that has a large hopper, but prices are too high, so just keep chugging along with what I’ve got that was “free” so to speak. If it ever burns out, I’ll look for a large hopper burr grinder that at least will be less annoying to load and won’t be big bucks like the commercial grinders…

 

[archi77]

There is a local coffee shop near my office that roasts their own beans. The week prior to holiday vacation, I had been going in daily to try their different offerings, and have found I enjoy their house blend immensely. The day before I left on vacation, as I waited for my order, I discussed my plans to cold brew with the manager, and she said they are happy to custom-grind any order, in 1-pound increments, for anyone who purchases their whole beans. So when I get back in town, I plan to buy 1 pound of the house blend, ground to the coarsest setting they have, which she thought should be perfect for cold brew. Can't wait to get back and try this, to see if it will work on a larger scale. If they can grind for free, it may be my answer! So excited to have had that conversation...

 

[Ruint]

Hi all! Late in replying, but....1 pound to 1 gallon is IMO the best ratio. I don't bother with decaf dilution . I was going to recommend finding a local roaster, or even at worst case, a grocery store that has the commercial grinders to use when buying their selection of roasted beans..... A burr grinder is the best option for any grind duty. It will provide the best consistency possible. Blade grinders are not up to the task, and will usually provide a lot of "smalls" that will add immensely to the flavor and/or the chance of clogging. I would recommend a consistency just a bit coarser than a regular grind for pour overs or auto drip machines. Look on amazon for paper filters or a fine mesh strainer bag (painters) for a 5 gallon bucket. I steep up to 2 days. For a final filter, you may want to consider one of those huge funnels with the screen at the bottom, often used or sold with brewing supplies.