How much coconut....

[Reggiegentry123]

I have a 5 gallon batch of brow ale that I would like to add a coconut flair to but I'm not sure how much to add. I certainly don't want an overpowering coconut taste, more of a background flavor. Does anyone have any experience with adding this to a brown ale with good success?

 

[Schlenkerla]

I have a 5 gallon batch of brow ale that I would like to add a coconut flair to but I'm not sure how much to add. I certainly don't want an overpowering coconut taste, more of a background flavor. Does anyone have any experience with adding this to a brown ale with good success?

I have played with coconut and have had mixed results. I would say to the point it didn't detect it taste-wise. It was disappointing.

I have used coconut water and coconut soaked in rum and added the rum to a red ale to make a caribean ale. Neither had results that make me say I taste coconut. The rum-coconut idea was to make my own extract. For the extract I used a pint of rum and one package of coconut.

If I had to do it again I would do it in a boil or use store bought coconut extract maybe with some vanilla.

One thing about added coconut in a late addition or 2ndary note that most baking coconut is laden with sugar. If you add a bunch, it will take off with a true 2ndary ferment.

 

[HBngNOK]

Maybe use canned "cream of coconut"? Do some tasting as you add to see if it gives you the hint of coconut you're after?

The more experienced brewers can chime in, but I don't know of any reason you couldn't hit the concoction with a dose of potassium sorbate to stop fermentation of the additional sugar.

 

[Reggiegentry123]

I have played with coconut and have had mixed results. I would say to the point it didn't detect it taste-wise. It was disappointing.

I have used coconut water and coconut soaked in rum and added the rum to a red ale to make a caribean ale. Neither had results that make me say I taste coconut. The rum-coconut idea was to make my own extract. For the extract I used a pint of rum and one package of coconut.

If I had to do it again I would do it in a boil or use store bought coconut extract maybe with some vanilla.

One thing about added coconut in a late addition or 2ndary note that most baking coconut is laden with sugar. If you add a bunch, it will take off with a true 2ndary ferment.

I actually purchased some coconut extract that I was planning to use but I tried it with a stout I made and got a very artificial taste that I wasn't crazy about. A lot of store bought coconut shavings are already sweetened so I can see where that would cause a problem.

I'm wondering if I can locate unsweetened coconut shavings, then toast them and soak them in vodka then add the whole mixture to secondary if that would give me the result I'm looking for. I'm just not sure how much it will take to get the flavor I'm looking for in there

 

[Reggiegentry123]

Maybe use canned "cream of coconut"? Do some tasting as you add to see if it gives you the hint of coconut you're after?

The more experienced brewers can chime in, but I don't know of any reason you couldn't hit the concoction with a dose of potassium sorbate to stop fermentation of the additional sugar.

I'll have to look for that, I've never even heard of that before. Is it something that is sweetened? Like coconut shavings used in baking?

 

[HBngNOK]

I'll have to look for that, I've never even heard of that before. Is it something that is sweetened? Like coconut shavings used in baking?

No, it's used, among other things, as a mixer for pina colodas. It's usually found with the drink mixes.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/37743589?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227031713318&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=55451478752&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=114280127072&veh=sem

 

[Schlenkerla]

You could boil coconut in water, to extract the flavor. Then add it to your secondary.

If you have a French coffee press use it. Then add it to your secondary.

Find unsweetened if you can, especially if you don't want it to ferment longer.

If you use sweetened you need to let it ferment out or sorbate.

The route you go depends on bottling vs kegging. Can't sorbate if you plan to bottle.

 

[November]

I used 10oz of unsweetened toasted coconut flakes. Put them in a quart mason jar and topped it off with bourbon. After soaking for a week, I added the whole thing to 5 gallons of beer, a chocolate coconut porter, and let it sit for three weeks before kegging. It's pretty coconutty.

 

[SteveMason]

I've made a few coconut browns and coconut porters and it's very easy. All i do for a 5 gallon batch is toast 1# coconut and cold steep it in the finished beer for 1 week. The coconut i use is any kind you can buy at the grocery store. I put it on a cookie sheet and bake it at 350 deg. until toast "not to long and keep an eye on it". This really make a good beer I love to give it to people who say they don't like dark beers because they always come back for a second taste.

Cheers.

 

[russell58]

I brewed a vanilla coconut a while back. i used unsweetened coconut flakes. first thing was to use a pan on the stove to lightly brown the flakes. Then used a paper bag to absorb extra oil once that was done placed in a muslin bag and added to secondary just like adding hops for dry hopping. hopes this helps.

 

[GaBrewZoo]

What russell58 said. I did the same thing. 10 oz toasted on the stove for a 2.5 gal batch. You had to be looking for the coconut to find it, but it was definitely there. My wife and son do not like coconut at all, for any reason, but they liked this.

 

[Silverfish]

Exactly, toasted coconut is the way to go! I made the mad fermentist coconut-vanilla stout with 1lb of toasted coconut added to secondary for 1 week (the unsweetened coconut flakes from the bulk grocery section) and it was an awesome beer. Lots of great coconut flavor without being too overpowering. Here is a link to how he toasted his coconut.

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2014/12/coconut-vanilla-milk-stout-recipe.html

BTW, I didnt bother trying to soak up any extra oils after toasting mine, I just threw them right into secondary and the beer still had a really nice head.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Hmm.

I'm going to have to reconsider this. I only added the extract at kegging. I recall I did add oak too.

One too many things to mess what could have been OK on its own.