How to use coffee in a blonde ale

[jmyers04]

Recently brewed a blonde ale. Would like to add some light roasted vanilla coffee beans to secondary for a day or two (like 2 oz?). Curious if anyone has any experience with this? I have heard of a green pepper flavor when using coffee? I want to avoid that like the plague. My plan was to measure out 2 oz of whole beans, give them a quick sanitize bath then throw them in a hop sock and add them to the fermenter. Taste after 24 hrs and see where its at....maybe go 48 hours if needed. I want the flavor to be there and aroma as well....but not over powering. Thoughts?

 

[plazola86]

I make a golden stout that uses 6 oz of ground vanilla coffee. I don't do secondary I just throw it in the primary two days before kegging. I think 2 oz is good if you just want a hint of it without overpowering everything. I've heard green pepper flavor actually comes from the coffee and CO2 interaction, I've tasted it once but it faded with time.

 

[jmyers04]

I have done some reading....ill be taking the sanitize step out. And by using whole vanilla coffee beans I wonder how much "vanilla" flavor will I get?

 

[sillbeer]

I used two cups of whole espresso beans in an imperial stout for two weeks and I got a pretty good amount of flavor. I did not sanitize the beans. You don't sanitize hops when you put them in secondary do you?

 

[jmyers04]

Nope! That’s why I’m not doing it with the beans. just want decent aroma and decent flavor but not crazy flavor since it’s a blonde. I think I’m going to roll with 2 oz for 24 he’s then sample and if it’s not enough I’ll let it go another day then keg. Light roast or medium is my dilemma now. Or if I️ use vanilla beans how much vanilla flavor will come out. Would like a good even amount of vanilla and coffee. I’m sure it’ll be more coffee but I’m ok with that and a hint of vanilla

 

[Calder]

I have done some reading....ill be taking the sanitize step out. And by using whole vanilla coffee beans I wonder how much "vanilla" flavor will I get?

I didn't know you could get vanilla coffee beans!

I add whole beans to my beers. 2 ozs in 5 gallons is a good amount. Straight out of the packet they will already be sanitized; after all they are roasted. I just toss them in and leave them for a week. When bottling, I cover the inlet of the racking cane with a mesh bag to prevent them from being sucked into the tube.

Coffee readily gives up its flavor. No need to crush; you only need to do that to extract coffee flavor quickly.

Nope! That’s why I’m not doing it with the beans. just want decent aroma and decent flavor but not crazy flavor since it’s a blonde. I think I’m going to roll with 2 oz for 24 he’s then sample and if it’s not enough I’ll let it go another day then keg. Light roast or medium is my dilemma now. Or if I️ use vanilla beans how much vanilla flavor will come out. Would like a good even amount of vanilla and coffee. I’m sure it’ll be more coffee but I’m ok with that and a hint of vanilla

My experience with vanilla beans is that it takes time to extract the flavor. I keep a small jar of vodka with a couple of beans in it and use that when I need to. The higher alcohol vodka extracts the flavor better than lower alcohol beer.

I think you are wasting a bean if you just put it in beer for a couple of weeks. You can't reuse it either as you have scraped the inside out to help extract flavor. I like to go a month at least in vodka before adding to beer.

 

[PKnotlost]

I take a different approach to this. Using the beans is unpredictable in my opinion. I can use a high quality real vanilla extract and add exactly what I want almost instantly tell if it’s right. I do the same with a high quality espresso for my coffee flavor.

It’s easy, fast, repeatable and safe.

 

[milldoggy]

Here is what I have on tap right now. Very good and the right amount of flavor.

http://beersmithrecipes.com/viewrecipe/1664044/7-14-17-blonde-half-coffee