Whole Coffee Beans

[Glocke_Ale]

I was thinking about using whole coffee beans, so I was wondering if anyone else has done this or heard of anyone else doing this. Also, when would you add whole coffee beans, to secondary? Whole coffee beans aside, when is the best time to add cold brew coffee to a beer so that you don't get quite as much harshness?

 

[SevenOaks]

I use whole beans for my coffee Porter. For a 5 gallon batch I add 4 oz of medium roast beans to the primary after fermentation (10-14 days) for an addition 5 days. Cold crash and keg. This is my wife's favorite beer and therefore it gets brewed often. This is the technique that works the best for me.

 

[Natdavis777]

I utilize beans in all of my coffee-infused beers. I will course crush 4oz of beans and add them to the fermentor after fermentation. 24-48hrs for a slight coffee presence, 3-4 hrs, for a mild presence, and a week for a big coffee flavor. Depending on the keg I use, I will "dry hop" in a bag with them instead of adding to the fermentor.

 

[Glocke_Ale]

Do y'all feel like you get much astringency from using whole coffee beans?

 

[SevenOaks]

The only time I thought it was too astringent was when I tried a dark roast coffee.

 

[Natdavis777]

I dont feel like I get any astringency from it. I know that you want to avoid heating the coffee (ie using hot brewed coffee or adding it to the boil) to reduce astringency. That is why people will do a cold brewed coffee or add them to the secondary.

 

[kh54s10]

I did a porter in June last year. I did a cold steep of 7 ounces of Papua New Guinea coffee beans, ground and cold steeped in a quart mason jar for a week. I tried to filter with paper coffee filters - what a mess. I got about a cup or so of dark liquid and added it to the primary for 5 days before kegging.

It was fantastic!

I don't know if anyone here intends to, or has, used the beans whole. I think they need to be ground then steeped.

 

[Natdavis777]

I did a porter in June last year. I did a cold steep of 7 ounces of Papua New Guinea coffee beans, ground and cold steeped in a quart mason jar for a week. I tried to filter with paper coffee filters - what a mess. I got about a cup or so of dark liquid and added it to the primary for 5 days before kegging.

It was fantastic!

I don't know if anyone here intends to, or has, used the beans whole. I think they need to be ground then steeped.

I tried the coffee filter method as well. It went horrible. I have found that using pantyhose over a mason jar does wonders, especially for tinctures.

 

[kh54s10]

I tried the coffee filter method as well. It went horrible. I have found that using pantyhose over a mason jar does wonders, especially for tinctures.

I think a paint strainer bag on the cheap or a french press if I get extravagant. No significant other to steal pantyhose from.....

 

[m00ps]

Ive had great results from adding ~4oz freshly opened whole coffee beans direct into the fermentor. Leave like a dry hop 5-7days. 3oz is good for a coffee flavored light beer

 

[Natdavis777]

I think a paint strainer bag on the cheap or a french press if I get extravagant. No significant other to steal pantyhose from.....

My wife doesnt wear them, so I have to buy them myself. Could be buying tampons instead...

 

[SevenOaks]

I don't know if anyone here intends to, or has, used the beans whole. I think they need to be ground then steeped.

No sir. I put whole beans in the primary. Try it and you will see how good it works!

 

[Calder]

I use whole beans. About 4 ozs for 5 gallons for 7 days. Works great, and since the beans are whole, it is easy to screen them out when racking.

 

[tagz]

Modern Times (and Mike Tonsmeire) advocate using whole beans. They talk about it on a recent Basic Brewing podcast. They tested a bunch of methods and whole bean was the clear winner. The suggest 2 oz per 5 gallons.

 

[Glocke_Ale]

Do you get much color pickup from using whole beans?

 

[Natdavis777]

Ive only used beans in dark beers, so I cannot assess if it contributes to color. I wouldnt think it affects color though. My buddy does a kegs and eggs at his brewery on Sundays and coffee infuses his beers (in corny kegs with whole beans) and they stay the same color.

 

[rlhvegas]

I just kegged a blonde ale had 4oz of whole beans for 36 hours. Very low if any contribution to color. The coffee aroma and flavor is fantastic.