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Author Topic: Conversion from brewery to homebrew system/math help  (Read 3321 times)

Offline DrewG

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Conversion from brewery to homebrew system/math help
« on: June 17, 2013, 02:02:26 pm »
I'm trying to make a coffee brown ale similar to the one at a local brewery (Perrin Brewing Co in Grand Rapids, MI) and after an email exchange with the head brewer (who answered my email almost immediately, one more reason the craft/homebrew community kicks ass) on the coffee addition to this beer I need to figure out how to convert 25 lbs coarse ground coffee in a 30 bbl batch to oz per gallon on my system. A check with google and the conversion i get is roughly .5 oz per gallon to 1 pd per bbl. So that makes 2.5 oz per gallon at one pd per bbl, but it's not 1 to 1, so I come up with a .83 pds per bbl rate for their batch, which looks like .33 oz per gallon on mine. Sound right?
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Offline kylekohlmorgen

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Re: Conversion from brewery to homebrew system/math help
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2013, 02:35:12 pm »
Do you know when/how they add the coffee?

(25 lbs coffee / 30 bbl) * (16 oz / lb) * (1 bbl / 31 gal) = 0.43 oz/gal.

For a 5 gal batch, that's about 2 lbs of coffee. Whether you're adding it at KO or 'dryhopping', it seems like a lot.
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Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Conversion from brewery to homebrew system/math help
« Reply #2 on: June 17, 2013, 02:37:35 pm »
2.1 oz rather than lbs. doesn't seem like enough now.

(25lbs*16)/(30bbl*31gallons)=.43 OZ per gallon or 2.1 oz

I would assume greater 'utilization' on the larger system, similar to hops. Plus the homebrewers ability to ignore cost for all intents and purposes and go with at least 4 oz
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Offline DrewG

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Re: Conversion from brewery to homebrew system/math help
« Reply #3 on: June 17, 2013, 02:54:09 pm »
They're racking on top of bagged coarse ground Kona after fermentation. The beer has great coffee aromatics and I'd say it's certainly the most forward flavor in the beer. I'm liking the 4oz number. I think I'll boil a hop bag, add the "dry beans" and chuck that in the keg. Maybe bottle when the flavor is right? Or do you think flavor extraction will max out at some point?
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Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Conversion from brewery to homebrew system/math help
« Reply #4 on: June 17, 2013, 03:19:03 pm »
They're racking on top of bagged coarse ground Kona after fermentation. The beer has great coffee aromatics and I'd say it's certainly the most forward flavor in the beer. I'm liking the 4oz number. I think I'll boil a hop bag, add the "dry beans" and chuck that in the keg. Maybe bottle when the flavor is right? Or do you think flavor extraction will max out at some point?

I would monitor. Cold steeped coffee is not supposed to get bitter because you aren't extracting tannins or acids from the beans to nearly such a degree but I like the bag idea. Tie it with flat unflavoured dental floss so you can pull it if you so decide.


I use about 2 oz in a single 20 oz serving of coffee but that is the only ingredient there and I am counting on all the flavor and body to come from that coffee. (I did the math at one point and my cup of coffee from home costs me the same as a cup from starbucks. but I figure I use close to twice as much coffee in mine so it's still a bargain  ;D)
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Offline BrewingRover

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Re: Conversion from brewery to homebrew system/math help
« Reply #5 on: June 17, 2013, 08:18:23 pm »
They're racking on top of bagged coarse ground Kona after fermentation. The beer has great coffee aromatics and I'd say it's certainly the most forward flavor in the beer. I'm liking the 4oz number. I think I'll boil a hop bag, add the "dry beans" and chuck that in the keg. Maybe bottle when the flavor is right? Or do you think flavor extraction will max out at some point?
I've done coffee that way and used that procedure. The coffee flavor may max out, but after about a week it tasted how I wanted it, so I bottled.
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Offline tschmidlin

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Re: Conversion from brewery to homebrew system/math help
« Reply #6 on: June 17, 2013, 11:51:43 pm »
Personally I prefer making a toddy by cold steeping the coffee, then straining and adding it to the keg.  Use 1 oz of coffee per pint of water, for a 5 gallon keg I use 3 oz of ground coffee.  You're in the right range with 4 oz, it just depends on how much coffee flavor you want.
Tom Schmidlin