[DoomBrewingCo]

Hey everyone!

First time posting, so please forgive me if I posted in the wrong place or anything!

I brewed a batch of our signature beer (a Honey Milk Stout using honey malt for the honey flavor).  I have about 3 gallons left to play around with (currently in the primary) that is not currently going out for an order.  I decided to use some of the Makers Mark staves that I have soaking in whisky to give it a barrel aged feel, but I would also like to add coffee and real honey made from a friend of mine in it as well.  Here is my idea, I would appreciate feedback and comments
 
- Heat 1/2 cup of water with honey (amount TBD) to 170ºF
- Cool to room temp
- add ground coffee (amount TBD) to room temp honey-water mixture
- Put coffee-honey-water mixture in the fridge for 2 days
- Filter out coffee grounds, add to secondary

[HoosierBrew]

I would add the water/honey mixture to the primary, let it ferment for a couple weeks first. Then take 4 oz of your favorite coffee beans, roughly crack them, add to a 5 gallon paint strainer bag and add to the fermenter. Wait a couple days then sample, and sample every day after until the coffee flavor is at the level you want, then pull the bag. Adding the coffee beans this way is the best way IMO to get that fresh coffee aroma into your beer. Good luck ! 


Edit -  I also would not use a lot of honey - it'll take longer to ferment, make it drier, and might change the balance of the beer more than you planned. I personally wouldn't use more than 8 oz. Just me.

[DoomBrewingCo]

Thanks for the tip! With adding the honey to the primary, will I have to worry about fermenting out a lot of the flavors of the honey itself?

[HoosierBrew]

Honey ferments away more cleanly and drier in beer than you'd think. In stout, with the strong roast flavors, honey character wouldn't be as strong as in other beers obviously. But added after primary fermentation is done, the fermentation from the honey will be gentler than if all the fermentable sugars were going gangbusters all at once. So you'll get a subtle honey character. See my edit of the first post BTW.

[DoomBrewingCo]

I appreciate it!  I will see how it goes!