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Author Topic: First attempt at a Coffee Stout  (Read 2770 times)

Offline HandsomeDevil

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First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« on: March 07, 2021, 06:21:28 pm »
Quick question in regards to the addition of the addition of the coffee grounds at flame out.   Do you suggest adding the grounds directly to the wort, steeping them in a muslin bag (if so for how long) or I also hear that some make a cold brew and then add the liquid directly to the wort.  Any suggestions you can provide are greatly appreciated. 

Offline Oiscout

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Re: First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2021, 06:23:29 pm »
I've read about great results from cold steeped then added, but not many people can agree on when to add it. I was doing a lot of research when I attempted a coffee porter.

I ended up using a little more roasted barley and got the coffee taste without the actual coffee

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Offline kramerog

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Re: First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« Reply #2 on: March 07, 2021, 08:00:27 pm »
Modern Times (IIRC) does whole bean dark coffee in secondary for a day or two. I was very happy with the results when I did the same.

Offline denny

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Re: First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2021, 08:17:01 am »
My favorite way of adding coffee is a 2 step process....dry bean for aroma and a little flavor, and then brewed coffee at packaging to taste for flavor.  I try to avoid putting flavorings in the kettle and usually try to avoid the fermenter, too.
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Offline PORTERHAUS

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Re: First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2021, 06:24:23 am »
I have had very nice results adding cold brewed coffee to the keg at packaging. If you bottle, you can add it then. I like to make a nice robust cold brew with about 1 cup of coffee grounds to 4 cups of water steeped 24 hrs in the fridge. I usually add at least a cup of this to a keg, but not a full 5 gals...typically, 4 gals or so. I would think the coffee would get lost if added in the boil, and the character would be different. Dry bean in the fermenter or cold brew seem to be the most popular and efficient ways.

Offline Megary

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Re: First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« Reply #5 on: March 23, 2021, 08:45:19 am »
My favorite way of adding coffee is a 2 step process....dry bean for aroma and a little flavor, and then brewed coffee at packaging to taste for flavor.  I try to avoid putting flavorings in the kettle and usually try to avoid the fermenter, too.

Care to expand on this a bit?  I plan on adding coffee to a Stout I will be brewing this weekend.  I really like the idea of Dry Bean for aroma (and a little flavor) but my question is, "how much do you add?".  I'm thinking of about 1.5oz of dry, whole beans into the fermenter (3 gallons), post fermentation for about a week.  I realize this all completely subjective, but am I in the ballpark?

And if my Dry Beaning errs too far on the side of caution, I also plan to cold steep some beans as well, and add to taste <if needed> at packaging.  As a backup plan.

Offline denny

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Re: First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« Reply #6 on: March 23, 2021, 08:46:50 am »
My favorite way of adding coffee is a 2 step process....dry bean for aroma and a little flavor, and then brewed coffee at packaging to taste for flavor.  I try to avoid putting flavorings in the kettle and usually try to avoid the fermenter, too.

Care to expand on this a bit?  I plan on adding coffee to a Stout I will be brewing this weekend.  I really like the idea of Dry Bean for aroma (and a little flavor) but my question is, "how much do you add?".  I'm thinking of about 1.5oz of dry, whole beans into the fermenter (3 gallons), post fermentation for about a week.  I realize this all completely subjective, but am I in the ballpark?

And if my Dry Beaning errs too far on the side of caution, I also plan to cold steep some beans as well, and add to taste <if needed> at packaging.  As a backup plan.

For dry beaning I use 4-5 oz. of coarsely cracked beans
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline Megary

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Re: First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« Reply #7 on: March 23, 2021, 08:57:24 am »
My favorite way of adding coffee is a 2 step process....dry bean for aroma and a little flavor, and then brewed coffee at packaging to taste for flavor.  I try to avoid putting flavorings in the kettle and usually try to avoid the fermenter, too.

Care to expand on this a bit?  I plan on adding coffee to a Stout I will be brewing this weekend.  I really like the idea of Dry Bean for aroma (and a little flavor) but my question is, "how much do you add?".  I'm thinking of about 1.5oz of dry, whole beans into the fermenter (3 gallons), post fermentation for about a week.  I realize this all completely subjective, but am I in the ballpark?

And if my Dry Beaning errs too far on the side of caution, I also plan to cold steep some beans as well, and add to taste <if needed> at packaging.  As a backup plan.

For dry beaning I use 4-5 oz. of coarsely cracked beans

5 gallon batch?  5.5 in fermenter??

Thanks.

Offline denny

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Re: First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« Reply #8 on: March 23, 2021, 09:54:40 am »
My favorite way of adding coffee is a 2 step process....dry bean for aroma and a little flavor, and then brewed coffee at packaging to taste for flavor.  I try to avoid putting flavorings in the kettle and usually try to avoid the fermenter, too.

Care to expand on this a bit?  I plan on adding coffee to a Stout I will be brewing this weekend.  I really like the idea of Dry Bean for aroma (and a little flavor) but my question is, "how much do you add?".  I'm thinking of about 1.5oz of dry, whole beans into the fermenter (3 gallons), post fermentation for about a week.  I realize this all completely subjective, but am I in the ballpark?

And if my Dry Beaning errs too far on the side of caution, I also plan to cold steep some beans as well, and add to taste <if needed> at packaging.  As a backup plan.

For dry beaning I use 4-5 oz. of coarsely cracked beans

5 gallon batch?  5.5 in fermenter??

Thanks.

Yep.  I leave them in 2-3 days.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline majorvices

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Re: First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« Reply #9 on: March 23, 2021, 03:52:43 pm »
The best coffee beer I ever made used very strong cold brew coffee in the fermenter at the end of fermentation. The coffee was professionally made by a coffee shop but it seems like it would be easy to experiment with brewing your own cold brew. I had planned to add some "dry bean" coffee afterward but it simply didn't need it.

I'll add that I am not a fan of cold brew coffee (I'm an espresso snob) but that one turned out great. Too many coffee beers taste like spent coffee grounds to me ... which I find revolting.

Offline erockrph

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Re: First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« Reply #10 on: March 23, 2021, 07:21:38 pm »
The best coffee beer I ever made used very strong cold brew coffee in the fermenter at the end of fermentation. The coffee was professionally made by a coffee shop but it seems like it would be easy to experiment with brewing your own cold brew. I had planned to add some "dry bean" coffee afterward but it simply didn't need it.

I'll add that I am not a fan of cold brew coffee (I'm an espresso snob) but that one turned out great. Too many coffee beers taste like spent coffee grounds to me ... which I find revolting.
FYI, I was never a cold brew coffee fan until I realized that since the cold brew process strips so much of the acidity that I needed to start with a more acidic coffee to end up with a brew that was to my liking. Otherwise it is really monotone, chocolate and not much else. That might work with milk and sugar, but not black like I drink it.

A medium roast bean from East Africa is a good place to start.

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Offline Megary

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Re: First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« Reply #11 on: April 01, 2021, 05:06:31 pm »
So I have a dumb question about the “dry bean” method...do the coffee beans float or sink?  I’ll be adding the dry beans in a few days and will leave them in for about a week.  I’m wondering if I will have issues transferring to the keg (by gravity from the valve on my Speidel).

Offline majorvices

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Re: First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« Reply #12 on: April 03, 2021, 04:59:13 pm »
The times I have done it has been in a stainless conical! But I think they sink.

Offline fredthecat

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Re: First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« Reply #13 on: April 26, 2021, 02:10:50 pm »
The best coffee beer I ever made used very strong cold brew coffee in the fermenter at the end of fermentation. The coffee was professionally made by a coffee shop but it seems like it would be easy to experiment with brewing your own cold brew. I had planned to add some "dry bean" coffee afterward but it simply didn't need it.

I'll add that I am not a fan of cold brew coffee (I'm an espresso snob) but that one turned out great. Too many coffee beers taste like spent coffee grounds to me ... which I find revolting.
FYI, I was never a cold brew coffee fan until I realized that since the cold brew process strips so much of the acidity that I needed to start with a more acidic coffee to end up with a brew that was to my liking. Otherwise it is really monotone, chocolate and not much else. That might work with milk and sugar, but not black like I drink it.

A medium roast bean from East Africa is a good place to start.


good note for coffee drinking. i used to try cold brew, but could never accept it, as it smelled like coffee but tasted like black water to me.

Offline denny

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Re: First attempt at a Coffee Stout
« Reply #14 on: April 26, 2021, 02:45:36 pm »
The best coffee beer I ever made used very strong cold brew coffee in the fermenter at the end of fermentation. The coffee was professionally made by a coffee shop but it seems like it would be easy to experiment with brewing your own cold brew. I had planned to add some "dry bean" coffee afterward but it simply didn't need it.

I'll add that I am not a fan of cold brew coffee (I'm an espresso snob) but that one turned out great. Too many coffee beers taste like spent coffee grounds to me ... which I find revolting.
FYI, I was never a cold brew coffee fan until I realized that since the cold brew process strips so much of the acidity that I needed to start with a more acidic coffee to end up with a brew that was to my liking. Otherwise it is really monotone, chocolate and not much else. That might work with milk and sugar, but not black like I drink it.

A medium roast bean from East Africa is a good place to start.


good note for coffee drinking. i used to try cold brew, but could never accept it, as it smelled like coffee but tasted like black water to me.

That's the same way I feel about cold steeping dark malts or adding them at sparge.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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The best, sharpest, funniest, weirdest and most knowledgable minds in home brewing contribute on the AHA forum. - Alewyfe

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell