Adding Coffee Flavor to a Porter (Using Grains)

[Skipper74]

Last fall, I brewed a Brown Porter using the following recipe (Who's Your Taddy Porter from Brewing Classic Styles):

7 lb. Light Malt Extract
1 lb. Brown Malt (steeped 30 min. @ 160 F)
1 lb. Crystal 40L (steeped 30 min. @ 160 F)
10 oz. Chocolate Malt (steeped 30 min. @ 160 F)
1.25 oz. Fuggles (60 min.)
.5 oz. Fuggles (10 min.)

I bottled it and for some reason, some bottles seems to have more of a coffee taste than others. I imagine that the variation is just my inconsistent perception, but I would like to brew another batch with a stronger coffee flavor. Based on my research, I am considering adding either some (perhaps 8 ounces?) roasted barley (300L) or more chocolate malt. Would anyone recommend either of those options or perhaps a third option I have not considered? Would 8 ounces be a good amount to add? Thanks.

 

[TarheelBrew13]

You could try coffee malt.

 

[edmanster]

Oops didn't see the grain part

 

[tojo]

You could try coffee malt.

+1 or do search on here for cold brewed coffee

 

[edmanster]

You can try here but he still does what I was going to suggest and dry-beans it a couple days before kegging..
http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2012/04/adding-oats-to-boil-coffee-stout.html?m=1

 

[Skipper74]

You could try coffee malt.

Have you ever used coffee malt? How much would you use, and would that be addition to--or instead of--the chocolate malt?

 

[Skipper74]

Oops didn't see the grain part

No problem, it's not that I am opposed to using an adjunct, I was just trying to go the route I was most comfortable with (i.e. mashing grains). Depending on what experiences people have had with coffee malt and/or roasted barley, perhaps I will need to look into using coffee beans or cold brewed coffee.

 

[jtejedor]

The coffee malt doesn't really taste like coffee, at least to me. And if you do use it have restraint. I noticed a kind of funny flavor when I used more then 5% in my beer.

 

[Boy]

Coffee malt, rosted barley, and chocolate malt are all good ways. I have stout with varying amounts of all three and it tastes very strongly of coffee and chocolate. However to get to that flavor almost certainly puts your beer into stout territory. I'd just add some coffee.

 

[NewTexian]

+1 or do search on here for cold brewed coffee

Yep. Cold brew is more concentrated. Probably give you the more amped coffee flavor.

 

[CarlsbadBrewDog]

I recently made a coffee porter and we added about a quarter gallon of cold steeped coffee! I wanted to make something like ballast point victory at sea which has a super strong coffee flavor. We boiled our bottling sugar in the coffee before adding to bottling bucket. I did a lot of research here on the forum and there's lots of opinions for adding coffee but I found cold steeping produces less acidic coffee and worked great for me. I haven't tried any other way for comparison though.

 

[Boy]

One thing I have noticed is that when I've used grounds in secondary I get a very strong coffee flavor. When I use cold pressed I get the same strength but I also get the flavors in the coffee as well.

 

[bjl110]

I'd toss in 2-4 oz of roasted barley. I get a very strong coffee flavor from it. Never tried coffee malt, but that has to work too.

 

[TarheelBrew13]

Well if your open to doing it with adjuncts, I'd recommend cold pressed coffee.

 

[Skipper74]

I'd toss in 2-4 oz of roasted barley. I get a very strong coffee flavor from it. Never tried coffee malt, but that has to work too.

When you used the roasted barley, did you decrease the amount of chocolate malt that you would have otherwise used? My original recipe used 10 oz. I wonder if I should alter that amount in light of the roasted barley?

 

[Skipper74]

Well if your open to doing it with adjuncts, I'd recommend cold pressed coffee.

How much would you recommend for a 5 gallon batch?

 

[TarheelBrew13]

I use 2 cups of strong cold pressed coffee. The nice thing about this is that you add it just before bottling so you can adjust it to taste on the fly.