Adding coffee to a stout

[keahunter]

I'm really new at this stuff. I brewed my first batch, a porter, and I am extremely happy with the results. I want to plan my next batch and had a question. I was going to purchase a chocolate stout kit and thought that adding a bit of coffee would be a nice flavor as well. Thought about steeping some coffee with the specialty grains. what is your opinion on this? (either the flavor, method, etc?)

 

[DanPoch]

I've done a coffee stout before using 2 ounces of coffee in a 5 gallon batch added to the boil for the last 5 minutes. Add it like you would add hops. It's been years, but as I recall it had a subtle coffee accent to the stout. I'd stick to the end of the boil so you don't boil off all the coffee aromas.

Good luck with the experiment!

 

[LizardRuss]

I brewed a porter that I bottled with cold brewed coffee. I made a strong batch of cold brew coffee in the fridge for 24 hours, filtered it, then boiled my priming sugar in it and bottled as normal. Turned out great! We called it the "emotional rollercoaster" because the caffeine would hit right away, and then the alcohol a few minutes later.

Next time I might split it up and only bottle half with coffee. I have no idea what the porter would taste like on its own.

 

[frazier]

I can't argue with results, but personally I'd be leery of anything involving boiling coffee. Have you ever tasted boiled coffee? Tastes like carp.

I'd brew some really strong coffee, and add it directly to the bottling bucket without boiling. The normal brewing process should sterilize it just fine. In order to figure out how much, brew some coffee, pour yourself a stout, then add a measured amount of coffee to it until you like what you have. Then do the math.

Cheers!

 

[worlddivides]

I'm also really interested in this topic since I'm a huge fan of espresso stouts and porters.

What I'd be interested to know is how many people add coffee beans to the secondary fermenter and how many people add coffee beans to the boil. Until recently I had no idea that some people add already brewed coffee to the boil (which I had never thought of).

 

[prpromin]

+1 to cold brewed coffee. It retains the flavor and you don't risk those boiled coffee notes. Also, buy good coffee and either grind it yourself or have it ground right before you use it. If you wouldn't use old grain or extract in your beer, don't use crappy coffee. See if you have a local roaster, check them out. They probably have a style that will work well with whatever flavor you're trying to get.

 

[Transamguy77]

I have made a few coffee beers and I have found that Cold brewed coffee added right at bottling has given the best flavor and aroma, somewhere between 2-4oz by weight has been good

 

[henchman24]

I recently kegged a coffee stout. I used the cold brew method and didn't boil or anything afterwards. I added it when I racked to the keg. Coffee is pretty acidic and I boiled the water prior, so I doubt there was anything living in there. If by chance it did, I will find out as the keg ages.

When I cold brewed I did 5oz of coffee in 24 oz of water of a medium roast. Coffee is the dominant flavor (so far anyway... it isn't completely force carbonated yet), but that is exactly what I wanted. I also aged it a bit on cocoa nibs so it has a nice chocolate background to it as well.

 

[DromJohn]

I've done three batches of Redhook Double Black Stout with 15 ounces of fresh brewed espresso poured into the bottom of the bottling bucket. SWMBO will require me to rebrew, and I will use the same method.
YMMV.

 

[LizardRuss]

I can't argue with results, but personally I'd be leery of anything involving boiling coffee. Have you ever tasted boiled coffee? Tastes like carp.

I'd brew some really strong coffee, and add it directly to the bottling bucket without boiling. The normal brewing process should sterilize it just fine. In order to figure out how much, brew some coffee, pour yourself a stout, then add a measured amount of coffee to it until you like what you have. Then do the math.

Cheers!

I was a little apprehensive too. I've had coffee that's sat on a warmer for hours, and that's definitely terrible. I decided to try it after reading this: http://www.madalchemist.com/archives/experiment-boiling-cold-brewed-coffee/

I didn't try it before and after, so I can't comment on whether boiling changed the cold brew coffee flavor.

 

[SpeedYellow]

Here's a cautionary tale about using cold-brewed coffee:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/help-gushers-milk-stout-484309/

Coffee is probably the easiest way to ruin a stout, so be careful with the amount. And it will need to age a few months to mellow the coffee flavor.

 

[keahunter]

Thank you all for your replies.

 

[Yreval2]

My first beer was a coffee oatmeal stout.

I added two cups of hot-brewed coffee (french press, the same way I drink it normally) to the primary fermenter for a five gallon batch. The flavor is coffee forward, but not overwhelming. I like it a lot.

I'm not sure why cold-brewing is so in vogue right now. Perhaps it makes sense to use cold-brewed coffee for a beer that will ultimately be served cold. I have always preferred the flavors you get from hot extraction, though. I don't know the differences in flavor from adding coffee at primary, secondary, or bottling, but I added at primary and was very happy with the results.

 

[peterj]

Have you ever tasted boiled coffee? Tastes like carp.

Hmm that's weird, what do you think gives it a seafood taste??

 

[henchman24]

Hmm that's weird, what do you think gives it a seafood taste??

 

[cernst151]

I don't know about you guys but here in Minneapolis we have a ton of specialty coffee shops and several of them have started selling jugs of cold press "concentrate". Essentially they brew an outrageously strong cold press coffee then you pour a shot into your mug and add cold or hot water until it's the flavor you want. It's really good.

I've had a few failures with coffee stouts though none seemed related to the coffee; Stuck fermentation, infection, etc. Next time I'm using this cold press concentrate at bottling and hoping I just don't have bad coffee stout mojo.

 

[pabuck]

I'm planning on a coffee stout as well, using a chocolate milk stout extract kit as a base. The last time I brewed this one, I soaked the cacao nibs in vodka for a week and dumped it into the secondary. That one turned out great.

What about a rough grind or crush on the roasted coffee beans and treating the same way as the cacao?

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

One reason to cold brew and add to secondary is that it extracts the coffee flavor without extracting the oils. Using boiled coffee or putting it in the BK to boil gets the flavor but also pulls out the oils. Oils will reduce head and head retention.

 

[David_Trucks]

I recently added 3.5 ounces of coffee into a 5.5 gallon batch of porter. I essentially added coarsely ground beans in a hop sack at flameout, where it remained until the wort was cool enough to add the yeast.

Just bottled it a week ago, so still not sure how it will condition. But the warm, uncarbonated sample got rave reviews (gave my in-laws a taste). It was heavy on the black coffee flavor, but this isn't a bad thing for my tastes, plus I think it will dissipate a bit anyway.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Yreval]

One reason to cold brew and add to secondary is that it extracts the coffee flavor without extracting the oils. Using boiled coffee or putting it in the BK to boil gets the flavor but also pulls out the oils. Oils will reduce head and head retention.

Well, I used hot coffee and I will admit that the head retention on my stout isn't great, or, at least isn't what I'd hope for in an oatmeal stout. But it was my first brew, and I wouldn't be comfortable chalking that up to any one factor in the recipe.

I will say, however, that the oil content in a cup of hot coffee is very small when diluted down to 5 gallons—especially if you use a paper filter. I would be surprised if it was comparable even to the amount of oils contributed by an ounce or two of hops.

 

[tripplehazzard]

I would use freeze dried coffee

 

[Hello]

I would use freeze dried coffee

In lieu of cold brewed?

 

[tomaso]

I just recently brewed a brown ale from a recipe a friend gave me.
He actually already steeped the coffee in the mash after crushing it (if I understood correctly) which is something no one here has talked about yet.
I tried his and it was really nice with a subtle coffee note. Mine is still conditioning in the bottles.

Just wondering if there was any wisdom out here on doing that....?

 

[keahunter]

Tomaso, after reading all the posts that's the one option that I was thinking of...steeping with the grains before the boil. I just wanted a subtle coffee note anyway, not carbonated coffee

 

[ob_1jr]

Check out "I Eat Danger for Breakfast Stout".
https://www.boomchugalug.com/downloadables/recipes/i_eat.pdf

I brewed it up and the kit has you add 5 oz of fresh ground coffee at flameout and let it sit for awhile. I bout the kit from Jasper's (boomchugalug.com).

The previous stout I used coffee in, I brewed some up in a french press and added it to my secondary. I could barely taste the coffee in it. It was nothing like the kit from Jasper's as far as coffee taste.

If you do add coffee, I would add it at flameout and let it seep for 10-15 mins with lid on and then start cooling the wort. You can start with 2-3 oz of fresh ground coffee, but the 5 oz with the chocolate isn't that strong. (I used 4 oz of cocoa nibs soaked in maker's mark and 4 oz of cocoa powder with the nibs and maker's mark for a week)

 

[keahunter]

Check out "I Eat Danger for Breakfast Stout".
https://www.boomchugalug.com/downloadables/recipes/i_eat.pdf

I brewed it up and the kit has you add 5 oz of fresh ground coffee at flameout and let it sit for awhile. I bout the kit from Jasper's (boomchugalug.com).

The previous stout I used coffee in, I brewed some up in a french press and added it to my secondary. I could barely taste the coffee in it. It was nothing like the kit from Jasper's as far as coffee taste.

If you do add coffee, I would add it at flameout and let it seep for 10-15 mins with lid on and then start cooling the wort. You can start with 2-3 oz of fresh ground coffee, but the 5 oz with the chocolate isn't that strong. (I used 4 oz of cocoa nibs soaked in maker's mark and 4 oz of cocoa powder with the nibs and maker's mark for a week)

That's an interesting procedure. The wort would still be hot enough not to have to worry about nasties but you're also not boiling the coffee at that point either so you shouldn't have to worry about the bitterness.

 

[peterj]

I've steeped ground coffee after flame out for a couple of coffee stouts I've tried and it's never tasted very good to me. I feel like fermentation scrubs a lot of the flavor and aromas out, and by the time I bottled it just tasted like old coffee that's been sitting out for a couple weeks (which is pretty much what it was). I would recommend adding the coffee (cold or hot brewed) at bottling to preserve the fresh coffee flavors and aromas into the bottle. That'll be my plan next time I try one.

 

[Kaleco]

For my coffee stout, I took whole espresso beans and cut them in halves. Put them into primary once fermentation died down and let them sit in the beer for a week. Worked great! I had heard that hot brewing the coffee adds extra bitterness that can be unwanted since we have hops for that.

 

[IJesusChrist]

Here is how I would do it, in order to avoid contamination by wild yeast;
1. (easiest method) Add grinded coffee & water to a french press. Let sit at RT over night. Add to secondary or primary.
2. Add ground or whole beans to jar, add choice of alcohol to top of coffee, let sit for 2-3 days @ RT, add to secondary.

The idea of adding to secondary is you can control the flavor. Too little - add - too little - add - just right - stop adding. Drink up.

Record the ratios and then you can add to primary in the future to get a more distinct flavor.

Karl Strauss brewing adds whole coffee beans directly to secondary along with cacao nibs in their wreck alley stout. I tried this and was very upset with the flavor. Not sure if contamination or if raw cacao nibs are just f*cking disgusting.

 

[ob_1jr]

I would think it would be an infection causing a bad taste...I have used cocoa nibs twice. Once I added directly to the secondary and the second was after soaking them in Maker's Mark for the whole duration of the primary fermentation. The second time was much better chocolate taste I think. (and rightfully so seeing the flavor would have been extracted more)

The first time was in Chocolate Covered BEAVR Nutz and after a couple of months in the bottle the chocolate pretty much died down. The I Eat Danger For Breakfast has been in the bottle only about 2 months, but still has a good chocolate taste.

 

[IJesusChrist]

I would think it would be an infection causing a bad taste...I have used cocoa nibs twice. Once I added directly to the secondary and the second was after soaking them in Maker's Mark for the whole duration of the primary fermentation. The second time was much better chocolate taste I think. (and rightfully so seeing the flavor would have been extracted more)

The first time was in Chocolate Covered BEAVR Nutz and after a couple of months in the bottle the chocolate pretty much died down. The I Eat Danger For Breakfast has been in the bottle only about 2 months, but still has a good chocolate taste.

Probably contamination then, it was the first beer I had to dump without even hoping to bottle age.

 

[dobes]

I used this way with much success never had an infection problem.
I would just
1. Boil water let chill
2. Grind coffee add to chilled water
3. Set in fridge for about 24 hours(covered)
4. Filter out grinds
5. Add to fermenter
using the cold extraction method will leave out the bitterness that can be associated with coffee. Also it leaves a lot of the oils behind which can lessen head retention.
How much to use would depend on the type of coffee and how much flavor you want. My favorite is a medium roast called Tansania Peaberry. Most coffee shops would carry this. It is a mellow coffee so a bit more can be used to pack a nice caff punch. I use about 1/2lb for a 5 gallon batch of a light Irish type stout.
I have also used espresso and French roasts for a bit of a bolder flavor.
I really can't compare to how the other methods work cause I tried this one first and it worked for me. So I would say try whatever you feel comfortable with and see how it works. If the results are not what you expect brew another one next week and try something else.

 

[jigtwins]

I just made a coffee porter and I added 6 oz of whole beans to the primary after fermentation ended and krausen dropped. Lots of coffee flavor. A bit strong at first but its mellowing nicely in the bottles. If i did it again I would back off and only do 5 ozs.