Coffee infusion question?

[Kayeness]

Plan on brewing a imperial stout or porter from an ingredient kit.
Want it to be espresso infused.
What's the best (preferred) method for doing such.

Step by step advice if possible.

(This is what I would do...)
Soak wood chips or spiral in cold brew.
Then add chips to brew during secondary.

 

[Kotter]

Plan on brewing a imperial stout or porter from an ingredient kit.
Want it to be espresso infused.
What's the best (preferred) method for doing such.

Step by step advice if possible.

(This is what I would do...)
Soak wood chips or spiral in cold brew.
Then add chips to brew during secondary.

I used 4 ounces of espresso beans for a 5 gallon batch coffee vanilla stout. Put the beans in a zip top bag and coursely crushed with a rolling pin. I then added mine to my hop spider at flameout and steeped for 20 minutes. I’m guessing a muslin bag or what not would work fine also. Coffee flavor came through nicely in that stout.

 

[RCope]

Or you could just pitch 4oz of fresh whole bean coffee into primary like a dry hop and get excellent coffee flavor. I'm not familiar with the "wood chip" thing. I have done oak spirals soaked in bourbon to get some of that flavor into a stout.

There are other options: hot side (as above), cold pressed and added into fermentor, and combinations of both. But simple works (for me).

 

[beerisyummy]

I have been wondering about this very thing, as I am contemplating a Golden Stout w/coffee.

I recently ran across an article on cold-brewing coffee at home. The result, the author said, was very smooth, without the bitterness and acidity associated with heat-brewed coffee. This got my attention, as what I would want is just a hint of coffee flavor, and I don't want any bitterness except from the hops, thankyaverymuch.

A very coarse grind was recommended, with, of course, some way of separating the extracted coffee from the beans, à la French Press. I have an OXO conical burr coffee mill, so I could do that easily, otherwise putting 'em in a bag and using a rolling pin as above is prolly just as good.

But the cold brew idea definitely got me thinking about using a dry-hop approach, in which I'd put the coarsely ground beans in a hop bag and steep in the secondary for 12-24 hours (the time recommended in the article for cold-brewing coffee) right before bottling.

I guess the only consideration would be, do I worry about infection? Thoughts, brüwizards?

 

[Qhrumphf]

I've got three routes I've tried that I like:

1) "dry beaning". Either whole beans or very coarse crush, added like a dry hop in a bag. Taste daily. When it's where you want it (should only be a couple days), remove bag. Whole beans is cleaner and smoother but you need to use more.

2) blending in cold brew itself. This is my most common route. I do trials to determine the ratio. I then boil down the cold brew like 50%-70% into a concentrate to minimize dilution (though keeping the original ratio). If I want to add anything with the coffee (like lactose) I boil it with the cold brew. That gets added to the beer. After some time to homogenize, that's it. Done.

3) only trialed this once but loved the result, adding coffee grounds to the mash.

Oak is a contamination risk. Oak soaked in spirits is pretty safe since the booze kills the baddies. Coffee, while relatively stable, won't do that.

Under no circumstances would I add coffee to the boil.

 

[beerisyummy]

I've got three routes I've tried that I like:

1) "dry beaning". Either whole beans or very coarse crush, added like a dry hop in a bag. Taste daily. When it's where you want it (should only be a couple days), remove bag. Whole beans is cleaner and smoother but you need to use more.

2) blending in cold brew itself. This is my most common route. I do trials to determine the ratio. I then boil down the cold brew like 50%-70% into a concentrate to minimize dilution (though keeping the original ratio). If I want to add anything with the coffee (like lactose) I boil it with the cold brew. That gets added to the beer. After some time to homogenize, that's it. Done.

3) only trialed this once but loved the result, adding coffee grounds to the mash.

Oak is a contamination risk. Oak soaked in spirits is pretty safe since the booze kills the baddies. Coffee, while relatively stable, won't do that.

Under no circumstances would I add coffee to the boil.

"Dry beaning" - - THAT'S the term I was looking for So you are saying no contamination risk from this? I've only done oak chips once or twice, and I toasted them in the oven to kill the baddies. Seemed to work.

Never thought of adding to the mash. Interesting.

It wouldn't be my first instinct either to throw coffee in the boil, but I can't say why. Your thinking on this, pray tell?

 

[Kayeness]

Thanks guys.
Yes, oak with spirits would be totally different than oak with coffee. Did not think of that. Still a month awaybfrom project but input was greatly appreciated.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Adding beans is also a contamination risk. In both cases it'd likely be fine. I've never had an issue adding beans, but boiling (or at least pasteurizing) cold brew is safer.

Oak is porous and anything living in the wood is difficult to get rid of. If you heat killed it first, then that should be just fine.

 

[Davedrinksbeer]

I made a coffee golden stout for Christmas, one of the best beers I ever made, I used 4-6 ounces of whole coffee beans in a hop bag, it was Starbucks Veranda Blend, steeped for 36 hours. Perfect amount of coffee flavor, light a subtle but you could taste it and the beer.

 

[henchman24]

My favorite method is to use ~3oz of beans (each coffee is a bit different). Grind 1/3 fairly course and leave 2/3 whole. Drop into the fermenter for a minimum of 12 hours and a maximum of 24. I always go to taste and this really gives a full coffee flavor without hitting some to of those green pepper notes.