Coffee in beer

Brewing processes and methods. How to brew using extract, partial or all-grain. Tips and tricks.

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Suthrncomfrt1884
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Coffee in beer

Post by Suthrncomfrt1884 »

So, I just finished putting my Porter into secondary. I was wondering what everyone else does when they add coffee to a beer? How long do you leave it in secondary before the flavor gets overwhelming?

I was up in the air with my recipe on how I wanted to add it. I knew I wanted to add it to secondary, but it was a toss up between fresh crushed beans, powder, or brewed.

I ended up splitting up my batch of porter into 3 different batches. I did a gallon of porter with bourbon soaked oak chips in it. Another gallon was just plain porter so I could have a control. The last batch was two gallons. I added bourbon chips to this also, but then got crazy and added coffee too. I finally decided to add 3 oz. of crushed Toasted Southern Pecan beans directly to the fermentor. It smells great, but I was wondering if there were better ways to do it.

Also, for those of you who have used beans, how do you go about straining them out? I was going to use a grain bag, but I was worried it wouldn't fit in the carboy (and if it did, would I be able to get it out?). I didn't do a full crush of the beans, so I don't think it will be a huge issue. Do they sink?
Primary - Belgian Dubbel, Belgian IPA
Secondary - Cherry Lambic
Bottled - Bourbon Barrel Coffee Porter, Double Chocolate Raspberry Stout, Imperial Nut Brown, Apfelwein, American Amber Ale w/Homegrown Hops, Breakfast Stout
Kegged - Bass Clone, ESB
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Suthrncomfrt1884
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Coffee in beer.

Post by Suthrncomfrt1884 »

Well, I guess they do sink, along with the oak. Any suggestions on how long I should leave the beer in secondary? I was thinking 5 days would be good since I just want a hint of coffee and bourbon.

Also, my gravity is already lower than expected at 1.012, so I think it's ready to bottle.
Primary - Belgian Dubbel, Belgian IPA
Secondary - Cherry Lambic
Bottled - Bourbon Barrel Coffee Porter, Double Chocolate Raspberry Stout, Imperial Nut Brown, Apfelwein, American Amber Ale w/Homegrown Hops, Breakfast Stout
Kegged - Bass Clone, ESB
petern
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Post by petern »

i read in a swedish forum that a swedish commercial brewery used 3 gram of espresso coffe / liter beer. in that particular case it was a stout.
after some tasting they did like coffe extracted from the african Rwanda Gatsinga bean the most. if that could help.

cheers
trussman
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Post by trussman »

I have used coffee twice in my Stouts. The first time I Brewed a strong pot of French Roast Coffee and put it in the Boil Pot at the begining of the boil. The second time which was the best and more noticable I added 4 Tablespoons of Instant Freeze Dried Espreso to the Primary when I pitched my yeast. Those were both 5 gallon batches. You can find Instant Espreso at the Whole Foods or any Gormet type of Grocery Store.

Primary = The Great Pumpkin Ale
Secondary = Braggot


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LawDawg05023
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Post by LawDawg05023 »

Just out of curiosity what does coffee do in beer?
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slothrob
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cofee in beer

Post by slothrob »

A little coffee can add a nice flavor to some beers, particularly Porters and Stouts. There are some very good ones that you can try if you are curious. Founder's Breakfast Stout is widely distributed, I believe.
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dirtysanchez
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Post by dirtysanchez »

I have made a Coffee Stout on 3 occasions and it has turned out fantastic every time. What I do is take 4 oz. of coffee beans, grind them, and make a full pot of coffee from all 4 oz. of beans. The resultant coffee is obviously very strong. Add the coffee to the beer when you move it to secondary fermentation.

This method produces more than just a coffee hint in the finished beer. The coffee flavor is fairly pronounced and pairs very well with any stout or porter. The finished beer also has a decent bit of caffeine in it from the coffee and will certainly give you a "pick me up".
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Post by nocluebruer »

Late to the party as usual but the coffee stouts that I've made, I've split the batch into 2 different carboys and have added 1/4 of fresh whole beans to only 1 of the carboys, then mix the 2 carboys before kegging the 1/4 barrel batch after the beans have been in the brew for about 2 weeks. I did this after reading a couple of posts here on BT.

I tried using frozen beans once but they seem to lose a bit in the process. After a while the beans sink to the bottom of the carboy and pretty much get lodged into the yeast layer. They don't get sucked up into the siphon and are easy poured out once you clean out the carboy.
johnson
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never try it

Post by johnson »

dude i heard people saying about mixing coffee in beer and having it, even once i have tried it. i was totally tossed out, its an bad idea , i swear pl never try it.
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slothrob
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coffee in beer

Post by slothrob »

There are some really fantastic coffee beers. I'm particularly fond of Berkshire Brewing's Coffee Porter and Founders Breakfast Stout.
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