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  • coffee beer, how do I do it?

    Im looking to do a coffee porter or stout, but havent done one before on a 7 bbl system. Any suggestions on how much to use, do I toss it in the kettle or fermenter, do I make actual coffee and blend it in, etc? I really have no idea other than adding coffee syrup in the serving tank but I want to step up from that. Thanks.

    Frank
    "Uncle" Frank
    Frank Fermino
    Brewer I, Redhook, Portsmouth, NH
    Writer, Yankee Brew News, New England
    Wise-ass, Everywhere, Always

  • #2
    Brew it Cold

    Hey Frank.
    I have brewed many coffee beers over the years and feel the best beers were the ones when I did this...

    1. Steep coarsely ground coffee in cold water for 12-24 hours
    2. Stir it gently to make sure everything is blended and wet
    3. Pour the coffee through a nylon bag to remove beans
    4. Add cold coffee to your serving vessel.

    I found that 1 pound per barrel was pretty nice aroma and flavor with no mistaking that coffee is in the beer. Also be sure to use as little water as you can to just get the beans wet and able to be stirred.

    I do feel that brewing the coffee cold is the ONLY way to do it. But see what others have to say too.. best of luck on this one

    Matthew
    ________________
    Matthew Steinberg
    Co-Founder
    Exhibit 'A' Brewing Co.
    Framingham, MA USA

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    • #3
      Espresso

      Personally, Matt and I differ in opinion
      I like to pull espresso shots and pour it into the conditioning beer until I hit the taste profile that I want. As I recall, atleast 2 gallons in a 7bbl batch. It's a lot of work - but I prefer the flavor. Also, I have had no difficulties with head retention...
      A fellow brewer here in the city makes his coffee stout by adding french pressed style coffee at bottling...

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      • #4
        Frank,

        There are as many ways to add coffee as there are to add anything to beer. We tend to make a huge honkin' pot of coffee (5 lb of Espresso grind in a bag) the bag is steeped in water. Once the "official tasters" declare it done, it is put into the boil (right before the whirlpool, so it does not burn) and shazaam, we have coffee in the beer. How much to add, it really depends on the beer, something nice and roasty toasty may not need as much to get the roasted flavor, something less roasty, you might want to add a little more. PM me if you have any further questions that I might be able to answer.

        Oh, Congrats on the new gig, hope to see you there when I pass through .
        Dammy Olsson
        Quality Manager
        Wormtown Brewery
        Worcester, MA

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        • #5
          Allthough I havent tried to cold brew coffee I hear its a good way to get the fresh coffee flavor to last as opposed to a stale coffee flavor. In the past I have put coffee in the last minute of the boil with little results and I have pushed hot coffee into the FV the day before I filtered the beer. The latter was a more succesful beer.
          I think the quality of the coffee roast is a crucial choice and off course the amount. I put in about 1 kg per 1000 lts.
          www.Lervig.no

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          • #6
            thanks

            Excellent advise y'all. I will be doing this in a couple of weeks so I'll keep you posted.

            By the way, I am at a new gig, so you might see me on here often with oddball questions.

            Cheers!

            Frank Fermino
            Head Brewer
            John Harvard's Brew Pub
            Manchester, CT
            "Uncle" Frank
            Frank Fermino
            Brewer I, Redhook, Portsmouth, NH
            Writer, Yankee Brew News, New England
            Wise-ass, Everywhere, Always

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            • #7
              Cold fusion as mentioned above is ideal in my opinion. 24 hours in cold H2O, strain the beans (grounds in my case) then in the ST you go.

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              • #8
                Cold Toddy

                I just did a 7 bbl Coffee stout. 5 Lbs. Coarse ground Sumatran coffee (known for its low acidity) in a bag in secondary for 24 hrs. Probably could have gone longer.
                It sold out fast. Nice fresh coffee aroma.

                Alan

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                • #9
                  coffee n beer

                  how did it go? i would have thought to introduce the coffee to the brew as you would if you were gonna make a pot of coffee... first, freshly ground medium roast (the darker roast flavors will be available from a typical porter/stout grain bill), coarsely ground (easier to get out of the finished product), toss it in at the whirlpool (the spin down should be enough time for the hot wort to extract the flavor compound and oils that come from the coffee). id imagine that the initial ferm stages will scrub some flavor out, so id taste before serving- then inject a freshly brewed batch of the same coffee to a serving tank or secondary before kegging off.

                  how did it go?

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                  • #10
                    re: howd it go?

                    Actually, this beer is still on hold. As the time came to brew it I needed more IPA, then Light, then.... Filling for need first. We do need a dark beer but I had a Dunkel Weiss on tap and the rest of the brewing needs to fill upcoming specials (1/2 way to st pattys, NFL season, etc.) I'll let you know when it gets done. Thanks.
                    "Uncle" Frank
                    Frank Fermino
                    Brewer I, Redhook, Portsmouth, NH
                    Writer, Yankee Brew News, New England
                    Wise-ass, Everywhere, Always

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