Coffee Infusion

[Innes]

When I was extract brewing, I would make a coffee infused milk/sweet stout where I steeped the coffee in the wort towards the end of the boil.

I'm now thinking about doing this brew again, this time AG and I was thinking, can I add the coffee to the mash?

I though it would be a good way of filtering the coffee through the grain bed, but I'm not sure if it might alter the characteristics of the mash, such as the pH.

Would there be any problems with doing this?

 

[geoff_tewierik]

Better way to add coffee is to do a cold infusion and add it to either the fermented late on or preferably in the keg.

One other way is to add darker malts known to give "coffee like" flavours.

 

[Tanga]

Got a recipe for the extract coffee infused milk stout?

 

[Innes]

One other way is to add darker malts known to give "coffee like" flavours.

Last time I was in a Gloria Jean's store, I was looking at the roasted coffee beans trying to imagine what my stout might taste like with French Vanilla or Irish Creme flavoured coffee in it, instead of the standard roast.

I intend on using some of these different flavoured coffee's in a few batches to see if the coffee and the flavouring come through in the stout.

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

Last time I was in a Gloria Jean's store, I was looking at the roasted coffee beans trying to imagine what my stout might taste like with French Vanilla or Irish Creme flavoured coffee in it, instead of the standard roast.

I intend on using some of these different flavoured coffee's in a few batches to see if the coffee and the flavouring come through in the stout.

I can see how it could really work, but to my personal taste I really can't stand flavored coffees.

Anyone noticed the emergence of the new coffee IPA trend? mikkeller, dogfishead, who else? Anyone tried one yet?

 

[ChookWA]

When I was extract brewing, I would make a coffee infused milk/sweet stout where I steeped the coffee in the wort towards the end of the boil.

I'm now thinking about doing this brew again, this time AG and I was thinking, can I add the coffee to the mash?

I though it would be a good way of filtering the coffee through the grain bed, but I'm not sure if it might alter the characteristics of the mash, such as the pH.

Would there be any problems with doing this?

Since a lot of the flavour comes from the oil in the beans, adding it before or during the boil would get rid of these. Also, coffee shouldn't go above the 95C mark otherwise it becomes too bitter. The best way to do is to grind the beans and "dry hop" with them. Chuck the ground beans into your ferment during the last two days then rack off as normal. Plenty of alcohol in their to combat any bacteria on the beans at this point.

 

[MattC]

I asked a similar question a while back, with some interesting and helpful discussion.

I personally would steep whole beans in cold water for a few days and add the water extract to the keg or bottle

Here is the link to that thread

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=46500

Cheers

 

[Jazman]

Since a lot of the flavour comes from the oil in the beans, adding it before or during the boil would get rid of these. Also, coffee shouldn't go above the 95C mark otherwise it becomes too bitter. The best way to do is to grind the beans and "dry hop" with them. Chuck the ground beans into your ferment during the last two days then rack off as normal. Plenty of alcohol in their to combat any bacteria on the beans at this point.

Intresting why not do what Brew Boys do and put coffer beans in a hopfenater they have so if you keg use a filter case hook it up to the beer out then to your tap and try that brew boys do the ace of spades stout with coffee bean and i like it

Prost

 

[DJR]

Why wouldn't you load up an espresso machine or moka with enough coffee and dump the espresso into the beer? Seems a lot easier and no coffee beans to filter/wait to drop out of the beer.

That's what i was planning to do once it gets closer to winter, just use a moka with 6 cups worth of coffee or thereabouts into a smaller batch - around 12L or so, can always make more if it's not enough

 

[barls]

I asked a similar question a while back, with some interesting and helpful discussion.

I personally would steep whole beans in cold water for a few days and add the water extract to the keg or bottle

Here is the link to that thread

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=46500

Cheers

plus 1. id even go as far to add to the secondary.

 

[MattC]

Cold extraction is apparently a much smoother coffee character in the beer. When you use an espresso machine, you are running hot water through it which will release some bitterness. I have only tried the cold extraction method, as others in the thread I started (see link above) had recommended that was the best way. If your unsure, try it both ways and make up your mind, however the beauty of this forum is we can learn from each other rather than re-inventing the wheel all the time.

IMHO the coffee character in the beer I cold extracted was awesome. Very smooth and everyone who tried it wanted more.

Cheers

Why wouldn't you load up an espresso machine or moka with enough coffee and dump the espresso into the beer? Seems a lot easier and no coffee beans to filter/wait to drop out of the beer.

That's what i was planning to do once it gets closer to winter, just use a moka with 6 cups worth of coffee or thereabouts into a smaller batch - around 12L or so, can always make more if it's not enough

 

[DJR]

Cold extraction is apparently a much smoother coffee character in the beer. When you use an espresso machine, you are running hot water through it which will release some bitterness. I have only tried the cold extraction method, as others in the thread I started (see link above) had recommended that was the best way. If your unsure, try it both ways and make up your mind, however the beauty of this forum is we can learn from each other rather than re-inventing the wheel all the time.

IMHO the coffee character in the beer I cold extracted was awesome. Very smooth and everyone who tried it wanted more.

Cheers

Makes sense - i guess hot water/steam used for standard coffee extraction is more so we can drink the stuff in minutes rather than days

 

[SanDiegoBrewer]

Yea definitely cold steep the beans, I did an Espresso Porter that just won a medal, I talked to heaps of people before doing it so I wouldn't mess it up. The process I chose was to very coarsely grind the beans, I put them in a zip lock bag and cracked them with a rolling pin. Then cold steeped them in the fridge for 2 days then filtered the coffee with a sanitized filter into a container, then added the smooth coffee liquid to bottling bucket. I ended up using 2.5 pints for a 25 liter batch, 2 would have been better. The best way is to dose a base beer and see how many millimeters works then ramp it up. Then watch out for a blown palate, I got a little carried away but it does drop out over time, and choose big smooth chocolate-ly coffee's the bitter earthy ones are not the best. Guatamala, Sumatra, Costa Rican are the goods!

 

[n4077113]

+ Yep for cold infusion.

I added 500g (I think, cant remember) of freshly ground coffee (I get mine from Di Bella, Bowen Hills, Brisbane. This place is awesome for coffee fans, no connection etc) to a 3lt plastic bottle of still water (I was thinking sterile + pure + no oxygen?) for about 4 days, and filtered this in a pretty dodgey way to the keg (could have done this better).

I added this to josh's Schwarzbier recipe , but using us56 yeast.

The coffee aroma and taste were incredible and were dominant. The aroma dropped off reasonably quickly.

My coffee loving mates who don't normally like dark beer thought it was or-bloody-gasmic.

 

[Charst]

+ 1 the for cold infusion. I did one and added 2 L to a porter and found it overpowering though. Even with Cold extraction i found it to be too bitter and roasty so if you can find a mild roast i think it would help to allow you to add the coffee flavour without fking the roasty bitterness balance of your beer.

 

[eclessia]

The gents at my local coffee roastery have kindly offered the use of their humidity controlled cool room (7c 50% humidity) to ferment a brew.

So in keeping with the theme I thought I'd use their beans in the recipe.

I was thinking of cold extracting one of their darker/bitter roasts.

Can anyone suggest a recipe that could work?

I was thinking perhaps a doppelbock , schwarzbeir or dunkel.

what do you guys reckon?

 

[mckenry]

The gents at my local coffee roastery have kindly offered the use of their humidity controlled cool room (7c 50% humidity) to ferment a brew.

So in keeping with the theme I thought I'd use their beans in the recipe.

I was thinking of cold extracting one of their darker/bitter roasts.

Can anyone suggest a recipe that could work?

I was thinking perhaps a doppelbock , schwarzbeir or dunkel.

what do you guys reckon?

7C ? Its going to be tough work for the yeasties

 

[eclessia]

7C ? Its going to be tough work for the yeasties

Yeah 7C - it's pretty low - are their any yeasts that are likely to be able to cope that cold?

WLP833 German Bock Lager Yeast is getting there with a recommended minimum of 9C

 

[mckenry]

Yeah 7C - it's pretty low - are their any yeasts that are likely to be able to cope that cold?

WLP833 German Bock Lager Yeast is getting there with a recommended minimum of 9C

9C is the lowest of any lager yeast range I have ever used.
There may be something? I've never heard of one. At 9 it will still take a long time to ferment out.
I have no idea what the humidity is in a temp controlled fridge but I would be going with that if possible and using an ale yeast at 19C -ish.
Its a coffee beer after all. Doesnt require the crispness you normally use lager yeasts for.
IMO 1084 Irish Ale is superb with coffee beer.
FTR - I cold steep.

 

[stef]

I thought there would be a lot of yeasts that would be fine at 7 degrees? Might have to over pitch, and might take a long time to ferment, but i would have guessed that a lot of lager yeasts would be ok that low...