How Much Coffee?

[B_Bear]

G'day

The weekends here finally! and i am just about to put down my first stout. I wanted to add coffee to the mix but i am unsure of:

How much?
What type?
and what to do with it?

Any help would be greatly appriciated.

Cheers

:beer:

 

[Gulf Brewery]

How much?
What type?
and what to do with it?

Hi bear

I make up a small bodum of fresh coffee, (about 2 cups) and add it to the fermenter I only use fairly ordinary coffee and not too strong as it is to compliment the stout flavours and not dominate them.

Cheers
Pedro

 

[Sammus]

I've also been considering this... I was thinking about a cup of espresso for a 23L batch...but if recommend 2 cups from a bodum I'm guess my idea is a bit over the top?
Oh yeah and I don't know what you mean by 'a bodum' - I'm guess a french press/plunger as they have so many different names and I'm sure the company Bodum makes them...*shrugs* good guess?

Edit: Oh and by cup of espresso, yes I mean actual espresso, as in about 4 double shots of the dark heavenly syrup...

 

[B_Bear]

How much?
What type?
and what to do with it?

Hi bear

I make up a small bodum of fresh coffee, (about 2 cups) and add it to the fermenter I only use fairly ordinary coffee and not too strong as it is to compliment the stout flavours and not dominate them.

Cheers
Pedro

Pedro

Thanks for that. 2 Questions:

What is a bodum?
and is instant coffee alright?

Bear

:beer:

 

[Tyred]

A bodum is a brand of coffee plunger. You use ground coffee in it.

I'm assuming that about 2 cups would be about 500ml.

I normally use about a tablespoon of ground coffee per cup. This will depend on taste tho.

You normally have to allow it to steep for a little while to allow the coffee flavour to come through as well.

 

[barfridge]

To retain as much of the yummy aromatics, try adding a fresh shot of espresso into your secondary. Treat it exactly the same way you would treat aroma hops in secondary, and you can't go wrong.

 

[Brewtus]

The big difference between plunger coffee and espresso is the water boils and steams through espessed coffee while hot water soaks through plunger coffee. The'steeping' temp is much higher in espresso and changes the taste. If you boil plunger coffee it tastes more like espresso. If you add either pre boil it won't matter much if you use the same amount of beans. If you do no boil K&K then it may make a bit of difference. It is a taste thing but I would go espresso, never instant.

 

[Gulf Brewery]

Oh and by cup of espresso, yes I mean actual espresso, as in about 4 double shots of the dark heavenly syrup...

Hey sammus
I think your 4 double shot is what I need to start the day , but too much for a stout.

bear
A bodum is a glass coffee plunger and no, I wouldn't use instant.


Cheers
Pedro

 

[pint of lager]

Have a read of this online article from Brew Your Own magazine.

 

[B_Bear]

Thanks for all your help! I think i'll be getting a plunger tomorrow and going for it. Just a lil to start off with thinking 500ml and we'll see what happens. Thanks once again.

Bear

:beerbang:

 

[Brewtus]

Funny how it seems natural to have coffee stouts, porters etc and honey lagers, ales etc but never coffee lagers, coffee cervaser etc?

 

[B_Bear]

Funny how it seems natural to have coffee stouts, porters etc and honey lagers, ales etc but never coffee lagers, coffee cervaser etc?

Yeah, I guess its all the rich flavours go together and the lighter ones do the same.

I have a mulberry tree out the back which i picked the berries from lat week and made a litre of juice to add to the stout. Hope it all works well. Going out on a limb on this one.

:beerbang:

 

[Brewtus]

Funny how it seems natural to have coffee stouts, porters etc and honey lagers, ales etc but never coffee lagers, coffee cervaser etc?

Yeah, I guess its all the rich flavours go together and the lighter ones do the same.

I have a mulberry tree out the back which i picked the berries from lat week and made a litre of juice to add to the stout. Hope it all works well. Going out on a limb on this one.

:beerbang:

Have you ever tried Belgian cherry beer? It is sweet and fuity, it could be done with other berries.

 

[B_Bear]

Funny how it seems natural to have coffee stouts, porters etc and honey lagers, ales etc but never coffee lagers, coffee cervaser etc?

Yeah, I guess its all the rich flavours go together and the lighter ones do the same.

I have a mulberry tree out the back which i picked the berries from lat week and made a litre of juice to add to the stout. Hope it all works well. Going out on a limb on this one.

:beerbang:

Have you ever tried Belgian cherry beer? It is sweet and fuity, it could be done with other berries.

Nah, sounds nice. How do u make that? Is it a hoppy beer?

 

[Brewtus]

I have no details but I am sure someone here will have. I did try a very good local copy but the brewer, http://www.zierholz.com.au, used yeast that grows naturally in the rafters of Belgian monistaries. I am sure you don't need to go to that extreme though.

 

[peas_and_corn]

when I made my coffee stout I made coffee (a lot, admittedly) out of 500g of ground coffee, using a drip perculator (took less time than it seems), boiled it down so it was concentrated, then added it to the batch.

Was quite delicious, and so, so full of caffeine!

 

[Sammus]

The big difference between plunger coffee and espresso is the water boils and steams through espessed coffee while hot water soaks through plunger coffee. The'steeping' temp is much higher in espresso and changes the taste. If you boil plunger coffee it tastes more like espresso. If you add either pre boil it won't matter much if you use the same amount of beans. If you do no boil K&K then it may make a bit of difference. It is a taste thing but I would go espresso, never instant.

Being the coffee fanatic I am, I couldnt help myself:

<rant>
If you boil anything near coffee it wont be very close to coffee anymore. Espresso extraction (even just a french press) show occur at about 96C give or take 1 or 2 degrees depending on the blend. Even in the stovetop versions the water is forced up through the grind with pressure created from heated air above it, you should never let it boil though, heat it slower and as soon as you here it start ticking turn the stove off. As far as temp variation goes get as low as 94 and it well begin to take a sour note very quickly, any higher than about 97 at itll get super bitter - if youve ever bought the coffee equivalent of VB before (GJ, Starbucks, McDs, Krispy Kreme, etc) it is (guaranteed) to have been burnt to the proverbial. From a cafe or a coffee lounge bar pretty much the same but probably not to the same extent. The only cafe I can manage to get a decent coffee in any form around here is a small place run by a bunch of hippies who do theyre own blends and roast all theyre own beans on site. I wont even mention instant, it doesnt even deserve to have coffee written next to it...does that stuff really come from coffee beans?
</rant>

Sorry about that, in short though - never boil your coffee. If you want to add coffee to anything I strongly recommend either brewing espresso properly and using it or doing a french press (plunger, bodum, whatever). Boil the water then let it cool slightly before adding. Use a coarser grind for the french press as the prolonged extraction time will extract more bitter nastiness if the grind is too fine. Note that 96C is still way above pasteurisation temp/time (72C for 15s) so im guessing infection risks are pretty low...

That all said I guess in regards to adding coffee to my other favourite black syrup like substance, its made to be bitter in the first place so a bit more probably wouldnt hurt would it? (dont let any coffeesnobs members see me post that h34r, I can't stand the taste of burnt coffee though - maybe its a different type of bitterness or something?

 

[redgums500]

The big difference between plunger coffee and espresso is the water boils and steams through espessed coffee while hot water soaks through plunger coffee. The'steeping' temp is much higher in espresso and changes the taste. If you boil plunger coffee it tastes more like espresso. If you add either pre boil it won't matter much if you use the same amount of beans. If you do no boil K&K then it may make a bit of difference. It is a taste thing but I would go espresso, never instant.

Being the coffee fanatic I am, I couldnt help myself:

<rant>
If you boil anything near coffee it wont be very close to coffee anymore. Espresso extraction (even just a french press) show occur at about 96C give or take 1 or 2 degrees depending on the blend. Even in the stovetop versions the water is forced up through the grind with pressure created from heated air above it, you should never let it boil though, heat it slower and as soon as you here it start ticking turn the stove off. As far as temp variation goes get as low as 94 and it well begin to take a sour note very quickly, any higher than about 97 at itll get super bitter - if youve ever bought the coffee equivalent of VB before (GJ, Starbucks, McDs, Krispy Kreme, etc) it is (guaranteed) to have been burnt to the proverbial. From a cafe or a coffee lounge bar pretty much the same but probably not to the same extent. The only cafe I can manage to get a decent coffee in any form around here is a small place run by a bunch of hippies who do theyre own blends and roast all theyre own beans on site. I wont even mention instant, it doesnt even deserve to have coffee written next to it...does that stuff really come from coffee beans?
</rant>

Sorry about that, in short though - never boil your coffee. If you want to add coffee to anything I strongly recommend either brewing espresso properly and using it or doing a french press (plunger, bodum, whatever). Boil the water then let it cool slightly before adding. Use a coarser grind for the french press as the prolonged extraction time will extract more bitter nastiness if the grind is too fine. Note that 96C is still way above pasteurisation temp/time (72C for 15s) so im guessing infection risks are pretty low...

That all said I guess in regards to adding coffee to my other favourite black syrup like substance, its made to be bitter in the first place so a bit more probably wouldnt hurt would it? (dont let any coffeesnobs members see me post that h34r, I can't stand the taste of burnt coffee though - maybe its a different type of bitterness or something?

Sammus

Crumbs your not a fanatic ....... you're obsessed !!!
I to must indulge in at least 2 short blacks ( plus a couple of cigarettes ) each morning before anyone can talk to me. However the problem I have with coffee in beer is ...well coffee is a morning indulgence and stout is an evening necessity. Mixing the 2 is like weet bix on your lamb roast.

cheers

redgums

 

[Brewtus]

Or if you drink it in the morning, carrots on your cornflakes!!!!!

 

[Weizguy]

Or if you drink it in the morning, carrots on your cornflakes!!!!!

So, I'm the only one here who has ran out of time in the morning b4 work, and added the plunger coffee in with the Wheat biscuits?

Or mixed the tropical juice with their morning weizen?

No? Oh, OK... must just be me.

Seth out