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Andrew_264

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Hello, I've just made a Milk Stout with:

1 Can Coopers Stout
1 kg dark dried malt
250g lactose
500g brown dark sugar
250g roasted barley
250g flaked barley
Safale yeast

Got it of the net, simmered all the barley for 90 mins then added it to the ferment bucket along with the boiled sugar, lactose, stout tin

But I wanted a little coffee taste also so I just put a Tsp of Moccona in it, its been going now for 4 days but it looks like it might be going moldy on top have I done the wrong thing by putting instant coffee in it?

Andrew
 
Generally a good idea to boil up any dry additives like sugar etc. hard to say if it's mould without seeing it.

Did you actually simmer the grains? Best to steep in 60-70 degree water (or cold steep overnight), drain and boil the liquid only.
 
Can you put up a pic. I couldn't imagine instant coffee making your brew mouldy but yeah you probably should have pour some boiling water on it. FWIW I dont think a tsp of coffee will add much to your brew. The roast and choc grains will do that for you.

Cheers
 
I poked it with my finger and it just looked like foam, but starting to look like its going a little moldy. I drunk a little on day 3 when I did a hydrometer reading to see if it was ok but it gave me the run's real bad. Tasted ok but

milk.JPG
 
Can you put up a pic. I couldn't imagine instant coffee making your brew mouldy but yeah you probably should have pour some boiling water on it. FWIW I dont think a tsp of coffee will add much to your brew. The roast and choc grains will do that for you.

Cheers

I put a pic on there mate
 
Resolution ain't great. I can't see much. Could just be fermenting beer (krausen). Is it furry?

What's the gravity?

Don't poke your beer with your finger anymore - if your beer isn't infected at the moment, poking your fingers into it is a good way to change that.
 
I poked it with my finger and it just looked like foam, but starting to look like its going a little moldy. I drunk a little on day 3 when I did a hydrometer reading to see if it was ok but it gave me the run's real bad. Tasted ok but

Oh dear, not good sticking your finger in you brew. Also how did this pic end up on stux's post in a different thread?
 
Resolution ain't great. I can't see much. Could just be fermenting beer (krausen). Is it furry?

What's the gravity?

Don't poke your beer with your finger anymore - if your beer isn't infected at the moment, poking your fingers into it is a good way to change that.

It was 1.050 now its 1.020 ok no more poking, I did wash my hands
 
If you think it gave you the shits now, imagine how much it'll give you shits when your finished!

Seriously though, dump it if it really did make you sick.....
 
If you feel like poking your beer again, go and boil your hands for at least 10 minutes first. That should make them sanitary enough to be submerged in your beer and put you off ever doing it again.

I reckon you are stressing over nothing - mould growing on actively fermenting beer seems unlikely to me.

If your beer had finished and sat about exposed to oxygen for a while, you may get a skin developing over the top (not mould). If your beer had bretannomyces yeast in it it could get a pellicle which looks a bit like mould.

I'm not saying fermenting beer can't grow mould as I don't know for certain but I think it's probably krausen.

Still - boil up any dry ingredients you want to add next time and use real coffee. The roast barley should give you nice coffee character anyway.

You didn't answer my question - did you simmer the grains? And is the stuff you think is mould furry?

If you think it gave you the shits now, imagine how much it'll give you shits when your finished!

Seriously though, dump it if it really did make you sick.....

Too much yeast can make tummies feel funny. Ever eaten raw bread dough?

No human pathogens can survive in beer so the funny tummy is presumably yeast related.
 
If you feel like poking your beer again, go and boil your hands for at least 10 minutes first. That should make them sanitary enough to be submerged in your beer and put you off ever doing it again.

I reckon you are stressing over nothing - mould growing on actively fermenting beer seems unlikely to me.

If your beer had finished and sat about exposed to oxygen for a while, you may get a skin developing over the top (not mould). If your beer had bretannomyces yeast in it it could get a pellicle which looks a bit like mould.

I'm not saying fermenting beer can't grow mould as I don't know for certain but I think it's probably krausen.

Still - boil up any dry ingredients you want to add next time and use real coffee. The roast barley should give you nice coffee character anyway.

You didn't answer my question - did you simmer the grains? And is the stuff you think is mould furry?



Too much yeast can make tummies feel funny. Ever eaten raw bread dough?

No human pathogens can survive in beer so the funny tummy is presumably yeast related.

I simmered the roasted bailey in 4lts of water for 1/2hr then added the flakes for another 1/2hr then I took them out and simmered for another 1/2hr (90min), its not furry just little mounds of bubbles, just looks different from other brews I've made. Normally I just used cans of Coopers but wanted to start doing some grains and stuff, maybe that's why it looks different? (what you think)
 
If it's not furry, it's probably not mould - either yeast krausen (normal) or some other growth but if it tastes like fermenting stout rather than arse, dettol, butterscotch, butterscotch with arse or vinegar and arse with a hint of dettol, then it's probably fine.

Look up 'steeping grains' - best not to boil the actual grains. Were they cracked?
 
If it's not furry, it's probably not mould - either yeast krausen (normal) or some other growth but if it tastes like fermenting stout rather than arse, dettol, butterscotch, butterscotch with arse or vinegar and arse with a hint of dettol, then it's probably fine.

Look up 'steeping grains' - best not to boil the actual grains. Were they cracked?

Yeah sort of I bashed them in a pot with a kettle bell because the shop I bought them from didn't have a mill and the grains where just in 500g sealed bags, I'v ordered a mill now. I'll look up the steeping again I have been reading just maybe to eager to get started without the right gear to start with

But thanks for your help mate, I appreciate it
 
you should have put espresso in it ;)

I plan to do this this winter. I have a good coffee machine now...... i recon 4 double shots in 17 liters of porter :)


Pic looks fine to me.... its just a bit of yeast in the dying stages of fermentation...... all yeasts do different things, but please dont put your fingers in there .... shakes head.

I really doubt it gave you the runs. If it was that rancid....... you would have tasted it.

How did it taste is the question here.
 
I plan to do this this winter. I have a good coffee machine now...... i recon 4 double shots in 17 liters of porter :)


Pic looks fine to me.... its just a bit of yeast in the dying stages of fermentation...... all yeasts do different things, but please dont put your fingers in there .... shakes head.

I really doubt it gave you the runs. If it was that rancid....... you would have tasted it.

How did it taste is the question here.

It tasted fine wasn't tartished just a real dull deep stouty flat taste but could taste the coffee I just was looking over the net and some say it goes real bitter with coffee so I go a little worried, and today it just looked like it was going funny, yeah I know about the fingers wont do that again
 
Tony: if you ingest a whole lot of active yeast, you can get fucked up digestion and the shits. Certainly not an indication that a brew is bad.

Is that my problem :eek:

Back to Toohey New for me
 

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