Coffee / Java Stout?
[Cross posted to
Hey everyone… I need a bit of an opinion if anyone is willing to give one.
A few months ago I made a rather successful vanilla stout which all of my friends rather liked. Black as one’s soul, wonderfully smooth, and just nicely carbonated.
Here is a photo of the beer with my dinner from a few nights ago.
I think I want to leverage that same recipe, but instead of adding vanilla, I’m going to add coffee. In particular, I’m thinking of adding half to one cup of strongly brewed coffee (basically espresso) in secondary. The way I’ll be brewing the coffee it’ll be strong, but not especially bitter.
The question I have is, how much coffee would you use? And how would you add it?
In my opinion, adding grounds or beans to the kettle will probably cause overextraction, leading to an especially bitter flavor from the coffee. Likewise with grounds in secondary…
But, what have you done? And what worked well for you?
Thanks!
From Good Eats
Brewing a simply perfect cup of Joe can be perfectly simple, if you stick to some basic guidelines:
Buy quality whole beans from a reliable purveyor (preferably a roaster). If you don’t have a grinder at home, ask a salesperson to grind whole beans for you rather than settling for pre-ground.
Purchasing bulk (unpackaged) beans from a specialty shop is okay as long as the bins or jars are relatively small and refilled regularly. Large vats hold a lot of beans and therefore don’t need frequent filling. That means that beans can hang around for a long time being exposed to light and air. That can mean stale beans, and staleness is not a desirable attribute.
Purchase pre-packaged whole beans only when sealed in a foil-style bag featuring a one-way valve. The dime-shaped plastic valve is usually integrated into the packaging so that it will be as unobtrusive as possible, so check carefully. The absence of a valve means that the coffee probably sat and “gassed out” before it was packaged. That means it could be stale. Stale, again, is not a good thing. And remember: paper bags with twist tops are temporary transportation vessels, not storage devices.
Try to purchase only a week’s worth of beans at a time. If you live where this is impractical, purchase several small sealed packages rather than one large one. Unopened one-way valve bags will keep coffee fresh for approximately three months. If you buy bulk coffee (not sealed with one-way valves) in large amounts, divide into weekly batches, seal in Mason-style jars and freeze. Transfer these small batches to counter top storage as needed (see below) .
Store opened or bulk coffee in an airtight, opaque container and store at room temperature for up to a week.
Grind coffee as close to brewing time as possible. For drip method, grind in blade style grinder for 15 to 20 seconds. For French presses, grind for only 10 to 12 seconds.
Regardless of method, brew using 2 heaping tablespoons of coffee for each 6 ounces of clean (filtered or bottled), cool water. If you prefer a milder cup, brew to full strength, and then dilute with hot water. Brewing with too little coffee will result in over-extraction, and that means bitterness.
If you really want to taste the subtle nuances of regional coffees, consider a gold mesh filter.
When purchasing a coffee maker (either manual or electric), look for a model that brews into a thermal carafe rather than a glass pot designed to sit on a heating element. Continuous heating of coffee leads to bitterness.
Quality decaffeinated coffees usually cost more than regular beans.
Re: From Good Eats
Hehe… I’ve seen that episode. :)
I’m going to use some fresh Zingerman’s beans I have, and I think I’ll be brewing up 10oz – 15oz using that Aerobie AeroPress I recently got. I’ll use the full-strength espresso-like stuff from it…
I’m just now trying to figure out how much to add. :\
Are you planning on doing a partial-mash again?
That vanilla stout was awesome. Really awesome.
Yeppers. :) I’m going to do the vanilla stout recipe, but with coffee instead of vanilla. I’m also shooting for Sunday to brew… Want to come over and join me?
off topic
i dont know if this is possible, but the idea of 1 coffee bean in the bottom of each bottle seems really nifty to me. I’m not sure why… but it just seems neat. :)
Re: off topic
It is a neat idea, but it’d ruin the beer. Over time all the compounds in the coffee (both good and bad) would leech out and likely cause some off flavors.
Also, coffee beans float. ;)
Although… Maybe after sitting in liquid for a long time they’d sink? Maybe?
Re: off topic
hehe i have no clue.. i wasnt sure if it’d make the beer funky, it just sounded so… trendy and neat, though.. ;)
Re: off topic
On a side note, making a chili pepper lager seems to be somewhat popular. And yes, there are chilis in each bottle.