Avoiding oxidation while filtering ingredients

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by bakinnebrew, Jan 5, 2015.

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  1. bakinnebrew

    bakinnebrew Initiate (0) Jan 5, 2015 Tennessee

    Hello everyone,

    I recently brewed a porter that I will adding some coffee to a couple days before bottling. Like so many brewing techniques and recipes, there are loads of tactics and methods used to add coffee to beer. So, after reading way too many recipes and opinions, I've decided to add about 5oz to 6oz of coarsely ground coffee to my secondary fermenter. Like I said, this will take place a couple days before I bottle, giving the coffee a little time to steep. The steeping will not take place in a steeping bag. Instead, I plan on sprinkling the coffee over the fermented wort, similarly to sprinkling the yeast over the unfermented wort. After it steeps, I plan on filtering the fermented wort into the bottling bucket by allowing the siphon to pour through a fine strainer.

    I know that oxidation can occur when there is too much aeration within the wort. Would the splashing caused by the fermented wort falling through the strainer into the bottling bucket cause a great deal of oxidation? If so, is there a way that I can filter the unfermented wort while not causing any excess splashing?

    Any suggestions, corrections and ideas are welcome...
     
    #1 bakinnebrew, Jan 5, 2015
  2. JohnSnowNW

    JohnSnowNW Initiate (0) Feb 6, 2013 Minnesota

    You want to completely minimize any aeration after fermentation. So, anything more than siphoning should be avoided. If I'm reading correctly, you wish to put a strainer at the end of the hose that attaches to your racking cane. Do not do this.

    I don't know the best way of adding coffee to beer, I actually have never done it. I can just tell you that you don't want to do what you're currently planning.
     
    #2 JohnSnowNW, Jan 5, 2015
  3. MrOH

    MrOH Grand Pooh-Bah (3,995) Jul 5, 2010 Virginia
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Put a paint strainer bag over the end of your siphon that is in the fermentor. Lots of us do it to separate out dry hops.
     
    #3 MrOH, Jan 5, 2015
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  4. bakinnebrew

    bakinnebrew Initiate (0) Jan 5, 2015 Tennessee

    Cool. Thanks for the tip, John.

    When it comes to the coffee addition, I was attempting to follow a recipe be Terrapin Brewing Co. The recipe for their Imperial Coffee Oatmeal Stout includes adding coarsely ground coffee to their secondary 2 days before bottling. They filter the wort at the end of the 2 days. However, I'll heavily consider other means of adding the coffee before proceeding.
     
    #4 bakinnebrew, Jan 5, 2015
  5. Gilmango

    Gilmango Initiate (0) Jul 17, 2007 California

    Cold brew some strong coffee a quart or so (with the same 5 - 6 oz. but not so coarsely ground coffee) and filter that coffee after cold brewing it overnight. Add directly to your bottling bucket. No threat of oxidation nor of a stuck siphon.

    Also you can test the mix to be sure you want to add it all (or perhaps want to add more) by adding a measured amount of coffee to a cup of beer - say start with a tsp, taste, add another tsp, then another; figure out which tasted best and then determine how much of the coffee to add to your 5 gallons.
     
    #5 Gilmango, Jan 5, 2015
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  6. Lukass

    Lukass Pooh-Bah (2,891) Dec 16, 2012 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah

    Just did this yesterday with an imperial stout – 6 oz of good deep roast ground coffee soaked in 20 oz water for 24 hours. Strained out the ground beans, and poured the cold-steeped coffee into the bottling bucket with the priming sugar before racking my beer onto it. Tastes amazing – nice, clean coffee flavor. @bakinnebrew I would suggest this over trying to filter the beans out while siphoning. I think you'd get better results and it's an easy method. I've done this a few times with stouts and they've always turned out great IMO. But, I'm not gonna rule out other people's methods either!
     
    #6 Lukass, Jan 5, 2015
    ChrisMyhre and PortLargo like this.
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