Coconut questions help suggestions!

If money were no object I would make a batch with coconut water instead of water and then dryhop with several #s of toasted coconut

Don't expect a lot of head retention when using coconut...and very hard to get enough of it's flavor in the beer

 

I was dead set on doing this, and heard from a friend that tried it that the control fermented coconut water and his beer (coconut water as mash & sparge water in his case) tasted unpleasant. Because I don't trust anyone I will try it myself one of these days....

 

I just had a flashback to this year's Night of the Living Ales where I had a Goose Island Kentucky Bourbon Rye Stout with Coconut. Insaaaaaanely delicious beer! (though I thought they were just a tad heavy handed with the coconut)

The fresh coconut flavor was outstanding! If someone knows how it was used in this beer, perhaps they could share that info.

 

Yes, might have to actually take a ph reading for once...hard to believe coconut water could have that much affect, but possible I suppose.

Was the beer unpleasant or just the mash/sparge water?

 

I'm interested...if coconut can come through with those other flavors...I'm impressed

 

Most coconut flavor I ever got into a beer was using a toasted coconut that was really sweet...maybe due to the low attenuating yeast in the base beer??? So sweet, I actually hit it with another yeast later to make it drinkable.

 

The beer. It just was off. Could totally have been the pH, now I wish I tested it.

When I try a 1 gallon batch in the future I'll let you know how mine turns out.

 

Hey Cabbage_pants,

A) That's quite a bit. A friend of mine made a coconut porter that was really good using 1 lb. of shredded coconut (that he toasted himself in his oven). The coconut flavor was pretty strong. If you want it to be subtle, maybe go with 1/2 lb. (I've done a 1/2 lb. addition to a milk stout and I quite liked it). If you want it strong, go with 1 lb; 3 lbs. is probably overkill.

B) I wouldn't use it in the boil. I would put it in your secondary and transfer onto it. Give it 3 days or so then rack off of it.

C) Yes, they will ruin the head. They won't do much to the body, but you'll have little to no head retention unless you use nitrogen, and even then it will be less than otherwise.

D) Be careful if you toast it not to scorch it at all; those flavors are not good in beer. A light toasting does improve the flavor (and flavor transfer potential) however.

 

I've used toasted coconut at flame-out, kill the heat, tossed in a pound and chilled it down. worked pretty well.