freshly tapped extract coffee ale. I am not sure if it’s a brown, porter or what. Got some LME from a friend and went from there 3.3 lbs dark LME 3.3 lbs Amber LME 2 lbs light DME 1 lb lactose 3 oz steeped chocolate malt 3 oz steeped roasted barley 2 oz coffee beans dry beaned The beer is pretty good. No off flavors but seems to be missing something. To me seems like it’s missing some roast or a more bold coffee flavor. Flavor is pretty mild and sweet. Also pretty easy drinking. Friend tried the beer who drinks decent beer but not a critical beer drinker. He Thought it had a lot of coffee flavor and said it was good because it wasn’t really heavy. I am trying to decided if I should add some more coffee to increase the coffee flavor. To me it doesn’t have enough coffee flavor but I am a big coffee drinker who drinks freshly ground coffee in a French press daily. If the beer is already kegged and carbed what is the best process? I was thinking of adding 1 oz of coffee grounds cold brewed. But also thinking that adding some roast might make it better to balance out the sweetness. Could I brew some concentrated French press coffee to add more coffee and roast character? Ever add coffee to a kegged and carbed beer?
Yes, it works. A local commercial brewer, FKB, told me they do this all the time. (I've done it once). You can even go to Starbucks and buy cold-pressed coffee . . . target about 12 ounces for 5 gal keg. I wouldn't add coffee grounds 'cause they look gross (to me). Then again if you aren't a big coffee drinker just leave it along.
never added coffee to a carbed beer. If this is a 5 gallon batch, I d up the roasted barley to a lb, add freshly cracked, not ground beans to the secondary of a bold loud coffee for 5-7 days then bottle/keg to up the roast/coffee taste. you did not mention hops. in my coffee stout ill add 3 oz of goldings at 60 and 2 oz of fuggles. Mash temp no more than 150. should help with the sweetness
You don’t even have to crack them. Whole beans work fine. I’ve never added to a carbed beer, but shouldn’t be a problem.
Thanks for the replies. I ended up using a bold coffee roast from humbolt bay coffee. I did a concentrated hot steep with my French press. The beer originally didn’t have the bold coffee or roast Flavor i wanted so thought a hot steep versus a cold brew might add that extra layer of flavor. I have had a few pours tonight and will say it is much better! Really enjoying the beer. It’s a perfect night cap but also easy drinking that I can have it anytime and at over 7% it can be dangerous. Cheers
Sometimes with dark and amber extracts, there is uncertainty in how much color comes from roasted malts vs. crystal malts. This may underlie your perceptions of a beer that is a little sweet. Lactose isn't really helping. I recently made a session strength stout. Grain bill was comparable to an oatmeal stout, just session strength. I decided to add coffee to a recent pint. Not bad. Maybe just add coffee one beer at a time?
I didn’t put enough specialty grains or coffee bean to balance out the extract which turned out to be lighter than I anticipated. I did want some sweetness as I was trying to brew a coffee milk stout. However, I didn’t have enough coffee flavor or roast to balance out the lighter sweeter malt character and the lactose. I added crushed coffee beans after primary fermentation was complete but either I didn’t put enough in, didn’t let it sit long enough or didn’t have a bold enough coffee flavor. With the second addition I am get more of the coffee flavor I wanted but also some sweetness too, but more balanced.
Quick coffee question: if I cold brew coffee overnight, should the coffee be boiled (after the grounds are strained out) to sanitize it before adding it to the keg?
Same here, also have cracked coffe beans and thrown them in with very good results. Also, on the last coffee beer, dumped in 2 Kurig containers into the secondary with good results again. Lots of options.
Most people don’t have issues, but because I don’t feel like taking any chances, the few times I have used cold-brew coffee I have done a low temp pasteurization. Raised the temp slightly (say, 160F for 15 seconds is all that is needed for example). Then it goes right into the keg before I rack the beer into it. My coffee beers have had wonderful, so it’s cheap insurance for me.
I definitely wouldn't add beans or grounds to a carbed beer (that's a lot of nucleation sites). Might be a better time to use cold brew concentrate.
