Coffee in an Oatmeal Stout

I just brewed up a Coffee Porter that turned out awesome. First time making a Porter. I didn't even consider the bitterness interplay when I wrote the recipe, but I did shoot for a more English Porter over an American so the hops weren't really in the forefront of the beer and clashing in the flavor/aroma with the coffee. My BU:GU was .52, but my FG is also 1.020 for a 5.5% ABV. I kept the beans whole, 2oz in a nylon sack suspended in the keg. Left it at room temp for 3 days, and pulled samples off the cobra every 12 hours or so until I hit my flavor. One issue I didn't factor in until the last couple pours was that the beer in the line and pickup tube wasn't being infused with the coffee so each 4oz pour was about 12 hours delayed. Beer has a huge coffee presence. Don't really pick up much bitterness from the coffee, it is super smooth. That is probably due to the extraction method, as well as the higher FG.

 

I brew a LOT of beers with coffee and do not scale back the bitterness from the base recipes at all. You really won't pick up much (if any) coffee bitterness with cold steeping methods, even when you use a large amount. I have one recipe where I am adding 1.25+ oz per gallon and still not picking up any bitterness from the coffee... just a lot of flavor.

After pretty extensive experimentation, I exclusively 'dry bean' all coffee additions in a well purged keg or fermenter. I have found that cold pressing and then adding at bottling doesn't provide as robust of a coffee flavor and also fades much faster. I am very sensitive to the green pepper flavors produced by staling or oxidized coffee and have found that it comes on so much quicker in beers with cold pressed coffee added vs dry beaning.

 

Since you are cold steeping (pretty much the same as "dry beaning"), I don't think you should adjust the IBU's. Just go for the bitterness you like to have in an oatmeal stout and add coffee beans. It certainly depends a bit on the beans you use but unless you use some crazy espresso super bitter bean you should be fine.

I used the ratio from @OldSock's post the last few times I used coffee.
http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2009/11/breakfast-stout-riff.html

In this thread he talked about upping the amount a bit and just tossing the beans right in whole. I plan to do that on the next beer unless its a low ABV beer and Im concerned the alcohol wont help extract enough. Though in that case I may consider soaking them in vodka first.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/coconut-mocha-stout.202753/#post-2709207

 

In lower ABV beers (lowest ABV coffee beer I make is ~4.5%), I just increase the amount of coffee a bit and slightly crack the beans. Works great every time and it's super easy. It's right where I want it in 48-60 hrs.

 

Excellent tips on "dry beaning", my next porter will appreciate the advice!

 

No change in IBU due to dry beaning. I'd only cut back on IBUs if adding a touch at flameout (which I've done for a blonde stout), which you aren't doing here. My ratios are 0.25 to 1 oz coarse crushed coffee per gallon depending on robustness of base beer. Not a fan of cold press coffee on its own, and feel it dilutes the beer.

Only word of caution from @drewbage about roasts of beans used for dry beaning (Nice reference, although I wouldn't trust what that Ward dude says since he sucks at life):

http://www.experimentalbrew.com/blogs/drew/coffee-and-jalapenos

 

FWIW I used kona beans (giant's high end generic brand which is actually pretty tasty) in the brown ale you sampled, added as a tincture from a mix of bourbon and vodka.

 

I just brewed JZ`s Oatmeal Stout. My first OS, without peanut butter in it. The stout started out kind of harsh, but drinkable. Now, it's actually becoming more and more like a sweet stout, (3 months old).

I'll say that I can drink lots of acidic drinks, but coffee KILLS my stomach. I suppose I'd answer a question with a question: How do you take your coffee? I would think the recipe would compliment this, and not contrast this. If you drink a quart of coffee that's twice as strong as a normal human being in the morning, you're probably more likely to throw that coffee into the last 5 min of the boil than someone who needs a breakfast blend, 4 lumps, and a glug of milk like me. I wouldn't back down the IBU, as said above. I might actually take this over to a secondary to let the age come through in the beer--especially if it's above session ABV. Add a few oz of crushed coffee bean on a Wednesday and expect to keg on over the weekend, you know? I wouldn't take this project over into the keg unless you were weak on the coffee flavor. I'd cold steep some, boil it down, and add it on top of the couple of pints I'd drank from the keg.

 

Didnt see this post until after I posted mine .. anyway here is a question related to this one ...

So i brewed a coffee chocolate stout ( RECIPE POSTED BELOW ) and I have tasted a final sample from the fermenter and I wanted more coffee and chocolate to go in the keg with a touch of bourbon. What I have now is 2 oz of coffee beans ( crushed ) and 2 oz of cacao nibs soaking in separate containers in bourbon. My question is how long should these two ingredients soak for ? I was thinking I should dump the excess bourbon into the keg prior to racking and put the coffee and cacao nibs into separate hop bags and suspend in the keg with the stout. Ideas ? Anyone done this before ? What were your findings and flavors ? I have also heard a tsp a vanilla extrac in the keg helps bring the chocolate flavor out better as well. Thanks guys.


5.5 lb Maris Otter Pale 44.8%
2 lb Toasted Quick Oats 16.3%
1 lb Roasted Barley 8.1%
1.5 lb Munich 12.2%
0.75 lb American - Chocolate 6.1%
10 oz Belgian - Caramel Pils 5.1%
0.5 lb Belgian - CaraMunich 4.1%
0.4 lb Crystal 90L 3.3%

1.5 oz bakers chocolate & 1.5 oz Cacao nibs & 2oz sumatran coffee added last 15 mins of boil.

 

I whole bean dry hop as well in the keg and get tremendous flavor with 2oz after 24 hours. My advice would be to check it at that mark. Coffee flavor can get out of hand pretty quick and it's safer to remove too soon rather than too late. I've also never experienced the dreaded green pepper flavor with this approach, just super fresh coffee for several months until the keg kicks.

Edit: Additional bitterness not a factor either.

 

@FeDUBBELFIST how did you have the coffee to easily remove from the keg? Bag hanging by the draw string from the keg cap? Does the keg still keep pressure around the o - ring?

 

@InVinoVeritas Most recently in a large metal mesh tea ball suspended from flavorless floss, but I've also dropped beans straight into the primary, then racked to keg after 24 hours. It is possible to keep a seal on a keg with floss or fishing line, albeit slightly more challenging. Sometimes keg lube or Vaseline is required.

 

For a 6-ish ABV stout, I cold steep 2 oz overnight in a 32 oz press, then just pour it into the keg. This process nails it for me - enough coffee to notice without me pointing it out, but not so much that the underlying beer gets lost. Obviously, ymmv. Bitterness doesn't seem to be an issue. I suspect the cold steep is part of the reason for this. I'd be concerned about leaving the beans in too long. Intuition tells me that you'll eventually extract tannins from the beans, much like you would if you oversparge the grains. (FYI: one way to deal with bitter coffee is to increase the grounds to reduce overextraction)

 

Sorry if this has been covered (and for a slight threadjack) but how does one/does one sanitize coffee beans - whole or ground?

 

I personally do not sanitize the beans at all but do always handle them (and anything else on the cold side) with clean and sanitized nitrile gloves.

 

I have never sanitized them, the lowered Ph and alcohol should be enough to keep things at bay. I usually add them in secondary or after as well, when the simpler sugars are gone and prefer to add from a fresh package.

 

Thanks. I had assumed as much, but I think I remember someone saying they had gotten an infection from coffee beans before.

 

I brewed my first stout last week, a FBS clone, and as far as the coffee addition goes I'm just going to think of it as making cold brewed coffee but instead of water I'm using beer. I cold crash anyway so I figured it makes sense to just add the coffee then, plus of love the smooth, low acidity, coffee flavor I get from cold brewed coffee. I'm gonna go with mostly Kona with a little Sumatra.

 

Yeah, I suppose its a risk you take. I would like to believe if you don't leave it sitting out, don't put a crazy amount in (a couple ounces) and put it in late, it should tend to kill things off that rode along on the beans. Ive actually only added coffee grounds to mine because I didnt have whole beans from trung nguyen.