French Pressing/Infusing Beer

Lol. Because I'm 12. And waiting for an IPA to infuse with toasted coconut. Next, a porter with bourbon soaked coffee beans and bacon.

 

Press on! You only live once but if you can try one beer many different ways, why not?

 

Just filled the french press with some fresh ground Italian Roast and a Jai Alai, will post results soon

 

I just did Jai Alai and pineapple...decent turnout I suppose

 

The other day, I french pressed half of a mango with a Lagunitas IPA and it turned out pretty good. It wasn't anything life changing, but I would definitely do it again.

 

Planning on french pressing some Zhukov with some daz bog russian espresso for my next tasting.

 

I recently bought a bottle capper and some vanilla beans to infuse with BCBS. I'm wondering if anyone out there has experience with this, maybe some recipes to share? I'm also thinking of using coconut, coffee (beans?), peppers.... If you've had good or bad experiences infusing beer, please share your stories here.

 

Get some Cantillon Gueuze and make your own Blabaer. Couldn't possibly go wrong.

 

In theory this is an interesting idea. I'd think you need to let the vanilla beans sit in the BCBS for a few weeks to get the flavor notes out, and if you can't purge the bottle of oxygen you'd have an oxidized vanilla-infused BCBS. Can you use some CO2 to fill the headspace before recapping?

Keep us posted on the results.

 

interesting i may need to some...experimentations

 

Use a french press and let whatever flavor you want to infuse into the beer for 10-15 minutes. I let the beer steep longer than most people because I only use 2/3 of a bottle, and then add the remaining 1/3 to give the carbonation a boost. An infusion that is flat, doesn't do the beer or the added flavors any favors. Recently my friends and I had an infusion tasting just for kicks. All were decent, some were great, following is most of the lineup.

Mt. Carmel Brown Ale with chipotle peppers
Columbus IPA with sumatra coffee
Hennepin with peppercorns
Ommegang Abbey with cinnamon and vanilla
Victory Helios with fresh basil and oregano
Sam Smith's Chocolate Stout with Orange peel
Founders Porter with coffee and vanilla
Columbus IPA with mango
Stoudts Pils with juniper berries

 

mmmmm Sam Smith and Orange, must try!

 

I don't have any CO2. Maybe I should return the capper and get a French press or Randall.

 

I respectfully disagree on your timing. I put half a bean in two bottles of Brooklyn BC this year, recapped and had one after one day and one after two. The vanilla was very potent in both. A half bean is expensive so I actually looked into it and you can get vanilla beans dirt cheap on ebay. I didn't pull the trigger and order any however so I can't tell you if they're good.

Edit to add new thoughts. Buy new caps. Don't put the ones pulled off back on. They may not seal correctly.

 

I bought a Randall (haven't tried it yet) and am looking forward to making my own Proprietor's with a BCBS and toasted coconut, as I cherish my organs too much to give one up for a Props.

 

We just did this with a new bottleof BCBS and 12grams of coarse ground Intelligentsia columbia coffee. the bottle was recapped immediately after adding the beans and let sit in a fridge for 12 hours on its side, turning every couple of hours. (this was during work Saturday) HOLY CRAP IT WAS AMAZEBALLS. Treating it like cold brew coffee was amazing. Still had all the carbonation, and it made everyone at the party later very happy. We consequently did a side by side with another bottle of BCBS from the same 4 pack, and the coffee one was just perfect.

 

Man....you need to take up homebrewing.

 

Anyone try infusing with coconut yet and know the amount to use?

 

Best thing to do is infuse half the beer and cap the 2nd half. Then blend it the two together. This help to give it more carbonation.

 

Toasted 2 tbsp of coconut in the pan. Steeped 2 oz. of beer in the press for an hour. Half in fridge, then at room temp. to warm up.



Put in fresh BCBS in until desired. Turned out delicious. Lots of coconut residue in the beer.
The coconut adds a wonderful touch of sweetness, which cuts ever so slightly into the bourbon and alcohol. Pops the vanilla out a bit and gives emphasis to the smooth milk chocolate flavor.