40 replies to this topic

[matt6150]

Yesterday I brewed a Coffee Ale loosely based on Indeed Brewing Co.'s Burr Grinder. I emailed them and they gave me some tips. This beer is really good if you are a fan of coffee at all. Just a nice clean bright coffee flavor. My hydrometer sample tasted and smelled really good, plenty of coffee. Here is my version.

 

Coffee Ale A ProMash Recipe Report Recipe Specifics ---------------- Batch Size (Gal): 5.50   Wort Size (Gal):   5.50 Total Grain (Lbs): 11.00 Anticipated OG:   1.059   Plato: 14.47 Anticipated SRM:   13.2 Anticipated IBU:   13.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 83 % Wort Boil Time: 60   Minutes Grain/Extract/Sugar % Amount Name   Origin   Potential SRM -----------------------------------------------------------------------------  81.8 9.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row)   America   1.036   2   4.5 0.50 lbs. Cara-Pils Dextrine Malt   1.033   2   4.5 0.50 lbs. Coffee Malt Great Britain  1.030   150   4.5 0.50 lbs. CaraMunich 60/II   France 1.034 60   4.5 0.50 lbs. Crystal 20L America   1.035 20 Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon. Hops Amount Name   Form   Alpha  IBU  Boil Time -----------------------------------------------------------------------------   0.50 oz.   Challenger   Pellet 6.75  13.0  First WH Yeast ----- Safale US-05 Chico Mash Schedule ------------- Mash Type: Single Step Grain Lbs: 11.00 Water Qts: 20.00 - Before Additional Infusions Water Gal:   5.00 - Before Additional Infusions Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 1.82 - Before Additional Infusions Saccharification Rest Temp : 150  Time: 0 Mash-out Rest Temp : 0  Time: 0 Sparge Temp :   0  Time: 0 Total Mash Volume Gal: 5.88 - Dough-In Infusion Only All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit. Notes ----- 4oz of ground coffee beans in fine mesh bag thrown in at flamout and whirlp ooled for 20 min. Cold press at secondary.

[HVB]

Curious to hear how this comes out. 

[matt6150]

So I took 5oz of fresh ground coffee and added it to 5 cups of water and let that sit in a mason jar in the fridge shaking periodically for 48 hours. Then added that whole mess to the beer in secondary. It has been sitting in there now since Fri night. Will sample tomorrow night and possibly keg.

[HVB]

How much coffee are you looking for?  I have never done anything with coffee before but yesterday I added 2oz of whole beans to a keg of porter.  I plan to taste it along the way and decided when it is "right" and move it to a new keg.

[matt6150]

I am looking for a lot of coffee. I want a nice strong coffee aroma and the flavor to be mostly coffee with a slight roastyness. I think your 2oz will be nice and subtle although I have never used whole beans before.

[Poptop]

Wouldn't it be best to at least crack the beans to gain some of the inside flavor?

[HVB]

Wouldn't it be best to at least crack the beans to gain some of the inside flavor?

not sure.  I was given the suggestion to use whole beans so I did.  I will be giving it the first taste tonight, it will have just over 48 hours on beans.

[positiveContact]

Wouldn't it be best to at least crack the beans to gain some of the inside flavor?

 

I suppose you could but I didn't find it to be necessary.

[neddles]

I used 1oz. ground as coarse as my burr grinder would grind it in the stout I made recently. My beans had just been roasted 3 days prior FWIW. Steeped in the keg for 24 hrs. It gave me a firm but not overpowering coffee flavor that was distinct and very smooth in the flavor and aroma. Real curious to see what you think of your beer Matt.

[matt6150]

I finally got this kegged tonight. I am really happy with it so far. The aroma is just like a cup of coffee. The flavor is right there too. It's not as strong as drinking a cup of coffee, maybe a weaker one. Should be carbed by Sat for the final review.

[HVB]

Wouldn't it be best to at least crack the beans to gain some of the inside flavor?

I let the beans, 2oz whole, sit for 3 days at 55* under 15-20 PSI's and the beer has a nice coffee aroma and flavor.  This was an easy way to get some flavor and aroma into the beer, I may try a course grind next time but I really like the easy cleanup of whole beans.

[positiveContact]

when the beans are really fresh and all oily you know it's going to be good.  mmmmmm - coffee stout.....

[BlKtRe]

I got a bottle of this and can't wait to give it a try!

[matt6150]

Can't wait to see what you think. Drinking some now, its good.

[positiveContact]

so this beer - is it kind of an amber?  brown?  what do you find the base beer like?

[matt6150]

I guess if anything its a light brown ale. Didn't really have a style in mind when I brewed it. Just wanted a lighter beer (than stout or porter) that had a strong coffee flavor.

[matt6150]

Brewing this again right now. Making 10gals this time as it was really good last year. Perfect breakfast beer.

[positiveContact]

try "dry beaning" one of the kegs this time.  just an idea.  I found it to work really well and then you can finely dial in how much coffee flavor you want (pull the beans when it tastes right).

[HVB]

try "dry beaning" one of the kegs this time.  just an idea.  I found it to work really well and then you can finely dial in how much coffee flavor you want (pull the beans when it tastes right).

i will be doing this again with my oatmeal coffee porter that I hope to brew Thursday AM.  Worked really good last time

[matt6150]

try "dry beaning" one of the kegs this time.  just an idea.  I found it to work really well and then you can finely dial in how much coffee flavor you want (pull the beans when it tastes right).

I could do that. So far I used 10oz of coarse ground in two hop bags at flameout and whirlpooled for 30 min. Great coffee aroma already. But hell I might just dry bean the whole batch in the fermenter.