What to do with this stout kit

[olusteebus]

It is a Brewers best extract kit and I want to improve on it somehow. Thinking of adding cold brewed coffee,

Any other ideas? If I do that, how much coffee.

Thanks

Buster

 

[Slappy]

I don't know much about those kits as in Australia we tend to stick to Coopers or Muntons. But I have been brewing for a good 15 years and love my stouts brewing several styles. I mostly do all grain now but cut my teeth on extract brews. Short answer to adding some coffee is a yes. However if you let me know what style of stout you want and what style of stout the kit is I can point you in some other directions eg. If you want a milk stout, oatmeal stout, english or American style etc etc. Adding some crystal and dark/ chocolate malts to steep can really add some character and body to an extract brew and I usually find a few extra hops to be helpful too.
Like anything it can be as simple or complicated as you want.
I haven't added coffee or other flavors to my stouts as I adjust my malts to give those characters. But I would think around 1 litre of strong brewed coffee to a 5 gallon batch would give noticeable coffee flavors.
If you want to add malts and hops there's more mess involved but if you have access to it you will get a better beer. Other than that making sure you use all malt will give best result (not sure if that kit suggests sugar but if it does replace with amber or dark malt extract at 1.2 - 1.3 times sugar volume as malt is not fully fermentable). I also find reducing volume on extract beers improves them as it concentrates flavor and body + higher alcohol.

 

[BernardSmith]

Very rarely brew beer but when I want to make a coffee mead I find adding lightly crushed coffee beans about two weeks before bottling makes for a far better mead than brewing the coffee and adding the liquid in the primary. I would begin with about a scant 4 oz of beans /gallon. The alcohol extracts the flavors without any unwanted bitterness

 

[Slappy]

Very rarely brew beer but when I want to make a coffee mead I find adding lightly crushed coffee beans about two weeks before bottling makes for a far better mead than brewing the coffee and adding the liquid in the primary. I would begin with about a scant 4 oz of beans /gallon. The alcohol extracts the flavors without any unwanted bitterness

In beer that approach would likely work best by adding the crushed beans into the boil or by adding to the fermenter like dry hopping. Beer is best bottled or kegged promptly after fermentation otherwise infection risk is high in the low alcohol environment. Having said that I have left heavy dark beers for a couple of weeks before bottling but don't recommend it.
How was the coffee mead that sounds like an interesting combination.

 

[olusteebus]

I have read that boiling coffee brings out the oil which is not a good thing for beer. Is that not true?

 

[Slappy]

I'm not sure but I couldn't imagine it releasing more than brewing the coffee from the beans. By adding to boil I should have clarified that if I went that way I'd be putting them in at flame out (right when the boil ends). Pretty sure a (commercial) brewer I know said he "dumped a **** load of coffee" into one of his brews so I assumed he put it in somewhere in the boil. I didn't really like the result though as it was too much coffee for me. But it's been selling well for him.

 

[WinoDave]

I’ve made a lot extract stouts.
You can add 3-4 ounces of medium roasted smoked cubes to 3 cups of bourbon let sit for a week, then throw it all in at secondary for another 2 weeks then keg. You could add a pot of Cold Coffee to it and 2-3 Vanilla beans also. This makes a real tasty brew.

 

[Elmer]

It is a Brewers best extract kit and I want to improve on it somehow. Thinking of adding cold brewed coffee,

Any other ideas? If I do that, how much coffee.

Thanks

Buster

Cold steep some coffee.
Use a French press and let sit over nite in fridge. Kona or some really good coffee makes a huge difference.
2-4-6 oz

Also consider adding some coca nibs, oak and vanilla bean.

It will be beer and drinkable

 

[Dennis Griffith]

I have added a licorice stick to my stout before (not candy). You can get it at places like label peelers. Don't add too much, just one stick per 5 to 6 gallons. It will mellow the flavor and not be obvious. Try one batch and see what you think.

 

[Mismost]

I've done ground coffee brewed coffee and instant....instant granules added directly to secondary i found to be easiest and easiest to adjust to taste. Go slow with small additions.

I like a bit in my porters and touch in my bocks.

 

[ceeaton]

I've used a Kiln coffee malt in my stouts before. It has a very distinct coffee flavor and can be easily overdone. Just hard to find. My local homebrew store used to carry it, not sure if they do now, that was a few years ago. I've added a link that you can mail order some if you'd like. No worries about excessive oil etc.

https://shop.greatfermentations.com...kG8VmhT5RXBUZjmmWaVbKcBt091PWmeBoCzv8QAvD_BwE

 

[jswordy]

I might be too late but if it were mine, I would steep in some Roasted Barley and German CaraRed (Weyerman?), maybe up to 12 ounces each, though 6 ounces each might be plenty for mortals. LOL. I'm also a Fuggle fan for these. If you want to tweak some more, get Myer's Dark Rum and add it to taste when it goes to secondary. Don't pour so much in there you kill your yeast! Amazing what a little Myers can do for dark kit beers, though.

 

[Mismost]

Love Myers Dark Rum....never thought of it a beer!
I'm kinda ham fisted....if a little is good i tend to do a lot.
How to start? Like a pint? Thanks!

 

[jswordy]

Love Myers Dark Rum....never thought of it a beer!
I'm kinda ham fisted....if a little is good i tend to do a lot.
How to start? Like a pint? Thanks!

It generally does not take that much in 5 gallons for me to see a taste difference. I'd start at around a half pint. Really good in dark beers, but control your pouring. I pour to taste but maybe you should measure. Start at half a pint, test, then go up by quarter pints. I add it to secondary just prior to bottling. Maybe a day or so beforehand. No stirring, just let it diffuse. I use a sanitized wine thief to get a middle level taste test.

After starting with Myers, I also discovered this can be a cheat to make "bourbon barrel" beers the same way. Just don't pour in so much you kill your yeast, unless you are force carbonating. I don't brew enough to buy all that equipment and have it hanging around.