MAKE IT Chocolate Coffee Stout

Try your hand at a delicious coffee and chocolate stout with this homebrew recipe generously shared by Epic Brewing.

ALL-GRAIN

OG: FG: IBUS: ABV:

1.090 1.020 48 9.2%

MALT/GRAIN BILL

12 lb (5.4 kg) Maris Otter 1 lb (454 g) Munich Malt I 1 lb (454 g) Munich Malt II 12 oz ( 340 g) Caraaroma 10 oz (283 g) chocolate malt 8 oz (227 g) Carafa III 6 oz (170 g) flaked oats

HOPS SCHEDULE

0.5 oz (14 g) Nugget at 60 minutes. 0.5 oz (14 g) Chinook at 45 minutes. 0.4 oz (11 g) Cascade at 30 minutes.

YEAST

A clean ale yeast such as Wyeast 1056, Safale US-05 (US-56), or White Labs WLP001

DIRECTIONS

Single infusion mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes. Boil for 60 minutes. Ferment at 68°F (20°C), raise the temperature to 72°F (22°C) the last few days. Cold crash, rack the beer off of the yeast, add 2.6 ounces (74 g) of coarsely ground coffee and 3.9 ounces (111 g) of cacao nibs, steep the coffee and cacao nibs at 32–40°F (0–4°C) for 3–5 days (or to taste), rack off of the coffee grounds and cacao nibs, keg or bottle. barrel-aged version of this beer earned a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2013.

Similar to Epic, Perennial Artisan Ales uses a coarse coffee grind for this method. “Basically, we take coarse-ground coffee and steep it in cold water for about twenty-four hours,” explains Wymore. “We coarse-filter the toddy and blend it in with the stout, post-fermentation, just before carbonating and packaging the beer.”

Using cold water instead of the alcohol in the beer to extract the flavor from the coffee minimizes potential acidity from the coffee, Wymore continues. “Also, this method allows us a degree of control in bench-blending trials to find a ratio in which the impact of the coffee is in balance with the body of the stout,” he says. “Because the toddy is mostly water, there is an inverse relationship between the two. As coffee intensity increases, the stout becomes more diluted.”

When it comes to choosing the coffee for Sump, Perennial relies on a local roaster to suggest the varietals. “Scott Carey at Sump Coffee Roasters sources several different lots of coffee that he thinks will work well. He roasts the samples, and we do a cupping at his shop. We then blend the coffees individually with base stout, evaluate each one, and make choices based our impressions.”

Advice For Homebrewers

“Don’t be afraid to experiment,” suggests Jeff Griffith, head brewer at Fate Brewing Company in Boulder, Colorado, to homebrewers using coffee. “Coffee can be used and introduced in many ways into a beer. I’ve done them all, and I don’t think there is a wrong way. You can get different flavor results depending on how, when, where, and what form of coffee is used.”

Phil Wymore of Perennial Artisan Ales suggests that homebrewers should select great coffee based on aroma and flavor. “Make a cup and give it some sensory evaluation, rather than just buying a bag and using it blindly,” he says. “Try to buy direct from a small roaster (or roast your own) and pay attention to the roast date. Coffee can die pretty quickly—i would try to use coffee that has been roasted within ten days. Buy whole bean coffee and grind it fresh, just prior to use. Experiment with different extraction methods and take good notes!”