A Different Kind Of Brewing

I love coffee.

I can hardly remember a time when I didn't.  In fact, my love of coffee is much older than my love of beer. 

Maybe that's one of the reasons why I am excited about the Breakfast Stout that I brewed last week.  It's almost fermented out, and I have to start preparing for the final ingredient addition. 

That's right--MORE COFFEE.

I added 2-1/2 pounds of Sumatran cold-brewed coffee to the boil.  Sumatran coffee is big, bold and bitter, so it mimics some hop bittering properties, while adding some coffee flavor.

This morning, I am cold-brewing 2-1/2 pounds of Kona coffee which will be added to the serving vessel in a couple days.  Kona is a very smooth, richly flavored coffee. 

Cold-brewing coffee is not a common brewing process here "up north".  It is very common in New Orleans as it probably reflects that laid-back lifestyle.  Up here, we're all, "Latte.  STAT!"  Conversely, cold-brewing takes about 12 hours, but it's well worth the wait.  With hot-brewing, not only are you extracting the coffee flavor from the bean, you also tend to extract a greater percentage of bitter oils that are in the beans.  Cold-brewing produces a smooth coffee concentrate which can then be added to hot water or milk.

Here's how to do it:

1.  Coarse grind a pound of coffee and add it to a large, non-reactive container.  (Stainless steel or glass)

My little coffee grinder working overtime on some Steep & Brew Kona.

2.  Add 2 cups of cold water, and stir gently, just to wet the grounds.
3.  Add 8 more cups of water.  Avoid agitating the grounds.

4.  Cover and let steep at room temperature for 12 hours.
5.  Strain coffee concentrate through a medium sieve, then again through a fine-mesh sieve.
6.   To make iced coffee, fill a glass with ice, add ¼ cup coffee concentrate and 3/4 to 1 cup milk, then stir. To make café au lait, warm 3/4 to 1 cup milk in a saucepan or microwave, then pour into a mug and add ¼ cup coffee concentrate. (Concentrate will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.)

Because this coffee will be added into our serving vessel, I will have to pasteurize it so there's no chance of it infecting the Stout.  After the grounds are strained out, I'll heat the concentrate to 150 degrees F and then put the whole pot into a 150 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.  This stout will be a higher gravity beer, so I'm not overly worried about infection.