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Coconut or vanilla porter

MikeinWA

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I drove down to San Diego this christmas(IPA Heaven) and like always, enjoyed the many fine local beers and other Cali beers.  My Sister-in-law is not a hoppy beer drinker and she was having a Maui Coconut porter which I found to be delicious.

The porters I have down but I am curious to anyones experience on using coconut.  When and how much to give that slight hint of coconut.

I also had a vanilla porter from Tustin brewing company that was very good.  I am not a fan of fruit or flavored beers but in both cases the hints were very subtle which was perfect for me.

Any tips would be much appreciated.
 
I too reside in the evergreen state(eastside) and I too have enjoyed the Maui Brewing CoCoNut  Porter.  I've enjoyed it the last couple of times when on the islands.  It would be hard to nail the exact taste of this delicious brew.  It has a coffee,coco,cocconut silk like infusion that glides down.  I've been thinking about trying this one.  I would probably add some coco powder to the boil, cold steep some crushed coffee beans (not much) add the liquid to the secondary, roast some freshly grated coconut and sorta dry hop bag them into the secondary. 

I tried to duplicate the Kona Brewing/Pipeline porter a while back and it was great.  I cold steeped 1.5 oz of crushed kona beans and added to a robust porter on last five days of secondary.

While on the big island a couple of years back, we went to the Kona brew pub and they had an imperial kona coffee stout on tap called "Da Grinds Buzz".  Man I tell you it was good.  They had no plans to sell outside their brew pub :(, so I traded emails with their brew master and was able to get some help on a recipe.  He didn't give up any trade secrets but told me enough to come close enough.

Good luck on your coconut porter!
 
I may have to recant the coconut in the secondary.  Although there would probably be enough alcohol in the secondary to kill any bacteria, I am rethinking the idea of putting coconut into there.  Maybe some of our brew masters can chime in, but I think maybe if you add the coconut to the boil  or even cocounut milk to the boil, you may be safer.  Also I saw on a basic brewing video where they used vannilla beans in a porter.    http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=video  I think the title was "a tale of two porters"

Good luck
 
Thanks for the response.  I know this forum can take some time to get responses. 

My concerns are with how much and when.  I have had overpowering vanilla in a beer before and it wasn't good.  So, the trick would be how much and when to just give it the slightest coconut in the finish.

I could experiment but why when hopefully somebody had a success story or even a failure I can gauge.

I promise to post the recipe when...if I make this.
 
Mike, I am fighting the same problem with coconut in the Cocoa-Coconut Porter Recipe that I am working on.  I have heard that simply adding a few drops of cocnut extract in each bottle during bottling adds a perfect touch.  Im torn.  Ive been considering mashing toasted coconut, boiling with coconut, and even primary fermenting with it.  Im just not sold on how to do it yet...Although, the extract sounds fool proof, easy, and good...
 
Hey guys ,

Ok for the Coconut - I would lightly roast and add to the tail end of the boil 5 or so minutes then let steep for 5 more. taste it see where your at with it ....
As to how much ... Well I'd go with a pound.
Or you could split the amount and do 1/2 the coconut in the mash then other 1/2 at your finish
As for the 2ndary your mainly going to get more aroma out of it .
and if the brew sits on it to long it will just give to a dry bitter brew thats not tasty ....
from what i understand you want it to be on the finish. When tasting it.
As for the Vanilla like the old saying a dot does alot ...
So if its really good and fresh beans i'd just go with one . cut in 1/2 and split
do it just like some finishing hops ....
last five of the boil let it steep for a bit ...
this is for 5 gal ....
and hey its a homebrew go crazy another trick you can do is take a portion
steep a cup of it like you would a tea see where you are at and judge for you taste there.

I am planning on doing the same thing here ( with the coconut )

Just my 2 cents
 
I got done brewing an all grain coconut porter a few months ago.  I used a basic porter recipe.  For a total of 3 gallons I used 15 oz of coconut. Way too much. I'd cut it in half. 

What I did was buy organic unsweetened coconut and roasted it until all of it was golden brown. I did mine on 300 for fifteen minutes or so. Just keep stirring it. I then added it to the secondary for 10 days. I shook it up once every day.  Fermentation will begin again because of the sugars from the coconut. I had no problems with contamination.  Coconut flavor came through immensely which is why I would cut amount in half, maybe 15 oz for 5 or 6 gallons. Good luck.
 
Ahh, I knew this forum would come through.  Thank you for the posts and advice.

I am amazed that adding the coconut to the secondary gave that much flavor to the beer.  Good to know. I might even cut the coconut in half again as the Maui version is very subtle in the coconut flavor. 

Well, in a three weeks or so I will post the recipe and outcome.
 
Wow, lot's of good information here. Great question. Thanks 
(I wonder where I can score some Maui Coconut Porter on the east coast?)
 
Ziggybrew said:
Wow, lot's of good information here. Great question. Thanks 
(I wonder where I can score some Maui Coconut Porter on the east coast?)

If you find out ZiggyB, let me know.  I have to check Westy's in Camp Hill.  Their selection is second to none in our area.
 
A local brewpub in my area has been making a coconut stout for a while now. I was able to get some information from the brewer on amounts that work for a five gallon batch.

To say it is popular is an understatement. I made a five gallon batch in November for christmas. Never made it. Had to brew another ;D

I start the Sweet Stout recipe from Norther Brewer http://www.northernbrewer.com/default/sweet-stout-all-grain-kit.html and don't change a thing.

The coconut addition he suggested is 4 lbs of UNSWEETENED coconut to the secondary. I generally leave it in the secondary for 5-7 days. I cannot find unsweetened coconut at the regular grocery stores. The only place I've been able to find it is at a whole foods store and it's usually bulk and flaked.

It took me a while to get the coconut mess dealt with but now I use a bottling bucket (with spout) and a false bottom and then just pour the unsweetened coconut into the bucket. I tried using muslin bags but the taste just was not as good.

The last couple of times I've made it I added 3 oz of whole coffee beans to the mix and it was VERY good.
 
4lbs of unsweetened coconut that is not toasted for 5 gallons of beer for 5 to 7 days in the secondary?  Hmmm  That seems to be alot considering TrippedIdaho used 15 oz on 3 gal for 10 days and the coconut taste was too much.....

What to do what to do?
 
MikeinWA said:
4lbs of unsweetened coconut that is not toasted for 5 gallons of beer for 5 to 7 days in the secondary?  Hmmm  That seems to be alot considering TrippedIdaho used 15 oz on 3 gal for 10 days and the coconut taste was too much.....

What to do what to do?

I'd be horrified to put 4 lbs of coconut in my beer.  Im putting 12oz's of toasted unsweetend/shredded coconut in my boil at or near flameout.  My cocao nibs (16 oz) are going in my primary.
 
mhenry41h said:
MikeinWA said:
4lbs of unsweetened coconut that is not toasted for 5 gallons of beer for 5 to 7 days in the secondary?  Hmmm  That seems to be alot considering TrippedIdaho used 15 oz on 3 gal for 10 days and the coconut taste was too much.....

What to do what to do?

I'd be horrified to put 4 lbs of coconut in my beer.  Im putting 12oz's of toasted unsweetend/shredded coconut in my boil at or near flameout.  My cocao nibs (16 oz) are going in my primary.




Yeah that does sound like a bit much Coconut .... I would do 8oz last 5 of boil or in my mash then 8 oz in 2ndary as well I'd do the nibs in 2ndary as well
 
Just transferred into keg today.  Here is what I have learned.

Made a Robust porter.  In secondary 2 days prior to kegging added 15 oz toasted coconut, 2 TBS bakers chocolate(powdered) and about 2 oz of whole coffee beans.

I do say the beer tastes wonderful but I personally prefer my beers without additives or they need to be very subtle.  If I make again the coconut was perfect except that it absorb alot of beer and was a pain to filter.

I would only put in 8 coffee beans and 1/2 tbs of bakers powdered chocolate.

For 5 gal of beer the 15 oz coconut for 2 days was subtle. You could taste it in the finish.  Which was perfect.

Thanks again for all your help and when I get time I will post the recipe.
 
So, would you concider the taste in MB Coconut Porter subtle?  How close do you think your brew was to it?  If I remember right, it was like I was drinking out of a coconut instead of a can. :eek:
 
I as well just brewed my Roasted Coconut Smoked Porter . I wound up adding 9 oz to the last ten minutes of my boil and let it steep for 15..... will add the other 9 oz in secondary the last three days ...

also having had that filtering issue before you can tie of a hop bag or cheese cloth to your racking cane at the bottom and that should help a great deal ...
 
I don't think I will ever use coconut again unless I use larger pieces of meat.  Getting it out of my wort before getting it in to the fermenter was a huge pain in my a@#!  Of course, a hop sack would work too.  I used ten ounces and put them in the last 20 minutes of my boil.  I left them in the wort while chilling and then strained out.  At this point, my English Ale yeast has been a slow fermenter and the only hydro check came at a time when I had an awful cold and couldnt taste.  I have no idea how it turned out yet...
 
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