Coconut American Brown ale

Hamner Brewhouse · Apr 5, 2020

Any thoughts on the coconut addition.
8 lb 2 row
1 lb dark Munich
5 oz chocolate malt
2 oz UK roasted barley
7 oz unsweetened toasted coconut flakes primary
7 oz unsweetened toasted coconut flakes secondary for 5 days

Quarantine brew, I'm going for a basic American Brown & want the coconut aroma/flavor to be prevalent. The ingredients above are what I have on hand.

oipivo · Apr 8, 2020

The amounts look good. I used 200g (7oz) of flaked coconut and didn't get NEARLY enough flavor in a stout. What's the purpose of a the secondary? I would probably just add it all the coconut into primary and cold crash.

Nosybear · Apr 8, 2020

oipivo said:
The amounts look good. I used 200g (7oz) of flaked coconut and didn't get NEARLY enough flavor in a stout. What's the purpose of a the secondary? I would probably just add it all the coconut into primary and cold crash.

I've gotten traces of coconut flavor using a US pound (about 450 grams). Secondary is a misnomer, it's a clearing step, no fermentation is happening aside from, maybe, a bit of cleaning up on the part of the yeast. "Dry hop" with it, boil it, coconut doesn't care, it's flavor isn't destroyed by heating or boiled off. I wouldn't toast it, though, and using it in the boil helps with some potential head reduction problems due to oils.

oipivo · Apr 8, 2020

Nosybear said:
I've gotten traces of coconut flavor using a US pound (about 450 grams). Secondary is a misnomer, it's a clearing step, no fermentation is happening aside from, maybe, a bit of cleaning up on the part of the yeast. "Dry hop" with it, boil it, coconut doesn't care, it's flavor isn't destroyed by heating or boiled off. I wouldn't toast it, though, and using it in the boil helps with some potential head reduction problems due to oils.

Completely agree about not toasting it, I've only found it mutes the coconut flavor further. And ahhh I had assumed the original poster meant moving the beer to a secondary fermentor. In that case, carry on!