Coconut Porter Thoughts?

Ingredients
1

Hi All,

I’m trying to get some coconut flavor into my porter. I took the recipe from a back issue of Zymurgy. Here’s a thought and I was wondering if anyone has any feedback on this…

So, I’m thinking about filtering the beer (porter) through coconut in order to get the coconut flavor into the beer. What are people’s thoughts on this? The porter is in the primary fermentor (brewed on Saturday November 14th). When racking, I’m considering running it through toasted coconut in order to add flavor AND filter it to pull out some particulate matter. If anyone has feedback on this, please let me know!

Thanks so much,
Lindsey

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You might have better luck with getting coconut flavor by adding an extract either in the secondary or at bottling.  Maybe something like this:  http://www.faeriesfinest.com/E126.html (just found from a quick google search.  I’ve never used it so can’t vouch for it.)

3

I brewed beer once using spendy Jaggery sugar derived from coconut the jaggery tasted like coconut.
After the yeast got done chewing on the brew, it did NOT taste like coconut.  This may be more difficult
than you imagine.  The addition of extract to Secondary may be your best shot…IMO.

4

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/coconut-extract-recipe/index.html

I added the extract in the secondary of a chocolate coconut porter I made.  It worked pretty well.

5

Try both, IMO you want to layer natural flavors and even artificial flavors (use an easy hand with these) to support the original flavor. For exampIe I used maple and fenugreek (used in artificial maple syrup) in a Baltic Porter, thanks to Randy Mosher’s Book for the idea. I refined it a bit using some research about how artificial flavors are created, you can use this for just about any food or drink.

  1. Character Item (Coconut)
  2. Contributory Item (Artificial Coconut Extract) supports the flavor in item 1
  3. Differential Item (Jaggery) makes item 2 acceptable to the taster

Use a light hand with this, remember that you don’t want a coconut beer with a hint of porter.

Good luck.

6

I’d be afraid that it would cause oxidation in the final beer.  I’d either make your own extract with some vodka, or add the toasted coconut shreds directly to the secondary.

7

Coconut contains oils. this will affect your head retention at the very least.JMO.

8

IMO some minor experience as well, Vodka/Everclear will dissolve/break down oils.  The oils in a chocolate stout I made
using real Cacao beans (oily cocoa butter) were not a head retention factor after a long soak in Everclear.  Just a great smooth
BIG chocolate flavor for the stout.

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Has anyone added coconut to the mash? Is it even possible to get sugars from the coconut?

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I’m interested in any results people could share about adding it to the mash as well.
I’ve read on some other forums that people have toasted one pound on their own (350° @ 10-15) and added it to the secondary with very good results.  No mention was made about head retention which is another factor I’m curious about.  I do think the vodka/everclear idea is a good one.

I know this is an old thread, but if anyone sees this and has any info, please share!

-JT

11

I toast a lb of shredded coconut(baking section of the store) on top of the stove in a frying pan stirring on medium heat until it’s somewhat golden brown, put it in a mesh bag inside the keg, add coconut water from a coconut, use the coconut to make a tap handle and it is tasty. No head retention problems etc.

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I like the coconut for a tap handle idea.

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This is what I based my Coconut Porter recipe on. It took BOS a number of years back.:

http://www.brewboard.com/index.php?showtopic=2235&st=15

I also brewed a Coconut Blond Wheat Ale for a Hawaiian party using the same method with the shredded coconut and coconut water and it was a huge hit.

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Personally, I think this is brilliant.  I might give something like this a try soon.

15

if you do try the filtering method, do whatever means possible to avoid splashing and/or any other method that would introduce additional oxygen into the brew.  You don’t want an awesome coconut porter turning into a cardboard box.

if I were to do it, it’d be with dried, unsweetened coconut toasted till brown and dump in end of primary (read: after fermentation has more or less ceased)