Before I step up to All Grain, I want to brew one more extract recipe. I have a Northern Brewer Cream Ale extract kit. I want more body in the beer, so I have a pound of flaked oats on hand and I have some locally roasted Celebes Kalossi beans, and I’ll be using a yeast starter with Wyeast 1056 American Ale.
My inspiration is a Coffee Cream Ale from Rocket Republic Brewing in Madison, Alabama. Their Vapor Trail Cream Ale is one of my favorite beers, and the addition of coffee flavor levels it up to brilliant status.
I have been picking the brains of my brewer friends at Rocket Republic, Yellowhammer and Straight to Ale, and I’ve settled on beans in secondary prior to bottling. This week is a good week to brew, so any and all advice is very much appreciated.
flaked oats are alright, I would go with flaked corn if it were up to me. That is only because the oats will add cloudiness that would not clear without fining. Are you going to crack the beans or use them whole, and I would take a sample daily to find the right level of coffee. Too much of a good thing is always disappointing. Although I don’t think that coffee will fade as quick as extracts. Not my experience in my American Porter with espresso beans.
I haven’t decided on cracking or whole. I will use a muslin bag for the beans, and I have Whirfloc tablets on hand. That’s interesting about the corn versus oats. Also, what would you suggest if I wanted a touch of vanilla flavor, as well?
Vanilla bean split 2-3 days in secondary. I would get the coffee going for a couple days, then add the vanilla and sample together. If that’s something you really want.
I think that is too much going on to add vanilla and coffee in cream ale. What hops/IBUs are you going with and does the recipe already have crystal malt?
I would not add any adjuncts, such as oats, unless you plan on doing a mini-mash with added base malt. The specialty malts in the kit don’t have enough enzymes to do a mini-mash.
As to coffee, 4 oz in a porter gives a nice balance between coffee and the porter. 1-2 oz may be all you need for a cream ale.
In something as light as a cream ale, vanilla could obliterate the beer.
Thanks. Scratch the vanilla and crack the beans. I’m also considering ditching the secondary, which the kit doesn’t even call for and adding the coffee 48 hours before bottling after 10-14 days in primary.
If you’re preparing to go all grain, why no do a mini mash so you can still use the oats? Get some base malt, and just mash it and the oats all in a pot on the stove.
Put your milled malts, oats and an amount of American 2-row equal to about half of the other malts and oats into a paint filter bag and steep them in your water at 150-160 F for 40+ minutes. Remove grains. Boil and proceed like normal.
Thanks. I have the flu, so Brewing is out this week. Gives me time to order some 2 row and recuperate. I made my yeast starter yesterday, so how long will it last, and do I need to store it in the fridge until next Sunday?
Thanks Denny! What should I do in advance of using it, and also, you have made my decision this week to go All-Grain and I’m building my mash tun based on your instructions.