So I just brewed my first stout and I decided to make it a coffee flavored. I googled a couple of recipes and I think I ended up going with one from the AHA forum. I cold brewed the coffee (Alterra Cafe Voltaire) for 24 hours to decrease bitterness and the finished wort smelled fantastic. I just racked over to the secondary after 6 days, and I couldn’t resist grabbing a glass to taste. I chilled it for about 15 min in the fridge and then sat down with it. It tastes great and the flavor of the coffee really shines but I’m also getting some noticeable citrus: lemon and tangy. Used 1056 for the yeast, Fuggle for the hops. Any clue where that citrus came from? Was it the yeast, hops, or something I did?
You could definitely be getting citrus flavors from the hops, but I wouldn’t judge anything yet. It still has a lot of changing to do. I always taste by brews when racking over. Some tasted good and turned out terrible and vice versa.
Definitely wait until its been bottle conditioning for a four weeks (assuming you don’t keg). One of the easiest ways I have improved my beer is by not opening a bottle before four weeks.