Perk-A-lator Stout

A friend at Gheorge reminded me that I should be focusing more on the homebrews than my cubicle requirements. So....it was just this past Labor Day making it the proper time to labor over the grains and pots to create the latest home brew - a coffee stout for the upcoming fall season. Aided by my trusty assistant (pictured left), we set to the brewing process. We are smack dab in the middle of the primary fermentation which requires a solid 2 weeks of drinking while waiting for the brew to age. Secondary fermentation is 3 weeks. The good news is that means enjoying Oktoberfests of all sorts. The bad news is that means this coffee stout takes a freakin' long time to brew - so my trusty assistant and I will be pissy if it tastes like skunk.

While we're waiting it's worth opening a cold brew and posting ingredients and particulars in the event our 1 or 2 loyal readers wants to know what poison was just sprung upon them. Follow us:

Original Gravity: 1.066

Ending Gravity: 1.020 (or something close to it)

Primary Fermentation: 2 weeks

Secondary Fermentation: 3 weeks

7.25 lbs Briess dark malt extract (dry)

.75 lbs Briess Crystal 80 malt

.25 lbs black malt

.5 oz Mt. Hood Hops, pellets (in boil 65 minutes)
.5 Mt. Hood Hops, pellets (in boil 20 minutes)

7 tspns Starbucks Sumatra Blend

1 tspn LD Carlson Irish Moss

1 tspn LD Carlson Gypsum

White Labs 004 Irish Ale Yeast

.66 cup brown sugar for priming

Steep black malt and crystal malt in 2.5 gallons of water for 21 minutes at 166 degrees F. Remove grains and bring to boil. Stir in extract. Re-establish boil and add .5 oz hops. Keep at steady boil for 30 minutes and add Irish Moss and gypsum. Boil for 15 minutes and add remaining hops and ground coffee. Boil for final 20 minutes and remove from heat.

Transfer to the primary fermenter and add water until 5 gallons. Cool to 74.7 degrees F and pitch yeast. Ferment for 2 weeks, move to secondary fermenter for another 3 weeks. Prime with .66 cups brown sugar and bottle for 3-6 weeks (since this is our first brew with this recipe exact aging after bottling is yet to be determined - stay tuned for details).

We "borrowed" this recipe from the book Homebrew Favorites - a gift from my trusty assistant. You'll find among the pages a tasty sounding Espresso Stout. Tip of the hat to home brewer Greg Kushmerek of Belmont, MA and his kick ass motto "Brew Free or Die"