Coffee Stout is a stout that homebrewers reach for when they want a project worth the extra attention. This version keeps the grain bill built around Pale Malt, and leans on Magnum 16% to shape the finish.
Recipe at a Glance
Recipe at a Glance
| Style | Coffee Stout |
| Batch Size | 5 gallons (19L) |
| Boil Time | 60-90 minutes |
| Original Gravity | 1.044-1.060 |
| Final Gravity | 1.010-1.016 |
| ABV | 4.5-6.0% |
| IBU | 30-45 |
| SRM | 30-40 (opaque black) |
| Difficulty | Intermediate (all-grain) |
Brew Day, Step by Step
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1
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Mash · ~60 min Mash the grain bill, led by Pale Malt, at a steady temperature to build the fermentable sugars this style needs. Sparge slowly so you do not lose efficiency. |
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2
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Boil · ~60-90 min Bring the wort to a boil and work through the hop schedule, starting with Magnum 16%. This is also where you will add any fining agent for a clearer finished beer. |
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3
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Ferment · 18C (64F) Pitch Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale once the wort has cooled to fermentation temperature and hold it steady. Primary fermentation is the most active week, do not rush it. |
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4
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Condition · 5 weeks at 12C (54F) Rack to secondary (or leave in primary if your recipe calls for it) and let the beer round out at a cool, steady temperature. This step does more for the final flavor than people expect. |
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5
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Package · 1 day, then wait Bottle or keg once gravity has held steady for a few days in a row. Give it time to carbonate and, for bigger styles, additional time to mellow before your first taste. |
That’s the shape of brew day and the weeks after it. For the exact grain bill, hop schedule, and full step-by-step instructions with amounts, use the recipe card below.
What You Will Need
Sourcing your own ingredients locally is always fine, but if you want to skip a homebrew store trip, here is what’s in stock in our shop right now:
- Base and specialty grain: Grains & Adjuncts (e.g. Weyermann Chocolate Rye Malt 1 Lb)
- Bittering and aroma hops: Brewing Hops (e.g. Chinook Hop Pellets 8 oz)
- Yeast: Brewing Yeast (e.g. LalBrew Nottingham Brewing Yeast (2 Pack) – Make Beer at Home)
- Secondary fermenter for conditioning: Fermenters & Carboys (e.g. 3 Gallon Clear Glass Italian Carboy)
- Priming sugar for bottling: Priming Sugar (e.g. Corn Sugar Dextrose Bottling Priming Sugar 1 lb Highly Fermentable N)
- General kit and tools: Homebrew Equipment (e.g. Deluxe Bottling Kit Craft a Brew Homebrew Bottler Equipment Home Bre)
- Pour it right when it’s ready: a tulip glass shows off the color and holds the aroma better than a straight pint glass
Serve It Right
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A Coffee Stout is best served in a pint or tulip, it fits the body and carbonation of this style better than a straight pint glass. Here is one from our shop: |
Ingredients & Gear for This Batch
Grain / Adjuncts |
Hops |
Yeast |
Fermenter |
Priming Sugar |
Equipment |
Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions
Coffee Stout
Equipment
- 1 Large brewing kettle (at least 10 gallons)
- 1 Mash tun or large insulated cooler
- 1 Thermometer (at least 2)
- 1 Hydrometer and test jar
- 1 Fermentation vessel (e.g. glass carboy, plastic bucket)
- 1 Airlock and stopper
- 1 Auto-siphon and tubing
- 1 Bottling bucket with spigot
- 1 Bottles or kegs with appropriate fittings and connectors
- 1 CO2 tank and regulator (for kegging)
- 1 Bottle capper (for bottling)
- 1 Sanitizer (e.g. StarSan) and cleaning brushes or sponges
- 1 Ingredients (malt, hops, yeast, coffee, etc.)
Ingredients
For the Mash – Liquor 14.6 Litres (25⅔ Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 67°c/153 °F
- 11 lb Pale Malt Quantity 5kg
- 9 oz Roasted Barley Malt Quantity 250g
- 9 oz Carafa Special I Malt Quantity 250g
- 7 oz Light Crystal Malt Quantity 200g
- 7 oz Caramunich I Malt Quantity 200g
- 5½ oz Chocolate Malt Quantity 150g
For the Boil – 27 Litres (47½ Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 15 mins
- ¾ oz (Hops) Magnum 16% When to add – At start of boil (IBU 35.5)
- ¾ oz (Hops) Cascade 6.6% When to add – For last 10 mins of boil (IBU 5.5)
- ¾ oz (Hops) Cascade 6.6% When to add –At turn off (IBU 0.0)
- 1 tsp Protofloc Other – When to add – For last 15 mins of boil
To Ferment – 18°C (64°F) – Conditioning 5 weeks at 12°C (54°F)
- 1 Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale
- 16 oz Fresh coffee Other – After 4 days
Instructions
Mash:
- Crush the pale malt, roasted barley malt, Carafa Special I malt, light crystal malt, Caramunich I malt, and chocolate malt together.
- Heat 14.6 litres (25⅔ pints) of water to a temperature of 67°C/153°F in a large pot or kettle.
- Add the crushed malts to the water and stir well.
- Maintain the temperature of the mash at 67°C/153°F and let it rest for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, strain the mash into another pot or kettle to separate the wort from the spent grains.
Boil:
- Heat 27 litres (47½ pints) of water in the pot or kettle used for the mash.
- Add the wort to the pot and bring it to a boil.
- Once the wort is boiling, add 3/4 oz (21g) of Magnum hops and let the wort boil for 1 hour.
- With 10 minutes left in the boil, add 3/4 oz (21g) of Cascade hops.
- With 1 minute left in the boil, turn off the heat and add another 3/4 oz (21g) of Cascade hops and 1 tsp Protofloc.
Fermentation:
- Chill the wort to 18°C (64°F).
- Transfer the chilled wort to a fermenter and pitch 1 pack of Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale yeast.
- Ferment the beer for 4 days.
- After 4 days, add 16 oz (454g) of freshly brewed and cooled coffee to the fermenter.
- Continue to ferment the beer for another 24 days at 18°C (64°F).
- After fermentation is complete, condition the beer at 12°C (54°F) for 5 weeks.
- Bottle or keg the beer, and enjoy!
Get the fermentation temperature right on Coffee Stout and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.
What Makes Coffee Stout the Style It Is
Like most classic beer styles, Coffee Stout has a long, slightly tangled history behind it, shaped as much by regional brewing traditions as by any single inventor.
The character of this beer comes down to a beer that leans on pale malt and magnum 16%, and Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale is doing more of that work than the grain bill gets credit for.
Style Characteristics at a Glance
- ABV: 4.5-6.0%
- Bitterness: 30-45 IBU
- Color: 30-40 (opaque black)
- Serving temp: 50-55F (10-13C)
- Glassware: a pint or tulip
- Food pairings: oysters, red meat stews, chocolate desserts
Common Questions
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes, the grain bill and hop schedule scale linearly with batch size. Just make sure your equipment, mash tun and boil kettle both, can actually handle the volume you are scaling to.
What is the biggest mistake homebrewers make with this style?
Rushing the schedule. Pulling a beer off yeast too early or skipping conditioning time is the most common way to shortchange a recipe like this one.
Can I substitute a different yeast strain?
You can, but expect the flavor profile to shift. Stick close to the same yeast family (English ale, American ale, Belgian, lager, etc.) if you want a result close to what this recipe is aiming for.
Keep Exploring
Once you have this one down, here are a few more homebrew recipes worth trying next:
Browse the full homebrew recipe collection for more styles, or if you are just getting into the hobby, start with one of our homebrewing starter kits for new brewers.
This recipe is for adults of legal drinking age. Please brew and drink responsibly, and always sanitize your equipment thoroughly to avoid infection.
