Beer Forum

Ever since trying a coconut wheat beer at a local brewpub (Pahoehoe from Two Brothers) I've been getting requests from the girlfriend and family and I figure it would be a good summer beer (plus I'm running out of my Weisse beer quickly). Two Brothers bill it as a blonde ale.

I've got a successful Hefe with the American Hefe yeast from White Labs that was pretty strong on the banana, so what I'm thinking is to use that recipe as the base. I want to ferment a bit cooler to push down the esters a bit so the coconut is a little more out front.

I guess my question is more how to get the right amount of coconut in without overpowering anything. I'm planning on toasting some shaved coconut in the oven to drive out the oils as much as possible. I'm thinking about tossing a little bit at flameout for a base and hope I don't over do it... If that isn't enough, I'm thinking I'll add more coconut in secondary and sample daily and rack off when the flavor is where it should be.

Thoughts for somebody trying coconut for the first time? Thanks in advance.

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Day_Brew

I know it's late to respond, but I wanted to let you know how we do it at the local brewery: Coconut rum. It solves the problem with sanitizing coconut, getting the oil, etc. It's not 100% natural or anything, but it's easy to figure the right amount and taste test the amount. Start with a tablespoon per glass, adjust and calculate how much to add to a keg or your bottling bucket.

i added 2 coconuts to my brown and it worked out really well. i just chopped up the meat or whatever with a knife and then toasted it in the oven. next time i will use my food processor and shred it, i think i could get away with just one then (more surface area, etc). I almost never add stuff like that to the boil, I add in a sanitized piece of pantyhose tied up with floss, in the keg. if it gets too bold i can pull it out.

i really like the taste of the real coconut. very smooth, not like that sweetened shredded crap you get at the store.