“We brew a lot with coffee,” says Burial Beer Co.’s Co-owner and Head Brewer Tim Gormley, “and that has a lot to do with the fact that we all met in Seattle. This is just one of four coffee beers that we make regularly at Burial. Our Coffee Milk Stout is the most talked about. We partner with Vortex Coffee a block away and serve a doughnut hole with it.”
The goal for Thresher was to prove that a coffee beer doesn’t have to be black, says Gormley. “Coffee beer can be light and nuanced. With that being said, I suggest using a light roast coffee, making the coffee as concentrated as possible and aiming to clarify the beer and coffee as much as possible to aid in accomplishing the goal of the beer.”
ALL-GRAIN
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.043
FG: 1.006
IBUs: 20
ABV: 4.8%
MALT/GRAIN BILL
6 lb (2.72 kg) Pilsner malt
1 lb 4 oz (567 g) winter red wheat malt
1 lb (454 g) Vienna
5 oz (142 g) honey malt
2 oz (57 g) aromatic malt
HOPS SCHEDULE
0.75 oz (21 g) Northern Brewer [6.5% AA] at 45 minutes
YEAST
1 package of your favorite Saison ale yeast
DIRECTIONS
Mash at 148°F (64°C) for 75 minutes, then sparge at 168°F (76°C). Boil for 90 minutes, following the hops schedule. Cool, oxygenate, and pitch the yeast.
Ferment in the primary for 1 day at 72°F (22°C) and then let the fermentation temperature free rise to 78°F (26°C). At terminal gravity, rack to a secondary and cold crash if possible to clarify. Blend in cold-brewed coffee before bottling or kegging.
To prepare the coffee: Brew 8 oz (227 g) of medium-ground coffee (preferably an Ethiopian sun-dried or your favorite fruit-forward, light-roasted coffee) using about 45 fl oz (1.3 l) of cold water. Allow to brew for 8−16 hours. Filter out the grounds.
BREWER’S NOTES
We use Pilsner malt and winter red wheat malt from our local maltster, Riverbend Malt House.