Adding chocolate to a stout

[50CAL]

You could start going all Baileys but stout versions mint chocolate, coffee, hazelnut, biscotti. We could be rich I tell you RICH.

[mrmojorisin]

Ok here was my post from the Irish forum:

"I did a nice recipe using a coopers stout as the base kit, to this I added 1.5kg of dark LME and 50g of cocoa nibs in the primary, then I added 200g of cocoa nibs to the secondary.
It had a nice chocolate note in it."

For secondary I just transferred it into another fermenter and took some out and stelised the 200g of cocoa nibs and put it back in and then left it 2 weeks.

If you want to dispense with a secondary just add the 250g at the start.

Thanks for that, I've now got my shopping list fo tomorrow. Fingers crossed holland and Barrett do cocoa nibs.

EDIT or at least somewhere near by does??

[6470zzy]

I think that if you left it for 4 weeks sitting on the nibs in the secondary that your flavour would be even better. At least that is fairly standard practice hereabouts. Either way, its all good beer.

Cheers

[mrmojorisin]

So, it's on. Last night I set the brew going with 200g of chocolate malt and 150g of cocoa nibs which werent cheap. However, from the smell, the nibs weren't very chocolatey and the malt was definitely not like any coffee I've smelt, the wort from the trial jar was quite nice so it definitely has potential.

I'll probably bottle a few days before Christmas and give it a sample soon after.

EDIT photos were taken so I'll try posting them over the weekend.

[LlewBru]

Chocolate / Coffee? Don't be coy. lads; I've been sitting and watching this debate bubble for ages now.

If it makes ye feel better? I'm watching because I too have this hunch that upping either of those tastes in my own recipe would be a step closer to heaven!

I would ask; " Can ye imagine it? ". But, clearly, f**k yeah! We can All imagine it! " Ditch's Stout " with a stronger feel of coffee or chocolate? Christ! It's be out of this world!!!

We just need some definitive way. Cocoa. Chocolate. Choccy Malt. Nescafe. Percolated Coffee. I've seen them all ~ and more ~ mooted. But, they're either shot down, or just no one steps up and takes a stab.

Dunno. I've, literally, just humped my latest 'order' through the door. I have no coffee in the cottage. I'll see no one. Go no where till next week. I'm making these kits tomorrow. If I had a jar of Nescafe handy? I reckon I'd be willing to go 'Sh!t or Bust' and sling a half cup of granules into one of my FV's. Just to get this pioneering ball rolling.

Maybe I should copy this post to the " Ditch's Stout " thread? I think I'll put a link, there, to show readers This thread


*** Edited because I'd misunderstood / quotes Sparky Paul ***

Hi Ditch,
Found a recipe on an Aussie site for Black Dog Stout.
1 can Coopers Stout
1 kg Dark Dried Malt Extract
250g Cracked Crystal Malt
50g Roasted Barley
20g Freeze Dried Coffee (I used Douwe Egbert Rich Dark grains}
125g Black Strap Molasses( I used 250gms - sucker for molasses !
4 Rows Of Lindt 75% Chocolate
12g Fuggles Hop Pellets
I used 2 litres of hot water, added the Molasses, boiled for 10 mins, and then added the crystal malt, roasted barley,and the Lindt chocolate. (Used Lindt 'cos the recipe asked for Bakers Chocolate Large Block Of Plaistow Brand which we don't get). Turn the heat off and let stand for 30 mins with the lid on the pot.
Stir every 10 mins to prevent the chocolate from sticking to the bottom. Then strain the mixture into your fermenter and add all other ingredients. Kept it at aound 24'C with a fish tank heater. Racked into a secondary for 7 days & then bottled with 180gms Dextrose for carbonation.
Drank the 1st one after 4 days (could'nt wait ) - pretty good. Had the next one after 10 days - bloody ecellent!
A bit more of a schlep but it was really worth it!

[Ditch]

Llew; Personally, I'm looking at taking it a bit more steadily yet. I'm cautious by nature, in some respects. Just like I always advise newbs to try a kit 'as is' before trying to mess with it; So I'd rather just try one new ingrediant at a time in mine.

I'll go for these cocoa nib things first. Because ~ hopefully ~ I'll be able to pick them up in town without any drama. That'll give me a more chocolaty Ditch's. I'll see what I make of that. Then, maybe, next month I can order some crystal malt and give that a try, without the cocoa. And so on.

The way I see it? Scratching ye arse or picking ye nose can both bring a certain satisfaction of the moment. However .....

[EoinMag]

I'd say you're bang on Ditch, the nibs give a nice chocolatey note without too much effort and you're only changing one thing at a time.

[SOS_OPA]

A good few people in the US seem to use 'Chocolate Extract' for their choc stouts: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_kw=choc ... kw=extract

The nibs idea seems more natural (man), but if you found they didn't give you enough oomph maybe the extract would be the way to go?

Stevo.

[mrmojorisin]

24 hours after pitch and the yeast is doing its thang, hold on for the inevitable spew!!

[Ditch]

..... the nibs give a nice chocolatey note .....

Did ye hear that, just then? That was me Screaming: " Oh No!!!!! ".

Why? Because, due to a set of unforeseen circumstances, I found myself not only in town, today. But, I even went in the very f**king shop where I intended to inquire about these nibs! Never entered my empty head!

There. I've just written it into my little black book. That's as near to a memory as I posses. Next week I'll ask him. No great loss as I'm not making the next batch till next month .......... Faaaaaaaark!!!! I have the One FV here without a heater in. That's my slow burner. I drink that last.

Dec 31st is my birthday. I wonder: Could I do anything to create myself a 'Special Brew' for that night? I'll only be sat here all f**king night anyway. Would be nice to have something to look forward to .....

[Ditch]

A good few people in the US seem to use 'Chocolate Extract' for their choc stouts .....

There's a US " Chocolate Stout " named, I believe, after a state or a city. I've long since figured I'd give my arm to try it. In fact, it was that which led me to wonder if Anything could be done to Coopers Stout, to make it any more heavenly than mine tastes to me. I figured more chocolate tone was a strong contender.

Nibs. Malt. Essence? I'm getting the notion here that I may try to try out a different variant each month. Reserve my unheated, fifth FV for it .....

[Ditch]

24 hours after pitch and the yeast is doing its thang, hold on for the inevitable spew!!

Still f**king amazes me: I Really press my lids on. They snap tight for 3/4 of the FV's lip. Only the bit where the heater flex comes out doesn't seal ~ obviously.

Yet those muvva's are in there now. Extremely visibly spewing their guts all over my floor. And the damn lids are completely lifted and are just floating on the foam heads!

Just mental!

[SOS_OPA]

I took a (quite large) 'sample' there now, to take a 'gravity reading' obviously (it's at 1.012), and (equally obviously) it'd be rude to throw the 'sample' out so I'm now 'drinking' it

Now, I was at a rugby match earlier and had 4 pints of SWSNBN (Stout Which Shall Not Be Named) so I thought it'd be good to compare them...

I don't have to tell ye which one tastes better, do I??

[6470zzy]

A good few people in the US seem to use 'Chocolate Extract' for their choc stouts .....

There's a US " Chocolate Stout " named, I believe, after a state or a city. I've long since figured I'd give my arm to try it. In fact, it was that which led me to wonder if Anything could be done to Coopers Stout, to make it any more heavenly than mine tastes to me. I figured more chocolate tone was a strong contender.

Nibs. Malt. Essence? I'm getting the notion here that I may try to try out a different variant each month. Reserve my unheated, fifth FV for it .....

I think that you are referring to Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout..............now that is a LOVELY drop

Cheers

[Ditch]

Oh god! That's the one! Christ, I'd Love to try that! I could even live with the probable fact that it comes in a bottle

Thinking about it; I doubt it's available in Eire. But, I'll be looking at Google presently! My birthday's coming up and it'd be a blast to treat myself to some. God knows; There'll be f**k all else happening to mark the bloody occasion!