Cocoa Nib Veterans?

I did some picking about the interwebs and was not able to find a whole lot of Yes this is what I've done with cocoa nibs out there for taste profile differences.

The proposal I have is to use some Cocoa Nibs in a Oat meal stout.

The question is when would be best?

I've seen suggestions to put it in the grains before I mill them and grind it all up and mash.
I've seen adding them to the mash.
I've also seen adding them directly to the boil.
I have seen adding them to the primary both pre and post fermentation.
And of course I've seen adding them to the secondary or to the primary much like a dry hop is done.

From what I've been able to find out is that adding this to the secondary or post fermentation gives a more subtle flavor than adding it to the mash/boil.

I'm curious as to who may have done things both ways. What have your experiences been?

Bonus points for how much you used!

Just bottled a breakfast stout clone, with 1oz in the boil and 1 oz in secondary after transferring..light chocolate and not super over powering...I've also done this and added 1 whole sliced vanilla bean..it really brings out the chocolate flavor with the vanilla

I've brewed Jamil's Chicolate Hazelnut Porter (kit from MoreBeer) a few times. It has you add the nibs to the fermenter after active fermentation subsides. I do it a little different and add them in the keg. I hang them in a hop bag from the lid with dental floss. I like doing it this way because I can drink it while the nibs are soaking, and pull them when the chocolate flavor gets to where I want it. In fact I have my third batch of CHP in the kegerator now

I used 8 ounces of cocoa powder in the boil and 8 ounces of cacao nibs in the secondary with good results. They like it with 1 lb of lactose.

Frankly, I wasn't getting the chocolate flavor I expected, even with that much, but YMMV.

Cacao nibs will give you a more pronounced aroma than anything else, I love them in my chocolate stout. My preferred technique is to soak them in enough vodka to cover, and then add the soaking liquid and nibs all to the secondary and taste the beer daily until extraction is right. This sanitizes the nibs AND extracts a lot more flavor more quickly than dumping them straight into the secondary. I would not boil cacao nibs. Residual sweetness is really necessary for the chocolate to come through in the finished beer.

daksin said:

Cacao nibs will give you a more pronounced aroma than anything else, I love them in my chocolate stout. My preferred technique is to soak them in enough vodka to cover, and then add the soaking liquid and nibs all to the secondary and taste the beer daily until extraction is right. This sanitizes the nibs AND extracts a lot more flavor more quickly than dumping them straight into the secondary. I would not boil cacao nibs. Residual sweetness is really necessary for the chocolate to come through in the finished beer.

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How much Cacoa Nib do you use for 5 gallons?

ArcLight said:

How much Cacoa Nib do you use for 5 gallons?

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I use a 6oz package.

polvofiloso said:

I hang them in a hop bag from the lid with dental floss.

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Polvo (or anyone else),

regarding your dental floss, is there a place to tie it to the bottom of your lid, or are you holding it outside the keg, and letting the o-ring seal around it?

If true, then the dental floss is small enough to not cause a CO2 leak? thanks

If your nibs are raw then roasting them will bring out more flavor. I typically roast 8 oz of nibs at 170 until the house smells like dark chocolate. Then I dump them into the secondary and rack the beer on top of them. Give it two weeks. This is great for aroma but not the best for flavor.

Nibs only contribute nose for me. Not flavor.

daksin said:

Cacao nibs will give you a more pronounced aroma than anything else, I love them in my chocolate stout. My preferred technique is to soak them in enough vodka to cover, and then add the soaking liquid and nibs all to the secondary and taste the beer daily until extraction is right. This sanitizes the nibs AND extracts a lot more flavor more quickly than dumping them straight into the secondary. I would not boil cacao nibs. Residual sweetness is really necessary for the chocolate to come through in the finished beer.

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I might try this method next time (pre-soak in booze). It has worked well for me with oak chips on the Double Barrel Ale clone I brew regularly (I use Bushmill's and it adds a wonderful whiskey note to the beer). I'd use vodka though, like you, with the cocoa nibs, as I just want to extract the flavor, not add booziness. Thanks for the tip.

ArcLight said:

How much Cacoa Nib do you use for 5 gallons?

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The Jamil's CHP kit I use from MoreBeer comes with 8 oz.

nhwrecker said:

Polvo (or anyone else),

regarding your dental floss, is there a place to tie it to the bottom of your lid, or are you holding it outside the keg, and letting the o-ring seal around it?

If true, then the dental floss is small enough to not cause a CO2 leak? thanks

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I have a corny keg lid with a hop bag hanger welded to the inside of it (got it from MoreBeer) but I never use it, even for dry-hopping. Dental floss tied off to the exterior handle on the corny keg is just as easy. And it is indeed thin enough that the rubber gasket still seals around it. If you're concerned you can add a dab of keg lube too.

Aunt_Ester said:

Nibs only contribute nose for me. Not flavor.

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I leave 8 oz. in for about 2 weeks and it seems to me like it gets pretty good flavor, but yes its always more pronounced in the nose. Maybe with daksin's pre-extraction method it will help balance more flavor with aroma.