All Chocolate Grain

Hey, I was wondering if anyone had tried a brew with only chocolate grain and some hops? I'm giving a small batch a go at the moment but was keen to know if anyone had some feedback on what to expect.

Also are there any other single specialty grains you would try?
(100% peated malt is on my list already)

All munich will give you a dunkel.

All aromatic would be interesting.

100% Munich is delicious from what I have heard.

For one you will have a lot of unfermentables and likely a very roasty, sweet beer. I would also check if chocolate malt has enough enzymes for complete saccarification on it's own.

One of the reasons I used Chocolate malt was because I thought it underwent a different process and was already converted, am I wrong? It definitely fermenting.

If you had done a quick google search before starting, you might have found that since chocolate malt is very highly kilned, it will contribute very very little fermentable sugar, mostly long chained dextrins and caramelization products. An all-chocolate malt beer will also be incredibly bitter, potentially astringent, and have a serious burned coffee flavor. My guess is it will ferment for a few hours and then peter out. Did you taste this thing at all or measure it in any way?

20% peated malt in a recipe gives you a lovely "ashtray for manure cigars" type flavor in your beer. A 100% peated malt beer would be properly disgusting. Maybe head over to the wiki or check out the free online version of John Palmer's How to Brew and learn about the brewing process and how enzymes in base grain convert starches to sugar for fermentation, in a beer. It should also give you a good breakdown of what different kinds of malts (base and specialty) contribute to beer and in what proportions you should start using them.

I used brewersfriend to do some calculations before I started and I adjusted the calculation when I had the actuals starting SG and volumes. It's been bubbling slowly for over a week. It tasted like weak mocha coffee before I started fermentation

Brew Method: All Grain
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 2.75 liters
Efficiency: 61%

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.063
Final Gravity: 1.018
ABV (standard): 5.95%
IBU (tinseth): 48.92
SRM (morey): 40

FERMENTABLES:
1 kg - Chocolate (100%)

HOPS:
10 g - Styrian Goldings (AA 5.5) for 60 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil

MASH STEPS:
1) Decoction, Temp: 60 C, Time: 90 min, Amount: 3.25 L

YEAST:Coopers kit yeast (as I had it spare)

Oh and I've tried a 100% peated malt beer that's commercial made here in New Zealand, it was 'interesting' but definitely not undrinkable, just a weird beverage, smelt like isle whisky but with the mouth feel of beer, very odd.

I guess the final gravity of 1.018 will not be achieved due to unfermentables but guess I just have to wait and see.

daksin said:

If you had done a quick google search before starting...

... A 100% peated malt beer would be properly disgusting.

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I recommend you do a search of this forum for a 100% peated malt beer. Not only has it been done and documented fairly well, the brewer claimed it was excellent. Sure, I'd have to taste that myself to believe it

hoptualBrew said:

100% Munich is delicious from what I have heard.

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I've done it. It was pretty good, but you need to like malty beers.

passedpawn said:

I recommend you do a search of this forum for a 100% peated malt beer. Not only has it been done and documented fairly well, the brewer claimed it was excellent. Sure, I'd have to taste that myself to believe it

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I'm quite aware of that thread, but I've made beers with peat-smoked malt before, and really don't care for it. I'm huge fan of peated scotches, but the combination of peat and smoke and beer is really quite offensive to me. To each his own, though.

Do you think it would be possible to use dry enzyme to break down the unfermenables into fermentables?

kiwirevo said:

Do you think it would be possible to use dry enzyme to break down the unfermenables into fermentables?

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That would work. I'd suggest trying chocolate wheat malt instead then. It would probably leave more body and a lot less bitter. Wildly guessing here. Might also be undrinkable, like others said. Maybe test on a small batch first.

passedpawn said:

That would work. I'd suggest trying chocolate wheat malt instead then. It would probably leave more body and a lot less bitter. Wildly guessing here. Might also be undrinkable, like others said. Maybe test on a small batch first.

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Ok, I'll give that a go. (after seeing how the current batch turns out)

I've got a double magnum wine bottle I'm using to ferment my small batches works quite well as cost is about NZ$5-10 a batch

FAIL!

The Chocolate Grain didn't ferment at all. The 'fermenting' I thought it was doing must have been just the brew warming up during the day but it was probably bubbling back whilst I was sleeping and it was cooling down.

To save it I threw in some molasses as that's all I had sitting around at home.

kiwirevo said:

FAIL!

The Chocolate Grain didn't ferment at all. The 'fermenting' I thought it was doing must have been just the brew warming up during the day but it was probably bubbling back whilst I was sleeping and it was cooling down.

To save it I threw in some molasses as that's all I had sitting around at home.

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If you want to save it you better get it cold until you find some amylase enzymes.

I figured it'll just be sweet and the molasses will give it the alcohol. I'm not too concerned about the enzyme. I might try it with the enzyme at a later date, but I'm keen to get it out and move onto my next adventure (100% Peat). The molasses has pretty much all fermented, no idea what abv% it will be at though as I just threw in what was left in the packet.

Uh, might I suggest trying a "normal" beer?!?!?

kiwirevo said:

Hey, I was wondering if anyone had tried a brew with only chocolate grain and some hops? I'm giving a small batch a go at the moment but was keen to know if anyone had some feedback on what to expect.

Also are there any other single specialty grains you would try?
(100% peated malt is on my list already)

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I never tried it yet, but they said it was very delicious.

Shooter said:

Uh, might I suggest trying a "normal" beer?!?!?

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NEVER!!!!

haha I have plenty of normal beers, Like the IPA I opened the first bottle of yesterday (FANTASTIC!), I just also have a small experimental fermenter.

Man, you got some of these guys pantys wedged waaaaay up there a** with this one! I have to shake my head at some people looking down their nose when ever someone wants to try something funky. I say GOOD WORK on the experiement! Beer should be fun. Have fun. Try things. Try stoopid things. We wouldnt have all the variety we have today without experimentation. They probably thought the first guy who threw hops into his brew was a nut too...