Recipe help!? Chocolate cherry milk stout idea

I've been looking for a chocolate cherry milk stout recipe because I have a feeling it will taste like liquid chocolate covered cherries. However I'm fairly new to both a-g and brewing as a whole. I'm also trying to be financially responsible (as little "fail" possible). That being said help would be greatly appreciated.

1.) I've seen recipes for chocolate milk stouts and for cherry porters. I think the easiest way to make this dream a reality is to start with one of those as a base. Any thoughts which may make a better base?

2.) Where to add the cherry and the cocoa? Mash, primary, secondary, or even to the bottling process?

3.) Do I use cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, combination?

4.) For cherry flavor? Concentrate, pureed, extract, etc.?


My biggest concern is making a chocolate milk stout with the cherry flavor tasting like cherry milk. (vomiting at the thought of pink/strawberry milk)
So far I've not found a full recipe to make this happen. Nor do I fully understand the science behind it. But if I can perfect it with the help of people who know more than me I'll have the chocolate covered cherry beer I'm looking for! :-D

jayblesBrewbies said:

I've been looking for a chocolate cherry milk stout recipe because I have a feeling it will taste like liquid chocolate covered cherries. However I'm fairly new to both a-g and brewing as a whole. I'm also trying to be financially responsible (as little "fail" possible). That being said help would be greatly appreciated.

1.) I've seen recipes for chocolate milk stouts and for cherry porters. I think the easiest way to make this dream a reality is to start with one of those as a base. Any thoughts which may make a better base?

2.) Where to add the cherry and the cocoa? Mash, primary, secondary, or even to the bottling process?

3.) Do I use cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, combination?

4.) For cherry flavor? Concentrate, pureed, extract, etc.?


My biggest concern is making a chocolate milk stout with the cherry flavor tasting like cherry milk. (vomiting at the thought of pink/strawberry milk)
So far I've not found a full recipe to make this happen. Nor do I fully understand the science behind it. But if I can perfect it with the help of people who know more than me I'll have the chocolate covered cherry beer I'm looking for! :-D

Click to expand...

I'm working on something similar right now (imperial milk stout with cherry and chocolate). From what I've read you should use puree or whole fruit in secondary for the cherries. I'm doing both cocoa powder and nibs (powder in the boil, nibs in secondary) to try and get a bigger chocolate flavor. The base beer is still fermenting now, so I can't give many more ideas than that, but it may be a start.

Thanks! when you get a chance to give it a taste let me know how it turns out! It sounds great!

I am thinking about the same thing here. I have found a few recipes and talked to a few local brewery friends. Purée is a def the extract makes it like a cough syrup.

My things is doing the chocolate in the brewing process or waiting till fermentation or both?

I have read that this stuff works very well.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QVDJ10/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

In the brewing process I guess?

stlbrew said:

I am thinking about the same thing here. I have found a few recipes and talked to a few local brewery friends. Purée is a def the extract makes it like a cough syrup.

My things is doing the chocolate in the brewing process or waiting till fermentation or both?

Click to expand...

Ive never tried it with cherries but I add cocao powder to the boil and chocolate to the fermenter for my chocolate milk stout

Mm that sounds good! I'm in my 24 hour primary for a milk stout brewer best extract kit.. It's my first time brewing so I hope this taste good if it does I'll defently try and make a chocolate cherry one


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stlbrew said:

In the brewing process I guess?

Click to expand...

In the secondary. There is a recipe thread in this forum where someone has used it.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f68/chocolate-cherry-stout-326884/

I have never used cocoa nibs. I have used powder and I wasn't happy with my results. It could have been a few other variables, like coffee (which I'm sure it wasn't, my mocha stout was yummy) or molasses (probably the culprit) or cooper's yeast (not a fan, both brews with it were way sub par) but my chocolate stout was bitter and almost undrinkable. It wasn't my hops, I only used an ounce for a 5 gallon batch.

The idea sounds great! Are there commercial varieties that you have tried that are guiding your recipe? A tart cherry with sweet chocolate and lactose sounds really interesting.

If your using the powder, try it at the end of the boil. Like the last 5-10 minutes. I think my mistake was adding it at 60 minutes. If your using nibs, I read to put them in secondary, though again, I've never used them.


I'd go cherry concentrate in secondary. If your using pasteurized cherry juice make sure high krausen is over before adding the juice, or it will create a chocolate cherry volcano. I make a lemon lime shandy for summer, and I add 2L of juice post fermentation. I wait until this ferments out, then bottle. Good luck!

What is the recipe that you're using, out of curiosity?