lokiua4

Recipes 

i found a double choclate oatmeal stout recipe i'm thinking of making.it calls for honey and coco powder in it but it doesn't say when to add them.i would have to assume the honey would go in with the DME but when would i add the coco?

MarsColonist

Recipes 

add honey to the boil near the end (last 5 minutes), or dissolve the honey in some water (enough to make it thin) and add it in the middle of the fermentation. Easiest is to add to the boil.

As for the cocoa, id add to the secondary. You want the finished beer sitting on it; any earlier, and you are just to leave it behind with the trub when you rack.

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Imp_atient

Recipes 

Another option is to add the honey once the first vigorous primary fermentation is subsided. Especially if this is a high alcohol stout.

If the honey is added on top of a typical amount of barley sugars then in my opinion you can optimize the amount that the yeast will eat by adding it later on. By keeping the gravity low you can avoid the yeast being subjected to sugar levels beyond what it was intended for.

What's the expected OG? What type of yeast are you using?

As for the coco powder....I'm kinda losing my lust for the whole "racking on to the secondary" business. I think that adding in an extra flavor component (like fruit or whatever) is best when you add in half once the boil has cooled to 170F so it gets infused in there and then you can rack onto the other half (or lots) when you transfer to the secondary.

I've found that solely using the secondary to infuse new aromas results in the flavor disappearing as you age the beer. If you're doing a high alcohol stout then you'll want to age it.

Wow, that was really opinionated for a noob....hee hee, waiting for arguments please and thank you.

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pericles

Recipes 

Imp atient raises a good point; very high OG wort can overwhelm yeast, and cause either off-flavors or halt fermentation altogether.

That said, I can't imagine that you're actually adding SO much honey as to really increase the OG into the range that would harm your yeast. That level of OG is usually reserved for Dubbels (or Trippels, or Quadruppels.) If you're really concerned, make a starter for your yeast in order to ensure a really vigorous fermentation.

I agree with MaxHavoc; add the honey at flameout (it's sterile, and won't need to be pasteurized like your other ingredients) and be sure you mix well before pitching your yeast. Then, at the conclusion of primary fermentation, rack the wort onto your coco powder in your secondary fermenter. (Boil the powder in a cup or two of water, and chill it, obviously, to be sure it's sanitized.)

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