I need help from some of you distinguished Brew Master Generals

It is now time for me to brew my first recipe. I have bold tastes but have been cautioned about going to wild before I truly get the hang of things. So, I wanted to ask some of my fellow beer connoisseurs if everything sounds kosher with my gameplan.

I am going to start with the below listed recipe kit from Northwest. It is for a milk chocolate stout.

I plan on brewing four cups of "white chocolate covered cherries" Coffee and adding it to the primary fermenter.

I am alo going to add one can of Oregon Cherry Fruit Puree to the primary.

This recipe provides Cacao Nibs that are to be added into the secondary.

My goal is to create a Cherry Chocolate Milk Expresso Stout, where the flavors are distinctly strong and noticeable, but also well balanced.

#1.) Would it be a good idea to add a couple ounces of either cherry or chocolate extract to the secondary in addition to the puree?

#2.) When I transfer the brew from the fermenting bucket to the carboy for secondary fermentation, should the cherry puree be left behind? Will the cacao nibs be left behind in the secondary when I transfer to the bottling bucket?

#3.) These sweet Milk Stouts are typically low ABV. I generally prefer a much higher gravity beer. The higher the better actually. Will the fruit increase the
final gravity? Are there other ways to increase the ABV that are simple enough for a novice like me to attempt?

#4.) Which of the two offered types of yeast will produce the best product?

I will be buying my brewing equipment very soon. I am hoping to have my first batch ready for the Superbowl party! :fro:

KIT INVENTORY:
SPECIALTY GRAIN
-- 0.25 lbs English Extra Dark Crystal
-- 0.75 lbs Fawcett Pale Chocolate Malt
FERMENTABLES
-- 6 lbs Dark malt syrup
-- 1 lb Lactose
HOPS & FLAVORINGS
-- 1 oz Cluster (60 min)
-- 0.5 oz Cluster (30 min)
-- 4 oz Cacao Nibs (add to secondary for 2 weeks)
YEAST
-- WYEAST 1332 NORTHWEST ALE YEAST. One of
the classic ale strains from the Northwest U.S. Breweries.
Produces a malty and mildly fruity ale with good depth and
complexity. Apparent attenuation: 67-71%. Flocculation: high.
Optimum temp: 65°-75° F.
-- DRY YEAST ALTERNATIVE: Safale S-04 Ale Yeast.
Optimum temp: 64°-75° F

I'm not certain that you will accomplish all of the distinct flavors from one brew. White chocolate, coffee, cherry, and chocolate is pushing it in my opinion. I really cannot see tasting all of them at once. I would stick to two flavors if you really want something to stand out. Beyond two, it would probably blend and become too complex to identify properly.

As for the ABV, you will want to soak the cocoa nibs in vodka overnight prior to adding them. I did this on my recent stout with Scotch whiskey instead of vodka. I put the nibs in a container and completely covered them in whiskey. I left them sit for several hours and dumped everything into the brew. Adding this should easily bump your ABV up a bit.

The cocoa nibs will sink to the bottom. You simply have to either filter when you rack to the bottling bucket or rack above the nibs to leave them behind. You can also consider placing them in some type of hop or muslin bag.

Hope that helps a bit.

With all the extra stuff you're adding, I'd say you're going a bit wild. I'm sure the kit is amazing all on its own. Sometimes simplicity is best. Heck, people do smashes and make incredible beer

Some suggestions:
First off, nothing you suggest is too wild so to speak, so I say go for it, however if it turns out horrible don't be discouraged.
With that out of the way: Add the coffee via an alcohol extraction, you can probably search this topic on the forum, but simply brewing coffee and adding it to the fermentation may introduce oils and kill your head retention, also by steeping coffee in alcohol to extract it's flavor you can impart the desired character without unwanted dilution.
The fruit puree may add a bit of gravity, however I'm uncertain how much so I cant really lend much advice in this department. If you really want to make a brew more mighty in the alcohol department, you could add some light dry or liquid malt extract, however I would brew the kit as is with your desired additions before deciding you want to make jet fuel.
Overall, really your modifications are fairly tame. You are adding some fruit, and adding some coffee. Beyond these additions (I would suggest fruit in primary, coffee in secondary) follow the kit instructions closely, sanitize thoroughly and watch the fermentation temperature. Also, if you are using a liquid yeast culture, consider making a starter (search the forum for a simple how-to) 12 to 18 hours ahead of time, and most importantly approach the process with an open and calm attitude.

Thanks for all the help. Are you saying you added the whiskey to the secondary as well as the soaked nibs? That sounds like an awesome way to sweeten your brew and increase teh ABV! Can you tell me more about this process please?

Thanks for all of your help. That sounds like an awesome idea. I'll research it.

AllAboutTheStout said:

Thanks for all the help. Are you saying you added the whiskey to the secondary as well as the soaked nibs? That sounds like an awesome way to sweeten your brew and increase teh ABV! Can you tell me more about this process please?

Click to expand...

Once my fermentation was complete, I simply poured the cocoa nibs into a tupperware container and poured Scotch whiskey into the container to completely cover the nibs. I sealed the container and left it sit out over night. The next afternoon, I dumped all of it into the fermenter with the beer in it.

I did not do a secondary.

I left the nibs sit for an additional week and then bottled.

This is your first brew?

I caution against this. With all the flavors going on, even if you do everything "right", you're going to have a hard time judging your process and performance with a beer like this.

Fairly simple recipes are suggested for a new brewer not just because they are "easy", but because they can be assessed for process flaws. A brew like the one you are looking to start with is going to hide "mistakes" with layers of flavor from the extra stuff you are adding to it.

Anyway, that's just my opinion. Brew on and good luck with your first batch.

Airborneguy said:

This is your first brew?

I caution against this. With all the flavors going on, even if you do everything "right", you're going to have a hard time judging your process and performance with a beer like this.

Fairly simple recipes are suggested for a new brewer not just because they are "easy", but because they can be assessed for process flaws. A brew like the one you are looking to start with is going to hide "mistakes" with layers of flavor from the extra stuff you are adding to it.

Anyway, that's just my opinion. Brew on and good luck with your first batch.

Click to expand...

i agree with this. randy mosher said something like, "before you brew that double chocolate cherry mocha jalapeno chili stout, make sure you can just brew a stout."

that being said, you might make an awesome beer out of this. it will take awhile, there is a lot going on here so expect a long fermentation and even longer in the bottle before you crack that first bottle.

Very brave. I started simple, went complicated, and now I'm back to simple. A nice clean beer is amazing. I would recommend just making a simple Pale Ale to start with just to get an idea of the process. But if this is what you want to do, I'll try and provide some help.

First, I hate Lactose in recipes. I would leave it out of the boil and add it later at bottling if you think the beer is not sweet enough. Lactose is unfermentable, so will just add sweetness, and can be added at any time.

Fruit will add fermentables, but since it absorbs some of the brew too, I generally figure it is neutral on the overall sugar contribution. 1 lb of fruit has about 10% sugar (varies by fruit). That is, 1 lb of table sugar in 5 gallons will increase the gravity by about .009, and a pound of fruit will increase it by about .001. However, since the fruit is simple sugars, it will slightly lower the FG increasing alcohol.

If you use non-fermentable fruit extract ( the type you buy from home brew stores, it is best added to the bottling bucket. That way it all gets into the bottles and no aroma is lost.

Add fruits to the secondary and allow the beer to sit on them for a while (at least a couple of weeks, preferably longer. Adding them to the primary will drive off a lot of the aroma compounds. If you add them to primary after fermentation is complete, then the beer will not be in contact with it for too long if your plan is to secondary.

Contrary to what has been said, I've read that the best way to add coffee flavor is to add course ground grains to the secondary. Cold steep the grains in the beer.

Of the 2 yeasts you have, I would go with S-04 because it attenuates better. I would probably go with S-05, which is a more attenuative neutral strain. You have lots of flavors in there already, that the small contribution of the British yeast will not make much difference, and you have a load of sweetness that I would try and attenuate it more. Research the yeasts before making a decision.

This beer probably comes in at 1.052 for OG. If you drop the lactose, replace it with a pound of extract to get back to the recipe OG.

To get more abv. Depends if you like sweet or dry beers. Personally I prefer them drier. Adding 1lb of DME + 0.5 lbs table sugar will increase the OG by .014, and the abv by slightly less than 2%. If you want to be a purist, add 1.5 lbs DME, increasing the gravity by the same amount, but the abv by 1.5% since there are more unfermentables in it.

Good luck.

Yeah, try your process once with a simpler beer.

You will get familiar with you equipment.

You will have a high chance of success.

Do a stout if you like, but I suggest doing one with less ingredients and steps.

Here is an example:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-stout-152183/