When to add Cocoa Nibs?

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ryant19

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I'm new at brewing, and I'm going to try to make either Chocolate Stout or Porter in my Mr. Beer kit. I have been reading related post, and I will probably soak the nibs (4 oz.) in Vodka the night before. My question is... can I put the nibs in my primary, and if so, when? After the boil, before I pitch the yeast, after I pitch the yeast, or sometime after the fermentation begins. Also then how long should I let it sit before bottling? I do not want much bitterness in the final product. I'm really not familiar with the secondary process and would rather keep it as simple as possible. Thanks ahead for the comments.
 
I added my cocoa nibs a week before bottling. In my case that was week 2 into week three. I use a three week process, then into the carboy for another week. To keep it simple i would do week two into week three with the same process as you said, soak in vodka the night before. 4oz sounds about right.
 
So it's ok to take off the top around two weeks and just throw in the nibs? Thanks.
 
I do primary for about 2 weeks, then rack to secondary containing liquor soaked nibs. It won't give you a bitter flavor, nibs add a great chocolate taste to the final product, the longer you leave it the more pronounced the chocolate taste becomes
 
Sorry if I don't understand but you're saying that it is ok to put the nibs in my primary or do I have to do a secondary? Thanks
 
I don't know about cocoa, but I put my cacao nibs right in the primary with good success. :p
 
I put 5oz of cocoa nibs in the keg for a week, and too me it was over powering flavor. I should of used less nibs or less time.
 
I was planning on maybe putting in 4 ounces and for about a week after my second week of fermentation
 
I put 6 oz of roasted, chopped cocoa nibs in 375ml of cheap vodka, and let them soak for a week. I then put the nibs and the vodka into my secondary and waited another week. The extract I made was very sweet tasting, and almost overpowering by itself, but into five gallons of beer along with 3Tbls of pure vanilla, the flavor was great and is still building in the bottle.
I do wonder as i have never seen the question answered; I know from experience that fruit flavored beers get better and more fruit flavored the longer you wait, but will the same thing happen with a chocolate beer too?
 
I used 4 oz cocoa nibs soaked in vodka as well, then added all of it to the secondary along with the beer and let it sit for a week before bottling. The chocolate aroma from the nibs is quite strong, which is what I wanted. I don't think it matters if you add the nibs to the primary or secondary. If I wasn't using a secondary, I would have just added the nibs to the primary and let it sit for a week before bottling.
 
Bourbon is fine, the vodka is usually suggested as it's relatively flavorless. Bourbon will of course impart some flavor, but the amount is so small you won't be able to take a sip and go "oh wow there's bourbon!"
 
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