Adding chocolate: extraction to reduce head-killing oils?

So I'm planning to rack fermented porter onto cocoa powder, but after reading this thread I am trying to conceive of ways not to kill the head with oils. I'm no chemist, but I know that these head-killing oils would ordinarily be soluble in grain alcohol. SO...I was thinking of letting the cocoa powder sit in some everclear for a little bit and then either A) straining the cocoa powder or B) racking right on top of this solution. I'm guessing that once the oils are dissolved into the alcohol, they stay there. I'm also planning on racking on top of the solution, since straining it might take away some flavors. Anyways, that's the game plan. Any suggestions? Whatever happens, I'll be taking notes.

robertjohnson said:

So I'm planning to rack fermented porter onto cocoa powder, but after reading this thread I am trying to conceive of ways not to kill the head with oils. I'm no chemist, but I know that these head-killing oils would ordinarily be soluble in grain alcohol. SO...I was thinking of letting the cocoa powder sit in some everclear for a little bit and then either A) straining the cocoa powder or B) racking right on top of this solution. I'm guessing that once the oils are dissolved into the alcohol, they stay there. I'm also planning on racking on top of the solution, since straining it might take away some flavors. Anyways, that's the game plan. Any suggestions? Whatever happens, I'll be taking notes.

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Unless you really want to do this, you can buy chocolate extract just like what you are trying to make. I use Nielsen Massey and it is unlikely you will make a better chocolate extract than them.

Add it to the keg or bottling bucket.

Thanks. I wasn't aware an extract like that existed. I'll give it a try provided I can find it.

I had a hard time finding chocolate extract; had to mailorder it.

After trying cocoa powder a few times, I won't use it again. It increases the SG too much. I'm either using nibs in the secondary or some kind of extract next time.

For the 8-8-8 Russian Imperial Stout I made last year, I purchased some cocoa nibs and ground them up a bit finer with a coffee grinder. Roasted them in a 350 oven for about a half hour and then added them to secondary. The chocolate flavor in the end product was very pronounced and the head turned out fine.

why the roasting?

dstar26t said:

why the roasting?

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I thought it would be a good way to sanitize them more than anything. Probably not necessary.

gotcha...I've read about soaking them in vodka to sanitize also.

What You Need to Know about Chocolate for brewing

I also have a hard time understanding why you say the powder increases the SG. The powder is almost pure cocoa solids. There is absolutely no sugar. It stays in suspension, but never dissolves into the wort like sugar or salt would. Therefore, it can't increase your SG, just like suspended hop/trub particles can't increase your SG.

Thanks for the info everyone. Looking back, though, I'm not sure I've made myself completely understood. **I'm not exactly trying to make my own chocolate extract as much as I'm trying to remove the oils from the cocoa powder that I plan on using.** Based on the link that Edcculus provided, it seems that the oils in cocoa powder are residual leftovers after the nibs have been pressed and separated. I want the alcohol to absorb these oils so that I can then strain the cocoa and discard the extracted oils for a relatively oil-free cocoa addition into my secondary. One more thing, after reading Edcculus's link, it seems that the chocolate flavor I am looking for is almost entirely in the powder, so I won't be losing much if I discard the extracted oils. I couldn't find chocolate extract, so I'll be trying this process.

"I also have a hard time understanding why you say the powder increases the SG."

I would have to agree with you logically. Maybe the stouts under attenuated...they were designed to be 11%. When I've used powder, there is a definite thick sludge that settles out in the carboy and it's always 10 points too high using WLP001 which should do the job. I can't help but think the powder thickens the batch based on these observations. Maybe brewing the same recipe without powder would shed some light.

I've done much research and personal experimentation. One method that, for me, achieved satisfactory results was dissolving 3 oz (weight) Tollhouse cocoa powder into 10 oz (volume) of vodka and adding that to the secondary at racking. It makes a royal mess, but the chocolate flavor and nose is preserved, and the cocoa itself is sterilized.

Adding cocoa to the boil is inefficient, in the sense that the stuff won't stay in suspension, as there is no alcohol yet to keep it dissolved. To see this for yourself, make a cup of hot cocoa and let it sit for about a week. You end up with water and chocolate sludge on the bottom of your cup. In other words, also a royal mess where brewing is concerned, as 80% of your cocoa ends up in a gelatinous heap at the bottom of the primary. As an aside, the notes about high SG might be because a property of the cocoa itself is inhibiting the yeast. Just food for thought.

Either way, I think the best and most painless method is the addition of chocolate essence at bottling/kegging. Nielsen Massey and Star Kay White are the only brands I'm aware of that make top quality chocolate essences, which do not include sugar (table, corn, and/or agave) as a major component. In other words, they're the pure, real deal. Nielsen Massey is widely available; check the dealer finder on their web page. One 4 oz bottle should do the trick.

Adding some measure of vanilla extract at bottling in addition to the chocolate essence -- about 2 oz -- is a good way to make the chocolate flavor pop. Vanilla from Tahiti makes the best unsweetened extract out there, and the flavor of Tahitian beans goes very well with beer. Any pure vanilla extract (ie: not artificial) will do in a pinch.

Note that neither the chocolate or vanilla extracts should be boiled. They're 40% alcohol and sterile; a boil will completely ruin them.

The disclaimer I have to offer is that I haven't yet gone the essence route myself, but am about to use it in a stout I'm bottling in a few days. I'm pretty passionate about finding the ideal way to add chocolate to a brew, and after experimenting with various methods I think the essence is probably the easiest and most effective.

We'll see. If I'm not getting any chocolate nose/flavor with 4oz choco + 2 oz vanilla then this route would not be entirely cost effective (ie: if I have to add more than the combined 6 oz it would start getting prohibitively expensive).

Very good info Pelikan.

I can see where you are coming from on cocoa possibly inhibiting yeast. My last chocolate stout under attenuated. I'll bet it messes with the ph.

One other fact I would like to restate is that you dont need to worry about getting rid of the oils in cocoa powder. Cocoa powder is cocoa solids separated from the cocoa butter. There is a little fat left, but not really enough to hurt your beer.

If I'm supposed to use 3.5 oz of Cocoa then how much cocoa extract should I use? 2 fl ounces?

Go with four. It's 40% alcohol.

Pelikan said:

Go with four. It's 40% alcohol.

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Drat! I can only get 2 fl ounces...and if I get 4 that's way to expensive. F it, I'm just going to go with the cocoa powder.