Question for Cocoa Powder In Porter Brewers

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

HalfPint

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2009
Messages
1,771
Reaction score
15
Location
Houston
Alright, I've got 5 gallons of Bee Cave Robust Porter that I let ferment in the primary for two weeks at around 70* before racking to secondary with 8 oz of hershey's cocoa powder.

I kegged it after being in the secondary with the powder for two weeks yesterday. It just tastes like horse shat. I know it's not the recipe b/c I have a plain batch sitting next to it which tastes amazing.

Does it just need more time?

Every time I take a sip of it I do that AHHEEHH sound b/c it's so terrible lol.

Any recommendations?

Thanks,
J
 
Thanks for telling me not to put cocoa powder in my beer. Let us all know if it ever clears out and becomes less like .. horse shat.

~J~
 
Cocoa powder tastes like ass without some sweetness to back it up. Add some lactose to the brew and it will magically become a wonderful chocolate porter.

Check my recipe drop down for the chocolate beer, I usually uses Nestle cocoa powder in it, and it's won a couple awards now.
 
I made a chocolate prter once from a kit, the directions had me add the powder baking coco to the boil, it turned out great and very chocolately. With most home brew let it age, it may become better and if not its jsut taking up some room at the end of your pipeline which can be remedied by another corny or more bottles.
 
well, I'll give you guys a bit if an update. Last night i ooured a pint (it's day 2 on the gas and is perfectly carbed) it was not that bad. the flavors seem to be slowly mellowing together. I'm thinking it will be very good with some time. I wish you guys could taste it so you could see what I'm talking about.
 
You should definitely add cocoa power to the boil. Have you ever made hot chocolate from scratch? the coco needs to be cooked down with a sugar to be palatable.

I just bottled a batch of what I'm calling Gnutella Porter last night (choco/hazelnut) and it was clean and tasty. I used 8.8 ounces of cocoa power in the last 5-10 minutes of the boil.
 
+1 on adding to the boil. I attempted to add cocoa to the secondary one time and the beer did not turn out. Since then I've added it to the boil and the chocolate now comes through.
 
+1 on adding to the boil. I attempted to add cocoa to the secondary one time and the beer did not turn out. Since then I've added it to the boil and the chocolate now comes through.

Not I. You can definitely taste the chocolate (BIG TIME). It's just a weird taste. I'm a big robust porter guy, but because of the chocolate I think it's throwing my palate off. It's beginning to taste better with more time in the kegerator.

Idk how much cocoa you guys use, but I racked it onto 8 oz of Hershey's 100% cocoa.
 
Any update on this? I have a 4 gal porter in sec. i was thinking to split and boil some cocoa powder with 1 cup of water to add in 2 gal, just to try.
I new on beer stuf and would like to try some cocoa. what you think? 1oz/gal like i told, boil 2 oz in 1 cup of water for 10 min cool it donw and add to splited sec.
Any help Pleasse.
tks
 
I have done Chocolate Bocks and the BIG key is conditioning. Check out other recipes for amounts. I used 1/4 cup in my 0.75 gallon batches. After a few weeks they smoothed out and were great.
 
I have a chocolate porter recipe that contains no chocolate. you can get chocolate flavors from the right grains.

just sayin, using cocoa powder or real chocolate isn't the only way to pull it off.
 
I Have a chocolate stout fermenting that I used pure cocoa powder in my boil. although after reading this and how much you all put in I am now thinking that I did not put enough in. now I am wondering what i can do to fortify that chocolate taste without going through the hassle of adding it dry to a secondary so I dont have the unsavoury tastes your talking about.
 
I have a "Nutella" stout that I just started fermenting two days ago - 8 oz. Hershey's cocoa powder with 10 minutes left in the boil and I'm going to age it on 4 oz. of cacao nibs in the secondary for a few weeks. Then a couple tablespoons of hazelnut extract at bottling to make it like Nutella. There's also a pound of lactose at the beginning of the boil to sweeten it up and balance out the chocolate bitterness.

I can tell you already that cocoa powder does some interesting things during primary. At first there were some whispers of powder on top of the kräusen that looked like a dusting of cinnamon on cappuccino foam. Well, now it looks more like chocolate pudding and there's all sorts of sh*t swirling around in there. I have a feeling it's going to need several weeks in the secondary just for all of that to settle.
 
I have a "Nutella" stout that I just started fermenting two days ago - 8 oz. Hershey's cocoa powder with 10 minutes left in the boil and I'm going to age it on 4 oz. of cacao nibs in the secondary for a few weeks. Then a couple tablespoons of hazelnut extract at bottling to make it like Nutella. There's also a pound of lactose at the beginning of the boil to sweeten it up and balance out the chocolate bitterness.

I can tell you already that cocoa powder does some interesting things during primary. At first there were some whispers of powder on top of the kräusen that looked like a dusting of cinnamon on cappuccino foam. Well, now it looks more like chocolate pudding and there's all sorts of sh*t swirling around in there. I have a feeling it's going to need several weeks in the secondary just for all of that to settle.

I know this is from months ago... but how did yours turn out Mahanoy?
I'm brewing a chocolate hazelnut oatmeal stout next weekend, and have been curious as to how much of the chocolate to add and when to add it.
 
For my chocolate stouts, I add the cocoa powder to the boil, and mash high for some residual sweetness to complete the chocolate flavor. Oh, and I only use Nestle unsweetened cocoa powder.

TB
 
i used 16 oz. of cocoa and a pound of brown sugar in my last stout.it was delicious. got the recipe from the hbt database. chocolate espresso stout
 
I am planning to add some cocoa powder to the boil of my next stout. It's actually a yeti imperial clone, but I'm trying to get it closer to the chocolate yeti. It has choc malt, but I'm thinking about 4-5 oz of cocoa to the boil to give it more of a suttle chocolate kick. I'm anxious to see any more comments on any chocolate stouts.
 
I am planning to add some cocoa powder to the boil of my next stout. It's actually a yeti imperial clone, but I'm trying to get it closer to the chocolate yeti. It has choc malt, but I'm thinking about 4-5 oz of cocoa to the boil to give it more of a suttle chocolate kick. I'm anxious to see any more comments on any chocolate stouts.

Newgene, I'm by no means a brewing veteran, but I can tell you that I just tasted my Chocolate Hazelnut Stout after 3 plus weeks in the bottle, and I can barely detect the 8oz of cocoa powder I put into the boil at 10 min. I let it sit in the primary on the chocolate sludge for 3 weeks before bottling too hoping to get the maximum chocolate flavor. (oh I also used 4 oz choc malt for 5 gallon to give you an idea).

My suggestion would be to either up the chocolate malt, use cocoa nibs in the secondary (haven't tried, but after asking around about my lack of chocolate flavor from powder, seems that the consensus is that nibs get the most powerful choco flavor), or both.

Depending on how chocolaty you want it, you could also add extract at bottling. If you've had Rogue's Chocolate Stout, that is how they pack the punch.

Hope that helps
 
I am planning to add some cocoa powder to the boil of my next stout. It's actually a yeti imperial clone, but I'm trying to get it closer to the chocolate yeti. It has choc malt, but I'm thinking about 4-5 oz of cocoa to the boil to give it more of a suttle chocolate kick. I'm anxious to see any more comments on any chocolate stouts.

Newgene, I'm by no means a brewing veteran, but I can tell you that I just tasted my Chocolate Hazelnut Stout after 3 plus weeks in the bottle, and I can barely detect the 8oz of cocoa powder I put into the boil at 10 min. I let it sit in the primary on the chocolate sludge for 3 weeks before bottling too hoping to get the maximum chocolate flavor. (oh I also used 4 oz choc malt for 5 gallon to give you an idea).

My suggestion would be to either up the chocolate malt, use cocoa nibs in the secondary (haven't tried, but after asking around about my lack of chocolate flavor from powder, seems that the consensus is that nibs get the most powerful choco flavor), or both.

Depending on how chocolaty you want it, you could also add extract at bottling. If you've had Rogue's Chocolate Stout, that is how they pack the punch.

Hope that helps

You guys might benefit from clarifying if you're measuring your cocoa powder by weight or volume, since "ounces" can be both, and the difference can be significant.

Just a thought.

TB
 
Ive made alot of good beers, but the only one thats ever went terribly wrong was my chocolate porter.

I added the Cocoa Powder during the boil, and it even tastes alright going into the bottles, but it was HORRIBLE no matter how long I let it age. I let some of them age 10 months and still tasted like ****. I even had a friend almost puke when drinking one. I never did find out what went wrong with it, and I brewed an IPA after that with the same equipment, and no infection in that one, tasted awesome. Needless to say I dont think ill be trying any chocolate porters soon, that one scared me for life ;)
 
I was planning by weight, as well.

Here's another question, and I wonder if lactose is needed. If I summarize what I plan to do as follows, do you think I am going to add lactose?

1.) Take an imperial stout recipe (i.e. great divide yeti), and up the chocolate malt or add cocoa. I may increase the recipe from 0.75 lb to 1.75 lb. I picked up an extra pound just for this purpose. The recipe already calls for 0.75, but I'm not sure if the great divide has a chocolate undertone because I've never had it. I've had their chocolate yeti, and I'm trying to actually hit that. So, I'm just trying to work my way from the base stout recipe.

2.) Add cocoa powder or nibs. If I add the powder, I'm looking at 0.25-0.5 lb of cocoa to the boil. I have no chocolate extract right now, so I'm assuming I won't have it.

3.) I'm guessing the cocoa/malt addition will make the already potentially bitter stout, very bitter. Does it make sense to plan to add 8 oz of lactose? I don't want this to be sweet. I just want to avoid it being bitter, and maybe give it a little more body. I don't want to taste test at bottling because I'm sure an imperial stout that is still green is going to be close to undrinkable as is.

Also, I may not be able to find lactose locally. The local shop is sold out, and I it may be one of those things he can't keep in or takes a while to get back in stock. I'm planning for them not having it. So, I may need to order it from somewhere else.

I'm sure it will be good either way, but I'd like to get some thoughts on what you guys would do.
 
Newgene,

As for #3, the 8oz of cocoa in my stout have definitely contributed significant bitterness. I wouldn't say it's overpowering though.

I think you'd be safe without the cocoa if you up the chocolate malt and throw a few nibs in the secondary.

I can't speak to adding lactose because I hate the overpowering taste from it. I am a HUGE stout guy, but can't stand milk stouts.

One person suggested I could add a vanilla bean to the secondary to bring out the chocolate too. Makes sense I guess. That's how it usually goes in baking, so why not brewing. Flavors are flavors.

Good luck
 
Was this ever solved? Think I'm having the same issue with my Porter.
Smells like chocolate but as soon as I taste it I get hit with it. I can't place my finger on it. Its somewhere between tasting like a green beer and just having a mouth full of cocoa powder in my mouth.

It's been 5 weeks and it still looks like mud so maybe it is the powder im tasting... But. I've had 99% dark chocolate before and it never bugged me as much as this taste.
 
I'm no expert, but I won't use cocoa powder again. There is a definite "taste". Can't put my finger on it, but it sure as heck ain't chocolate. It will never see my boil again.

I can't speak for them, but I haven't heard a bad thing about cocoa nibs.
 
It may be the first batch I dump. However I have nothing in the pipeline so I guess I'll hold onto it as long as possible.

Think next time I try it I will do a small 1 gallon batch and try Chip's way from BTV. Melting bakers chocolate and throwing that into the boil
 
I have a chocolate porter recipe that contains no chocolate. you can get chocolate flavors from the right grains.

just sayin, using cocoa powder or real chocolate isn't the only way to pull it off.
i've done two chocolate chocolates, one, a wheat w powder in the brew, which was very bitter and undrinkable for about six months. It was not a hop like bitterness, much more astringent (just like raw chocolate is). It did eventually smooth out and it was an enjoyable beer. My second time, i tried nibs infused in vodka into the secondary. I think the oils in the cocoa affect the head retention a bit, but kind of like the first one- time made this beer a lot better. I am not wholly convinced that the tradeoff is worth using it in beer- i think that malkore is correct, that you can get as much chocolate complexity from the right grains- less fuss. The upside is that i regularly soak nibs in vodka- it's a fantastic liquor!
 
I don't know if you've had Rogue's Chocolate Stout, but it's the best true chocolate flavor I've ever come across. They add chocolate extract.
For me, next time I'm either using extract or choco nibs.
I'm no longer messing with chocolate in the boil. There are plenty of purists who will tell you not to add extract, but I say add anything that makes your beer taste how you want it to taste.
 
I agree completely. The troubles or being a "purist" are ridiculous. If I can get more chocolate flavor from extract then I'm all for it. I basically just wasted $35 with this experiment.

The thing I don't understand is surfing this forum it seems many had success with the powder method. I'm seriously in doubt of that claim right now.
 
This makes no sense to me. Why can you add cocoa to a stout and it comes out OK and in a porter it produces something you can't drink???? I've used it in coffee/chocolate stouts and it tastes great and have been thinking of a chocolate porter for a while. Could it be not using lactose in the porters?
 
Just a bit of advice here if you plan to use cocoa powder.

For a more intense chocolate flavor, get cocoa powder from a specialty spice supplier like Penzey's or Savory Spice. The difference between what they sell and the grocery store varieties is ENORMOUS. I often buy cocoa powder to make chocolate syrup for my kids' chocolate milk, etc. It's unbelievable how good that stuff is. It's so rich that it makes chocolate milk taste more like chocolate pudding.

I've not used it in beer, so YMMV.
 
I've done a Chocolate Chipotle Stout a few times using dutch processed cocoa. Has anyone done any side by side on this?
With a little age it's really outstanding. But has had some head retention and alkaline taste problems that I'm still working on. I've been adding 2oz of cocoa powder and 3/4t of chipotle powder per gallon.
This is the C3 level of chipotle powder in our experimenting. My cobrewers also made a C4 with 1 1/2t of chipotle per gallon. For major spice heads it's a big winner.
 
Back
Top