Recipe I used, one of my first. Looking back I wonder if I should have put more thought into it:
Steeping:
1 lb Chocolate
12 oz Barley Flakes
Malt/Sugars
6lb Dark DME
2 lbs Dark Brown Sugar
1 lb Honey
Hops:
1oz Fuggle (60 min)
1oz Vanguard (30 min)
0.5 oz Vanguard (20-5 mins, sprinkled in slowly).
10 oz Cocoa Powder
1.5 oz Chocolate Extract (racked onto keg)
-----------
Primary: 6 weeks
Kegged: Aging/Carb 3 weeks
EDIT: OG: 1.080
FG: 1.020
I sampled some 3 weeks after kegging. The aroma smells like a really awesome chocolate cake. The taste however, is quite off. Its SUPER cocoa-like. Very astringent, with heavy alcohol at the end. It's like eating an alcohol-infused chocolate cake, but very dry, and sugarless. It's not quite what I was expecting.
I fear I may have overdone it. I think the combination of all the cocoa powder, honey, and brown sugar may have made it too dry, and the addition of some more malt instead would have been better.
What do you guys think, will it get much better with another month or two of aging? Is there anything I can do at this point to make it better?
Steeping:
1 lb Chocolate
12 oz Barley Flakes
Malt/Sugars
6lb Dark DME
2 lbs Dark Brown Sugar
1 lb Honey
Hops:
1oz Fuggle (60 min)
1oz Vanguard (30 min)
0.5 oz Vanguard (20-5 mins, sprinkled in slowly).
10 oz Cocoa Powder
1.5 oz Chocolate Extract (racked onto keg)
-----------
Primary: 6 weeks
Kegged: Aging/Carb 3 weeks
EDIT: OG: 1.080
FG: 1.020
I sampled some 3 weeks after kegging. The aroma smells like a really awesome chocolate cake. The taste however, is quite off. Its SUPER cocoa-like. Very astringent, with heavy alcohol at the end. It's like eating an alcohol-infused chocolate cake, but very dry, and sugarless. It's not quite what I was expecting.
I fear I may have overdone it. I think the combination of all the cocoa powder, honey, and brown sugar may have made it too dry, and the addition of some more malt instead would have been better.
What do you guys think, will it get much better with another month or two of aging? Is there anything I can do at this point to make it better?