Adding fruit and/or chocolate to my stout

[dunnright00]

So I made an Oatmeal Cream Stout last week, and I was thinking, I'd kinda like to add some fruit extract to half the batch.
I was thinking at bottling time.

Then I thought, what about some chocolate, or vanilla? Ideally, I'd like to add chocolate and raspberry at bottling time.

My questions are, can I make a cold brew chocolate concoction to add at this point, or does it need to be in the secondary?

Also, adding fruit and/or choc at bottling, these would probably be fermentable so that might not work, right?

 

[Runyanka]

When I have made my chocolate stouts in the past, I'll put the cocoa powder in the last 10 min of the boil, then add 2oz of chocolate extract at bottling time. With the extracts, there is not need to add them to secondary, just at bottling time.

 

[dunnright00]

When I have made my chocolate stouts in the past, I'll put the cocoa powder in the last 10 min of the boil, then add 2oz of chocolate extract at bottling time. With the extracts, there is not need to add them to secondary, just at bottling time.

Cool, and I assume the extracts are not fermentable?

 

[zacksmart]

I actually just brewed myself a chocolate raspberry stout. Added cocoa powder the last 10 minutes, too, and added real raspberries to my secondary. Bottled this the other day, definitely smell the chocolate. I'd suggest adding the fruit to the secondary (if you can), or add extract when bottling.

 

[dunnright00]

I'm thinking if this works out (meaning, if I like it) I'll try this again with actual berries and adding chocolate to the boil.

Right now, I just want to see if I can do this with half of my current batch.

Looks like the raspberry extract is a go. I'm not finding chocolate extract and any HP supply websites. I did see this on amazon, you think it would work?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FCI6JU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Or this:
http://cooksvanilla.com/product/43/Pure-Chocolate-Extract-4-oz.html?gclid=CPuM0JjPiacCFRtVgwodTUM7gg

I guess I know it would work, but can I add it at bottling? Or are there sugars in there that would ferment?

 

[RitsiGators]

Has anyone made chocolate extract? I just made a chai extract and I am assuming that you could make a chocolate extract pretty easily if you have the time

 

[dunnright00]

Has anyone made chocolate extract? I just made a chai extract and I am assuming that you could make a chocolate extract pretty easily if you have the time

I think you need the cocoa beans to make it. I could be wrong though.

I see in your sig that you made a chocolate stout, how'd it come out?
How did you make it?

 

[RitsiGators]

I used a pound of Chocolate Malt as well as six ounces of Hersey's Unsweetened Baking Powder dissolved in a little rum

It hits you up front with its high percentage of roasted malts and then finishes with hints of Chocolate in the background, I could definitely have done more of a sweet stout and i'm sure that the chocolate would have came through more, but overall it was still a good stout.

 

[dunnright00]

When did you add the hershey's?

 

[RitsiGators]

I put the Hershey's in after fermentation had slowed, about a five days after i brewed.

 

[dunnright00]

Hmm.. I'm thinking I just want to add it to half the batch. That's why I wanted to do it at bottling.

Maybe I can do chocolate in the whole thing.

Thinking... thinking..

 

[RitsiGators]

If you like chocolate beer then go for it.

 

[HH60gunner]

I've always used cocoa nibs in the secondary for my chocolate flavoring. Nothing against the powder and heck I've never even tried brewing with the powder. People just seem to be super impressed when you start telling them about how you added raw cocoa nibs to your secondary. They've got no f'n clue what your talking about but they're impressed lol.

 

[dunnright00]

Mmmm, yeah the nibs sounds good. How much do you add?

 

[HH60gunner]

Last time I did 4oz, this time I'm trying 8oz. 8 may be too much but I guess I'll see soon enough.

 

[emjay]

Ughh... I hate Hershey's.

I just brewed a chocolate sweet stout last week, and while I can't comment on how good it is for obvious reasons, I did do a lot of research.

I added good quality chocolate (2 90% Lindt bars, melted in a double boiler) with 5 minutes left in the boil. In one more week, I plan to finely chop up 2 more bars and add them to the fermenter. I also have chocolate extract as insurance, just in case I don't find it chocolately enough come bottling time, but I'd rather not resort to extract when I'm using good chocolate in the first place, so we'll see. As far as I'm concerned though, for real chocolatiness and not just seeming like more roasty flavor, some amount of lactose is essential.

I also have vanilla beans, which I'll probably steep in vodka to extract the flavor from.

Lastly, I have a bunch of extracts I plan to experiment with by adding to some bottles before capping. I initially got a few of them for my Berliner Weisse that's fermenting, but I can try them out with this too. I've got raspberry, which seems promising, as well as cherry, though I'm concerned that may come out somewhat medicinal. I've also got cranberry, which I thought might be interesting with the BW, and although I'm not convinced it will go that great with the chocolate, I might as well try it anyways, if only because I can. But perhaps the extract I'm most eager to try in my chocolate stout is hazelnut, to produce what I'll be referring to as a Nutella Stout! I really expect that one to be delicious. And of course, I'll have a lot of bottles without any extract at all - except for maybe that chocolate extract, if I don't find it anywhere near chocolatey enough, but then it'd technically be a quadruple chocolate stout, and I'd have to come up with a new name for it

 

[RitsiGators]

Make sure you steep your vanilla beans long enough. Vanilla extract usually takes about 3-6 months to make.

 

[viking73]

...the extract I'm most eager to try in my chocolate stout is hazelnut, to produce what I'll be referring to as a Nutella Stout! I really expect that one to be delicious.

A friend of mine actually used Nutella in his brown ale, said it came out really good too.

 

[dunnright00]

Excellent. Like I said in the OP,it's already in the fermentor, so I'm looking for options post-boil. But if it turns out good, I'll try that next time.

I'm gonna get some cocoa nibs and rum and let it soak until say, Monday? Will that be enough time to even make it worth it?

 

[dunnright00]

I got 4 oz. of cocoa nibs, soaking in rum.
This sunday, I'll transfer to secondary on to the cocoa extract and then a week later I'm gonna bottle, adding raspberry extract to half of the batch.

If it turns out good, I'm gonna try the fresh raspberries on a full batch next time.

 

[McMalty]

Try not to use chocolate with any sugar in it. I have tried several times with different chocolates and it always produces some off flavors. It tends to mellow out a little over time, but i think i just get used to the taste

 

[brewguy82]

Do any of you guys soak the fruit in vodka to sanatize the fruit before adding it in the secondary? Freeze it then thaw it?

 

[HH60gunner]

Well I tried a sample the other day of my chocolate stout and wow was it really chocolatey. So much that I was worried that if I kept them on the nibs any longer it would over do it. So I racked the stout off the nibs and am waiting for my keg to arrive to keg it.

 

[dunnright00]

Well I tried a sample the other day of my chocolate stout and wow was it really chocolatey. So much that I was worried that if I kept them on the nibs any longer it would over do it. So I racked the stout off the nibs and am waiting for my keg to arrive to keg it.

Was that with 4oz or with 8oz?

 

[HH60gunner]

Was that with 4oz or with 8oz?

On top of 8oz for 3 days.

 

[dunnright00]

Hmmm. Ok, I'm gonna do 4oz for a week. After I soak it in rum for 6 days.

 

[Beerfanatic]

I made a mint chocolate stout and we added cocoa nibs and mint leaves wrapped in a cheese cloth and added it to the carboy during before closing for fermentation. So tasty!

 

[dunnright00]

Ok! Soaked 4oz. of cocoa nibs in rum for about 6 days, added it to the fermenter a week ago, check the reading it was at 1.026.

I was planning on bottling today(Sat), so I check the hydrometer on Wed and still at 1.026.

Today, I check it and it says, 1.024! Which I guess is a good thing, as I was hoping it would get lower anyhow, but I was all read to bottle today!!

I'm thinking, when I added the cocoa/rum it boosted the gravity a bit and when I checked it on Wed it had come down to 1.026?

Anyhow, I guess I'll wait some more..

 

[McMalty]

Ok! Soaked 4oz. of cocoa nibs in rum for about 6 days, added it to the fermenter a week ago, check the reading it was at 1.026.

I was planning on bottling today(Sat), so I check the hydrometer on Wed and still at 1.026.

Today, I check it and it says, 1.024! Which I guess is a good thing, as I was hoping it would get lower anyhow, but I was all read to bottle today!!

I'm thinking, when I added the cocoa/rum it boosted the gravity a bit and when I checked it on Wed it had come down to 1.026?

Anyhow, I guess I'll wait some more..

Any temperature change? if your brew isn't at 60F, you have to adjust the hydrometer reading accordingly. ie. 1024 at 60F is actually a different gravity than 1024 at 75F

 

[dunnright00]

I did up the temp slightly from 68 to 70. Would that make much difference?

I also noticed that it was a little bit bubbley, and when I put the airlock back on, the piece immediately moved to the top and released a couple bubbles. I realize this is probably just gases letting out, but it just seemed like it was still going.

 

[dunnright00]

So the hydro is still dropping with a consistent temp. It's now at 1.021 and has been for a few days, so I plan on bottling this weekend.

I was thinking about adding these in a comp, but what category?

I've added cocoa nibs, and I'm going to add raspberry extract to half.

Keep it in the Oatmeal Stout category? Or specialty beer or Fruit beer?

 

[McMalty]

So the hydro is still dropping with a consistent temp. It's now at 1.021 and has been for a few days, so I plan on bottling this weekend.

I was thinking about adding these in a comp, but what category?

I've added cocoa nibs, and I'm going to add raspberry extract to half.

Keep it in the Oatmeal Stout category? Or specialty beer or Fruit beer?

If you put raspberries in it, it's definitely not a true oatmeal stout and should get marked down accordingly