Maple choc stout

[soleafar22]

Greetings!

Next week i'm going to brew an imperial stout. The purpose is a semi-sweet,flavorfull heavy beer so i need some advice from experienced brewers.

I'll use bakers chocolate (85%) cuz i had good results with it while toss them to the wort during the last 15 mins of boil.
I mean had retention was ok in the final product, the aromas, smooth mouth feel of the choc was great imo. Only bad things occured after months in the keg, so the beer started to spoil and oxidizing a bit. Turned sour and became a mess what i want to avoid now!

I used previously cocoa nibs several times. Doesn't fit to me,not much flavor tho. Simply add in 1st fermentation -
Soaked in vodka,adding during secondary fermentation. I had no great result,just bitterness and powerless taste. Cocoa powder is sg else,since i don't want cacao taste i denied it immediately. We have unsweetened ,fat reduced in stores but tastes differently than cocoa...

1.
Can fat or butteric acid cause these rancid effects or what is the matter? Keg was always under pressure, carbonisation was fine from start...
How can i improve this phase?


2. In cold side after the fermentation is done and racked in to secondary, can i just melt the choc bars and pour it chilled to the liquid without any side effect? What will it tastes like? Will be more chocolately,can the produced alcohol make suspension with the other components?

+ Info , i use potassium sorbate and crushed campden to stop any further fermenting process while i add maple syrup at 2ndary.

Any suggest, idea please?I appreciate it!

 

[smalloy88]

I know this is an older thread, but I'll shed some guidance.

Baker's chocolate, or anything you add during the boil will not lead to infections in your keg. The sourness was caused by an infection of an infection during or after fermentation.

For my pastry stouts, I add a combination of 60% bakers chocolate (3 oz), dutch cocoa powder (5 oz), and cacao nibs (3 oz) to the boil.

Try toasting your cacao nibs. It makes a world of difference in terms of aroma. Your entire house will smell like brownies. I place mine on a baking sheet and toast at 300 degrees F for 12 minutes. Toast until you smell brownies. I prep my adjuncts ahead of time, so I place the toasted nibs in a container with some maker's mark whiskey. Keeps them sanitized, and by the time I use them in the keg, the whiskey extracts a good bit of flavor from the nibs.

Another thing to try is using vanilla beans. When used with cacao, it really enhances the chocolate flavor and aroma. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but the combo of vanilla and cacao = chocolate in my opinion. I slice up and scrape my vanilla beans a week or two ahead of time and soak everything in a top shelf vodka. Maker's mark can also be used. I just like the result of using vodka.

Try the additions to the boil I listed above. I have a dry hop screen that I place my cacao (4oz) and vanilla beans (4 beans) in my keg prior to filling. Once fermentation is complete, I rack into the keg and let it sit for a week at room temp.

Note that your grain bill is also going to have a huge effect on the characteristics of your stout.