Xocolatl - ancient chocolate beverage

So for my birthday, being a big dark chocolate and hot pepper fan, I was given this rich delicious chocolate beverage with peppers and vanilla... it was thick and creamy and incredibly rich, and I made it on the stovetop, which got me thinking... why not ferment it? Upon doing some online research I learned what the original beverages generally contained (there was a good amount of variability apparently) and I came across some beer recipes that were kinda sorta similar. Turns out Dogfish's Theobroma is along the same lines as well.

I'm going to brew an experimental batch this weekend, just one gallon. It should be interesting!


A little history:
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The use of cacao originated with the Olmec civilization over 3,500 years ago. Later Mayans and Aztecs utilized the potent botanical in a nutrient-rich beverage called “xocolatl.” Xocolatl is praised in historical texts for its stamina- and energy-building properties, and eventually became a favorite delicacy of the European elite.
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Xocolatl Ale

Recipe Specifications
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Batch Size: 1.00 gal Boil Size: 2.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.068 SG
Estimated Color: 11.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 8.4 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: - 75%
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
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1.50 lb Amber Dry Extract (12.5 SRM)
0.50 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM)
0.05 oz Northern Brewer [8.50%] (60 min) (just going to put a couple pellets in for the preservative effect)
0.00 ml Hazelnut Extract (Bottling 5.0 min) to taste
0.00 ml Vanilla (Bottling 5.0 min) to taste
0.13 tsp Annato (Secondary 7.0 days)
0.25 tsp Anise, Star (Boil 30.0 min)
0.15 items Habanero (Secondary 7.0 days)
0.33 items Cinnamon Stick (Boil 5.0 min)
0.50 items Ancho (Secondary 7.0 days)
0.50 tbsp Cocoa (Boil 0.0 min)
0.50 tbsp Cocoa (Boil 5.0 min)

I figure I'll taste it and perhaps put cocoa nibs in secondary if it's not chocolatey enough. I'll also base the amounts of peppers on my current pepper beer batch. It really should be brewed with corn but I want it thicker rather than thinner, IMO it will suit the chocolate better.

I have some S05 in the freezer I may use, though it may attenuate a bit much for this drink. I may want some malt sweetness to balance out the cocoa and spices.

That looks really good. Me and a friend were talking about something along these lines the other day. Thanks for the insight and pointing me in a direction that can lead to some more questions.

Just brewed this up! Wound up with an OG of 1.066, .002 short of predicted, so it went quite well. There were a lot of oils in the wort, it looked crazy... very much like a delicious cup of hot chocolate!

The only differences between what I did and the above recipe are that I used aniseed instead of star anise and I found annatto seeds as opposed to powdered annatto. I figure I'll double the amount of annatto since the seeds will probably get utilized less than the powder. I'm a little concerned that the cinnamon won't be pronounced enough, but if it doesnt I'll add another 1/3 stick to the secondary.

It seems like it has promise!

I've been wanting to try something like this, but I'm concerned about the oils and the coco powder not dropping out.

effigyoffaith said:

I've been wanting to try something like this, but I'm concerned about the oils and the coco powder not dropping out.

Click to expand...

I'll let you know how it goes. It seems like 2 total oz of cocoa powder was a lot. I used Ghiradelli cocoa powder so I know it's of good quality.

It's fermenting pretty vigorously right now and smells very chocolatey.

effigyoffaith said:

I've been wanting to try something like this, but I'm concerned about the oils and the coco powder not dropping out.

Click to expand...

I just took a taste before adding the 'dryhop' ingredients. It was dark brown when going into the fermenter, now it's a yellow somewhere in between IPA and pale ale. The cocoa definitely dropped out.

In fact, there's not a lot of cocoa flavor so I added another 1/2 tablespoon to the secondary, along with the peppers and annatto seeds. It currently tastes kind of like a spiced pumpkin beer.

Today is the day of truth!

I was a little worried that the anise would drown everything else out but it turned out quite tasty overall. At bottling I added 3 drops hazelnut extract, 2 drops vanilla, and 2 drops chocolate extract.

There's a thin layer of material at the bottom of the bottles, probably about 1cm thick. It's complex and balanced but in a way I've never tasted before. The head drops out almost instantly. The aroma is reminiscent of pumpkin pie spice but the flavor is deeper and more complex. The dominant flavor is basically a mashup of spices... I can pick out the annatto which was definitely an important part of the flavor and is just about right. There's a slight hint of nuttiness and a hint of peppery earthiness and a very light touch of heat at the back of the throat. I'm attributing the early punch of heat to the cinnamon which works quite well.

I think the cocoa contribute a bit of flavor but really not much. In my next attempt I think I'll leave out the chocolate extract and put some nibs into the secondary (unless someone can provide a better way to get a chocolate flavor). There's a bit of richness that I pick up that I'm attributing to the cocoa. Oh, and the cocoa powder DEFINITELY drops out, as you can see in the pic.

I like that I used a clean yeast, I don't think a yeast component would contribute positively to the brew.

All in all, if I make this again, I really won't change much at all! It turned out quite well for an experiment... the spices in general are subtle which is what I was going for. Next go round I'll add 10-20% more peppers and see what I can do to get more of a chocolate component in the flavor. Also, I'll definitely go all-grain and mash at 154. The spices will not change one bit!



edit: this beer seems to give me a buzz FAST, not really sure what's up with that... it's almost like a high.

Good write up. I expected it to be darker with the chocolate in there, but since it dropped out I guess that's about right. Keep us updated on your attempts.