Advice...want to turn my recipe more chocolatey

Hi all,

I recently had a sweet baby Jesus beer (chocolate peanut butter) and fell in love. I am an extract brewer, with only a few brews under my belt, so I am looking for a bit of advice on my recipe.

I am planning on using this kit as a baseline

http://www.homebrewing.org/assets/images/AIH 2013 Recipes/AIH Peanut Butter Conspiracy1.pdf

I was thinking of using some chocolate malt (unsure of how much) or using some choclate extract (at bottling?). Anyone have any insight or advice on this?

Also looking to up the peanut butter extract on this via a review on the website, but my LHBS only sells extract by the ounces, and this recipe calls for a dram. Anyone know the conversion?

Cheers!!

 

IME chocolate malt gives more a roasted flavor than a chocolate flavor, some chocolate malt will be nice, but for true chocalte flavor, I believe you need real chocolate, either extract or perhaps cocoa nibs, whatever they are...

Chocolate malt defined by HBD below
Chocolate Malt (Roasted, black malt)
Being the least roasted of the black malts, Chocolate malt will add a dark color and pleasant roast flavor. Small quantities lend a nutty flavor and deep, ruby red color while higher amounts lend a black color and smooth, roasted flavor. Use 3 to 12%.

 

Chocolate malt is named for its color, not its flavor. Chocolate will add chocolate flavor to your beer. Bakers chocolate will give it more of a dark chocolate flavor. If you use bakers chocolate, use powder, not the bar. The bar has oils in it that will ruin your head retention and make the beer go rancid quickly. You can also prime with creme de cocao. about 1/2 - 3/4 bottle (750 ml) for a five gallon batch. Chocolate extract at bottling would also do the trick. Don't be afraid to do all three either.

 

I've done nibs, flavoring, & powdered cocoa. By far the most chocolate flavor was from the cocoa powder at the end of the boil. The flavoring was kinda fake (I'm not generally a big fan of bottled flavoring) and the cocoa nibs were good, but not as "chocolate" as I was going for. just my 2 cents...

 

Pale Chocolate malt will give you a chocolate flavor.

 

Try about 4 ounces of chocolate malt in place of the black patent, add 8 ounces of cocoa powder at flame out, then at bottling add about 3 ounces of chocolate extract. Mmmmm

 

Advice: DON'T use Toriani sugar free syrup to get that extra chocolate flavour, while it's sugar free, something in it is fermentable...I got gushers and bottle bombs...

 

Thanks for the replays everyone. Rm I'm going to try your method. I will report when done!

 

I've used chocolate malt, chocolate extract, cocoa powder, baker's chocolate and cacao nibs...in my experiences I got the most 'real' chocolate flavor from cacao nibs and cocoa powder in that order. The powder I added with 5 minutes left in the boil, the nibs I added during secondary fermentation...

 

I've probably gotten into your question too late, but about two weeks ago I brewed a brown Porter and used 10 oz. of chocolate malt along with some other grains as a partial malt brew. I had an OG of 1.052 and after two weeks had a FG of 1.016. The brew came in at about 4.75 percent as I recall. I remember tasting the sample I took for the FG and I could not believe the smell of chocolate, even as I bought the sample up to taste. This was largely an extract brew but that malt really made a taste and smell difference.

 

cocoa nibs are easy. i toss them into the secondary, rack on top of the nibs, wait 2 weeks. they may kick off a small second fermentation.

 

i went 4 oz choc malt this time, with 8 oz bakers cocoa in flame out. Apartment smelled like brownies lol.

I'm going to see how this turns out. Good to know I can always up the dosage of choc malt.

 

You could also use a base stout kit and add in PB2 (powdered PB) in the boil and more in the secondary with cocoa nibs.... I have done that with success.

 

I made a nice chocolate stout a while back. I put 4oz of cacao nibs in primary. Didn't get any hint of chocolate until after secondary though. Ended up smelling like chocolate milk

 

You could also prime with between 1/2 and 3/4 bottle of creme de cacao. It adds a bit of alcohol and some nice chocolate flavor.

 

In lieu of priming sugar?

 

Yep!

There's plenty of sugar in liqueur. I know, I know... It sounds ridiculous. But trust me...I added a whole bottle (750 ml) to 5 gallons of chocolate porter. Two weeks in I thought I made a HUGE mistake.. It was nasty. It tasted like grain alcohol. I was read to toss it. One month in it tasted pretty good. Six weeks in, bravo! It was exactly what I was going for. Two months in, it was getting pretty over-carbed, but still really good which is why I say try 1/2 to 3/4 bottle.


You're welcome in advance...you can thank me later.