I just bottled chocolate/PB Imperial Stout but I don't like the taste

I know, I know, the beer is still young and not carbonated. However, I tasted the beer from the fermenter and all I taste is bitter coffee. I kinda smell the PB but I don't taste the chocolate from the cocoa powder or the cocoa nibs. I was expecting something more malty and chocolaty. How will taste change over time? I also think I mashed a bit too high on the stove top... so I would think it would be sweeter from the unfermentable sugars.

This is what I made:

1.75lbs Chocolate Malt
1lb Malted Oats
1lb Pale Malt
.5lb Crystal 120L
.5lb Roasted Barley
.25lb Carapils
3lbs Extra Light Dry Extract
6lbs Dark LME

 

That is quite a bit of Chocolate plus the roast barley. It should have some bitterness. My guess is this beer will need some time to Smooth out and for the flavors to mix. I would taste it in a couple of weeks. When it carbs up the flavor will be fuller and not thin.

 

I was under the impression that the cocoa powder and nibs will great a nice chocolate flavor. But am I right to think now that it just makes more of a bitter taste?

 

Cocoa by itself is very bitter. Did you use PB powder? It's difficult to get good flavor extraction out of that and it's easily overwhelmed by other flavors.

 

Yes I used PB2. I was hoping that it would be a bit sweet. Now I'm looking for the sweetness would subside.

 

How much PB2, cocoa nibs, and cocoa powder did you use?

Chocolate malt doesn't really taste like chocolate. It's a dark, roasted malt that just isn't as dark as black patent (and others). It gives some hint of chocolate, but that does not mean that using lots will equate to chocolaty. I frequently use it for a hint of roast or for color without it becoming overpowering. Pairing that much with a half pound of roast barley is going to give you some bitterness, if not astringency.

With that said, those choices might not be terribly out of place in an Imperial Stout. You're just going to have to expect it to take time for those flavors to mellow and mesh. Consider the additional complexities you added through some specialty ingredients, and it might take a lot of time. Even a regular (smaller) stout might take quite a while to really turn out. Bottle and carb, give it a taste in a few weeks (I would wait as long as I could stand it), and then be prepared to wait quite a while longer for it to turn into something better.

 

I used 13oz (two cans) of PB2, 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, and 4oz of nibs... all in the secondary. I let it settle to the bottom and stirred it up every few days or so. Does the bitter roasty flavors mellow out over time? What exactly happens to the flavors of all these ingredients for them to mellow when aged?

 

I am not a chemist, so I can exactly tell to the ingratiates with time. The flavor will age and smooth somewhat in several months. Store it in a 70 degree area a little cooler or warmer won't matter much. I would let this age a while and brew again, I would also try a proven recipe from this site one that has a lot of positive comments.

 

Hahaha.. yeah good idea! I was hoping to drink this stout soon but it seems like I have to be patient so I could enjoy it more! I will probably fire up either an IPA or Wheat with in the next week or so. I'm about to kick a keg soon so I need to keep the supply going.

 

I'm not a peanut butter and chocolate guy, so I hope someone will chime in on those specific ingredients.

Here's an HBT featured article on aging beer. Here's a highlight:

 

The chart in your link is very informative. So it shows that sweetness goes up and bitterness goes down with age.



Here is another one: