Drom John Theobroma

Partial Something

Batch size: 5.25 gallons

60 minute steep 155F
6 lb Flaked Corn

60 minute boil
5.5 lb Corn sugar (60 min)
2 lb Cocoa nibs (organic, Navitas) (60 min)
8 oz Cocoa (unsweetened rare red, Guittard) (15 min)
2 tbs Annatto seed powder (15 min)
1 lb Honey (Shamrock Apiaries) (0 min)
4 Dried chiles, crushed or minced (0 min)
1 Chile de Arbol
1 ***** Pasilla
1 New Mexico
1 Pasilla
1 tbs Green Hatch Chile

White Labs American Ale Blend WLP060

2 weeks primary

3 weeks bottle conditioned

First taste: 9 January 2016

Inspired by Dogfish Head Theobroma. While I have had over three cases of Dogfish Head Theobroma and consider it one of my top five commercial brews, I decided that instead of trying to clone, that I would riff off of many of the articles by and about archeologist Patrick McGovern and the Aztec brew Theobroma. I wanted it human sacrifice blood red. I clearly overdid the cocoa powder. While a bit darker red than DfH after the nibs, the cocoa powder took it to brown. I was planning to use quite a bit of annatto for coloring, but it was already beyond blood red. Also, that's too much flaked corn for my set up.

The label is Cameca engaging The Doctor by sharing theobroma in The Aztecs.

This is my worst brew.
Interestingly, the color is very close to Dogfish Head Theobroma. My recipe was designed to make a blood red beverage. Most of the wort color dropped into the trub.
I had a Dogfish Head Theobroma the night before. All the taste elements are there. DfH has significantly more honey flavor.
Very fusel at bottling, this did mellow to drinkable, but only because I'm a martyr. I will not share with others unless it ages much better than predicted.

In the unlikely event that I rebrew:
Drop the flaked corn a pound.
Add a pound of honey.
Drop the cocoa powder an ounce.
Add a tablespoon of annatto.
Add a chile.

Double pitch the yeast or build a yeast starter.