Adding chocolate powder at flameout

[seanppp]

I am going to brew Jamil's Chocolate Hazelnut Porter based on Brewing Classic Styles. The book says to stir the chocolate powder in at flameout and keep the beer on the chocolate in the carboy for a while. There are two things I'm not clear about:

1. Will the chocolate easily dissolve if I just sprinkle it in and stir?
2. Won't I lose most of the chocolate with the trub in my whirlpool?

 

[RM-MN]

I am going to brew Jamil's Chocolate Hazelnut Porter based on Brewing Classic Styles. The book says to stir the chocolate powder in at flameout and keep the beer on the chocolate in the carboy for a while. There are two things I'm not clear about:

1. Will the chocolate easily dissolve if I just sprinkle it in and stir?
2. Won't I lose most of the chocolate with the trub in my whirlpool?

If that chocolate is coaco powder, it won't dissolve. The chocolate flavor will be extracted in the fermenter. Those who have tried both ways say that they can't taste any difference between the whirlpool and leaving the trub in the pot or just dumping it all in and letting it settle in the fermenter but they do enjoy drinking the extra bottle or 2 of beer that would otherwise get left behind.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

I made my wife a beer using cocoa powder and could barley taste the choc, then I made an oatmeal stout using .75 lb choc grain and definatly could tast the choc, One of the best bees I ever made.

when I racked the 1st beer into the secondary there was a thick layer of cocoa lining the botton of my fermentor, I felt like it was just a waste, Ill always use choc grain from here on out.

 

[RM-MN]

My chocolate stout used both chocolate malt grain and cocoa powder. The hydrometer sample tasted so good I was tempted to just drink it before it made it into the bottles.

 

[Calder]

Disolve the cocoa powder in water before adding, otherwise it will clump.

 

[helibrewer]

I am going to brew Jamil's Chocolate Hazelnut Porter based on Brewing Classic Styles. The book says to stir the chocolate powder in at flameout and keep the beer on the chocolate in the carboy for a while. There are two things I'm not clear about:

1. Will the chocolate easily dissolve if I just sprinkle it in and stir?
2. Won't I lose most of the chocolate with the trub in my whirlpool?

When I did this recipe I put the cocoa in the fermenter and emptied the kettle onto the cocoa...It was fantastic. I used Rapuzel Chocolate from Germany, it was the lowest in fat.

 

[thomasjr16]

Currently enjoying my version of a local brewery's chocolate PB ale when I came across the thread.

1 - I add unsweetened cocoa powder during the last 10 mins of the boil (as well as PB2 powder). With 10 mins left I cut the flame, add powder and stir until I can't see any "powder balls". Then turn the heat back on and boil for about 5 mins more. I think the boiling water agitation helps eliminate any unmixed powder.

2 - you will definitely lose some chocolate powder in the trub but plenty will make its way to the fermenter as I usually have about an 1" to 1.5" of choc PB sludge in the primary as well, after about 2 wks of fermenting

 

[seanppp]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I ended up running off about a half gallon of my finished wort pre-cooling into a pot. I cooled the rest and transfered it to the fermenter, then brought the 1/2 gallon to a boil, mixed in the chocolate, and then poured it all into the fermenter. I oxygenated, pitched two packets of rehydrated (with Go-Ferm Protect) Safale US-04 with a 55F wort temp, and set my temp controller for 64F. It is three days later and I have seen NO action whatsoever! What is going on?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Has the chocolate glommed onto the yeast and dissallowed it to ferment? This has never heppened to me. I need help!

 

[nutty_gnome]

.... then I made an oatmeal stout using .75 lb choc grain and definatly could tast the choc, One of the best bees I ever made.
.... Ill always use choc grain from here on out.

Please go into more detail about what 'choc grain' is? I'm looking into how to add chocolate to beer and I'm not familiar with 'choc grain'. Thanks!

 

[RM-MN]

Please go into more detail about what 'choc grain' is? I'm looking into how to add chocolate to beer and I'm not familiar with 'choc grain'. Thanks!

Choc grain is shorthand for chocolate malt. It's available as chocolate malt, light chocolate malt, or dark chocolate malt. Each provide different colors and intensity of chocolate.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

Please go into more detail about what 'choc grain' is? I'm looking into how to add chocolate to beer and I'm not familiar with 'choc grain'. Thanks!

This link says it doesnt taste like chocolate... ok.. why do they call it chocolate and why when I used it, it tasted like chocolate.. my wife even said it tasted more like chocolate than when I used actual chocolate powder, Ill see if can find the recipe, but heres a link and when you go to LHBS they can show you.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mash_ingredients#Chocolate_malt

 

[thomasjr16]

Chocolate malts are really called that for their color contribution and not so much their chocolate flavor, I've found that pale chocolate malt will provide more of a "chocolate" flavor than regular chocolate malt as it's not as dark. The darker the malt, the more bitter/toasty/roasty flavor.

A pale chocolate gives some color and the slight chocolate like flavor is said to come through a bit better since its softer than its darker cousin "chocolate malt"

 

[seanppp]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I ended up running off about a half gallon of my finished wort pre-cooling into a pot. I cooled the rest and transfered it to the fermenter, then brought the 1/2 gallon to a boil, mixed in the chocolate, and then poured it all into the fermenter. I oxygenated, pitched two packets of rehydrated (with Go-Ferm Protect) Safale US-04 with a 55F wort temp, and set my temp controller for 64F. It is three days later and I have seen NO action whatsoever! What is going on?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Has the chocolate glommed onto the yeast and dissallowed it to ferment? This has never heppened to me. I need help!

Anyone have any ideas for my fermentation?

 

[Calder]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I ended up running off about a half gallon of my finished wort pre-cooling into a pot. I cooled the rest and transfered it to the fermenter, then brought the 1/2 gallon to a boil, mixed in the chocolate, and then poured it all into the fermenter. I oxygenated, pitched two packets of rehydrated (with Go-Ferm Protect) Safale US-04 with a 55F wort temp, and set my temp controller for 64F. It is three days later and I have seen NO action whatsoever! What is going on?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Has the chocolate glommed onto the yeast and dissallowed it to ferment? This has never heppened to me. I need help!

The chocolate should not be a problem. The temperature may have been too cold, and just delayed the start.

 

[100amps]

Cocoa powder dissolves easily is a small amount of very hot water. Add runny paste to your batch, instead of powder.

 

[The10mmKid]

At 55degF, it almost sounds like you freaked out your yeast.
I think the S-04 envelope even states to use like 90deg water for rehydration.

I usually pitch my yeast at room temp onto the room temp wort.
Then set things in place to drop the temp to ~68

Maybe pitch a couple more envelopes right on top the wort.

Good Luck,
'da Kid

Anyone have any ideas for my fermentation?

 

[nutty_gnome]

wow.... I totally didn't expect choc grain to be chocolate malt. Thanks for the clarification. N_G

 

[seanppp]

At 55degF, it almost sounds like you freaked out your yeast.
I think the S-04 envelope even states to use like 90deg water for rehydration.

I usually pitch my yeast at room temp onto the room temp wort.
Then set things in place to drop the temp to ~68

Maybe pitch a couple more envelopes right on top the wort.

Good Luck,
'da Kid

To be clear, I re-hydrated the yeast into 90F water, but when I pitched it the WORT was 55F.

 

[thomasjr16]

Im thinking the 90F water may have been too warm (link to s-04 instructions - http://www.fermentis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SFA_S04.pdf)

It says 80F +/- 6 so you were just over the upper limit and may have been a little to high for the sensitive yeast. I would just pitch another packet right on top of the wort

For what it's worth, whenever I use dry yeast, I always direct pitch without the rehydration step and haven't had a problem

 

[castillo556]

For future recipes in which you plan to use chocolate, I would recommend making chocolate extract.

http://www.mommypotamus.com/how-to-make-chocolate-extract/


Same with vanilla.

 

[Calder]

Im thinking the 90F water may have been too warm (link to s-04 instructions - http://www.fermentis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SFA_S04.pdf)

It says 80F +/- 6 so you were just over the upper limit and may have been a little to high for the sensitive yeast. I would just pitch another packet right on top of the wort

For what it's worth, whenever I use dry yeast, I always direct pitch without the rehydration step and haven't had a problem

Yeast love 90s temperatures. They prefer to live at that temperature than in the 60s. We just don't like the products they create in beer at those temps (some Belgian and wine yeasts excluded). You would need north of 120 F, or even higher to be killing the yeast.

 

[thomasjr16]

Thanks for the info. I've taken saisons into the upper 70s, low 80s before but never really looked into the yeast temp range