Chocolate Coffee milk stout recipe request

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jayjay

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Hi

I am about to attempt to brew my first milk stout in which i will be following a "left hand milk stout clone recipe" that i found on homebrewers association with the following ingredients:
  • For 5 Gallons (19 L)
  • 7.0 lb (3.18 kg) pale malt
  • 1.0 lb (0.45 kg) roasted barley
  • 1.0 lb (0.45 kg) lactose (15 minutes before end of boil)
  • 0.75 lb (340 g) 60° L crystal malt
  • 0.75 lb (340 g) Munich malt
  • 0.75 lb (340 g) chocolate malt
  • 0.5 lb (227 g) flaked barley
  • 0.5 lb (227 g) flaked oats
  • 0.3 oz (8.5 g) Magnum pellet hops, 13% a.a. (60 min)
  • 1.0 oz (28 g) E.K. Goldings pellet hops, 5% a.a. (10 min)
  • California ale yeast

I am brewing 2.5 gallon batches and have therefore decided to experiment a bit with the second batch.

My goal is to create a chocolate coffee-ish milk stout "bomb" that is pretty much like a desert meal with powerful "thick" chocolate flavours and notes of coffee. Like a brownie-in-a-glass kind of thing.

However i am in doubt as to what to add (cocoa nibs, espresso shot, coffee beans and whatnot) as well as the amounts.

So if anybody got experience with this then please let me know how to proceed :)

Cheers
 
I use cocoa nibs soaked in Vodka/Bourbon along with vanilla beans. I dont use coffee beans or espresso but I get a hint of coffee in the beer . I dont know how but it's very slight . If you want more of a coffee flavor you probably should add coffee beans to give you a more prominent coffee flavor along with the nibs .
 
If your going to split them you could just steep more chocolate malt in some wort and add it when you pitch your yeast. I have never added chocolate to a beer. As for the coffee I have used a dark roast cold steeped in the fridge for a couple of days. Anywhere from 4-8 oz by weight of ground coffee to a quart or so of water, that has given me the best flavor.
 
FWIW this has given me the best choc milk stout I think I've had .
 

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I have used cocoa powder in the boil and both cocoa nibs and ground coffee as bagged 'dry hops'. I definitely prefer the 'dry hop' method, but there's no reason you couldn't do both.
 
I've made that exact recipe and it was delicious as written. Most would suggest to brew the beer without the adjuncts/additions and see what it's like before experimenting.

But if you must tinker (I get it), coffee is easy...just dump 4 oz of fresh whole beans like a dry hop for about 2 or 3 days prior to kegging/bottling. No bagging unless absolutely necessary. There are other methods (grinding first, cold brew addition) but this is easy and works.

Cocoa nibs: Also 4oz. Roast for about 10-15 minutes around 300...crush then soak in vodka or bourbon for a few days. I've also thrown in 2 cut up vanilla beans into the vodka as well. Then add it all to the beer about the same time as the coffee. If you do both coffee and nibs, you may have to bag one of them to keep from clogging a dip tube. Cold crashing works for me...no dry hops so they settle below my pickup.
 
Well the idea is that i will try out the original recipe first, and then brew the versions with added flavours after tasting the original

This approach sounds like it could work for what i am after - is the amounts of coffee and cocoa added for a 5 gallon batch?

And also, how do you avoid contamination when you add the coffee beans like dryhop? are they naturally antiseptic like hops?

Cheers

I've made that exact recipe and it was delicious as written. Most would suggest to brew the beer without the adjuncts/additions and see what it's like before experimenting.

But if you must tinker (I get it), coffee is easy...just dump 4 oz of fresh whole beans like a dry hop for about 2 or 3 days prior to kegging/bottling. No bagging unless absolutely necessary. There are other methods (grinding first, cold brew addition) but this is easy and works.

Cocoa nibs: Also 4oz. Roast for about 10-15 minutes around 300...crush then soak in vodka or bourbon for a few days. I've also thrown in 2 cut up vanilla beans into the vodka as well. Then add it all to the beer about the same time as the coffee. If you do both coffee and nibs, you may have to bag one of them to keep from clogging a dip tube. Cold crashing works for me...no dry hops so they settle below my pickup.
 
Yes, the amounts quoted are for a 5 gallon batch. You can adjust the amounts to your liking but the 4 ounces are a good starting point. I've done 6 oz of nibs in an Imperial Stout. And vanilla seems to help the perception of the chocolate.

The coffee beans have some antiseptic properties and are safe to add without sanitizing. I've never heard of anyone getting an infection from this technique, but of course, there is a possibility.
 
You have a lot going on in your recipe. I’d simplify a bit, especially will it being a flavored milk stout, your subtle malt notes won’t come through

67% base malt
15% flaked grain(barley, wheat, or oats)
8% Carafa III
5% dark Roasted malt(Your preference )
5% dark crystal
1lb lactose - I don’t count the lactose as part of the grainbill

Mash 154*

Add you cocoa nibs directly to your fermenter or make a tincture .8oz/gallon works great

Add you coffee - medium roast whole bean (I like Mexican or Guatemalan) like a dryhop for 3-4 days before packaging. I promise you this is the best way to add coffee to get intense aroma and zero astringency or bitterness from it. Depending on how strong you want it you can do .25-1.25 oz/ gallon.

Remember than cocoa nibs and coffee will bring out the chocolate and coffee notes from the grain, so you don’t have to crush a beer with these flavor adjuncts in dark beers.

This is a imperial milk stout I brewed using this base with Coffee beans, Toasted Coconut, Vanilla Beans, and Cocoa nibs. Came out so good that this will be my base grainbill for any milk stout I brew.
DB149791-E3F9-4B35-8A0E-846DE20CBAF9.jpeg
 
Right cheers guys now i have a better idea of the amounts and methods to experiment with the cocoa and chocolate
- looking forward to see how it turns out
 
You have a lot going on in your recipe. I’d simplify a bit, especially will it being a flavored milk stout, your subtle malt notes won’t come through

67% base malt
15% flaked grain(barley, wheat, or oats)
8% Carafa III
5% dark Roasted malt(Your preference )
5% dark crystal
1lb lactose - I don’t count the lactose as part of the grainbill

Mash 154*

Add you cocoa nibs directly to your fermenter or make a tincture .8oz/gallon works great

Add you coffee - medium roast whole bean (I like Mexican or Guatemalan) like a dryhop for 3-4 days before packaging. I promise you this is the best way to add coffee to get intense aroma and zero astringency or bitterness from it. Depending on how strong you want it you can do .25-1.25 oz/ gallon.

Remember than cocoa nibs and coffee will bring out the chocolate and coffee notes from the grain, so you don’t have to crush a beer with these flavor adjuncts in dark beers.

This is a imperial milk stout I brewed using this base with Coffee beans, Toasted Coconut, Vanilla Beans, and Cocoa nibs. Came out so good that this will be my base grainbill for any milk stout I brew. View attachment 678630
So the first stout with cocoa nibs and vanilla turned out amazing!
-I've just added cocoa nibs and coffee beans to the secondary for the next one and i am toying with the idea of creating a "bounty" style stout with chocolate and coconut
-How did you proceed with preparing and adding the coconut for your milk stout?
 
So the first stout with cocoa nibs and vanilla turned out amazing!
-I've just added cocoa nibs and coffee beans to the secondary for the next one and i am toying with the idea of creating a "bounty" style stout with chocolate and coconut
-How did you proceed with preparing and adding the coconut for your milk stout?
Glad it came out well.

I toast the coconuts as evenly as possible in the oven and then spread it out on paper towels to soak up excess oil then I add it at the tail end of fermentation
 
Hey guys, someone can help me? I want to do this recipe (left hand milk stout) but, how many water I will need for sparge and temperature? To do a 25liters batch. And a good water profile for this recipe? Thank you from Chile! 🇨🇱
 
@Dgallo !
Hello! Sorry to resurrect this old thread. I've seen your post on other threads and really respect your input and knowledge of brewing!
Could you please look over this MilkStout recipe?
I'm wanting do make something super unctuous and on the cusp of pastry but being wrapped up at about 5.8% with a few flavour adjuncts but not swamped.

The Recipe so far looks like:

Maris O 48%
Flaked Oats 19%
Bairds pale chocolate(985ebc) 8%
Munich II 8%
Light Crystal (120ebc) 6.5%
Simpson DRC crystal 4.0%
Roast barley 1.5%
Latose 5%

OG: 1.066
FG: 1.023

Post ferm adjuntcs could be Cacao nibs and toasted coconut.

Also any chance we could have a look at your imperial milk stout mentioned above?

Appreciate your feedback!
 
@Dgallo !
Hello! Sorry to resurrect this old thread. I've seen your post on other threads and really respect your input and knowledge of brewing!
Could you please look over this MilkStout recipe?
I'm wanting do make something super unctuous and on the cusp of pastry but being wrapped up at about 5.8% with a few flavour adjuncts but not swamped.

The Recipe so far looks like:

Maris O 48%
Flaked Oats 19%
Bairds pale chocolate(985ebc) 8%
Munich II 8%
Light Crystal (120ebc) 6.5%
Simpson DRC crystal 4.0%
Roast barley 1.5%
Latose 5%

OG: 1.066
FG: 1.023

Post ferm adjuntcs could be Cacao nibs and toasted coconut.

Also any chance we could have a look at your imperial milk stout mentioned above?

Appreciate your feedback!

I think you have more faith in me than I have in myself lol. I am not familiar with DRC but I just looked it up and it sounds good. If I were to brew what you are planning too, I’d would readjust some values to add some to the base grains and would probably get rid of the light crystal and let that DRC be your caramel sweetness
Maris O 50 %
Munich II 15 %
Flaked Oats. 15 %
pale chocolate 8%
DRC crystal 5%
Roasted barley. 2%
Lactose 5%

I am assuming you meant this beer.
You have a lot going on in your recipe. I’d simplify a bit, especially will it being a flavored milk stout, your subtle malt notes won’t come through

67% base malt
15% flaked grain(barley, wheat, or oats)
8% Carafa III
5% dark Roasted malt(Your preference )
5% dark crystal
1lb lactose - I don’t count the lactose as part of the grainbill

Mash 154*

Add you cocoa nibs directly to your fermenter or make a tincture .8oz/gallon works great

Add you coffee - medium roast whole bean (I like Mexican or Guatemalan) like a dryhop for 3-4 days before packaging. I promise you this is the best way to add coffee to get intense aroma and zero astringency or bitterness from it. Depending on how strong you want it you can do .25-1.25 oz/ gallon.

Remember than cocoa nibs and coffee will bring out the chocolate and coffee notes from the grain, so you don’t have to crush a beer with these flavor adjuncts in dark beers.

This is a imperial milk stout I brewed using this base with Coffee beans, Toasted Coconut, Vanilla Beans, and Cocoa nibs. Came out so good that this will be my base grainbill for any milk stout I brew. View attachment 678630
I used
67% 2row
15% flaked wheat
8% Carafa III
5% Midnight wheat
5% Special B.
And then added 1.5lbs of lactose I believe.
Fermented with US05
4 oz whole bean coffee
4 oz cocoa nibs
2 vanilla beans
1lb of Toasted coconut
 
Thanks @Dgallo ,
I've been mulling this over for a while now. After drinking a Fullers Porter last night a spanner was thown in the works. I went and looked for a clone and found some info that had claimed to come from the brewer which stated they use about 14%c60L and only 1.5% UK chocolate and no other roast malt.
Do you think my 8% chocolate malt will add too much roasty notess?
 
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