Chocolate Covered Beavr Nutz

[te-wa]

,,,.

 

[te-wa]

i was able to brew this one today, and hit a SG of 1.072
i pitched a 2L starter of S-04
this brew had a ton of trub so im glad i filtered the hot break via a fine stainless colander.

*update: pitched yeast on 12/11 and it took off pretty good for a 62° ferment. today, 12/15, the krausen dropped and airlock has slowed to one small burp per minute. i figured now was a good time to get hydro reading, and it was only .030 - i'll check it again in a few days but that seems disappointingly high. i have since raised the temp to 68 degrees in hopes that it will finish better.

will the second ferment from the cacao nibs drop the FG?

 

[te-wa]

i've decided to rack the beer over the cacao nibs, then sprinkle the PB2 on top of the beer..

i observed this sprinkling method in a jar of clean water and the PB2 formed small clumps, but mostly fell into the water without any need to stir or mix. an hour later, and it was a fine, smooth layer on the bottom of the jar.

i think this will remain suspended in the beer for a day or two, before it settles. i'll report back after i reach final. as of now, im down to 1.024

 

[JLP]

will the second ferment from the cacao nibs drop the FG?

It should drop your FG, and it will affect your ABV. Exactly how much I am not sure. My FG was 1.009.

 

[MTBbrewer]

Plan on putting mine in bottles on New Years. I has been in the secondary for 2 months, so we will see how it goes.

 

[MTBbrewer]

Bottled it up this evening. Now I just have for natural carbonation to give one a try. I have a feeling these are going be better with age. I started with an SG of 1.068 and finished with a SG of 1.012, so it should have an ABV of about 7.4

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[MTBbrewer]

Im meant to say I just have to wait for natural carbonation. I haven't been drinking I swear.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[BeerDeNoel]

would half a vanilla bean hurt the final product? im thinking it will enhance the chocolate?

From my first job in an ice cream parlor, I was told by the owner that the secret to the best chocolate shakes is vanilla syrup, so adding a bean or extract is definitely worth a shot in any chocolate stout.

On an unrelated note, has anybody experimented by putting some PB2 directly into 12 oz bottles, or possibly in the mash? My PB2 came in a 16 oz bag, so figuring on using the whole thing one way or another.

 

[te-wa]

tasting note: snuck a taste yesterday. peanut butter flavor was pronounced, i dare say a bit stronger than i wanted. i think this is due to the method in which i added the powder (sprinkled on TOP of the beer after racking) and by this i mean that i'd wager only one jar of PB2 is needed if using this method. im actually hoping that after kegging the pb flavor will subside a bit. (it's only been 2 weeks)

 

[JLP]

I don't think the PB will be subsiding anytime soon. I am still waiting on mine to mellow out. I am getting a strong acrid bite from either the PB or the Nibs that is indicative of a green beer still. How does the vanilla come through? I was thinking of bottling half of mine, and throwing some vanilla in the keg.

 

[te-wa]

i wont know until i add the extract. still a couple weeks out from kegging, unless i purchase another corny, so i'll do a vodka extract and add it then.
for now i'm trying to be patient and not think about it too much. trying.

 

[te-wa]

brewing this again. it was a hit. took it to a pig roast and there was a line for my keg.. lol
i overheard such comments as "i'd pay for this, it's distributor quality" and "this is better than sweet baby jesus" and got some great feedback from a very seasoned beer snob and a head brewer from a local nano.
this time, i will add a split vanilla bean and age after transfer for at least a month.

*edit - small step infusion with 152 for 30 mins and then 154 for 30 mins. fly sparged with 170 water, and got an OG of 1.072 (SAME OG result as last brewing).
i expect this one to go lower than before. made a 2L starter of wlp 002, english ale. hoping for 1.016!

 

[NotaBrewMaster]

Sounds awesome, I'm going to attempt it as well. Been a few months since any one asked so I will again, does anyone have a 5 gallon extract conversion for this? Also is there any reason not to add the pb2 and cocoa powder at flameout? I'm a bit of an amateur so please forgive me if this is an obviously bad idea. It seems with a little heat that it would mix in better, reducing the risk of oxidation when trying to mix it in a secondary as well as prevent the need to sanitize the powders. It also seems to me that the added time of contact with flavorings would cause it to infuse better. The only thing I can think of is if the heat of the boil or action of fermentation would cause negative effects that I am not aware of. Thoughts?

 

[robbyhicks]

I did a similar deal with a club brew where they brewed the bog batch and I started with 1.5gal. I added a sample pack of pb2 and pb2choc at 5min left and then recommended amnt of pb2 into secondary with a few cocoa nibs... brewed early march and cocoa is still a bit strong but pb is a nice sneaky flavor/feel...

 

[MatterOne]

Does anyone have a 5 gallon extract conversion for this?

From Midwest Supplies:

1. Mash crushed grains for 30-60 minutes at 155°F
2. Rinse the grain with 170° sparge water, then bring to boil.
3. Add malt extract while brew pot is off the burner.
4. Bring to a boil and add 1 oz Chinook, ¾ oz Spalt bittering hops. (60 Minutes)
5. Add ½ oz Spalt aroma hops for the last 20 minutes.
6. Cool, top up to 5.5 gallons and add yeast.
7. Transfer to secondary on top of the peanut butter powder and ¼ cup of cocoa
powder (optional).
8. Three days later add cocoa nibs and age 7 days.
9. Keg or Bottle.

 

[Keithww]

I made CCBN this spring and followed the recipe pretty close except I used a little more coco powder (6 oz) and no nibs. Opened the first one yesterday after about 5 weeks in the bottle. I lost about half a gallon to trub in the secondary so only got 4.5 gallons to the bottles, next time I will make a little bigger batch and use my 8 gallon primary and 6 gallon secondary.

1st hit Coffee, strong lasts about 1 or 2 seconds
2nd, Chocolate strong lasts 3 or 4 seconds till just after I swallow
3rd, Peanuts, light, builds slowly pleasant after taste.

I will share a bomber next week with a few friends to get feed back and let the rest age till fall.

Good beer, I have three heavy beers planned including another RIS, so it will be a while before I brew this again, but it will make the rotation.

 

[devin0621]

best way to mix in cocoa, mix up a thick slurry.....see referenced culinary forum. I'll be trying this out today, but it still sounds like the PB2 would be best mixed by slowly sprinkling on top and stirring.


Aw, you youngsters, spoiled with your Nestle Quick...

To mix cocoa powder with a liquid (or really, to mix any powder with a liquid - salt and granulated sugar aren't powders), you need to make a slurry by mixing a small part of the liquid into all of the powder. Then you can dilute the slurry with the rest of the liquid.

Note that if you're using sugar for sweetening, it helps to add it to the cocoa powder before you add any liquid, because the sugar helps the dissolving. However, since stevia is so much sweeter than sugar, you use too little of it to make any difference to the dissolving process. Thus, you can go ahead and add it afterward, so you can adjust the sweetness better.
shareimprove this answer



Yes, this is the way to do it. Note that it's very easy to put too much liquid in when making the slurry, which is irreversible, so add the the liquid in very small increments until you get the paste to be the proper consistency--a bit thinner than a typical cake frosting. Also: beat the slurry well to get rid of any pesky dry clumps that may remain. – kevins Oct 19 '10 at 4:32


Yup. Only way to do it. – Chris Cudmore Oct 19 '10 at 13:30


The only problem with this method is it leaves a grainy texture in the final product, at least in my experience. – sarge_smith Oct 19 '10 at 21:38
3

@sarge_smith, I think that may depend on the brand of cocoa. Also, once you've dissolved the cocoa this way, you can certainly go ahead and heat it up - that should get rid of any graininess, and my great-grandfather the pastry chef always said that cooked chocolate tastes better than uncooked. – Marti Oct 19 '10 at 21:52
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[rickyrich]

Has anyone tried subbing the hops on this recipe?

Maybe Columbus/Nugget or even Bravo? for Chinook and maybe Saaz for Spalt?

Just want to use what I have. =)

 

[JLP]

I haven't. I would imagine the nugget will go well for the bittering addition, and the saaz as a late.

 

[wrongdekade]

I bottle carbonate and had trouble once before when i had made cider and put in secondary for six months. The yeast must have been dead by then because all the cider was flat. I'm concerned this will happen if I let it sit too long. Thoughts?

 

[ob_1jr]

I have had a beer sit in the secondary for 5 months and it carbed just fine. There will be plenty of yeast left in suspension.

In your cider you did add a priming solution correct?

I left CCBN in the primary for 3 weeks and secondary for 3 weeks. It took it about 3-4 weeks to fully carb up, but that was probably because my basement wasn't exactly on the warm side...probably 66-68F for most of the time.

 

[wrongdekade]

Yes I added priming sugar. We'll see what happens. It could have been cause over the six months I transferred it three times to get off the yeast and it probably saw a few very cold days when our heat went out......

 

[Frozer860]

Has anyone tried adding lactose to this recipe? I would assume that would make it a bit creamier to compliment the chocolate and pb flavors.

 

[te-wa]

brewed this for the third time. after 2 weeks primary, racked onto 1lb PB2 and 5oz cacao nibs. let sit for 7 days, then kegged.
the only changes i made from the OP's recipe was boiling the 1/4c dark chocolate powder for the last 10 minutes.
pitched a 2L starter of wlp007

good efficiency in the brewhouse, OG was 1.081 - finished at 1.019

primary temp was held at 64, let it free rise to 68 and finish for 2 weeks.
at only 21 days old, the sample was great. more dark chocolate flavor than i remember.

 

[Dmanshane]

That is a good recipe until some drains the keg in the bottom of the keezer fml

 

[phoxxtwo]

I will be kegging this recipe (minus the peanut butter powder) probably within the next week I can't wait to taste test it.

 

[brownsfan62]

Mine is in the primary bubbling away.

 

[NotaBrewMaster]

Planning on brewing the extract version (partial mash) of this soon. What is the advantage to adding the Pb powder and cocoa powder after fermentation rather than into the fermenter or at flameout? Wouldn't it then be harder to mix and risk oxidation when stirring?

 

[MMJfan]

So, I'm planning on brewing this up this weekend and I've read through this whole thread and I had a question regarding the PB2 w/chocolate. I saw it referenced a couple of times, but I haven't noticed any mention of whether it does the job of bringing in enough chocolate flavors.

I was just planning on adding a jar of PB2 and a jar of PB2 w/chocolate in place of the cocoa powder (or possibly just 2 jars of PB2 w/chocolate). Has anyone tried this and if so, how did it turn out? Any suggestions would be appreciated! Cheers!

 

[tmendick]

Personally I don't the the Chocolate PB2 adds much chocolate flavor in general.