Chocolate Espresso Stout

[beesy]

going to do up a take of this in the am

12lb 2 row
1lb chocolate malt
12 oz carafa I
8 oz crystal 20
2 oz lb black patent
1lb light brown sugar

6oz cocoa powder
1.5oz cascade @ 8.5aa @60 mins
48oz stir-plated(new word??), dual incremented 1056
mash at 1.33 qt/lb @ 153 for 65 minutes

@75% eff = og est of 1.081
color 40.9smr
ibu 30.9

just saw this come back to life and realized i never posted results. i never added coffeee/espresso and kept it an imperial chocolate stout. it scored a composite 38 at a comp way back in early spring. i called it a triple chocolate imperial stout. the carafa I i used was the "special" debittered version, close enough to call chocolate in my book, so that's the 3rd chocolate notation came from. i fermented this around 65-66 and for a big 9+% abv, there was no alcohol noticeable, even after 8 weeks.

 

[TUCK]

just saw this come back to life and realized i never posted results. i never added coffeee/espresso and kept it an imperial chocolate stout. it scored a composite 38 at a comp way back in early spring. i called it a triple chocolate imperial stout. the carafa I i used was the "special" debittered version, close enough to call chocolate in my book, so that's the 3rd chocolate notation came from. i fermented this around 65-66 and for a big 9+% abv, there was no alcohol noticeable, even after 8 weeks.

Thank you for posting your results

Cant wait to make again this year

 

[gratus fermentatio]

So did anyone ever come up with an extract or PM version of this recipe?

 

[ircmaxell]

Alright. So I brewed this a few weeks ago. I realized shortly after we added it to the primary fermenter that I screwed up. Instead of adding 8 oz (1 cup) of chocolate, I added 8 oz (1 / 2 lbs, or about 3.5 cups) of chocolate (Ghirardelli powdered lite cocoa)...

Man was the wort RIDICULOUSLY chocolaty...

So, we decided to just let it ferment and see what happens. So, last night, we racked it into the secondary carboy (we're going to bulk age it for several months). We tasted the hydrometer sample (1.021, so pretty close to final expected of 1.016 - 1.018)... It's chocolaty, but in a very good way. There's great coffee notes (and we didn't even add the espresso), and great body. So we decided to not add the espresso, and make it a double (or triple) chocolate stout instead. I think it may be a winner. There's still a LOT of chocolate flavor in there, so we'll see how that develops over time. But at least it's not like drinking chocolate syrup...

On a side note, most of the chocolate settled out during the primary. There was about 4 inches of chocolate on top of the trub. So we'll see how it turns out in the end...

 

[Powers]

[size=+2]Chocolate Esperesso Stout (All Grain)[/size]
[size=+1]13-F Russian Imperial Stout[/size]

Size: 5.28 gal
Efficiency: 72%
Attenuation: 71.8%
Calories: 291.15 per 12 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.086 (1.075 - 1.095)
|=================#==============|
Terminal Gravity: 1.024 (1.018 - 1.030)
|================#===============|
Color: 38.0 (30.00 - 40.00)
|====================#===========|
Alcohol: 8.21% (8.00% - 12.00%)
|========#=======================|
Bitterness: 52.41 (50.00 - 90.00)
|========#=======================|

[size=+1]Ingredients:[/size]
12.0 lbs American 2-row
1.0 lbs American Chocolate Malt
1 lbs Crystal Malt 10°L
2.0 lbs Roasted Barley
1.0 lbs Light Brown Sugar
8 oz Dark Cocoa Powder - added during boil, boiled 60 min
1 lbs Molasses
.5 oz Chinook (13.00%) - added last 15 minutes, boiled
1 oz Chinook (13.00%) - added during boil, boiled 20 min
1.0 oz Saaz (5.00%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min
8.00 fl oz WYeast 1056 American Ale
4 c Coffee Beans (Espresso) - added dry to secondary fermenter

[size=+1]Schedule:[/size]
Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


[size=+1]Notes:[/size]
Hopping time was altered to achieve a higher IBU in comparison to the previous batch, a target of 50 IBU was achieved.

8 Gl water needed for mash

Hershey Dark Cocoa used
Coffee (Starbucks Espresso)

[size=-1]Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.28[/size]

on the original recipe, are the instructions in bold above reversed? seems from reading the posts that the cocoa goes in at 15 minutes left, whereas the first hop addition would be at 60 minutes. Just FYI....

 

[Powers]

i also see from the original recipe you say you added 4 cups espresso beans dry the secondary. from the posts, it appears you really made 4 liquid cups of espresso, cooled the liquid, and then added the liquid espresso cold to the secondary. is this correct? thanks, just want to do some cleanup on the recipe before I (or anyone new to this thread) brews this one up!

 

[TUCK]

As far as the espresso.....yes 4 cups and then cooled and added.

I am sure the addition times you are referring to is correct as well.... I am going to check. Ny hard copy tonight when I get home this eavning....thanks for catching that. Epic failure on my part if so

 

[Powers]

any saavy brewer would have caught it, but its the not so saavy i'm concerned about thanks for the quick response!

 

[TUCK]

any saavy brewer would have caught it, but its the not so saavy i'm concerned about thanks for the quick response!

I agree.

on the original recipe, are the instructions in bold above reversed? seems from reading the posts that the cocoa goes in at 15 minutes left, whereas the first hop addition would be at 60 minutes. Just FYI....

Ok, yes the hop additions are incorrect in the first post (all-grain), yet they are in fact correct in the extract version that was also posted on page one.

.5 oz Chinook (13.00%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
1 oz Chinook (13.00%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
0.50 oz Saaz (5.00%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min

But ya know I wonder if anyone has done the all grain as it is now, because I have heard a lot of good feedback and wonder if this may have been a good mistake....... hmmmmmm I think I have to try it and see


Once again, thanks for the correction man, I am banging my head against the wall about the typo

 

[payton34]

i brewed thisabout 2 months ago it was great. i am going to brew again in a couple of days. i added the sugar cocoa and sugar at 60 mins. this beer was great. i am going to add some bourbon soaked oak chips to the secondary this time and see how it comes out

 

[shay1989]

Hi I'm looking at the original recipe and I'm a little confused am I understanding it right that its 1oz chinook at last 20min, the .5oz of chinook at last 15min, then 1oz saaz at last 5 min?

Also what did you get best results with on the cocoa? adding it at beginning of boil or mixing with 2 cups wart and adding it at end of boil with the sugars, or adding cocoa at beginning and sugars at end? What was the best way?

 

[miatawnt2b]

The later addition hops are not really all that important as you won't be able to smell them anyhow.

I would mix the coca with the wart and add it in the last 5 min or so with the sugar. You don't want to chance burning the sugar or the coca.
-J

 

[TUCK]

I agree.






Ok, yes the hop additions are incorrect in the first post (all-grain), yet they are in fact correct in the extract version that was also posted on page one.

.5 oz Chinook (13.00%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
1 oz Chinook (13.00%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
0.50 oz Saaz (5.00%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min

But ya know I wonder if anyone has done the all grain as it is now, because I have heard a lot of good feedback and wonder if this may have been a good mistake....... hmmmmmm I think I have to try it and see


Once again, thanks for the correction man, I am banging my head against the wall about the typo

Hi I'm looking at the original recipe and I'm a little confused am I understanding it right that its 1oz chinook at last 20min, the .5oz of chinook at last 15min, then 1oz saaz at last 5 min?

Please see above [head hanging low]

Also what did you get best results with on the cocoa? adding it at beginning of boil or mixing with 2 cups wart and adding it at end of boil with the sugars, or adding cocoa at beginning and sugars at end? What was the best way?

I always add the cocoa from start (60min). This really makes a rich chocolate texture. To be quite honest I have never done it any other way.

 

[gregiscool]

I live in south Florida and got the best cuban coffee every where, can't wait to try this for 4 cups of cuban espresso.

 

[ircmaxell]

Well, we just bottled it last night. It spent 3 months in the secondary bulk-aging. The only thing I can say is WOW!

If you don't remember, I accidentally put 8 oz by weight instead of volume. Well, we lost about 2 gallons due to the chocolate settling out. We skipped the coffee and lactose due to the mistake. But what was left was amazing. When I say amazing, wow. It is not overly chocolaty, but there's a nice roasty quality to it. It actually tastes a lot like a dark-chocolate stout. This "mistake" will definitely happen again ;-)...

Now, with any luck it'll carb up nicely in the bottles (I am somewhat concerned of the viability of the 4 month old yeast, but we'll see what happens), and really put the finishing touch on what's come out as a fine ale...

 

[beesy]

Yo TUCK,

Do you know the lovibond and/or the manufacturer of the roast barley you have been using?

Thanks -B

 

[TUCK]

Yo TUCK,

Do you know the lovibond and/or the manufacturer of the roast barley you have been using?

Thanks -B

Weyermann Roasted Barley

Avg. Lovibond: 435
Country of origin: GR

 

[ircmaxell]

Ok, so we cracked the first bottle today. All I can say is WOW. Not super chocolaty, but with a nice roasty and creamy taste. Actually, the best I can describe it is to say it tastes like a good piece of dark chocolate. Keep in mind, it's a bit young in the bottles (only 2 weeks, but was bulk aged for 3 months in the secondary), but it's got enough carb and mouthfeel. This is definitely going to go fast, and will be made again!

Awesome job on the base recipe (I'll post my modifications, which were slim, some point in here)...

 

[beesy]

noticed in the recipes section this recipe lists

2.0 lbs Crystal Malt 10°L
1.0 lbs Roasted Barley

and in this thread it's

1 lbs Crystal Malt 10°L
2.0 lbs Roasted Barley

which one is correct TUCK??

 

[Daryl]

Just kegged my batch today. I agree...really good and tastes like dark chocolate. I was trying to describe the taste and saw someone's post and said "that's it". Good winter beer and should age well. Thanks again for the recipe Tuck. One question though...I think I might've used too much chocolate...I used an entire container of Hershey's powder for 5 gallons...is that too much?

 

[TimothyChurch]

I ordered this to brew for a party after thanksgiving without thinking about the conditioning. It sounded so good my brain turned off for a minute. The party is a little over 6 weeks away. Obviously it will be done fermenting but it will not have mellowed much. Any opinions on taste at that point or on a way to shorten the aging process?

 

[TUCK]

Just kegged my batch today. I agree...really good and tastes like dark chocolate. I was trying to describe the taste and saw someone's post and said "that's it". Good winter beer and should age well. Thanks again for the recipe Tuck. One question though...I think I might've used too much chocolate...I used an entire container of Hershey's powder for 5 gallons...is that too much?

Some might say "can it ever be too much chocolate?" ... but I did the same the first go round but in later batches I add half that much since a lot of the chocolate flavors are derived from the dark grains in the recipe.

 

[kccvxd]

Our beer is at about day 6 of primary fermentation and is tasting fairly bitter. I think this is due to the cocoa powder. I'm considering adding lactose to sweeten it up a bit, but I'm wondering if I should wait until after I add the espresso to see if that mellows out the bitterness a bit. So, what should I do? add lactose now or wait to see what the espresso does?

XO,
kccvxd's SWMBO

 

[lgilmore]

Just tried my first week bottle of my mocha java stout and so far, mine tastes like iced coffee with a bit of a buzz. Gonna be pretty good (fingers crossed)

I added a entire can of hersey's coco powder last 10 minutes of the boil. added 10 cups brewed coffee after ferment (left all in primary). Sat 3 weeks. At bottling, after tasting final reading, tasted and it was a little to bitter for my pallet. So I added 8 oz Lactos along with priming sugars for bottling.

The first bottle so far is very strong coffee, light coco but very drinkable as the lactos didn't over sweeten the beer. It just took away the bitter finish. I am hoping the coco flavor asserts itself over the next few weeks, but even if it doesn't, it's a pretty tasty java brew.

 

[kccvxd]

Perfect! I think that's exactly what I need. Thanks!

 

[uniTTy]

recipe looks great

i have a couple noob questions. for the extract recipe, the 0.75 lbs American Chocolate Malt, .75 lbs Roasted Barley, .75 lbs Crystal Malt 10°L are steeping grains correct? anyone add oats to this?

what temp is everyone fermenting at? ~68+?

is this a full boil (5 gal)?

thanks

 

[animalales]

Sounds delicious! I am planning a flavoured stout of some sort and this looks like a great recipe. Thanks for posting

 

[lgilmore]

It's been about a week and the chocolate finish is becoming more noticable. It was a very popular beer at one of our family Christmas functions. The coffee drinkers in the group really liked it and took extra home.

Still probably needs a little more time for better carbonation, but pretty a good brew.

 

[RyeMen]

Hey Tuck thanks for this awesome recipe, I brewed this up about 2 weeks ago. I have a question: when you say you added the molasses and brown sugar at 15 mins, does that mean 15 mins into the boil or with 15 mins left in the boil? Thanks. Also, I added the sugar and molasses with 10 mins left in the boil when I brewed this up so how do you think this will turn out?

 

[TUCK]

Hey Tuck thanks for this awesome recipe, I brewed this up about 2 weeks ago. I have a question: when you say you added the molasses and brown sugar at 15 mins, does that mean 15 mins into the boil or with 15 mins left in the boil? Thanks. Also, I added the sugar and molasses with 10 mins left in the boil when I brewed this up so how do you think this will turn out?

Sorry for VERY late response......I do not seem to have much time anymore after my first child


I added the above with 15 minutes remaining. I think you did the right thing adding at the last ten minutes. NICE JOB