chocolate nibs

[dennisowens41]

I used some recently with a mead, found that 1 they float, 2 wished I'd ground them (I've since bought a morter and pestel) and used about 2oz, maybe 1.75oz for my 1 gallon of mead.

+1 on the floating/grinding--i bought a handheld coffee grinder Im gonna pulverize it with next go round

How'd the mead turn out? I have 15# of honey a friend sent me from Hawaii to make mead with....never thought about using nibs.

 

[ACbrewer]

+1 on the floating/grinding--i bought a handheld coffee grinder Im gonna pulverize it with next go round

How'd the mead turn out? I have 15# of honey a friend sent me from Hawaii to make mead with....never thought about using nibs.

I didn't think of the power grinder as an option :/

I took 5 gallons of mead, racked about 3.5 on to different flavors (3 1 gall, 1 3L making different batches of the main to see what I like to scale to 5 gal. -here's a link to my original thread on this https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/mead-reciepe-s-help-221393/ ) and bottled the rest about 2 weeks ago.

That is when I put 2 oz of nibs in with some vanilla and mead. They didn't look like they were disolving so I fished them out and ground them with a spoon (ugh)... which is a long way to say - I've got no idea how it tastes yet !

I took the midwest receipe for meed (1 gall/12lb honey +4 gal water=5gal must) and then added the wyeast sweet mead yeast.. I have an alcohol of about 10-11 with a ob of about 1.080 and an fg I think as 1...
From what I've read on here and elsewhere, depending on your yeast, nutrient, etc about 2 to 3.5lb of honey /gal of mead... this will get you something between a dry mead and a sweet again depending on yeast.

My only question about that is what does the honey taste like?

 

[AgentHubcap]

Bumping this thread as it seems relevant.

How much would I need to flavor 5 gallons of stout? The guy at the LHBS said I only need 1/4 oz, but it seems like everyone is using 4+ oz.

 

[JLem]

Bumping this thread as it seems relevant.

How much would I need to flavor 5 gallons of stout? The guy at the LHBS said I only need 1/4 oz, but it seems like everyone is using 4+ oz.

No way 1/4 oz will get you there...maybe the guy meant 1/4 lb? I'd say you'll want 4-8 oz...probably closer to 8

 

[AgentHubcap]

No way 1/4 oz will get you there...maybe the guy meant 1/4 lb? I'd say you'll want 4-8 oz...probably closer to 8

That's what I thought based on what I've read here. I went by the LHBS again today and made sure what they recommended was 1/4 oz. They confirmed that 1/4 oz is what I should use, and that 4 oz would be like chocolate milk.

 

[JLem]

That's what I thought based on what I've read here. I went by the LHBS again today and made sure what they recommended was 1/4 oz. They confirmed that 1/4 oz is what I should use, and that 4 oz would be like chocolate milk.

I always hate to second guess someone's LHBS, but in this instance I'm going to say that the guy you talked to has never used cocoa nibs. I have never heard of anyone using only a 1/4 oz.

 

[baron]

I just brewed an Oatmeal Stout last week -- added 1/4oz of spearmint leaves and lactose to boil and adding cocoa nibs this weekend when I transfer to secondary (Mint Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Stout). Haven't decided how much nibs to add, but thinking 8oz.

 

[joeyspit]

Brewed a Belgian chocolate stout not too long ago and boiled 4 oz for 10 minutes then dry-nibbed with 4 oz and got a nice cocao aroma and a bit of flavor as well. Nothing too overpowering but just enough to notice and add some complexity to the brew.

 

[IL1kebeer]

Newb question. Do nibs or cocoa powder add any fermentable sugar. If so, how do you account for it if added in fermenter?

 

[JLem]

Newb question. Do nibs or cocoa powder add any fermentable sugar. If so, how do you account for it if added in fermenter?

Neither add any sugars...unless you use sweetened cocoa powder, which I wouldn't use. If you did, you could probably use the grams of sugar per seeing listed on the nutrition label to calculate a rough estimate of gravity points.

 

[Mrgreenlee]

Ok, so based on everything I read here, I am going to make a coffee milk stout. I am using 16oz of cold brewed coffee right at the end of the boil, then I plan to add cocoa nibs and vanilla bean to the secondary. I think I'm going to combine two strategies used here and soak the vanilla beans in a small amount of vodka and boil 8oz nibs in water. I will then add both slurries to the secondary along with 16oz brewed espresso at bottling. Any opinions?

Primary: strawberry wheat
Bottled: maple wheat, honey Hefenweizen, and apricot wheat,

 

[Pelican521]

FWIW, I did a fair amount or research and found people seem to think the nibs work best and in order to extract the best flavor is to soak them in alcohol at least overnight. But I also read people have good luck with powder etc. I guess it's up to personal preference.

I have an oatmeal stout I was planning on racking on 4 oz of nibs in vodka last weekend but when I opened the primary, it still had a thick layer of krausen so I left in another week.

So now today I'm going to rack it on top of my nibs that been soaking for a week in vodka. By now a lot of the chocolate is in the vodka so I'm going to make sure to get all the liquid in. I'm also going to put the nibs in a hop sack.

 

[JLem]

Ok, so based on everything I read here, I am going to make a coffee milk stout. I am using 16oz of cold brewed coffee right at the end of the boil, then I plan to add cocoa nibs and vanilla bean to the secondary. I think I'm going to combine two strategies used here and soak the vanilla beans in a small amount of vodka and boil 8oz nibs in water. I will then add both slurries to the secondary along with 16oz brewed espresso at bottling. Any opinions?

Primary: strawberry wheat
Bottled: maple wheat, honey Hefenweizen, and apricot wheat,

Personally I would just combine the vanilla and nibs and soak them in some vodka. Easier and just as effective.

 

[Rake_Rocko]

Hey guys, not sure if this has been addressed, but I have come across many sources (mainly baking sites) that say that the fats and oils and stuff are still in the nibs. Im wondering if anyone has thought about this and how they addressed it.

This is what I plan to do:
I have been soaking mine for a few weeks in vodka. When the time comes (probably in a few months), I plan on somehow (by somehow I mean, liquid and nibs or just liquid) putting them in the freezer to solidify the fats. I will skim that off and then they will be ready to toss in to secondary.

I want to do this because I think that fats and oils from these nibs will kill the head retention. If I wasnt concerned about the head, then i wouldn't do this, but I love me a nice thick, brown head!

Any thoughts on this?

 

[joeyspit]

@Rake Rocko - I had a 4 oz addition at the end of the boil and 4 oz in secondary. I had no issues with head retention. I had the same thoughts that you had about it originally but was pleasantly surprised with the nice, long lasting head that the beer had.

 

[richlong8020]

I made Midwest' Choc Covered Beavr Nuts. Took out the peanut butter and added banana extract. Also added 1/2 cup of coco powder and 4 oz of cocoa nibs. It looks really chocolatey and delicious. I'd stick with just the 4 oz package.

 

[UnderThePorchBrewing]

same question but different style beer.

am planning on a belgian golden ale with nibs in secondary for Christmas. it is a 2.5 Gallon batch . I have 4 oz nibs but was thinking 2 oz. and save the other two for a stout or porter. or would it be more appropriate to use 1 oz for the style? any suggestions for those who have used nibs? this is the first I will be using them.

 

[Aunt_Ester]

So I've written about this under other nibs threads. I have tried the vodka-soaked method, but the effects weren't really apparent anywhere but in the nose.

UPDATE:

The no-boil, no-soak, add-them-suckers-straight-up method has proven to be a better choice.

The flavor change was unexpected and intense and it's only been two day. I may remove the nibs sooner than later, even though I hoped to serve it for dessert for Thanksgiving.

I added 4oz to 5 gallons in the keg two days ago and it has drastically changed the nose and the flavor. I boiled a muslin bag and some non-flavored dental floss. I added the nibs to the muslin bag and tied the bag with the floss to one of the ball-lock posts.

Please note: if your o-rings are old, the floss may cause a slight leak. A dab of keg lube around the top of the o-ring fixed the sealing problem.

 

[ultravista]

From Jeff Bagby (regarding his Coffee Monster imperial porter):
After full primary fermentation, the beer is chilled over a number of days until cellar temp (32-34). Then it is transferred into a bright tank with coarse ground coffee and cacao nibs. The grounds and nibs are set in the tank before the beer is transferred. The grounds and nibs are tied up in straining bags in the tank. The beer is carbonated and while sitting cold on the grounds and nibs for 48 to 72 hours. Then the beer is pushed into another bright tank and is served from there.

 

[JayUnt]

Are the nibs that you guys using, raw or roasted? Im about to go pick up some raw (because that is what the store has) and wanted to know if I should roast them in the oven or not.

Thanks!

 

[kaconga]

Are the nibs that you guys using, raw or roasted? Im about to go pick up some raw (because that is what the store has) and wanted to know if I should roast them in the oven or not.

Thanks!

I use raw and roast them off myself. Just 170*f for about 10 min. When the kitchen smells of dark chocolate then I know they are done.

 

[kharper6]

I put them straight in from the package. No roasting.

 

[Curtis2010]

I've brewed a Chocolate Stout with powder and it was awesome. Seen a few recipes for Porters. I now have some roasted nibs and thinking about what to do with them. Any other beer style suggestions for using nibs?

 

[JayUnt]

I use raw and roast them off myself. Just 170*f for about 10 min. When the kitchen smells of dark chocolate then I know they are done.

Thanks. Im going to roast them up and then throw them in into 1/2 if the 10 gallons of black ipa that is currently fermenting. Can't wait to try them side by side to see the difference.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Curtis2010]

I've brewed a Chocolate Stout with powder and it was awesome. Seen a few recipes for Porters. I now have some roasted nibs and thinking about what to do with them. Any other beer style suggestions for using nibs?

Nothing?

I'm now thinking of a Schwarzbier with a touch of chocolate.

 

[AgentHubcap]

Anything that has some roast character would probably benefit from nibs

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Curtis2010]

Anything that has some roast character would probably benefit from nibs

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Home Brew mobile app

I think so, just recently tapped a very nice homebrew Schwarzbier. Nice roasty taste. Maybe add some coca nibs to the next batch.

 

[Grinder12000]

This is funny - I had a question about Chocolate nibs and found this pretty good thread. Then I see I answered my question 8 years ago LOL