Cocoa Nibs or Powder???

[Jtwillis]

I have brewed a chocolate milk stout that came out very good. I used Hershey's Cocoa Powder in the boil and there was a lot of chocolate trub. You can also see some remnants of powder when they beer is poured.

I have never used Cocoa Nibs, should I start going with the nibs than the actual power?

Thanks

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

I don't think I would want coco powder in the final product, I would experiment with a 1 gallon batch and use nibs. I have good luck with them.

 

[sonofred]

I would. Never tried actual Cocoa Powder but it sounds like a real mess to deal with. I do a tincture with the nibs then can have more control over the flavor profile.

 

[Homercidal]

My chocolate stout uses 8 ounces of cocoa powder in the boil, and 8 ounces of nibs in the secondary. There is a lot of trub using powder, but I like the way it turns out and it's worth it for such a small price to pay.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

I stand corrected, and I guess really thinking about it I have used PB2 before. I just don't recall powder in the final product...I just wouldn't like that. PB2 has a lot of trudge as well.

 

[Jtwillis]

Thank you. Would I use the coca nibs in fermentation?

 

[TandemTails]

Wait until fermentation has stopped and then add the nibs. I wait at least 2 weeks for primary fermentation to stop and then add my nibs for a week before bottling.

 

[Homercidal]

I would rack to secondary before adding nibs. I don't always recommend secondary, but in this case I would because if you add to primary, the nibs are likely to sink down into the trub. generally that's not a big problem with hops, which are more buoyant and don't tend to sink down like that.

Some nibs will float, but if you are careful when racking, there isn't a real downside to using a secondary for this kind of thing. Just don't splash and try to avoid a large headspace with air in it. I like to flush the headspace, which is a nice option for those who have kegging equipment.

 

[Cyclman]

Nibs all the way, I just don't like the way cocoa powder adds flavor.