Cocoa nibs

[Chris Grubb]

I had a brown ale at a local brewery recently with cocoa nibs. It. Was. Awesome...
The smell of cocoa was there, a little roasty taste a little bitter, and overall great flavor, but not too sweet.
I have a brown ale recipe (5 gallon)that would work well with this, but how can I add in the nibs to get similar results? I’m thinking of roasting 4 ounces of nibs. Putting 2 in the mash and 2 after primary fermentation is complete, or maybe 1 in mash and 3 in secondary.
Any tips for getting roasty/bitter smell and flavor out of nibs without too much sweetness?

 

[OpenSights]

I’ve never roasted them... but I’ve made tinctures with them. I haven’t added to secondary yet, but my latest tincture is nibs, whiskey barrel chips and Jim Beam, been soaking in the brew fridge for a few months.

 

[A_McG]

I brewed a 5gal chocolate oatmeal Stout last year. Baught roasted cocoa nibs from Amazon. I used 4oz, soaked in 8oz vodka (tincture) and added after primary fermentation was completed.

Leave in until it's just a little stronger than you'd like it to be, the flavor will mellow.

Of note, a cocoa nib tincture will not impart sweetness to the beer. If you want that, try using the flavor additives available. I haven't personally tried them but my local store recommended using less than what the lable states to use. It can easily overwhelm the beer and leave it sickly sweet

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I used 3 oz unroasted soaked in bourbon on a 5 gallon RIS. Chocolate was really intense at first, but it's mellowed into a really nice dark chocolate note. A fantastic beer.

 

[TandemTails]

Don't put the nibs in the mash or boil, just secondary. I also find that adding a split vanilla bean or pure vanilla extract at the end of fermentation along with the cocoa nibs really helps promote that chocolate flavor.

Also, be careful when roasting the cocoa nibs. They can go from delicious and chocolatey to burnt pieces of carbon in about 2 seconds. I usually line a pan with foil and bake them at a low temp for 10 or so minutes, never leaving the oven window. When the room starts to smell like chocolate chip cookies, you know you're good to go.

edit:
If you really want more of the roasty chocolate flavor and aroma, use chocolate malt in addition to the nibs.

 

[Redpappy]

Don't put the nibs in the mash or boil, just secondary. I also find that adding a split vanilla bean or pure vanilla extract at the end of fermentation along with the cocoa nibs really helps promote that chocolate flavor.

Also, be careful when roasting the cocoa nibs. They can go from delicious and chocolatey to burnt pieces of carbon in about 2 seconds. I usually line a pan with foil and bake them at a low temp for 10 or so minutes, never leaving the oven window. When the room starts to smell like chocolate chip cookies, you know you're good to go.

edit:
If you really want more of the roasty chocolate flavor and aroma, use chocolate malt in addition to the nibs.

How much extract would you add for a 5 gal batch?

 

[TandemTails]

How much extract would you add for a 5 gal batch?

I'd start with 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons and go from there. You can always taste before bottling / kegging and add more as needed. Vanilla extract is pretty powerful stuff and a little goes a long way. You don't necessarily want to make a vanilla beer, you just want it there almost on the edge of perception in the background to help bring out the chocolate.

Plus it's expensive as heck so i try to go low on the amounts haha

 

[Chris Grubb]

Don't put the nibs in the mash or boil, just secondary. I also find that adding a split vanilla bean or pure vanilla extract at the end of fermentation along with the cocoa nibs really helps promote that chocolate flavor.

Also, be careful when roasting the cocoa nibs. They can go from delicious and chocolatey to burnt pieces of carbon in about 2 seconds. I usually line a pan with foil and bake them at a low temp for 10 or so minutes, never leaving the oven window. When the room starts to smell like chocolate chip cookies, you know you're good to go.

edit:
If you really want more of the roasty chocolate flavor and aroma, use chocolate malt in addition to the nibs.

Thanks for the info! I have seen some places say it’s ok to add to mash and other places not to. What is your reasoning for saying not to? Oil in the nibs that kills head, or other reasons?

 

[TandemTails]

Thanks for the info! I have seen some places say it’s ok to add to mash and other places not to. What is your reasoning for saying not to? Oil in the nibs that kills head, or other reasons?

There's simply no reason to add them to the mash. throwing them into the carboy a week before bottling/kegging extracts a ton of flavor and is super easy. Putting the nibs through a mash, boiling the heck out of any flavor and aroma and then putting that through fermentation just isn't necessary. It's similar to the reason people (usually) don't throw hops in the mash and instead do them late in the boil or as dry hop additions for flavor and aroma.