Double chocolate stout, how bad did I mess up?

[Lesterclan]

First attempt at a chocolate stout and I missed the part where it said to add the cocoa powder during the last 15 minutes of boil. I added it at the beginning. Just how big of a mistake was this? The wort tasted pretty good at the end of my boil, but I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar experience to enlighten me on.

Thanks in advance!

 

[day_trippr]

Not a big deal. The earlier you add the cocoa the less of its character will be retained as some of the lighter notes will be boiled off.
I add cocoa powder in the last five minutes of the boil...

Cheers!

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Not ideal, not the end of the world, although you'll probably have lost quite a bit of its chocolatiness. If you're that bothered about it, either boil up some more cocoa in a small amount of water for 5 minutes and add it as a "tea" and/or add say 4oz of chocolate nibs to the fermenter for a week.

This thread has more ideas : https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/youngs-double-chocolate.19157/

 

[Lesterclan]

Thanks for the replies! The recipe calls for nibs in secondary, so maybe I'll get a little "tea" going and top off with it.

 

[JacktardBrewmeister]

With what has already been said. You'll loose some of the chocolate taste from the powder (think watery chocolate milk) but if you add the nibs it should help. If you still feel your weak on the chocolate...You could, dare I say, add a 1/4 to 1 cup of chocolate powder to a cup of chocolate vodka for secondary as well and let that sit for at least 2 days, preferably a week. But meh, I'm INSANE!!!

 

[Lesterclan]

With what has already been said. You'll loose some of the chocolate taste from the powder (think watery chocolate milk) but if you add the nibs it should help. If you still feel your weak on the chocolate...You could, dare I say, add a 1/4 to 1 cup of chocolate powder to a cup of chocolate vodka for secondary as well and let that sit for at least 2 days, preferably a week. But meh, I'm INSANE!!!

In my experience, the insane ideas often pay off better than anything else! I'm going to try a taste again when I take my gravity reading after 1 week. Then I'll decide which way I want to go. Thanks!

 

[JacktardBrewmeister]

Hopefully it works! Double check the principle practices on sterilization with vodka and plan accordingly. I think I forgot to mention how long it might take for the chocolatepowder/vodka combo to actually become sterile before introducing it to the fermenting beer. b^^

EDIT: Also consider putting the powder in a cheese cloth/muslin bag. Something registered off in my scatterbrained head this late to say this.

 

[Shwagger]

Add 2 or more oz of a good choco extract at bottling

 

[Lesterclan]

Turned out pretty tasty! Got pretty much all of the chocolate flavor from the nibs I think due to the flavor profile. All in all, not too shabby.

 

[Redpappy]

Is that dinner?

 

[Lesterclan]

Is that dinner?

Hahahaha dinner was on the grill. Ribeyes, twice baked potatoes, and corn. Went pretty well with the drink! CO2 was a little high, have since turned it down a little bit to get a better head.