It surprised me today when I read in my local newspaper that the Dutch discovered that alkalyzing their cocoa made it much better and that discovery occurred in the 1800's. That confirms what I've been saying for years, that brewing darker styles at slightly higher pH does result in smoother, milder, and less astringent roast flavors in beer.
The Dutch found that alkalyzing their cocoa to a pH between 7 and 8 results in darker color and smoother and milder chocolate flavor. Since we roast malt and grain for the same reasons in brewing as they do for chocolate and coffee, seeing that this process has been conducted for well over a hundred years helps add to the validity that I've espoused for brewing darker styles.
I wrote a bit more on the Bru'n Water facebook page.
The Dutch found that alkalyzing their cocoa to a pH between 7 and 8 results in darker color and smoother and milder chocolate flavor. Since we roast malt and grain for the same reasons in brewing as they do for chocolate and coffee, seeing that this process has been conducted for well over a hundred years helps add to the validity that I've espoused for brewing darker styles.
I wrote a bit more on the Bru'n Water facebook page.