i think chocolate doesn't like me....

[sputnam]

i brewed 2 beers yesterday, a pale ale and a choco porter. They each used the same yeast (a repitch from a previous batch - wyeast 1056). Brew day went great, numbers were dang near perfect, I awoke to a nice 1/4" krausen on each beer. Fast forward 9 hours later, the pale ale has 2" krausen, choco porter's krausen has diappeared. I can see the yeasties swimming around (or whatever it is they do) and some bubbling but absolutely no foam. There are some sorta spooky looking bubbles, similar to the bubbles from a (i think) lacto infected (also choco porter). Both of these beers are over 1.06. I used a yeast calc and gave them what was called for.

btw - my first choco porter that went south was mashed with a chocolate cereal, yesterday's had a cup of unsweetened cocoa at 30 mins.


any thoughts?

 

[m00ps]

I think you shouldve used cacao nibs, or at least added the powder at like 1 min.
Nibs work the best for me by far and if you search around here, you'll find many others have had success with them too

 

[sputnam]

I think you shouldve used cacao nibs, or at least added the powder at like 1 min.
Nibs work the best for me by far and if you search around here, you'll find many others have had success with them too

i used cocoa nibs before...i am trying to decide where the best choco flavor comes from....so far, the one with nibs wins cause it's the only one that made it to the tasting!

 

[LandoLincoln]

Eh. I have had pretty bad results using cocoa nibs. No infections, but just not very chocolatey notes like I wanted.

I got a lot more chocolate notes out of using malts like chocolate wheat and such instead of depending on cocoa nibs.

 

[Mike_kever_kombi]

If using Hershey unsweetened cocoa powder, you do not want to add it in any sooner than 10 minutes left in boil. All you are trying to do is sanitize it, I only add it that soon as it tends to clump on me. Theoretically it should be sanitized enough if the packaging is still sealed. Adding it in with 30 minutes left, will most likely scorch it, leading to burnt (plastic) taste.

But enough with that, I am interested in this count chocula Porter you made, do tell.

 

[sputnam]

But enough with that, I am interested in this count chocula Porter you made, do tell.[/QUOTE]

haha, started out being count chocula but the grocery store didn't have any. I was also looking for cap'n crunch peanut butter to add in with it...also out. Before I left I looked up and saw a box of Reese's pb and choco cereal. Wow! Was I ever excited. long story short, it had white greasy looking bubbles on it after 2 weeks...i poured it out without ever even tasting it. Sometimes you do stuff you regret. anyway, i'm scared to brew with cereal again.

if you get a hankerin', i strongly suggest rice hulls if you put it in the mash.

 

[Mike_kever_kombi]

Both chocolate and peanut butter contain high amounts of fat, that is one of the hurdles in brewing with them. Hershey's cocoa powder is fat free, I believe. I have experienced the same Exxon Valdez oil slicks you describe, in some of my previous batches, especially with peanut butter. I just rack from beneath the oil

 

[rocketsan]

If you boil water and add it to cocoa in a cup, you can make a good slurry that will mix efficiently...

 

[sww35]

Both chocolate and peanut butter contain high amounts of fat, that is one of the hurdles in brewing with them. Hershey's cocoa powder is fat free, I believe. I have experienced the same Exxon Valdez oil slicks you describe, in some of my previous batches, especially with peanut butter. I just rack from beneath the oil

You could look up a product called PB2, which is a healthy alternative to peanut butter. I think it is pretty much powder form peanut shells but, one is to mix the powder with water or milk to a constancy almost like peanut butter and use as a PB alternative.

 

[sputnam]

well, i found the problem and am posting my :smack: moment in hopes that it may help someone at sometime. I installed the bung on the carboy, put it in the fermenter and then installed the airlock. Without being able to see the top of the bung, I inadvertantly crammed the airlockbetween it's hole and the side of the bung.
I do not understand the physics of this (maybe back pressure) but i put the airlock in the hole last night around 6 and awoke to a beautiful 2'' krausen...ahhhhh.