Mashing Chocolate (The food, not the malt)

[SpanishCastleAle]

That's purty KingBrian. How do you get the foam so light-colored?

 

[KingBrianI]

That's purty KingBrian. How do you get the foam so light-colored?

I'm not sure actually. I know I've done stouts before with darker foam, but this and my guinness/murphy's style dry stouts have very light-colored heads. I'm sure the nitro dispense helps lighten the color (since it creates such fine bubbles) but other than that, it must just be the relatively low amount of dark grains. I think the SRM for this beer was around 30 or something.

 

[emjay]

Nice, mine should hopefully look the same... I even have the identical glass.

 

[ChshreCat]

That's purty KingBrian. How do you get the foam so light-colored?

Photoshop

 

[Dymnas]

isn't roasted barley supposed to yield a white head while the other roasted malts give off brown?

 

[KingBrianI]

isn't roasted barley supposed to yield a white head while the other roasted malts give off brown?

I'd heard that too, but the only dark malt in the beer in the photo I posted was chocolate malt.

 

[emjay]

It really depends more on the proportion of darker malts. If you're using a ton of base malt and a bit of roasted malts, I've found the head ends up much lighter than achieving the same SRM through the use of a greater amount of less dark malts like caramel, brown, pale chocolate, etc.

 

[molsonG]

how is this one doing with age? chocolate increasing? fading any?

 

[fastricky]

Great thread! Curious to know the brand of extract you used?

 

[KingBrianI]

how is this one doing with age? chocolate increasing? fading any?

Its holding pretty steady. So far so good.

Great thread! Curious to know the brand of extract you used?

I used the star kay white stuff I linked to on the first page.

 

[fastricky]

Ah, missed that... thanks!

Were you happy with its flavor? Not too artificial?

 

[NJstout]

update?

 

[KingBrianI]

Ah, missed that... thanks!

Were you happy with its flavor? Not too artificial?

Oops, sorry I missed this. I'm only a year late. No, it wasn't too artificial with the small amount I used. I think if you went crazy with it then you could have a problem, though.

update?

I finished that keg long ago, and can't remember if it changed at all. Haven't brewed a chocolate stout since.