I'm crafted a recipe for a Mexican hot chocolate stout. I'd love your collective wisdom. My goal is: medium body, moderately chocolatey, somewhat sweet (lactose and vanilla to bring out more chocolate sweetness), somewhat roastey, and with mild-moderate chili flavor, and a TOUCH of heat.
Style: Foreign Extra Stout
OG: 1.070 (1.055-1.080)
Est color: 31SRM (30-40)
Yeast: S04 or dry lager yeast (using dry yeast for now)
Grist:
75% pale malt (I've got some maris otter to burn)
15% pale chocolate malt (I've found it tastes like milk chocolate to crunch on)
5% roast barley (for the backbone)
5% carafoam (for head retention)
Neutral bittering hop: 45IBU (to something like 0.666-0.75IBU/OG)
Added to this:
1/2lb to 1lb lactose (for a 5G batch)
Mash @ 152 for medium body
in keg/secondary, to taste:
-vodka infused with dried ancho peppers or ancho powder
-vodka infused with cayenne
-cinnamon extract
-vanilla extract
-possibly chocolate extract
I've had good results using extracts, they allow better control of flavor than just throwing cinnamon sticks or chocolate nibs into secondary. I'll pour a sample, use a dropper to add extract, swirl, taste, and then adjust. It worked really well with my take on an orange creamsicle ale.
Thoughts? I'm uncertain about how much dark malt I've scheduled (20%) and whether pale chocolate will be better than regular chocolate.
Style: Foreign Extra Stout
OG: 1.070 (1.055-1.080)
Est color: 31SRM (30-40)
Yeast: S04 or dry lager yeast (using dry yeast for now)
Grist:
75% pale malt (I've got some maris otter to burn)
15% pale chocolate malt (I've found it tastes like milk chocolate to crunch on)
5% roast barley (for the backbone)
5% carafoam (for head retention)
Neutral bittering hop: 45IBU (to something like 0.666-0.75IBU/OG)
Added to this:
1/2lb to 1lb lactose (for a 5G batch)
Mash @ 152 for medium body
in keg/secondary, to taste:
-vodka infused with dried ancho peppers or ancho powder
-vodka infused with cayenne
-cinnamon extract
-vanilla extract
-possibly chocolate extract
I've had good results using extracts, they allow better control of flavor than just throwing cinnamon sticks or chocolate nibs into secondary. I'll pour a sample, use a dropper to add extract, swirl, taste, and then adjust. It worked really well with my take on an orange creamsicle ale.
Thoughts? I'm uncertain about how much dark malt I've scheduled (20%) and whether pale chocolate will be better than regular chocolate.
