Need help with my chocolate-cream stout

[clint1019]

I made my first attempt at brewing a stout recently. It had a great flavor, wonderful mocha expresso aroma, and was as dark as motor oil. There was just one problem with it. The one thing that I really enjoy about drinking a good stout is the thick, frothy, creamy head. My stout did not have this. In fact when poured in the glass initially there is no head. The longer it sits in the glass the more it starts to develop a little bit of head, but it is not the thick, creamy, frothy head I am looking for. Can anyone give me some suggestions of what I might do different next time? The following is a list of ingredients I used:

American 2 Row Pale
Roasted Barley
Chocolate Malt
120 L Crystal
Molasses
Cocoa Powder
Bittersweet Chocolate
Lactose
Expresso
Mt. Hood
Cenntennial
Safale US-05 Yeast

 

[Okie12beer]

That is interesting timing. I brewed my 2nd attempt at a great chocolate stout last night. The one thing that stands out to me is the bittersweet chocolate. It may have oil in it. The cocoa powder I assume is like an 8oz container of pure cocoa from Hersey's. If the Bittersweet Chocolate looks more like a chocolate bar check the ingredients and see if they have soy oil or something in it that may be killing the head.
You might drop that out and get some Chocolate extract from Amazon. I picked up some 2oz bottles that worked great. My first attempt needed a little more chocolate so I put some extract straight in the keg and that helped. This new batch is going to get a full 2 oz bottle in a bottling bucket or into the keg depending on which way this batch goes.

 

[El_Exorcisto]

The oils in the chocolate are killing your head. Drink up and be happy at how it tastes. Unfortunately, your head retention will always suffer at the hands of oily chocolate.

 

[Okie12beer]

The Cocoa Powder & Lactose are ok. I had those & chocolate extract in mine and the head was great.