Need Recipe Advice: Chocolate Cherry Stout

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PistolaPete

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Listed below is a recipe based closely on Jamil's Black Forest Stout from the "Brewing Classic Styles" book. I read some posts on here about other people who have done this recipe and some said it came out too "roasty", while others said it had too much cherry flavor. I am going use all of the cherry puree the recipe called for but I did lower the amount of roasted barley from .75 lbs to only .5 lbs. Any thoughts on whether I should leave the roasted barley at .75 lbs or if I should drop it to .5 lbs?

Fermentables Efficiency: 70.0% Batch size: 5.0 gal
1.075 OG
1.019 FG
37 IBU
7.3% ABV (7.6-8% w/ cherry puree added ?)


Fermentable Amount Use PPG Color
Light LME 6.6 lb 53% Late Boil 35 4 °L
Pale Ale (CA) 3.5 lb 28% Mash 37 3 °L
Crystal 40L (US) 10 oz 5% Steep 34 40 °L
Crystal 80L (US) 10 oz 5% Steep 33 80 °L
Chocolate 0.5 lb 4% Steep 34 425 °L
Roasted Barley 0.5 lb 4% Steep 29 550 °L

Hops Boil time: 60 min
Type Amount Time Use Form AA
Golding (UK) 2.2 oz 60 min Boil Pellet 7.2%

Yeasts
Nottingham Danstar

Extras
Name Amount Time Use
Cocoa Powder 0.5 lb Flameout
Cherry Puree 6.125 lb 2 weeks Secondary
 
I like a really roasted flavor so I'd keep it at 0.75. However, because you are using the good cherry, you're going to get a nice flavor boost. If you like cherry beer, I'd reduce it because it will highlight the sweetness.
 
Jamil is very concerned with balance in his beers and the fact that some people said it was too roasty and other said it was too cherry-ish makes me think I should just leave the recipe where it's at and see what happens. After all, all the recipes in that book are "award winning"!
 
Jamil is very concerned with balance in his beers and the fact that some people said it was too roasty and other said it was too cherry-ish makes me think I should just leave the recipe where it's at and see what happens. After all, all the recipes in that book are "award winning"!

I'd do that too. You could always brew it again and change it.
 
Couldn't one just add the cherry purée to the primary bucket?

Oh man, that's a whole other can-o-worms you are opening there! I am a "primary only" type of brewer but and I am temped to do the secondary on this one since the recipe recommends it. But the recipe also says: (I will paraphrase here) "Try to bring as much of the cocoa as you can along with the transfer to the secondary for optimal chocolate flavor." Which begs the question: How do you transfer the cocoa but not the trub??? There are several threads on here with many people on both sides of the fence. Just do a search for "Add puree to primary?" and you will also fall down the never ending primary vs secondary rabbit hole!
 
I've had great results with adding cacao nibs to the secondary. I have also always subscribed to adding fruit puree to the secondary. I would add the puree to an empty, clean, sanitized fermenter, then rack the stout onto the fruit, then add a muslin bag with about 7 or 8 oz. of cacao nibs to the fermenter and let er buck for 2 weeks. Tie a string (floss works great, non flavored of course) to the sack of cacao so it hangs in the middle of the carboy. Just my 2 cents.
 
I've had great results with adding cacao nibs to the secondary. I have also always subscribed to adding fruit puree to the secondary. I would add the puree to an empty, clean, sanitized fermenter, then rack the stout onto the fruit, then add a muslin bag with about 7 or 8 oz. of cacao nibs to the fermenter and let er buck for 2 weeks. Tie a string (floss works great, non flavored of course) to the sack of cacao so it hangs in the middle of the carboy. Just my 2 cents.

I might try adding cocoa nibs on the 2nd version I brew to see how it changes the flavor. Thanks for the info!
 
So let's say I have an imperial stout going and I have 4 oz of nibs in there and maybe forgot about them for the past 3 months. What should I expect?
 
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