Pale Chocolate

[rodwha]

I'm looking at using the extra pale chocolate (Crisp) I'll be ordering soon in another beer. I've never used this before (always a dark chocolate) and am wondering how 1/4 lb vs 1/2 lb would be in a beer (5 gal). Will it become roasty as dark chocolate does or does it become more pronounced?

This is what I'm considering (leftovers from brown ale recipe) for a 5 gal partial mash/partial boil:

4 lbs golden light LME (FO)
2.75 lbs 2-row
0.25-0.5 lb pale chocolate
0.25 lb crystal 60
0.25 lb crystal 120
0.25 lb soft white wheat berries
0.25 lb carapils
1 oz Willamette @ 77
0.5 oz Willamette @ 21/7 mins
US-05

1.049/1.010
5.2% ABV
25 IBU's
12 SRM (1/4 lb chocolate)

 

[rodwha]

Anyone?

 

[rodwha]

Nobody at all?

 

[rhys333]

I find pale chocolate has more of a lighter milk chocolate profile (and toasty vs roasty). I've combined it 50/50 with regular chocolate for complexity. Recipe looks decent. I'd go 1/2 lb. Maybe a lower attenuating English yeast though, but that's just me.

 

[Brewsncrabs]

I always use a 1/4lb in my brown ales as I dislike a strong roasty flavor. This gives me a nice chocolate flavor with just a touch of roast. I have never used more as I like it this way and am afraid to use more. I use Crisp.


Beer and crabs were meant for each other!

 

[stevedasleeve]

What color is the "extra" pale chocolate? I like the pale chocolate for Amber/red ales, and bitters - a touch of mild roast, nice color. I' use 0.25 lbs in a 5 gallon batch If you up the crystal malt a bit you'll have a nice Amber.

 

[rodwha]

I am using the leftover crystal and chocolate to make this amber as MoreBeer only sells by the pound.

I've swapped out the 120 for 90 so that the amber wasn't nearly a brown itself, though it did make my brown a little closer to an amber. Oh well...

According to MoreBeer the Crisp pale chocolate is 200-250L.

I found that MoreBeer now sells ultralight LME in 3 lb bags which helps me to use a larger mash as I like to do 5-6.5 lbs of grains. I'm also considering swapping out a pound of 2-row with Maris Otter, but I'm thinking I may have enough going on as is.

 

[Braufessor]

It is a great grain.... I use it all the time in Dark Milds and Brown Ales. Softer, nuttier, smoother flavors I think than regular chocolate.

I have not used it in an Amber Ale. I brew a lot of ambers and I generally rely on a couple ounces of Carafa II or III for any color tweaking I need to do in addition to the caramel malts that are in it. Not saying the pale chocolate will be bad in an amber. Just no sure how it will fit. A quarter pound is going to be right on the border of bringing "roasty" notes through. Either way it should be a good beer. Just going to be whether or not it is leaning toward a brown ale or leaning toward an amber ale.

 

[rodwha]

This is my revision so far (5.25 gal partial mash/partial boil):

3 lbs ultralight LME (FO)
3.5 lbs 2-row
0.5 lb pale chocolate
0.5 lb carapils
0.5 lb soft white wheat berries
0.25 lb crystal 60
0.25 lb crystal 90
0.75 oz Mt Hood @ 70/21 mins
0.5 oz Mt Hood @ 7 mins
US-05

1.048/1.010
5.0% ABV
29 IBU's
15 SRM

*edit*
Had to swap the 60 for 40 and carapils for carafoam as they were backordered. Oddly I'm now getting 5.1% ABV and 28 IBU's.

 

[rodwha]

SWMBO bought another bottle of Boulevard's Smokestack series Chocolate ale and it is quite nice. It's amber in hue and has a subtle chocolate flavor. It's what gave me the idea when I had small portions of 60 and 120 (now 90) left do deal with. I'm hoping for a MM2 under the tree this year! I've certainly been pushing for it!

http://www.boulevard.com/BoulevardBeers/chocolate-ale/