Thoughts on adding chocolate?

[Pyro]

I'm curious because I'm in the process of making a chocolate stout at the moment. It has a pretty good taste now and it's coming out of my primary tomorrow and I'm not sure whether or not I would like to add more chocolate. I can decide that for myself though,...just need some opinions.

Is the addiditon of cocoa powder during the boil similar to the addition of hops? I.e...will adding cocoa at the beginning of the boil give it more bitterness? Will adding it @ 30 min provide for more chocolate flavor?...or adding at the end of boil give it more aroma?
What about adding in secondary? what will this do? And is the addition schedule of any adjunct going to do the same thing...(bitterness/flavor/aroma) according to the time you add it?

 

[Bearcat Brewmeister]

Chocolate does not work like hops as far as bitterness/flavor/aroma. In hops, that is a factor of the hop oil sacs bursting and releasing their bitterness and there is not an equivalent in cocoa powder as far as I know. I have made a chocolate cherry stout years ago and only used cocoa powder for the last 15 minutes of the boil.

I would just taste it when you do your transfer to decide if you need to add more cocoa powder into the secondary. Keep in mind that you will want to mix it in water and boil it to sanitize it, then cool it down to add it. This addition of water will dilute your beer if it is a large amount you are considering adding.

EDIT: I just saw your other thread with the recipe for this and noticed the 6 ounces of cocoa powder. I think I used 12 ounces in mine and it wasn't too overpowering.

 

[freyguy]

I had a beer once at Dogfish that Mike Gerhart added chocolate to in the keg. It was their Chicory Stout and he just shaved off some chocolate (regular, not bakers) into the keg about a week before the beer dinner. It added a great touch to the beer. I'd assume you would have to add some kinda strainer to the dip tube, but I'd say it was well worth it. Maybe even put some shavings in a hop ball so you could take it out if it got too strong.

 

[steve123]

We tried Chocolate Liquor and boiled off the alcohol, it sorta worked, just needed to add more then we did we only used 5 oz,


But you already have some flavor so that might be enough

 

[Ryan_PA]

Here is a link to a post I made about a chocolate beer I made (turned out good). At the bottom of the first post is a list of references you can look into:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=40660

 

[sirsloop]

See sig... german chocolate stout...

I'd add cocoa powder at the end of boil. If you put it in early it will taste scorched like like old coffee.

 

[Glibbidy]

Chocolate extract in secondary fermentation will also give you some pretty nifty results.

 

[Ridge Runner]

I used 8oz cocoa powder with 15min left and .5gal cold brewed coffee in my last stout and the chocolate is right where it needs to be.