I recently brewed an oatmeal cream stout from the Mashmaker book (recipe here https://growlermag.com/homebrew-recipe-oatmeal-cream-double-stout/) with the intention of adding some chocolate & hazelnut flavours. Main difference initially is that I added some cacao nibs to the mash. I hit the OG, however the FG has come out at 1.032, rather than the expected ~1.015... I had read the yeast I was using is highly flocculant, so I pitched some more after 2 weeks, to no avail. Fermentation schedule looked like …

I'm know enjoying my first batch of beer. I think, it will be some kinda use for those who are hesitating to start their brew or still researching. I did quite much research before i did brew. During brew day I was much afraid of contaminating wort. It happened at some level but finished beer is ok. I will explain how. First, I malted my own barley and roasted it. It took me quite long time to malt 5 kg …

I am brewing an Imperial Stout (OG 1.081) and it is in primary now. I want to rack to secondary in one gallon jugs and want to flavor each differently. I have read through the coffee posts on here but cannot find good recommendations for exact measurements and methods. The question. For one gallon how much coffee should be used. I was going to lightly grind the beans (low acid light roast) and "dry hop" them in secondary. A range …

I'm hoping to get some confirmation on what is probably a stupid question. I'm getting ready to rack a chocolate coffee milk stout and am going to be using nibs for the first time. I understand soaking them in vodka for ~2 weeks is ideal for a lot of reasons so that is the route I've gone. My question is- do you add in all of the soaked nibs + vodka? Or do you drain the vodka and only add …

I am going to be brewing the Zymurgy KBS clone, but a little nervous with some of the additions listed: 2.5 oz Belg Bittersweet Choc and 1.5 oz unsweetened cocoa nibs @ 15 mins. ***I read that adding straight chocolate to the boil will kill the head retention due to the oils. Can I cold crash the primary and skim the oil layer before racking into the second? adding 2 oz of GROUND Sumatran coffee @ Flameout. Will this be …

I recently made a 5 gallon All Grain Porter and added 13oz of Choc. PB2 at the last 10 minutes of the boil. Though the flavors were there it was extremely light and would like to get more of a PB taste. Would it be smarter to add it as a whirlpool or perhaps as a vodka extract in the secondary? Any help would be great.

I made a chocolate stout a while back that's kind of astrigent. I'm not sure I would call it sour, but it makes you pucker a bit. It had 8 oz of Trader Joe's Tumaco cocoa powder added in primary, no secondary. I've read that alkalized or Dutch processed cocoa powder reduces the acidity and astrigency, so I think it was the cocoa powder that caused it. The base recipe was the partial mash oatmeal stout from Brewing Classic Styles. …

It's cider brewing time of the year and I'm thinking of doing a cherry chocolate cider. My question is whether I should boil the cherries and chocolate nibs in a portions of the cider prior to pitching the yeast, just pitch the cherries (pureed) and nibs in the carboy to "soak" during the fermentation, or to use a cheesecloth bag during the fermentation. Each has its plusses and minusses. Any of you folk have some preferences or suggestions? I'm leaning …

I am currently about 2 weeks into the primary fermentation a black stout to which I added 8oz of unsweetened cacao powder during the boil. The gravity seems to be stuck at 1.022 rather than the 1.014-1.018 that was predicted by the recipe. It doesn't seem that far off of the predicted gravity so I wonder if the chocolate could make a difference. Would adding the cacao affect the final gravity of the beer?

6.6 lbs. (3.0 kg) Briess light, unhopped, malt extract 1.7 lbs. (0.77 kg) light dry extract 22 oz. (0.62 kg) flaked oats 1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) chocolate malt (350 °L) 12 oz. (0.34 kg) roast barley malt (450 °L) 9.0 oz. (0.25 kg) debittered, black malt (530 °L) 7.0 oz. (0.19 kg) crystal malt (120 °L) 2.0 oz. (57 g) ground French Pressed Sumatran coffee 2.0 oz. (57 g) ground Cold Pressed Kona coffee 2.5 oz. (71 g) Scharffen Berger …

In Radical Brewing, Randy Mosher has a great section on 10 ways to improve stout brewing (including home-roasting flaked oats/funky grains). I plan on employing several of these techniques, including ~5% acidulated malt, into a big, bold stout I am brewing for my brother's 50th. He and I have had some great times in New Orleans, including my own bachelor party, and he's a huge fan of the chicory coffee. I was thinking of basing the style on Jamil's American …

I want to add cocoa or chocolate to a beer, but cocoa powder isn't very soluble in water. What methods/alternatives do I have? I prefer to avoid extracts, if possible. I don't think I can find nibs at any local grocery stores. The beer is already on secondary.

When using cacao nibs to brew a chocolate stout, should they be added in the boil (if so, when?), in the secondary fermenter, or both? Is there a better ingredient to add to produce the chocolate flavor?