return to brewing, choc stout

[Scraggy]

Hi guys. Returning to brewing after years (had two kids) and want to make a choc stout. Ive got an idea what i want in it but could anyone give me any help with quantities of the grainbill. Its as below but ny no means final:
23L
Pale 3600
Special B 250
Choc Malt 240
Dark Crystal 200
Roasted Barley 140
Black 60
Lactose 250

EKG 50g for 60 min
EKG 20g for 10 min

Am i way off?
I also want to use cocoa nibs and am thinking about whether to boil, hop(nib)stand, or ferment with them. Any ideas and quantities. id rather under use them and have a stout than over do it and ruin a brew.
Have i got too many ingredients, are my grains too much, too little?
Any thoughts much appreciated. Be gentle, its been years...

[orlando]

Hi guys. Returning to brewing after years (had two kids) and want to make a choc stout. Ive got an idea what i want in it but could anyone give me any help with quantities of the grainbill. Its as below but ny no means final:
23L
Pale 3600
Special B 250
Choc Malt 240
Dark Crystal 200
Roasted Barley 140
Black 60
Lactose 250

EKG 50g for 60 min
EKG 20g for 10 min

Am i way off?
I also want to use cocoa nibs and am thinking about whether to boil, hop(nib)stand, or ferment with them. Any ideas and quantities. id rather under use them and have a stout than over do it and ruin a brew.
Have i got too many ingredients, are my grains too much, too little?
Any thoughts much appreciated. Be gentle, its been years...

Welcome back to the fold. First of all are you sure you want lactose? You say a choc stout but lactose presupposes a milk stout. I would certainly be more cautious with Special B, if anything I would swap the roast barley and SB quantities around. Otherwise it looks OK.

[Scraggy]

Orlando, thanks for taking the time to reply. Im trying to hold a little sweetness, thats why i added the lactose. It is more of a milk stout with chocolate than a chocolate stout i suppose. Duly noted on the specialB and roast barley. Any thoughts on using nibs? I think i read about making a vodka infusion as well. Many ways to add them but I dont want to over do it...

[orlando]

Orlando, thanks for taking the time to reply. Im trying to hold a little sweetness, thats why i added the lactose. It is more of a milk stout with chocolate than a chocolate stout i suppose. Duly noted on the specialB and roast barley. Any thoughts on using nibs? I think i read about making a vodka infusion as well. Many ways to add them but I dont want to over do it...

Rather than use lactose for sweetness mash a bit higher say 67 or 68 and use a low attenuating yeast. As for nibs, I've used them but with little success, your malt selection should give you what you want. If you do go ahead with the nibs I would use in the boil. Infusing them with vodka can add a raw alcohol flavour, something I think unbalances the beer. For really smooth stout consider using some oats or flaked barley. If you want to go "radical" don't mash the dark grains, either steep BIAB style, add the resulting liquour to the boil or, if you can recirculate the mash, add them for 15 minutes either before or at the end of your mash.

[Scraggy]

Thanks again Orlando. Given me something to think about there. I really appreciate it

[orlando]

Thanks again Orlando. Given me something to think about there. I really appreciate it

[Bunglebrewsbeer]

I soaked my nibs in dark rum for a week then lobbed them in the FV like a dry hop. Worked but was far from mega chocolatey.


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[Scraggy]

Thanks Bungle. I think ive convinced myself to dump 100g of nibs into the hopbasket for a 20 minute stand and see what i get that way.
Any other thoughts on the brew anyone. Brewing saturday. Dropped the lactose and addind some oats, swapped specB and roasted barley quant around as advised.

[orlando]

Thanks Bungle. I think ive convinced myself to dump 100g of nibs into the hopbasket for a 20 minute stand and see what i get that way.
Any other thoughts on the brew anyone. Brewing saturday. Dropped the lactose and addind some oats, swapped specB and roasted barley quant around as advised.

Boil the nibs, they are surprisingly hard and I don't think a stand will get at the cocoa element without it. Good idea to use the oats as they will give a little thickness to the mouth feel, as chocolate can coat the palate so giving something of the illusion of chocolate. If you do get some input from the cocoa nibs don't be surprised if you lose the head on the beer fairly quickly, the lipid content will put paid to that.

[Scraggy]

ty orlando. 100g of nibs for all of my my 60 minute boil?

[orlando]

ty orlando. 100g of nibs for all of my my 60 minute boil?

When I used them I put them in with 30 minutes to go but you could try it and see what happens.

[Scraggy]

Three consecutive readings of 1.020 so i guess thats where its finished due to lactose? Bloody tasty though

[orlando]

Three consecutive readings of 1.020 so i guess thats where its finished due to lactose? Bloody tasty though

Shouldn't be lactose, which is unfermentable anyway. There should have been enough Pale Malt so this is more to do with either mash conditions or yeast. How high did you mash, what was starting FG, what temp did you ferment at, how much yeast did you pitch?

[Scraggy]

67/68 degrees, 1.047, 16/18 degrees and so4...

[orlando]

67/68 degrees, 1.047, 16/18 degrees and so4...

Less fermentable wort and possibly temperature a touch low may be behind it.