Chocolate beer

[mysterio]

Brewed this up yesterday, a true experimental batch. My girlfriend helped me with this one, by that I mean she cleaned up behind me.

The ingredients were just bits and bobs I had lying around. I was a bit pissed when I was designing this and measuring it all out. Should be a good one!

Chocolate beer
Robust Porter

Type: All Grain
Date: 10/10/2009
Batch Size: 22.71 L
Boil Size: 26.00 L
Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.20 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.9 EBC) Grain 77.61 %
0.30 kg Biscuit Malt (45.3 EBC) Grain 4.48 %
0.30 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (118.2 EBC) Grain 4.48 %
0.30 kg Caramunich Malt (110.3 EBC) Grain 4.48 %
0.25 kg Chocolate Malt (886.5 EBC) Grain 3.73 %
0.20 kg Black (Patent) Malt (985.0 EBC) Grain 2.99 %
0.09 kg Special B Malt (354.6 EBC) Grain 1.34 %
0.06 kg Roasted Barley (591.0 EBC) Grain 0.90 %
29.00 gm Bravo [13.50 %] (60 min) Hops 34.3 IBU

2x tubs of Green & Blacks cocoa powder at the end of the boil

Yeast is 24g of US-05 fermented at 19c

Alkalinity brought up to 50ppm using co-op spring water

Water treatment for stout in Wheelers calc (lots of CaCl2)

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.062 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.062 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.016 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.011 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.03 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.66 %
Bitterness: 34.3 IBU Calories: 584 cal/l
Est Color: 74.7 EBC Color: Color

My Mash Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Step Add 18.09 L of water at 74.4 C 68.0 C

[196osh]

That sounds awsome.

Have you used Bravo before? I plan on using it for bittering in my Nelson Sauvin and Centennial IPAs.

Fancy bottling one of those?

[mysterio]

Nah its a first time, just using it for alphas, don't really want any hop flavour in this one.

Fancy bottling one of those?

We'll see how it goes! Starting jury duty at the high court tomorrow for fck knows how long

[196osh]

Sorry to hear that man.

Hope it all goes ok.

[dave-o]

As you can see from my sig, I have done a brew using G&B organic cocoa.

I created chocolate syrup by melting 1 tub of G&B and 500g of brown sugar. I added this about 10 minutes before the end of the boil.

The brew does have a slight chocolatey taste. The initial hit is malty, the second hit is hops (pilot and glacier in this case) and this mellows to a subtle choc aftertaste.

I think two tubs will give it a much stronger taste - possibly too much - but i'd love to hear how it turns out after you've tasted it. I had thought i'd go for a full-on choc ale next year, and stick two tubs in.

[mysterio]

Didn't get selected for jury duty

Took a hydro sample because I was worried that the ferment was sluggish. For some reason the fermentation head looks quite lacklustre compared to what i'm used to with this yeast. But, it seems to be proceeding nicely with the gravity around 1.035. I bumped the ferment temp up to 19C.

I took a sip, tastes great even at this early stage. I have to concur, the chocolate is mostly in the aftertaste which is nice. I'll let you know how it turns out. I think chocolate beer is a bloody great idea personally! This is what HB'ing is all about!

Does the orange come through on yours?

[dave-o]

I think chocolate beer is a bloody great idea personally!

I think Choc beer could be the key to getting the fairer sex interested in homebrewing!

Does the orange come through on yours?

Not as much as i hoped, and to be honest i could be imagining any orange taste. I used the grated zest of 6 oranges, added to the boil with about 10 minutes to go.

If i did it again i think i would add about the same amount again to the barrel when kegging it and leave it to stew there.

[CJBrew]

I think Choc beer could be the key to getting the fairer sex interested in homebrewing!

My OH has always liked crisp summer wheat beers. Especially my Lemongrass Wheat beer. I'll post the recipe shortly

Not as much as i hoped, and to be honest i could be imagining any orange taste. I used the grated zest of 6 oranges, added to the boil with about 10 minutes to go.

If i did it again i think i would add about the same amount again to the barrel when kegging it and leave it to stew there.

I'd suggest using dried bitter orange peel. I've not tried it, but I think it would have much more punch than fresh oranges -- I think that's what people usually use in Hoegaarden clones.

[mysterio]

I've tried the dried stuff a few times and i've never picked it up in the beer. Fresh orange works great but you need to use about 2g per L which is a LOT of zest. Even then, it is subtle.

[mysterio]

Having a pint of this now, a few points

- Needs a bit more sweetness. Overall the beer is pretty dry. More crystal next time.
- The chocolate flavour isn't 'complete'. It's more of a two-dimensional, dark, bitter chocolate flavour rather than a nice hot-chocolate type flavour. I think I may dose with some chocolate essence & vanilla essence to round out the chocolate flavour a bit.

I wonder if cocoa powder is even necessary. Might just look for the essence next time.

[6470zzy]

I've tried the dried stuff a few times and i've never picked it up in the beer. Fresh orange works great but you need to use about 2g per L which is a LOT of zest. Even then, it is subtle.

I have had better luck with zest when adding it to the secondary....then too, it is still subtle however slightly more in evidence.

Cheers