Any Recipes for Chocolate Cherry Stout?

Some friends were describing their experience with a chocolate cherry stout, it sounds awesome. I am not sure of the best way to get cherry flavor into the brew? In the boil, after the boil?

If anyone has a recipe please post.

Thanks

I've done a cherry stout using extract from a bottle.  I added the flavor at kegging time.  It came in a 5oz bottle and added the whole thing.  The flavor was just a hint, which was nice, not overpowering.
Doing it with cherry extract makes it easier to get the flavor you want, IMHO, add, taste, add a bit more, taste... you get the idea.
cheers
t

If you want to use real cherries it will add a lot of alcohol to your brew but not overwhelming flavor.

The big disadvantage is that the cherries can take quite a while to smooth out.  I brewed a cherry wheat last year with cherry puree and it took well over 6 months before the flavors finally smoothed properly.  It probably won't be nearly as long with a stout, but I thought I should mention it.

If you want something quicker and probably easier, I would go with the flavor extract - but you will need quite a bit (5 oz sounds about right) since the stout itself is a dominant flavor.  You also probably want the stout a bit on the sweet side because the sweetness compliments the cherry flavor.

Cheers!
Brad

Oooh, I don't like using fruit extracts -- more often than not, you get a chemical/perfume flavor and aroma that's not pleasant. I'd rather go the puree route -- it may take time, but it's worth it in the end.

I haven't make a fruit stout, but I did make a few raspberry ales, a cherry ale, and a craisin ale. All of them added frozen or dried fruit in secondary. The fruit in these is subtle, with a nice tart flavor. They are drinkable in two months (primary, add fruit and second primary, secondary, bottle conditioning), but much better after three or four. One of the keys when using real fruit (or puree) is to add enough -- it's always more subtle than you imagine. Last time I used 4 pounds of craisins -- there was a huge mass in my brewpot while I was heating them to pasteurize, and I almost cut the amount in half, but in the end it was a nice subtle flavor and aroma -- perfect.

Whatever you try, please let us know how it turns out.

Guys,

Thanks for the input... I tried the stout in my 3 gal kegs, made one Raspberry, one Strawberry and a fruit mix. The flavors came from extracts and I have to say that they were not good.

The stout is so strong that it takes a lot of flavoring the problem is you start to taste the cough syrup flavor before any fruit flavors come through.

I will try this again using real fruit and let you know how it turns out.

Thanks
BrewZoo

If your recipe works out, please share it!  I had a chocolate cherry stout last year at a bre festival and it was simply incredible... also found a suprise cherry in the bottom of my glass... man!  talk about a good beer experience....  I'm hoping they have a keg of the same at this year's fest.