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Brewing with Cocoa

Viper_44

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I have seen many recipes that have chocolate in them but for the most part they are dark beers (Porters and Stouts). I am very interested in trying to make a Chocolate Wheat beer but I have some concerns. In some recipes that use cocoa they add it during the last 10 minutes of the boil and others put it in during fermentation. Anyone have any ideas on what would make more sense and why choose one over the other? Also, I am thinking of using California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) for my yeast but I am concerned about the possibility of a high OG with the addition of the cocoa nibs. Not sure how this will affect the yeast or the taste of the final product.
 
I added cocoa to the secondary In my baltic porter recipe (Toms baltic porter on the cloud). It turned out great.
At sg 1.020, I started secondary fermentation.
Half batch (2.5 gals) was flavoured with cocoa, coffee, home made candy sugar, dry hops and whiskey barrel oak chips. I dissolved cocoa and sugar  in  about 2 cups boiling water and added to the secondary. I put the coffee and dry hops in a cheesecloth sack.
Even though it was dissolved originally,I saw the cocoa settle out by the time it finished. It imparted a great chocolaty flavour to the finished beer. It took another 3 weeks to finish due to sugar bumping up the SG.
I did it that way to, IMHO;  avoid the cocoa influencing the start of fermentation, and possibly staining my primary fermentor.
Only my own personal preference to avoid the cocoa in the boil.
 
I like to dry spice with cocoa nibs in secondary.  Works well in porters and stouts.  I am currently doing this in an Imperial Chocolate Stout I brewed for my daughter.  Look into obtaining your powder and nibs from restaurant supply companies. We get nibs & powder at work that were grown in a plantation that is surrounded by banana plantations.  You get a very subtle banana flavor.  That is what I am dry spicing with now.   
 
Cocoa pods are harvested then fermented under banana leaves.  Then roasted to get rid of the shell.  The nibs are what is left.  They have no sugar.  In that state they are more nutty than anything else.  Try roasting nibs in the oven 300F 15 min or to your taste, add after ferment is done. Ecuador seems to be the best producer. You need a beer with sweetness to enhance the chocolate or you get bitterness.
 
There are many ways to add chocolate flavor.

Following is a list of methods I have used and some that I haven't used:
  • Chocolate coffee.  I've done this via four different methods.  A pot of freshly brewed coffee in the secondary.  One pint of espresso in the secondary.  Cold steeped in vodka and added to the secondary.  Coffee beans directly in the secondary.  My favorite chocolate coffee is Millstone Velvet Chocolate coffee.  Using the pot of coffee in the secondary with Millstone, I had a Russian Imperial Stout score 43 at a homebrew competition.
  • Chocolate candy, such as hersheys special dark chocolate or tootsie rolls.  Every other year I make a tootsie roll stout.  I turn the heat off of the boil with 10 minutes to go and stir in 6 pounds of tootsie rolls.  Once they are melted, I finish out the boil.
  • Cocoa powder. I have not used this method.
  • Cocoa nibs. I have used cocoa nibs numerous times with success.  I currently have a keg of Russian Imperial Stout that I used them in on tap in my keezer.  I also have some bottles of a blend of that same beer with a Belgian Strong on Syrah grapes bottled.  I even blended that beer with a sour (this one is aging) and with a Belgian dark strong (this one is on tap in my keezer).
  • Chocolate extract. I have not used this method.
 
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