Adding chocolate mousse to an all grain brew.

[Not For Horses]

The first reply does.

It did?

The head retention was the first issue that I thought of. The fats and oils in the cream either increase or decrease the hydrophobic property of the beer which makes it near impossible for bubbles to form.
Then there is also the possibility of coagulation of milk proteins due to the ph of the beer.
There is also the potential for coagulation to occur due to the presence of alcohol but I think that is less likely because the abv needs to be higher. TimT might know about that one...

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

I think you just answered your own question

 

[Not For Horses]

Well true but it wasn't my question. That was kind of my point.

 

[Milk-lizard84]

Well after reading all the responses I've decided against the idea as it sounds impossible
So my next question is in regards to adding cocao nibs are they just added to the secondary? Also do you just add them in or do they have to be prepared a certain way, maybe milled?

 

[TimT]

When I chuck in milk into my beers it's already been turned into whey - ie, the substance you're left with after you take the fatty curds out. There is fat left in it but I've never noticed it separating out in the beer, or coagulating separately at the bottom. I'm not sure how it affects head retention; I think I'd need to do a few more comparative brews.

 

[Mardoo]

Actually genuine chocolate mousse has no cream in it. However the other ingredients might be a problem. Egg whites, chocolate, egg yolks, butter, sugar. And it rocks the cheap imitator mousses right off the planet.

How about a chocolate stout mousse?

 

[TimT]

Yeah, could do a chocy stout mousse idea. Cocoa stirred in at the end of the boil; whey or lactose for sweetness to go against the bitterness of the cocoa, dark grains, and hops; something to give it a rich creamy head - wheat, melanoidin, oats.... Could be done.

(Typical of this site really; now we know you're not going to do something we go ahead and work out how to do it anyway...)

 

[Droopy Brew]

I would have thought the major issue is that any dairy product is likely to go off after about 7 days and turn everything sour. Lactobacillus anyone?

 

[TimT]

Droopy, you get over that hurdle by boiling whatever dairy you put in to kill the lacto.

 

[Droopy Brew]

That would probably do it. I still reckon my Kekap Manis idea has merit- if chocolate mousse can go in beer surely soy sauce can?

 

[Milk-lizard84]

Haha amazing. This is why I love this forum. Put up what seems to be a stupid question and get great answers. I'll put up the recipe later that I intend to use.

 

[Milk-lizard84]

This is the recipe I want to use. I got it from the brewing classic beer styles book.

 

[manticle]

That would probably do it. I still reckon my Kekap Manis idea has merit- if chocolate mousse can go in beer surely soy sauce can?

Too much sodium is toxic to yeast so that would need to be considered (my instant reaction is also - eurch! which you don't necessarily need to consider).

 

[TimT]

Randy Mosher talks a bit about salted beers in Radical Brewing. Apparently Gose, brewed on some kind of Belgian ale yeast, can be lightly salted to give it a slight savoury kick. Another fellow on AHB was talking about seaweed beers he was doing (partly for the sea-salt flavours). I like the idea; the big, funky, strange yeasty flavours and smells a saison yeast can throw off in the summer seem to me to be ideal for creating a salty or savoury beer. You could get the salty flavour out of non NaCl salts anyway, i reckon, if yeast viabiilty is a problem. I might tinker with the idea a bit more when summer rolls around.

 

[hijukal]

Well after reading all the responses I've decided against the idea as it sounds impossible
So my next question is in regards to adding cocao nibs are they just added to the secondary? Also do you just add them in or do they have to be prepared a certain way, maybe milled?

You can add them whenever you like, just depends on the flavour.

The most recent beer I made with cacao nibs used 100g. I put 50g in the mash for bitterness (and bitterness it imparted!) and 50g about 10 minutes before the end of the boil. It's basically like drinking bitter chocolate.

No need to mill, just crush a bit under a rolling pin or something suitably crushy.

 

[Droopy Brew]

How much is too much Na? I see that Kekap manis has a touch over 2% sodium which is probably a fair bit.
Just for interest sake anyway- I cant see myself seriously spending the time or money to do it.

 

[storeboughtcheeseburgers]

Try adding a dolop of cream to your beer and se how it turns out,,,


Mousse is the same stuff, just whipped up a bit...

I guarantee you will only do it once

hahaha - steer away from the dairy aisle. Theres plenty of chocolate style malts out there.