Choc-honey Porter

[ryanator]

Hi everyone,

I'm making a Choc-Honey Porter using a Cascade Chocolate Mohogany Porter kit. At the moment I have 500g of Red Gum Honey. Will this be enough to give a mild honey taste?

I don't want it to be too sweet and smother the chocolate flavour.

I'm going to experiment with the chocolate and use Cadbury Drinking Chocolate. Has anyone used this before?

Cheers!

 

[GMK]

Cadbury drinking chocolate is very bitter.

I have used Dark Compound cooking choc before with good success.
Some say that the extra protien in the choc can cause head retention problems.
But i have not found it so.
Do a 20min boil with the dark compound cooking choc - use it at the start of the boil.- and skim.
Add the honey - letherwood or a very strong flavoured honey would be better in the porter - dont know what the red gum is - approx 5mins from the end of boil.

Optional would be to add some ground spices:
2 teaspoons of Cinamon
1 teaspoon of Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of cloves.
Add the spices when u add the honey.

Hope this helps

 

[ryanator]

Thanks GMK.

I've got some nutmeg and cinnamon at home ready for a christmas brew. Might have to use some in my Choc-Honey Porter.

Cheers!

:beer:

 

[Ziggy-san]

Honey won't add very much flavor as it is extremely fermentable. Add it to secondary if you want any flavor at all, but don't expect much. If you DO want honey flavor try to get your hands on some Braumalt (AKA Honey Malt), but be careful as it adds HEAPS of honey flavor.


GMK - its not the proteins that cause the head retention problems, its the oils in chocolate.

 

[ryanator]

I might give the honey a quick boil to kill any bugs and add it to secondary. This will thin it out a bit and help it mix through the brew better.

Adding to secondary should also help me measure how much is needed.

 

[Ziggy-san]

Ryan - don't boil it!! Boiling will drive off a large amount of the aromatics that make honey taste like honey... pasteurize it below boiling (160F/65C for ten minutes ought to do it) and then add it to your secondary.