Chocolate Stout

[shenthus]

I am new to brewing, relatively, and am looking to do have a go at a chocolate stout from a kit.

Does anyone have a receipt or ideas of where to look etc?

 

[manticle]

Three different approaches I've heard of, two I've tried.

1. Add good quality cocoa when you mix up your kit. (tried with good results)
2. Add boiled liquid from cracked, steeped chocolate malt (tried with good results)
3. Add good quality chocolate when you mix up your kit (not tried, can't vouch).

 

[Swinging Beef]

Kit only? Or kit + bits?

 

[shenthus]

Kit only? Or kit + bits?

Kit and Bit. I am veering towards using extract but will try kits+ in the short term

 

[shenthus]

Three different approaches I've heard of, two I've tried.

1. Add good quality cocoa when you mix up your kit. (tried with good results)
2. Add boiled liquid from cracked, steeped chocolate malt (tried with good results)
3. Add good quality chocolate when you mix up your kit (not tried, can't vouch).

Thanks Manticle, any idea of quantities?

 

[Swinging Beef]

A can of coopers stout 1.7kg
A can of coopers roasted malt 1kg
A can of coopers chocolate malt 1.5kg
500g dex

Just chuck it in the fermenter and top up with water.
Taste it in a month and tell me what you want to change

 

[manticle]

Thanks Manticle, any idea of quantities?

This is purely based on what I've done rather than a vast experience and knowledge so take any amounts I suggest with a grain of salt.

1. Cocoa: I used a dutch organic cocoa and added about 1 kitchenspoonful to the hot water mix. Give it a good stir.

2. Chocolate malt: anything between 100 and 300g. If you use malt make sure you crack it or get it cracked, then steep in hot water for about 30 mins. Strain and boil the resulting liquid. There is a good article on steeping specialty grains in the wiki section: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=80
As suggested by swinging beef, you can use liquid chocolate malt instead.

3. Actual chocolate - as I said I haven't tried this. Someone mentioned it here: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=34735 A little way down someone talks about adding an amount of quality chocolate to your brew.

These days I just use roasted barley and chocolate malt to give the stout a full flavoured, rich coffee/choc characteristic but I did have good success using Thomas Coopers Irish stout in this recipe:

1.5 kg x Coopers stout Kit OR Black Malt LME
1 kg x Morgans chocolate malt extract
30g fuggles hops @ 60 (DROP OUT IF USING KIT)

10g fuggles@ 10
20 g hallertau @ 40 (DROP OUT THIS ADDITION IF USING KIT, WOULDN"T USE THIS HOP AGAIN FOR THIS STYLE)

10g hallertau @ 10 (WOULDN"T USE THIS HOP AGAIN FOR THIS STYLE)
15g ale yeast
7g yeast nutrient
approx 20g organic dutch cocoa powder
approx 10g ground coffee
1kg dextrose
200g lactose
1kg cellar plus stout mix (house mix of liquorice powder, dry malt and other bits and pieces from cellar plus) - COULD JUST REPLACE WITH DARK DME
Irish moss

60 min boil

Primary 7 -10 days@ 18 deg C

Secondary 7 10 days@ 18


Vol = 20L

There are a few things I would change about it now as I've learnt a lot since then. To begin, I'd get rid of the hallertauer as noted - they're out of place and probably not that noticeable with all that dark malt. Maybe use Kent goldings or all fuggles. The weights of cocoa and coffee (not instant) were worked out long before I had scales so it's really a handful of this and that etc. Tasted great though. Also it was a strong beer so I'd either make a starter or use two packs of yeast. Look at finishing around 1018-1020.

For a final bit of advice - I actually would no longer look at making any beer with just dark malts (even extract). I would use either a base malt or a pale LME/DME and darken it up with the specialty choc and black malts.

I realise this is possibly way beyond what you were hoping to do. It's easy enough to work out a simpler version and I'm more than happy to answer questions to the best of my knowledge and ability. I'm still a learner though.

 

[shaunms]

I am a newbie to and I am brewing my first chocolaty type of stout tonight and I hope its going to be great.

My indigence
*Coopers Stout 1.7kg
*Coopers Brew Enhancer 2 1kg
*250g Chocolate Grain <http://countrybrewer.com.au/category41_1.htm>
*500 dex
*S-04 yeast

No idea how its going to turn out but I will post my conclusion here in a couple of weeks.