Best way to use cocoa nibs

[Dazzelknight]

Gonna be making my 1st milk stout a coconut and chocolate. Gonna toast the coconut but asking what’s the best way to use my cocoa nibs ?. I’m after a smooth chocolate taste

 

[Clint]

I think I boiled for 5 minutes then tipped into fv. The taste was definitely there but the beer had zero head retention,which to me is part of the experience of a stout.
I don't think I'd use again without some research to improve this and would probably use chocolate malt. My latest brew is an oatmeal stout with loads of dark malts. These were all chucked in the mash. I'm gonna see how it works out with the thought on cold steeping the dark malts next time,overnight in the fridge and adding the strained liquid to the kettle during the boil. This gives a less harsh flavour.

 

[Dazzelknight]

Thanks for the input. Yeah Iv read a few threads and head retention seems to be a big problem with the oils. Iv seen people soak in vodka or rum but I’m wondering that’s gonna probably affect the flavour. There must be more pros then cons to using nibs , otherwise they wouldnt sell them …

I’m liking your idea of steeping the dark malts, think this will avoid too much of that “roasted/burnt” taste

 

[stripeyjoe]

I've used roasted cacao nibs, made a tincture with vodka and vanilla pods and chucked it in around the same time you would dry hop along with roasted coffee beans. Gave the beer a lovely bitter chocolate taste. Might be even better if balanced out with some lactose.

Here's the notes I made for the brew, I didn't do the strain and freeze part, I just chucked the lot in!


Make tincture of 100g caoco nibs in sprit and add with whole coffee beans after fermentation finishes, day 4 or 5. Hold at 20C for 1 day then crash to 5C for 3 days.

180ml Vodka
1 Vanilla Bean, split and scraped
100g Cacao Nibs (roasted is better)
Mix the vodka and vanilla bean (and parts) in a tight sealing jar like a jelly jar or mason jar. Shake every day, several times, for 7 days.
Add the nibs for another 4 days, continue to shake
Strain the nibs and vanilla out of the dark extract. Discard
Place the extract in the freezer overnight.
In the morning, carefully scrape out the fat cap of cocoa butter and discard. Remove any floaty bits and then store the extract on the shelf for approximately a year.

 

[Dazzelknight]

Thanks for the help.. il do the vodka trick,,seems the best way to remove some of the oils .. do you remember if the vodka left the stout with a noticeably strong alcohol taste ?

 

[stripeyjoe]

Thanks for the help.. il do the vodka trick,,seems the best way to remove some of the oils .. do you remember if the vodka left the stout with a noticeably strong alcohol taste ?

It didn't at all, in a 25l batch it was less than 1% of the total volume. You could use something more flavourful like a dark rum or bourbon.