Cacao Nibs

[kimosabby]

Gents,

im doing a chocolate stout and the receipe suugests 4 days into fermentation add cacao nibs to sterlised muslin bag and add to fermentor (pre soaking in vodka for .5hr to ensure sterile).

Not done this before - is 4 days into fermentation ok or is it nearer 4 days from end like with dry hopping; Im doing 2 weeks in Fv?

Also is .5hr ok or does this need to be tweaked and do you just strain the nibs out of the vodka through a siv?

thanks

 

[HarryFlatters]

The last time I did a cacao nib infusion, I threw the whole lot in, vodka and all. I let the lot macerate in the fridge for a fortnight beforehand though, and I didn't bother with a bag. The heavy bits sank to the bottom and was quite simple to avoid come bottling time.

 

[kimosabby]

Thanks for that;

How far into fermentation were you whrn you lobbed them in and what were you making?

Also what quantity did you use of both nibs and vodka?

K

 

[BeerCat]

I roast mine at 100c for 20 minutes. it's meant to increase the flavour.Throw them straight in at the end of fermentation. used in stouts and imperial stouts.

 

[kimosabby]

I roast mine at 100c for 20 minutes. it's meant to increase the flavour.Throw them straight in at the end of fermentation. used in stouts and imperial stouts.

how long were they in for and did you not use vodka or anything for sterlisation?

 

[HarryFlatters]

Also what quantity did you use of both nibs and vodka?

2 vanilla pods, chopped up, 200g cacao nibs and enough vodka to cover. I didn't get much vanilla or chocolate flavour or aroma in that batch, truth be told. So next time I'm going to go for much higher quantities, and I'm going to use rum instead of vodka.

 

[kimosabby]

2 vanilla pods, chopped up, 200g cacao nibs and enough vodka to cover. I didn't get much vanilla or chocolate flavour or aroma in that batch, truth be told. So next time I'm going to go for much higher quantities, and I'm going to use rum instead of vodka.

what were you brewing?

 

[HarryFlatters]

It was a kits and bits choccy vanilla milk stout. Basically, I made a Coopers Irish Stout kit with the tin of gloop, a kilo of dark DME and 250g of lactose, topped up with water to 22ish litres.

After a week, I slung in the tincture of booze, chocolate and vanilla as above and let it go for a bit, then batch primed, bottled and conditioned. It turned out to be the best kit I've ever made.

 

[kimosabby]

sounds good. Do you think the vodka being thrown in influenced it in anyway?

Just started this today:
3.25kg Maris Otter
500g Carafa Special III Malt
500g Oats
475g Brown malt
250g Crystal 400
240g Wheat
500g Lactose sugar
26g Magnum hops
44g fuggles
300g of Golden butterscotch syrup

1 bag of cacao nibs
Peanut Butter essence

 

[HarryFlatters]

Do you think the vodka being thrown in influenced it in anyway

Not really, but I think using a rum that already has some of the flavour characteristics I'm trying to get into the beer can only help.

 

[BeerCat]

how long were they in for and did you not use vodka or anything for sterlisation?

100c for 20 minutes steralises them without using vodka which i don't like the taste of in beer. Left them from a week to months. Some people put them in the large tea strainers you can get on ebay. I add them once fermentation is finished. I now buy unroasted nibs but i have roasted the roasted before.

 

[kimosabby]

100c for 20 minutes steralises them without using vodka which i don't like the taste of in beer. Left them from a week to months. Some people put them in the large tea strainers you can get on ebay. I add them once fermentation is finished. I now buy unroasted nibs but i have roasted the roasted before.

was looking at putting in towards end of fermentation. If your just throwing them in what happends to them - Float,/Sink/Disintegrate and does it not go through when bottling/kegging if not bagged

 

[Braindead]

definitely roast them as BeerCat says, then I grind mine into a powder and launch them in for 5 days.

 

[BeerCat]

If you don't have a sediment trap on your syphon put them in something or grind as said above. It's a good idea if you have a sanitary grinder. Checked my RIS and they have sunk but that's after months.

 

[kimosabby]

cheers for all that gents; think im going to roast them and then throw them in using a bag; had some bad experiences with fine sediment.

One thing - I have an auto syphon so it hasn't really a proper sediemnt trap; I use a small muslin bag on open end of tube when decanting into bottling bucket when doing heavily hopped brews. Are there any other ways of creating a sediment trap on a auto syphon?

 

[HopWroester]

I've soaked cacao nibs in dark rum for 24 hrs before putting in secondary. Adds rum goodness

 

[Tom Freeman]

How does the rum taste?!

 

[GerritT]

sounds good. Do you think the vodka being thrown in influenced it in anyway?

Just started this today:
3.25kg Maris Otter
500g Carafa Special III Malt
500g Oats
475g Brown malt
250g Crystal 400
240g Wheat
500g Lactose sugar
26g Magnum hops
44g fuggles
300g of Golden butterscotch syrup

1 bag of cacao nibs
Peanut Butter essence

not the peanut butter again