Return brew

[mmaguy41]

Havnt brewed a thing in months, two cornies empty waiting to be filled. Ive actually got loads of beers in the cellar alot of which i think are past their best. I even wasted a festival strong ale as i left it in the fv and forgot about it (went all mouldy). Basically im looking to come back with a bang! Ive always wanted to make a chocolate stout or something similar. Anyone got any good advice on recipies etc on these. Ive seen some that add real dark chocolate and others with cocoa powder. Ingredients are not a problem ordered a bag of almost everything possibly needed for a stout a while ago so should be good to go.

 

[Aleman]

Some of the best flavours I've got have come from using cocoa nibs (Raw unprocessed cocoa).

I've tried soaking it in alcohol (vodka) and adding it to the keg, but that doesn't generate a lot of chocolate flavour (even with 250g in 20L) . . . even though a lot of the chocolate flavours are soluble in alcohol.

Adding the nibs directly to the boiler and boiling for 60 minutes might give a better result, but you would need to skim any scum forming on the surface as that will contain 'some' fats.

I used my Oatmeal Stout as a base, then split the brew 4 ways . . . one got chocolate, one got vanilla, and one got both (one was plain).

 

[LeithR]

Went to a presentation by Brewdog last week and they were dishing out samples. This one Cocoa Psycho was on the tasting list and I thought it was great.
ABV: 10%
OG: 1069
IBU's: 85
Malts: Extra Pale, Wheat, Cara, Smoked, Black and Roasted Barley
Hops: Cascade, Fuggles and Goldings
Twist: Brewed with cocoa nibs, crushed coffee beans and vanilla pods
You would have to mess about with the proportions of grains and hops, they didn't give any more indication of yeasts they used other than they use either White Labs or Wyeast.

 

[mmaguy41]

Just found a london pride extract kit that was a present, think ill do that first to get back in the swing of things and give me time to get a good recipe together