Chocolate Stout

[saycheese]

We put together a 5 gallon batch of chocolate stout from a brew kit at the beer store this weekend and it is bubbling merrily away.  Two weeks from now we get to bottle it and then wait another week before a taste test.  Boy, is it dark -- you can't even see the yeast activity in the carboy, not like the Red Ale we made where it looked like a lava lamp!

[Tea]

What did you use for the chocolate?  I have been looking at trying a coffee and chocolate mead for awhile now, but the coffee flower honey is so expensive to ship that I have been putting it off.  Anyway I was going to try cocoa nibs, so I don't have to contend with the powder sludge at the end.
Anyway I hope it turns out great for you.  It sounds like an interesting brew.

[saycheese]

Tea, it was a kit from the beer store, but it looked like cocoa nibs.  I've seen some recipes online that use cocoa, some use chocolate extract and others bakers chocolate - melted. 

[Cartierusm]

I used to brew beer, but to me it's a PITA. I used to all grain brew, so I had to make my own malt.

Anyway, one of my favorite beers is from 21st Amendment in SF, they make an Oatmeal Milk Stout, it's to die for.

[saycheese]

We're bottling the chocolate stout this weekend (probably tomorrow). Then we will let it sit around for a week or two in the garage fridge (not the cheese cave) before popping open a couple.  Bottling, for me, is the hard part, because we seem to get sticky beer everywhere!

[cozcoester]

Yeah bottling is a pain.  I keg my brews now, as its less of a hassle.  I too all-grain brew, I have a vanilla porter aging in my basement right now.  Anyone tried the Kentucky Breakfast Stout from Founder brewing in Michigan?  That is my altime favorite.  Its a double chocolate, coffee, oatmeal stout aged in whiskey barrels.  Yum!

[saycheese]

Whoa, that sounds awesome!  Have to see where I can get some here in CA.

[cozcoester]

btw, tea, I used cocoa nibs in the past for a chocolate bock recipe I put together.  I put them in the secondary fermenter.  It came out wonderfully.  Also a friend of mine is in the process of a chocolate stout in which he used (I believe) dutch processed cocoa.  Chocolate Mead sounds great!   (licking lips)

[cozcoester]

It is great.  The brewery is located in my town.  They have a release party for it every year.  Its a limited supply and is distributed in bottles, but once its gone its gone.  It flies of the shelf.  My friend bought a whole case himself to last him the year.  (more like a week) They also have a breakfast stout thats easier to find which is the same recipe without whiskey barrels.  BYO magazine published a clone recipe for this for homebrewers in its latest edition.

[merlin]

There is a place in Providence RI, called the Trinity Brew House that made a chocolate/oatmeal lager aged in old barrels from a micro whiskey maker in the New England area.  Good Food & Good Bear always made me happy when I left that place.

[saycheese]

Bottling is done -- now wait, wait and wait until we can taste.

[cozcoester]

there are a lot of good brewerys on the east coast I'd love to visit. 

[saycheese]

We broke open a few bottles of Stout during the Superbowl Game.  It tastes good-- not very chocolatey though, but it can give you a little buzz.  We're happy with the results.

[Tea]

I know with mead that the longer you age, the more pronounced the chocolate flavour is supposed to get.  Not sure how long you can "age" stout.  Glad that it turned out for you though.

[chilipepper]

If you really want the ultimate in homebrewing you should look into using the 5 gallon soda kegs and CO2 setup.  You only need to sanitize one tank rather than 50+ bottles and you can force carbonate.  No sediment and shorter turnaround times.  There is still some maturing you could do if you'd like.  You can bottle from the keg if you want with a counter-pressure filler and not have to worry about sediment. Really is convenient!  If you want to really be authentic with the stout you could get beer gas (nitrogen blend) and get that nice waterfall effect of Guiness.

Damn, that made me thirsty... see what you've done!