How to make a more chocolatey stout

Use chocolate malts.

 

Or Cacoa nibs.

 

Defatted/lowfat cocoa powder in the boil, pale chocolate and chocolate malt. Cocoa nibs also work very well according to other brewers and beers I've tasted, but I've had bad experiences using them in my own beer (Beer tasted thin with an off chocolate flavor and mouthfeel, most likely due to nib quality/age).

 

unsweetened cocoa powder

 

I'm a bix fan of mixing pale chocolate malt with darker chocolate malts as barfdiggs suggests. You'll have to find what ratio works best for you, but somewhere between 2:1 and 1:1 (pale:dark) is probably a good place to start. Support it with some medium to dark crystal malt. I tried cocoa powder 1x, and it faded fast with time.

 

Check out this video from Troegs...

They say that one of the keys to getting chocolate flavor to hold up is to use vanilla beans (at about 2:07). Some other good tips in there as well.

 

I'd say the most important think to do is not go overboard in the boil or even in the primary. You cannot get the chocolate flavor out of the beer once it is in there. You can always steep cocoa nibs or add cocoa powder in the fermenter.

 

Surprisingly chocolate malts don't actually impart any chocolate flavor.

 

Gonna disagree pretty strongly with you on this one. Ever tried or made a beer with pale chocolate malt, especially something along the lines of a sweet or milk stout? Many of them taste like smooth milk or dark chocolate solely from the malts used and not the addition of chocolate.

 

All the literature out there backs up that it essentially gives no chocolate flavor to the beer. Instead more of a roasted flavor and dark color (perhaps some sweetness). The only thing I would tend to concede on would be akin to a dark chocolate in the way of its roast. If the OP wants to make his stouts more "chocolatey" adding more chocolate malt isn't going to help him.

 

some form of cocoa would go a long way.

 

I've made a couple of "chocolate" beers with no chocolate...as others have said... pale and regular chocolate malts ...and maybe even a little vanilla, believe it or not. I have been amazed at the chocolate notes with no real chocolate.

 

I would agree if you had said "coffee malt instead of chocolate malt."

 

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout is a no-chocolate-adjunct-added beer, as far as I know. They have to get that chocolate flavor from somewhere, and my instinct is that it's heavily based in chocolate malts.

 

I think people pick up that roasty dark chocolate-like flavor from the chocolate malt which I said I'd concede on that point.

"Chocolate malt is not roasted quite as long as black malt; consequently, it is lighter in color (more dark brown) and retains some of the aromatics and flavor of malt's sweetness. It imparts a nutty, roasted flavor to the beer but does not make it as bitter as black malt."

"Chocolate malt is similar to pale and amber malts but kilned at even higher temperatures. Producing complex undertones of vanilla and caramel (but not chocolate), it is used in porters and sweet stouts as well as dark mild ales."

"Despite its name, there is no actual chocolate used in the malting process for chocolate malt. Its name comes from its dark appearance and roasty flavor only reminiscent of dark chocolate."

I think to simply tell the OP to "use more" chocolate malt is a bit misleading. I'm sure he can do some blending like Brooklyn does for their Black Chocolate but solely relying on chocolate malt for a chocolate taste is again misleading. I guess the way I read the OP's post was that he wanted "chocolatey" (I'm thinking semi-sweet milk chocolate) not a roasty dark chocolate flavor. Take it for what it is, I'm done here.

 

Stone's recipe calls for cocoa at 15 mins.
http://www.stonebrew.com/news/081201/

 

I have found that brown malt provides a nice chocolate flavor. It is pretty potent stuff so use it as 5-10% of the grain bill.
I have been using Crisp and I think it is in the 40L range, has no diastatic power and it needs to be mashed.

 

I utilize Chocolate malt when I make my Oatmeal Stouts. I would describe that beer as having very subtle chocolate flavors.

If the OP is looking for a lot of chocolaty flavors then he should utilize some form of chocolate in his recipe. I personally have never brewed a beer using chocolate ‘stuff’ but examples would be:

-Cacao nibs

-Cocoa powder

-Chocolate Flavorings

Of the above three maybe the Chocolate Flavoring would be the ‘easiest’?

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/chocolate-natural-extract.html



Cheers!