ive had bad luck before where I made an imperial stout an aged it in cocoa nibs and vanilla beans for a few months and it turned sour. I didn't soak those ingredients in vodka maybe that's my mistake? Anyways I'm gonna make a imperial oatmeal peanut butter chocolate stout and I wanna know if I add to secondary should I just toss the pb2 and cocoa powder in? What are your guys methods? Thanks any help is appreciated.
Midwest has a kit that uses PB2 and they suggest adding it to the secondary. I've never tried PB2 for brewing, but have some for making Thai food. I add cocoa powder to the boil. That seems to work. For nibs and vanilla, I put them in a sanitized jar and dump some boiling water in the jar. Just enough to cover them which is typically only about 4-6oz. of water. Let them sit in the hot water for 10-15 minutes, then cool the jar in a water bath. I pitch the entire jar in the secondary. That seems to work. Not a fan of vodka, but will use bourbon instead of hot water sometimes.
I'm surprised you got an infection with the high ph and alcohol levels in secondary, but a sour vanilla chocolate stout sounds delicious.
