GOing to brew a chocolate raspberry bourbon stout

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by BigJoeC, Jul 12, 2012.

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  1. BigJoeC

    BigJoeC Zealot (563) Jan 22, 2011 New Jersey

    So I am still in extract recipes, as you may already know. I brewed a nice orange wheat last time and would like to make a chocolate raspberry bourbon stout toward the end of August so it's nice and conditioned for Christmas. I was going to take a stout extract recipe and add the flavors.

    First, in the last 5 minutes of the boil I was going to add either cocoa powder or cocoa nibs (not sure which yet). Then after a week of fermentation I was going to add a nylon bag of raspberries that were soaking in bourbon for a couple days. I figured about 5 pounds or so (pound per gallon). Then allow to ferment for another week or so. Then (for the hell of it) I would hit a secondary for another week and add some cocoa nibs and frozen raspberries again.

    TO me this sounds awesome. To others it's probably not the best idea. I am up for ANY comments. I have thick skin and definitely like suggestions.
     
  2. ColdPoncho

    ColdPoncho Initiate (0) Jan 9, 2009 Ohio

    I've brewed with raspberries once, using a total of 12 oz, and the taste came through pretty clearly. Granted, mine was in a lighter style beer, but I think 5 pounds is probably a lot more than you need. I'd guess 2 pounds would give you a lot of raspberry flavor
     
  3. BigJoeC

    BigJoeC Zealot (563) Jan 22, 2011 New Jersey

    Sounds like a good idea.
     
  4. OldSock

    OldSock Maven (1,418) Apr 3, 2005 District of Columbia

    I really like 100% raspberry preserves/jam for dark beers. The cooked flavor seems to go better with chocolate/coffee roasted flavors than fresh berries do in my experience.
     
  5. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    I like the use of nibs in the secondary but I am not a fan of cacao powder. Also be careful with the bourbon addition, if you overpower the other added flavors in the beer it may all become muddled and boozy.
     
  6. axeman9182

    axeman9182 Initiate (0) Aug 5, 2009 New Jersey

    5lbs may be a bit heavy on the raspberry. I use a 49oz can of puree for a raspberry wheat beer I brew, and it's an absolute raspberry bomb when fresh.
     
  7. OldSock

    OldSock Maven (1,418) Apr 3, 2005 District of Columbia

    The trick I've found to using cocoa powder is making a paste with hot water to add to secondary. Easy, good flavor, no head retention issues.
     
  8. PangaeaBeerFood

    PangaeaBeerFood Initiate (0) Nov 30, 2008 New York

    I actually made a Chocolate Raspberry Milk Stout a few weeks back. Here were my experiences:

    Raspberries:
    I added 12-14 oz. of frozen raspberries to the beer at flame out, let them steep in the beer while it cooled, then strained the solids out with the hops as it went to the fermentor. I think it was a perfect amount of fruit. It's noticeably fruity without overpowering the base beer. 5 pounds sounds like WAY too much. Also keep in mind that raspberries contain A LOT of water and will dilute your beer far more than you expect, so make sure it's a fairly robust stout or you'll lose that roastiness.

    Cocoa:
    I added 4-6 oz. of raw cacao nibs right into the primary fermenter (I didn't do a secondary for this beer) and let them stay there for 2-3 weeks or so until I bottled it. It definitely added flavor to the beer, but not a pleasant, chocolatey flavor like I wanted, more of a bitter astringency, like eating a spoonful of unsweetened cocoa power. It's subtle enough that it doesn't detract from the beer, but I'd try something different next time. Maybe I'd increase the amount of Chocolate Malt, cut back the amount of nibs, and maybe add some cocoa powder add flame out. I'm not sure, I still need to experiment.

    Anyone else try using these ingredients together?
     
  9. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    Hmmm... how does the flavor compare to some time spent on nibs? I had great results with the nibs and while not overly expensive I could probably save 3 to 5 bucks using the powder...
     
  10. OldSock

    OldSock Maven (1,418) Apr 3, 2005 District of Columbia

    Nibs give aromatics more comparable to a good bar of dark chocolate. Cocoa powder is probably closer to brownies or hot chocolate. Nibs can be great as a featured flavor, but I think cocoa powder works with other ingredients better. Adding a bit of vanilla really helps as well, since its flavor is strongly associated with chocolate desserts.

    You could always split a batch and taste the difference for yourself.
     
  11. BigJoeC

    BigJoeC Zealot (563) Jan 22, 2011 New Jersey

    When you split a 5 gallon batch can you still use 6 gallon fermenting buckets? I can't afford all kinds of extra equipment unfortunately.
     
  12. OldSock

    OldSock Maven (1,418) Apr 3, 2005 District of Columbia

    I'd do a combined primary in a 6 gallon bucket/carboy, then get some 1 gallon jugs for secondary with the chocoalte. You can get them for $4 each. You could do 4 gallons on the nibs, and just one of the cocoa to try it out.
     
  13. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,915) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah

    Very informative, thank you for the comparisons. I will definitely keep this in mind with my future uses/experiments.
     
  14. BigJoeC

    BigJoeC Zealot (563) Jan 22, 2011 New Jersey

    That's a great idea. But that would mean doing the boil probably as a standard Stout. I maybe could do about 5 one gallon batches and really make it an experiment.
     
  15. JayS2629

    JayS2629 Initiate (0) Oct 23, 2010 Alabama

    Cocoa at the end of the boil and nibs in the secondary. Cocoa gives the chocolate flavor and nibs gives more aroma. Also put a vanilla bean in the secondary to enhance the chocolate flavor. 5 lbs of raspberries is definitely over the top. I did an imperial milk stout and one pound of raspberries and one TBSpn of raspberry extract was perfect. So, without the extract, I wouldn't do more than 2 lbs. They really come through.
     
  16. Beejay

    Beejay Pooh-Bah (2,559) Dec 29, 2008 Virginia
    Pooh-Bah

    I think you are going to waste a hell of a lot of perfectly drinkable Whiskey by soaking 5 lbs of raspberries in it. personally I would think of a way to get the bourbon flavor in, without using a handle if the stuff.
     
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