Brew #80: Double Chocolate Stout

In previous brews of this Double Chocolate Stout, I would melt chocolate and add it only at the time I would keg the beer. I always had to deal with a bit of oils that killed the head real quick. After drinking a gallon or two and perhaps sitting for a bit in the kegerator, the pours start coming out with better head.

This batch has the chocolate added 5 minutes before flameout. Since I expect some loss due to the chocolate settling out, I put in 3/4 bar of 82% Scharfenberger and 3/4 bar of 41% Scharfenberger. With the chocolate in the wort already, it meant that all the equipment got an extra good cleaning to clear all the oils that stuck to everything. I skimmed the top of the wort before putting the beer into the primary, hoping to rid myself of more oils. This is still in primary almost two weeks later. There seems to be a foam at the top. It may be that more oils have gone to the top. I'll rack it by two weeks and a day regardless.

There was a thick "butter" at the top. Normally, when a beer still has foam at the top, I leave it sitting in the fermenter a bit more. This one threw me off. I am thinking that the stuff at the top was cocoa butter or the fat content of the chocolate bars that I melt into the brew. I spooned that stuff off then racked the beer. The trub at the bottom of the bucket makes me think that the chocolate is all settled out of the beer. I'll have to see how it tastes when I get it on beer gas.

The next version of this stout may use the actual roasted cacao beans. This is what Rob over at Independence was doing with a porter. Go straight for the source of the chocolate flavor. Someday, I'm also going to use real raspberries instead of the extract.

Kegged on 3-19 and the F.G. is a bit higher than normal. I am wondering if the ABV is actually higher and the extra specific gravity comes from chocolate in the beer. Tastes rather nice whatever the case.

Brewed: 02-17-2008
Racked: 03-12-2008
Kegged: 03-19-2008

OG=1.057@70F
FG=1.020@66F

ABV=4.847%