EDIT:
If anyone is interested - my experiment was a success!
I heated my beans for a very short time by sitting them on top of my woodfired oven in order to loosen the shells (leaving them in the sun or roasting on very low temperature for short time would work too but be careful not to only expose them to low temperatures and it's definitely not neccessary, better to leave them raw than destroy the active chemicals) then, by hand, cracked open the beans and peeled off the skins separating the nibs into a pile. Next, i put the nibs in small portions at a time into my little pulse coffee grinder which ground them to a paste easily.
From the paste, I then prepared my cacao drink by mixing with hot (but not boiled) water and some cayenne pepper (plus some other spices but the cayenne is essential), it was delicious and effective ;) Highly recommend!
-----
Hi guys, looking for some advice - hope you can help me out :)
I've bought some 'ceremonial grade' whole cacao beans which are criollo, organic, bio etc. and not supposed to have undergone any thermal or other treatment. They are dry though, so I assume they must have been fermented and sun dried at least? They still have the shells on - they aren't just nibs.
SO - how do I turn them into ceremonial paste? I've been googling my ass off but can't seem to find any specific enough information about making cacao paste and keeping the "ceremonial-ness" ( tryptophan??) intact, only about making general chocolate from beans.
Should I just go ahead and grind them straight up in my coffee bean grinder?
Should i smash them and peel the shell bits? (i don't have any kind of juicer or anything to do it the proper winnowing way i've seen in videos)
Should I sun dry them for a few days to loosen the shells then crack them off?
It's only early spring though... so if it's at a low temperature could i toast them in a pan?
At what temperature will it destroy the active ingredients?
Any tips/ideas?

Hello!
I have a recipe and I want to know if it's good enough to brew it.
Og: 1.109 Fg: 1.035 ABV: 10.02% IBU: 47
21 liter batch: 7.1 kg pilsner 0.7 kg chocolate malt (fawcet) 0.5 kg carafa I 0.5 kg double roasted crystal (simpson) 0.4 kg caramunich II 0.4 kg flaked oats 0.3 kg cara-rye 0.1 kg roasted barley 50 g Magnum for 60 min 120 min boil
Ferment with kveik Hornindal at 30C, after 4 days 200 g roasted cacao nibs for 2-3 days and 2 vanilla rod for 21 days at secondary. I was thinking to add some lactose to it, I dont want it too dry
what do you think about the recipe? Isnt there too much special malts? And the lactose?
Thanks for the help!

Hi, so I work in a brewery as a part time bartender and I went to this homebrewing competition in November with my BIPA and our delivery guy was also there and I managed to beat him by 1 point (28-27) and now he wants his revenge in March in 4 different categories (smoked beer, stout and porter, sour beer and regular IPA). The thing is I know for a fact that our owner and brewmaster is consulting all the recipes with him and lets him borrow the recipes from our brewery so now I want to completely own him in that competition and I need your advice about the beers I have in thought - what can work better, what should I change or do differently. I'm a casual 23 yo homebrewer and I've only been doing this for 18 months so every advice is greatly appreciated!

1. Smoked brown ale with oak chips soaked in Highland Park whisky added in the secondary (10% smoked malt)
   
2. Chocolate hazelnut porter with roasted hazelnuts and cacao nibs added in the secondary
   
3. Berliner weisse with lavender, lemon and pepper all added to the whirlpool
   
4. Brut IPA with rose petals added in the secondary
   

EDIT: This isn't a very strict competition, that's why there's no specification like which IPA, which Stout etc. Just a bunch of homebrewers having fun with the styles. The judges are legit but like I said - nothing too formal

EDIT: Really appreciate all the helpful advice here - love this subreddit. I'll report back on my next stout in a couple months. Right now, I'm planning to:

1. Sub a half lb of chocolate malt with pale 2 row
   
2. Sub a lb of crystal with pale 2 row
   
3. Shoot for a mash pH of 5.5, taking grain bill changes into account
   
4. I will cold extract the roasted barley, and add it late in the boil.
   

My stouts always come out astringent. I dont have these issues for the pale and brown beers I make, only stouts. How do you produce a smooth stout?
I'm hesitant to cold steep grains or add them late in the mash - as I have heard they reduce the flavor from the roasted grains. Is that right?
Other things I can think of is to try to add more baking soda to the mash, and maybe mill the grain coarser. Any other ideas? I don't have a pH meter. (I've always been on a tight budget, so my setup is pretty cobbled together from what others give me or what I can build)
Below is the recipe of my latest.
Thanks for the help!
12.5 lbs pale 2 row
2 lbs Crystal 40L
1 lb chocolate malt
0.5 lb roasted barley
0.8oz Simcoe at 60 min
1 oz Simcoe at 10 min
US-05
8 oz cacao nibs in secondary
154 degF mash - 5G of water
170 degF sparge - 4G of water
Calculated mash pH is 5.4, but don't have meter to verify this
0.7 sulfate/chloride ratio
Pre-boil volume of 7G
Post-boil volume of 6G
OG of 1.066
FG of 1.020
Settled at FG after 7 days, let sit for another 14 days, then kegged and burst carbed and chilled.

A week or so ago I posted about brewing with macadamia nuts. Well, the awesome guys over at Kona Brewing were willing to share a lot of info with me, and they don't mind if I share it all with you so, here we are. (In case you missed the last post, Kona Brewing uses our macadamia nut flour to brew their chocolate macadamia nut stout and I want to brew a clone).
After 2 rounds of emails, I think have most of the info I would need to create a clone. I'm still somewhat of a beginner, being 11 solo brews in, 4 all grain BIAB. So if the group can help me piece together the rest so I don't have to bother him again, that would be awesome.
Here are the details for Kona Brewing's Chocolate Macadamia Nut Stout:
Batch size: 25 bbls / 775 gallons (just slightly larger than what we're all set up for)
Grain bill:

• Pale 2-row - 78%
• Caramel 120L - 5%
• Chocolate malt - 10%
• Roasted barley - 3.5%
• Victory malt (can be subbed with 2-row) - 3.5%

Adjuncts:

• 50 lbs of mac nut flour
• 50 lbs of flaked oats
• 100 lbs of fine cacao nibs / dust

Hops:

• Cascade @ boil start (90 minutes?)
• Chinook @ 80 mins

ABV: 5%
IBU: 39
Color: 67
Notes:

• 100 lbs cacao nibs & 50 lbs flaked oats added to mash
• 50 lbs mac nut flour added at 70 min into boil
• Mac nut flour can have particulates of mac nut that could get stuck in heat exchangers. Be sure to clean them out well.

So a few things..

1. He didn't say specifically how long the boil is, so my guess is it's a 90 min boil. But I don't know for sure. (If you have reason to believe one way or the other, please chime in).
2. He didn't say the amount of hops to use, but since he provided the IBUs, we should be able to work backwards and figure it out. (right?)
3. He didn't mention the yeast, but I assume something clean used for a stout will do the trick.
4. They added 50 lbs of mac nut flour into 775 gallons. So for a typical 5 gallon homebrew batch, I believe that would equal 0.32 pounds. (775 / 5 = 155. So 50 lbs / 155 = 0.32). Please correct me if I'm wrong. Also, it's worth noting that the mac nut flavor in Kona's brew is very subtle. For my clone I will likely increase to 0.40 - 0.50 lbs for 5 gallons.

That's all the info I have. All of my brews (except the Red IPA I just brewed) have been based off of other homebrew recipes. So my experience using brewing software is very limited. I've only used the free tool "Brewtarget," and I wouldn't have any idea how accurate it is. My biggest hurdle would be determining the amount of grains to start with. I figure if I knew that, I could use the software I have to determine the amount of hops to get 39 IBU.
Maybe somebody awesome out there would be willing to plug this all in and come up with a 5 gallon clone recipe?
Anyway, I'm genuinely stoked to be able to add value to this group, because I've received so much value myself from this community.
Mahalo!

The bad: Soy, tempeh and lentils just destroy my stomach. I've tried enzymes and different versions of those foods (wheat-based proteins, etc) and I get painful distension and gas so bad I have to stay in the bathroom for hours. I was full vegan for almost two months hoping my body would adjust and it never did. Nuts, well, I'm allergic. Which super sucks.
The good: I'm at the final stretch of my fitness goals (it's the hardest part too but I'm so close!) and also trying to be 100% vegan. Just got back from an ALDF (Animal Legal Defense Fund, a GREAT organization) conference and I'm really pumped to go full vegan. Previously I've included yogurt (YQ, great protein, low carb), some cheese and fish in my diet. But this is no longer an option. You guys know why!
My stats: 46F, 112 lbs, 5'1", 20% body fat. I'm pretty much where I want to be as far as muscle mass. I just want to shred. I have a very small frame.
Current workout: M: trainer at gym, lower body and back. Sumos, dead lifts, she makes me go hard. T: easy day, fasted walk or jog in the am. 3-5 miles. W: 20 minutes sprints to increase my mile pace (Shooting for an outdoor 8 minute mile. Can do one on the treadmill) and then a light jog. TH: usually some sort of social exercise like bike ride with the bf or dog beach. F: arms and plyo with my trainer. Sat: open Sun: 3 mile jog at 10:15 or higher.
Food I do enjoy: plantfusion protein powder, butter beans, roasted veggies, mixed greens with bragg's dressings, lots of shakes (protein powder, spinach, avocado, blueberries, cacao nibs, half banana). And of course, anything with carbs is delicious. Which is really my downfall. I do IF every day except M, F or when it doesn't work socially. I always try to get 14-16 hours in between meals and try not to snack, etc. I'm not IF like how they are on reddit. I read the Obesity Code by Jason Fung and I follow his recommendations for my gender and age.
What would you recommend? Should I suck it up and get a nutrition consult? My trainer is not vegan nor does she believe you can achieve fitness goals without meat. But I love what she does at the gym and she's really changed my body so I don't want to leave her.
I'm frustrated and feel like I'm all over the place with my food. Open to any suggestions on workout or food. Thanks.

Today, I tried a cacao fruit for the first time and I would like to make cacao nibs with the leftover beans. I got a little crazy when eating the fruit, so the beans do not have any husks.
Should I roast the beans in a skillet or in the oven, and for how long/at what temperature? What is the proper way to store the nibs? I also have a food dehydrator, if that helps.

Hey guys!
Shared this over at vegetarianketo and it seemed to go down quite well with some folks, so thought I'd share it with you guys too if that's okay!
Some context:
I've had autoimmune health challenges for a number of years and have experimented with a bunch of different diets in that time in an attempt to help relieve symptoms/take a degree of control over the issues (crohn's + seronegative spondyloarthropathy).
During the search, I recently stumbled upon Dr. William Cole's work - a functional medicine doc who combines plant-based eating with the principles of keto and autoimmune protocols.
The basic principles of 'ketotarian':

• At the base of the pyramid, there's a bunch of fat sources - avos, coconut oil, olive oil, nuts + seeds.
• Above that, fish, eggs, maybe some tempeh, and plenty of non-starchy veggies (leafy greens etc).
• Very small amounts of low-fructose fruit + starchy veg
• Less than 45g net carbs a day
• Avoiding any dairy, gluten, nightshades, grains + legumes because of the potential autoimmune issues.
• Eat slowly, mindfully + manage stress

I recently did a 4-week experiment:
Whilst I've played around with various autoimmune protocols before, they tend to be pretty meat heavy. I was looking for something that would give my gut + immune system a break, but was still primarily plant-based.
As ketosis itself tends to help with inflammation, it made sense to give this a try.
If nothing else, it would help me learn a bit more about my body, and hopefully give me a few tidbits to potentially help others in a similar situation!
Here's a video I made if you prefer watching things
I've also included a TL-DW (too-long, didn't watch) summary below:
--
What I ate:
A shed load of chia, flax, coconut oil, olive oil, coconut milk, leafy greens, stevia, nuts, seeds, eggs, avos, and fish. Super dark 100% chocolate. Some roasted carrots + beets here and there. A few berries now and again.
Plenty of water, some green tea and coffee.
Because there was a bit more prep involved than normal, I found that eating 2 meals a day was actually easier than three. So I'd fast til early afternoon, then have a big breakfast, a light snack late afternoon, then dinner late evening. This was the general formula I followed:

1. Breakfast: Pretty much the same every day. A big fat bowl of chia seeds, flax, hemp, hemp protein, greens powder, coconut oil, cacao nibs - soaked for a few hours with almond milk, then topped with almond butter, coconut milk and a few berries/squeeze of lime. ~1500 kcal
2. Snack. A handful of nuts, 100% dark choc, maybe some berries if I've skipped them at breakfast. ~200kcal
3. Dinner. Some form of protein - usually either poached eggs or some form of fish, baked. A homemade sauce - often a coconut creamy curry. A bigass salad or steamed greens, dressed with oil, seeds + avo. Then sometimes a small side of roasted veg or cauliflower rice if I hadn't already smashed over the net carb limit (which happened once or twice early on. ~1000kcal

--
The pros:

• Clear mind. After the initial week or so, I found that I was less prone to brain fog throughout the day. Productivity levels increased, and I just generally felt a bit sharper.
• Stable energy. Maybe because my blood sugar was more stable. I wasn't necessarily constantly buzzing with energy, but kinda had this constant slow burn available throughout the day.
• Recovery. Because of the tendency towards inflammation, my recovery capacity after workouts had decreased a lot in recent years. I would have DOMS for days, and oftentimes a workout would easily trigger a flare-up that would last for months. During the keto experiment, I found I was able to recover a lot faster from light workouts, which meant I could be more consistent in the gym.
• Body comp. Not something I was necessarily aiming for, but I lost a couple a kilos - probably mostly water weight. But because I was able to train more consistently, I may have made some changes in muscle mass too - before/after pic here
• Sleep. Generally deeper, less prone to waking in the night.
• Flare-ups - I'm generally in a lot less pain. Less joint stiffness + better digestion. Pretty amazing really for such a short timeframe!

--
The cons:

• Food variability. Can get a little repetitive eating fish, eggs and veggies. Not necessarily a big deal, but can take some getting used to!
• Cost. Eating mainly fresh produce can get quite pricey compared to smashing down the grains + legumes. But for me at least, it's been worth it!
• Time. Like with any diet, it does take some adjusting too! You've gotta be on it from a meal prep standpoint, or a have a solid
• Super high-intensity training. The few times I did anything high intensity (sprints etc) I did find that the normal energy reserve I have wasn't quite there. This may be because it was still really early days in terms of my body adapting to using fat as a fuel, and may improve in the future.

--
Things I'd do differently:

• Be more organized with meal prep to prevent food boredom + stress.
• Prioritize rest during the first week or two as the body makes the transition to keto.
• Be more focused on hydration + electrolytes during the first week as the body sheds water weight.

--
Plans moving forwards:
Dr. Cole advocates gradually upping your carb content to find your 'sweetspot', so I'm currently seeing how that goes.
I also recently had some food sensitivity testing done, so incorporating some of those findings too.
--
Overall thoughts:
Super glad I gave it a try! As you can see from the lists, most of the 'pros' are super positive for such a short timeframe. And the 'cons' are largely logistical and could largely be avoided with a bit more planning!
I can't say what it would do for you, but if you do suffer from anything inflammatory related, it may be worth playing around with!
Hope this has helped in some shape or form - any questions, feel free to gimme a shout!
​
​

I just got my results in from my first competition. I entered a breakfast stout and a NEDIPA. I'd like some advice on my results from the breakfast stout.
Judge 1's Sheet
Judge 2's Sheet

Recipe:

67% 2-Row 13% Cherrywood Smoked Malt 10% Flaked Oats (small portion oven toasted) 5% Chocolate Malt 3% Coffee Malt 3% Carafa III Special
1 oz. Cluster at FWH 1 oz. Willamette at 30 1 oz. Willamette at 5
Yeast: WLP004
OG: 1.080 FG: 1.018 ABV: 8.1%
Notes: - Added 4 oz. cocoa powder to the boil at 5 minutes - "Dry beaned" with 4 oz. maple bacon coffee beans for 48 hours in keg - Racked to serving keg with cacao nib/vanilla bean tincture
(1) Judge 1 said it lacked hop balance found in many imperial stouts. Does this mean I just need to bump up the hops? He didn't specifically say "more" hops. But not really sure how I should attack this one.
(2) Judge 2 said the imperial stout needs to come through more. Does this just mean that I should have listed the base style as a stout instead of an imperial? It was right on the cusp (IIRC) of being between a stout and an imperial, but I went with imperial.
(3) Judge 2 also stated that it would benefit from a greater dark malt presence to balance the creaminess. I'm not entirely sure what he's suggesting here. Do you take it to mean more roast character? If so, should I bump up the chocolate and/or coffee malt? Anything else?
Thanks y'all. This was my first competition, so I'm pretty pleased with the results. This one made it to the 2nd round of judging. But I didn't get any second round score sheets so I'm not sure how that works? This was the Big Bend Brew Off in Florida if anyone is curious.
Edit: Removed judge's info

Giving this one a crack, based off an old recipe someone posted directly from Westbrook but slightly tweaked. The recipe calls for (scaled down) 2lb cane/turbinado sugar. Is it best practice to add this to the end of a boil? 5min? Flameout?
Also, I'm considering which type of chili to use in this one. I'll be making a tincture but I'm wondering if it's best to go with habanero like they do, or something like a dried ancho or pasilla. What are the pros/cons of going fresh vs. dried? Also, should I be making my tinctures separately or all together (one for cacao nibs, one for cinnamon sticks, etc).
Here's the recipe I'm going with:

• 14.75 lb - Breiss - Pale 2-Row
• 1.25 lb - Fawcett - Roasted Barley
• 1 lb - Breiss - Chocolate
• 1 lb - Flaked Oats
• 0.25 lb - Fawcett - Black Patent
• 0.25 lb - Patagonia Caramel 190L
• 2 lb - Turbinado Sugar
  
• CTZ @ 60min to ~50 IBU
  
• Big fat 2L starter of WY1968
  

My hope for this post is threefold:
1) If anyone were to find themselves in a St Louis bar, grocery store, gastropub, or stadium (that's right, there is craft beer in Busch Stadium), they’ll have a heads up on some of the great St Louis brews
2) People will do this same kind of thing for their cities, states, and regions
3) And also I want to brag about STL a little bit. CO, CA, OR, I'm looking at you. You get all the love.
So St Louis obviously has quite a history with beer. It has been a hotbed for brewers since the mid 1800s due to a few factors:
1) A large German/Bohemian immigrant population
2) A large source of clean, silty water
3) Lots of cool, dark caves near the city, perfect for brewing lagers 150 years ago
Then prohibition came along and only the largest breweries survived, who were able to get by selling non-alcoholic malt beverages... ugh. I’m obviously talking about Anheuser-Busch, everyone’s favorite beer villain. AB was also the first to ship beer in refrigerated train cars, and soon the whole country was drinking Budweiser. St Louis would remain pretty loyal to AB until they were bought by InBev in 2008 – which is the best thing that could have ever happened to the St Louis craft beer scene. More craft breweries pop up every year now, and the spurned citizens of St Louis are happy to turn away from Bud Light.
So if you’re ever in St Louis, keep an eye out for these excellent breweries/brews!! I tried to pick beers that are 1) delicious, 2) representative of their breweries, and 3) easy to find in and around St Louis
•Saint Louis Brewery (Schlafly Beer): The OG St Louis Craft Brewery. Founded by a lawyer and the nephew of political activist Phyllis Schlafly in 1989, they trail blazed much of the liquor law legislation that would pave the way for craft breweries to come. They still have their original facility in downtown St Louis, but now they brew most of their beer in a converted Shop ‘n Save supermarket in the trendy, spunky suburb of Maplewood. Free tours there, and free beer at the end!!
-Tasmanian IPA (TIPA): Each season they have a different specialty IPA (ALL are delicious), and this one runs from November-February I think. It’s an absolutely phenomenal IPA loaded with orange, grapefruit, mango, and pineapple flavors. If you can't find any of the specialty IPAs, they have a dry-hopped APA that's available year round and also solid.
-Pumpkin Ale: People go ape shit for this stuff every fall. Lots of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, like pumpkin pie but beer. I love it, but it’s pretty rich stuff and 8.0% - I only want about one before I move on.
•Urban Chestnut Brewing Company: Two old AB guys started this brewery in early 2011, and they’re already expanding into a new $10 million 75,000 sq ft facility – an old paper mill in The Grove neighborhood. They’re saying they’ll be able to brew about 10x the beer they do now, and they already have a huge following in St Louis. They have two lines, Revolution (pushing the limits of craft brewing in crazy new ways) and Reverence (showing respect to the old-world styles). They also have the coolest growlers, IMHO.
-Winged Nut (Revolution): One of their flagship beers. A spiced beer, brewed with chestnuts. Lots of clove, coriander. Although it’s part of the revolution series, I still think it has a pretty old world vibe.
-Schnickelfritz (Reverence): Silly name, serious beer. A Classic Bavarian Weissbier, but so perfectly done you can’t pass it up. Banana, cloves, nutmeg, orange. So good.
•O’Fallon Brewery: A pretty small brewery in O’Fallon, MO until a few years ago. An old AB sales director quit after the buy-out and gave this place a facelift (see what I mean about the AB buy-out being the best thing to happen to STL craft beer?). Not the most critically acclaimed brewery, but they have two beers that you’ll see in almost every St Louis sports bar.
-5-day IPA: Floral hops, citrus, sweet pine. Not an IPA that will blow you away, but like I said, it’s the best choice at most sports bars by a long shot. And at 6.1% you can have another!
-Wheach: A peach wheat beer, and a favorite of my wife’s… if that tells you anything. Crisp, sweet, refreshing, best enjoyed after mowing the lawn.
•4 Hands Brewing Co.: A pretty inventive brewery with a badass logo (see the hands?!). They sell all their beer in bombers and do lots of barrel-aging, fruits, herbs, spices, etc.
-Reprise Centennial Red Ale: centennial hops (a personal favorite) are out in full force in this one. Bitter piney hoppiness and a sweet caramel, toffee, bread crust backbone. Probably one of my top 5 beers.
-Chocolate Milk Stout: A nice, thick beer with a big head and plenty of chocolate to go around. About what you’d expect, but is that a bad thing?
•Civil Life Brewing Company: They do a lot of British and German beers, and they do them incredibly well. They don’t get cute with their beers, sticking to mostly below 6.5%, and rarely barrel-aging but they still turn out winner after winner. They’re not bottling beer yet, but you find it on a lot of taps.
-Brown Ale: It’s not your mama’s Newcastle. Roasted brown sugar, toasty malts, some chocolate and coffee. With fall coming, I see myself drinking a lot of these.
-British Bitter: Hop-forward beer with toasted malts, hay, and citrus coming through. Really fresh and clean mouthfeel. Between its perfect balance, and being 4.2%, I could and have been known to drink a lot of these.
•Perennial Artisan Ales: If you’re looking for fancy beer, this is the place. They focus on seasonal brews and local ingredients. These brews will cost you a pretty penny, but I promise they’re worth it. Life’s too short, right?
-Saison De Lis: A super complex farmhouse ale. Yeasty, perfumy, spicy, creamy, lemon. It’s one of their flagship beers that you can find a lot as opposed to…
-Abraxas: An imperial stout with an Aztec flare, brewed with ancho chiles, cacao nibs, vanilla beans, and cinnamon sticks. People buy these up so damn fast I haven’t even tried it yet. Starting to think it’s more like an urban legend.
•Six Row Brewing Company: They’re actually located at the site of the old Falstaff Brewery in Midtown St Louis. Great food there too!
-Double IPA: The hop heads will love this one. I personally think it’s a little bit unbalanced, but people love it. Very citrusy and piney.
-Whale/Killer Whale: The story goes that Six Row was trying out their new brewing equipment and just had to make something. They ended up using a motley collection of ten different malts, and the Whale (Wheat/ale) was born. It has a kind of spicy, sweet lemony, bitter citrus thing going on that I don’t really know what do with, but their Killer Whale is a different story. The Whale gets beefed up to barley wine status and transforms into a strong, fruity, floral, balanced, 9.0% brew that is pretty darn tasty.
•Alpha Brewery: Just opened up and my experiences are limited to trying 2oz of each of the 10 beers they’re brewing so far. My early opinion is that they try a little too hard on a few beers (Shizo Japanese mint ale? Wut?) but they nail it on the Citra Pale Ale, Red Ale, and Scotch Ale.
Cheers!

Alright, I want to brew a three gallon batch of RIS. This will be my first time brewing this style, so I'm going to throw this recipe out there for critiques.
My plan is to use the yeast cake from a Scottish 60/- (OG 1.032) instead of making a yeast starter.
Russian Imperial Stout
Batch Size: 4.5 Gallon
Efficiency: 65%
OG: 1.090
Expected FG: 1.020
Anticipated ABV: 9.4%
IBU: 58.4
SRM: 61.5
13 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) 75.4 %
1 lbs Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) 5.8 %
1 lbs Black Barley (Stout) (500.0 SRM) 5.8 %
1 lbs Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) 5.8 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) 2.9 %
6.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) 2.2 %
6.0 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) 2.2 %
1.50 oz Nugget [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min 58.4 IBUs
1.0 pkg Nottingham (Danstar #-) [slurry from previous beer]
*Prepare tap water with metabisulfite and CaCl2
*Mash at 154F, add finely crushed roasted grains as mash-out
*Boil 60 minutes, cool to 60F, pitch onto yeast cake from previous three gallon batch of Scottish 60/- (OG 1.032)
*Ferment at 64F until attenuated, rack to CO2-flushed 3 gallon carboy for bulk aging on cacao nibs and vanilla beans (perhaps dried chilies?)
What do you think? Any suggestions to improve the recipe or tips for brewing a RIS?
Thanks!

I'm planning on doing a partial mash version of KBS from zymurgy
Here's my partial mash recipe of it:

 4.0# American Two Row 1.5# Flaked Oats .75# Roasted Barley .75# Chocolate .50# Belgian De-bittered Black .50# Crystal 120 6.6# LME (15 min) 1.0# DME (15 min) 

HOPS Schedule:

 60: Nugget: 1.25 oz @ 12% AA 25: Willamette: 1.25 oz @ 5.1% AA 10: Willamette: 1.0 oz @ 5.1 AA 

MISC Boils:

 15: 2.5 oz Belgian Bittersweet Chocolate 1.5 oz Unsweetened Cacao Nibs 1/2 teas. Irish Moss, Yeast Nutrient 0: 2 oz Sumatran Coffee Grounds 

Primary: (2 weeks)
Secondary: (2-6 months):

 Soaked for 2 weeks: 3 oz oak cubes 8 oz Maker's Mark Bourbon 2 oz of Kona coffee cold brewed in 16oz water 

OG: 1.092
Sparge Gravity: 1.059
Final Gravity: 1.022
Couple of questions, this is going to be my 1st partial mash and I'll be mashing 8# of grains to 2.5 gallons of water for 60 mins. I'm hoping to hit a sparge gravity of 1.059. How much water would I lose from grains soaking it up, and how much sparge water would I need to get a boil of 3.5 gallons that will be topped off in the fermenter?
Also, what should I do to ensure good efficiency while mashing? Stirring? Leave it alone? I've only done extracts with steeping prior to this, and was looking to hopefully mimic that velvety mouthfeel of KBS, when I did an extract clone of FBS (which is still conditioning) I felt I didn't achieve that oatmeal smoothness that I wanted, but then again I tasted FBS a few weeks ago and it wasn't as velvety as KBS.
Any input on late extract addition and it's effect on color in a stout? I want this thing to be black as night.
And any input on hop utilization with the late extract addition? I am assuming that after mashing, there will be enough "fermentable matter" in the boil that hops will be fine without the bulk of extract needing to be in it for the full 60 min boil?
Also, I pre-crushed my grains, how long will they keep for? I don't plan on brewing this for another 2 weeks.
Any input from seasoned brewers will be appreciated.
Ingredients porn shot

I had posted this once on another account of mine, and I deleted for some reason. I've revised it somewhat so I'm going to throw it out again since /FoodDev seems to have more people reading it on a regular basis now compared to when it was first posted. Amus also messaged me asking why I removed it, so I figured I'd pay some respect and put it up again.
This menu was originally planned for Valentine's Day, and I thought it'd be cute and fun to make chocolate the star of a tasting menu. The menu is split into two sections, dark and light, with dark featuring dark chocolates and light featuring white chocolates. I'd like to add a section called yin and yang that features white and dark chocolate together, but I'm still working on it. I do consider white chocolate to be chocolate by the way, even though it lacks cocoa solids because cocoa butter is still derived from the cacao bean. By this definition, pure cocoa butter can be considered instead of using white chocolate for the light menu. Throw out any ideas that you may have, and any improvements that you think should be made.
If anyone is a cheese expert, I'd love to get some better cheese pairings as I think mine are rather banal and could be better.
Here's what I got:
Dark

• Amuse-bouche: Cocoa nibs, raspberry, Mexican chorizo, parsley, and feta cheese

1. Roasted beets, caramel glazed pistachios, bittersweet chocolate, pecorino romano, grapefruit segments, and mixed greens with mustard-sherry vinaigrette
   
2. Chipotle and dark chocolate soup with bacon with sunchokes chips (maybe sweet potatoes or parsnips instead)
   
3. Chocolate pappardelle with duck ragu topped with chocolate shavings and orange gremalota (I'm still a bit on the fence with the gremolata, but I think it'll provide some brightness to the dish, when I tried it though, I made it way too salt by accident so I didn't use it)
   
4. Coffee, chile, and cocoa rubbed flank steak with kale and parsnips (I think roasted leg of lamb or buffalo instead of the flank steak would work well here too)
   
5. Palet d'Argent (this but with silver dragees instead) from Thomas Keller and Sebestien Rouxel's Bouchon Bakery; it's a layered chocolate cake with chocolate mousse between the chocolate cake layers, then covered with a chocolate glaze (not ganache, it's cream, sugar, water, cocoa powder, and gelatin)
   

Alternative to dish 3: Chocolate sweet potato gnocchi with crispy pork belly, rosemary, Parmesan cheese, and raspberries
Light

• Amuse-bouche: White chocolate and caviar (uni, and other types of fish roe can be substituted)

1. Mexican chorizo, lime, cilantro, white chocolate truffle, cashews, and argula on flat bread
   
2. Hazelnut, charred orange segments, cocoa nibs, white chocolate, tarragon and ricotta cheeseballs, and mixed greens with chili-orange vinaigrette
   
3. Cocoa butter, rosemary, and saffron risotto with seared scallops and macadamia nuts
   
4. Lemon and thyme fried chicken and waffles with a pink peppercorn and white chocolate sauce
   
5. White chocolate brownie with pistachio gelato, orange segments (or perhaps orange sorbet) and juniper berry caramel.
   

Alternative dish 4: Pan seared cod (or some other type of white fish; I need to learn more about fish), watermelon, turnips, pink peppercorn beurre blanc (use cocoa butter in the beurre blanc)
Alternative dish 3: Serrano chile, corn, and white chocolate soup with shoestring sweet potatoes and kale chips
Yin and Yang

• Pork shoulder braised with cocoa powder and cumin, white chocolate coated sweet potato fries, swiss chard sauteed with lemon zest, and pomegranate coulis (the coulis maybe unnecessary)

Yin and Yang to be continued...
Ideas from the previous post:
From Amus:
Vanilla with lobstemonkfish is super traditional. You could use white chocolate the same way. Boring I know, but lobster is pretty traditional for Vday. Cocoa butter poached would be pretty awesome theoretically.
I made a red velvet cake with beets and it went very well together. What about a roasted beet salad with shaved bitter chocolate, Parmesan cheese and endive/chickory? Cocoa nibs for crunch?
Turkey is often served with chocolate down south, but turkey isn't really romantic. Perhaps a super old fashioned mousseline with truffle and pistachio and a cocoa unsweet custard sauce or cream? chocolate/ancho crusted seared beef tenderloin carpaccio, with hazelnut oil and crispy fried garlic.
Cocoa butter pommes puree
From ummusername:
How about a soup? Cocoa Tinged Beef Stew is very tasty and not too difficult to make (the long prep time is mostly due to simmering time). If you can, serve this with Cocoa Seasoned Kale Chips.
Also, a neat seafood recipe: Chocolate-Dusted Scallops with Vanilla Butter Sauce. Only warning is that this is fairly rich and filling.
Lastly, I saw this recipe, and I'm dying to try it: Pomegranate and Cocoa Glazed and Pear Stuffed Quail. It looks like it's served over risotto (cilantro risotto would be really nice, i think).

Mocha Wednesday™
Mocha Wednesday is the perfect follow-up to Black Tuesday®, adding layers of artisan dark chocolate and bold coffee flavors, especially when consumed fresh, thanks to cacao nibs from San Francisco-based TCHO and freshly roasted coffee from OC’s own Portola Coffee Lab.

19.4% ABV Society Exclusive; Limit 8 $31.99 (retail value $39.99) 

Poterie™ - Scotch Barrel-Aged
Poterie is French for “pottery”, the traditional eight-year anniversary gift. Our eighth anniversary ale, Poterie, follows in the footsteps of our anniversary releases before it, which are loosely based on an English-style old ale and fermented with our house yeast strain. This edition was 100% aged in oak barrels that previously held Scotch, imparting a subtle smoky complexity to complement the robust flavors of toffee, caramel, dark fruit, vanilla and oak. Poterie will age gracefully for decades when cellared properly.

14.8% ABV Society Exclusive; Limit 6 $23.99 (retail value $29.99) 

Room for Me™
We all know the old adage: “when life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.” But what do you do when your friends at Masumoto Family Farms deliver a fresh harvest of juicy nectarines? You stop what you’re doing and join coworkers from all areas of the company at Bruery Terreux to carve up nectarines to make a small batch, limited edition, fruited sour. Nectarines with a sour blonde ale aged in oak: it’s the perfect fit.

5.9% ABV Hoarders Release; Limit 3 $18.39 (retail value $22.99) 

Chupacabra Quinceañera™
Chupacabra Quinceañera is a refreshing 100% Brett-fermented blonde beer bursting with clean tropical aroma from the unique brett strain used for fermentation. These notes are complemented with the subtle use of Simcoe and Amarillo hops, which add layers of tangerine and passionfruit. It's quite the party.

4.9% ABV Hoarders Release; Limit 3 $9.59 (retail value $11.99) 

So Happens It's Tuesday™
Our infamous Black Tuesday® stout is named in honor of the great stock market crash of 1929. So Happens It’s Tuesday is similarly dark and delicious, but in a more affable format, reminding us that there is always a bit of good to be found within the bad. Things happen, life goes on. This beer can be enjoyed in all of those moments and seasons.

14% ABV Pre-public release (1/12); Limit 6 $15.99 (retail value $19.99) 

Chronology:6™ Wee Heavy
We’re at it again with Old Father Time for a new Chronology Series™ - a Scotchology, if you will, with a base resembling a Scotch-style ale. In this installment, we brewed a wee heavy - known for rich, malt-forward flavors - and set it to age in bourbon barrels. Every six months, we’ll take a quarter of the barrels, blend them and bottle them. This first bottling represents the nuances imparted to the base beer after six months of barrel aging.

13.7% ABV Society Exclusive; Limit 6 $19.99 (retail value $24.99) 

Les Ronces™
Loosely translated as "The Brambles", Les Ronces is rooted in Southern California charm. The juicy fruit was commercially brought to life near Bruery Terreux at Knott's farm in Buena Park, California in the early 1930s. Since their peak in popularity, the berries have become more scarce and elusive, and at the same time, an ideal cohort for our wildly traditional bière™. In Les Ronces, the boysenberries impart a reddish-purple hue to the oak-aged ale, with their sweet-tart flavor profile complementing the sour blonde base in a light jammy, puckering and refreshing fashion.

6% ABV Society Exclusive; Limit 6 $18.39 (retail value $22.99) 

Batch No. 1731™
Batch No. 1731 is a 100% brettanomyces-fermented hoppy session ale created by homebrewer Kevin Osborne of Los Angeles. When we judged through all of our competition entries, his complex yet quaffable creation shouted WINNER! (as well as tropical!, funky! and dry!). It puts El Dorado, Mosaic and Chinook hops on a pedestal as much as one possibly could.

5.1% ABV Limited; Limit 6 $11.99 (retail value $14.99) 

After looking through several chocolate stout, cherry stout, and chocolate cherry stout recipes, I've combined what I think sounds like the best parts of several recipes. I'm not 100% sure the amounts of cacao nibs and cherries are right to give the beer a nice balance between the two flavors. This is my first attempt at a Chocolate Cherry Stout so I'm open to suggestions and tips. Oh yeah, the recipe is for a 5 gallon batch.
7.5 lbs Light LME
0.5 lb 120 crystal malt
0.5 lb chocolate malt
0.5 lb rolled oats
3 oz roasted barley
3 oz cascade pellet hops (1 oz added at 60min/30 min/flame out)
1 tsp Irish moss
Irish Ale Yeast - WLP004
6 oz cacao nibs
5 lbs sour cherries (canned)
Steep specialty grains for 20 min at 150 degrees. Then add extract and boil x 60 minutes, adding the hops at predetermined times. Add Irish moss. After the boil, chill wart, add yeast starter, and rack to primary fermenter. After 1 week in primary, rack wart to secondary fermenter on top of the cherries. After 1 week in secondary add cacao nibs. Leave in secondary 2 more weeks then bottle.
Edit: So after hearing homebrewing's feedback and doing a little more research, I've decided to go with a few changes. I'm going to increase the roasted barley to 4oz, use about 1 1/2 oz of chocolate extract in the secondary instead of the cacao nibs (will adjust more or less to taste), I'm still going to add the 5 lbs of cherries to the secondary but will first soak them in vodka before pureeing them, and then will add a little cherry extract to taste to about half the batch before bottling so I can decide after conditioning which I like better. Will post results when it's finished.

Hey guys, want to come up with a relatively low ABV chocolate chili stout for extended sipping this winter. What do you think about this recipe? I'm going for a semi sweet chocolatey flavor, maybe enhanced with some vanilla bean, with a spice kick near the end. NOT looking for much of the vegetal pepper flavor though. Would love some pepper recommendations based off of that. Anyway, here it is:

Name: Chocolate Chili Stout

Style: American Stout

Brew Method: Extract

Batch Size: 5 Gallon OG: 1.062 FG: 1.018 SRM: 36 IBU: 35

Fermentables

• 7.00 lb Pilsen DME
• 0.75 lb Lactose
• 0.75 lb Caramel 60L
• 0.75 lb Chocolate Malt
• 0.25 lb Black Patent Malt
• 0.25 lb Roasted Barley

Boil Additions

• 2 oz Fuggle @60 min
• 1 oz Fuggle @5 min

Yeast

• Safale US-05

Additions:

• 6oz cacao powder @ flameout
• 4oz cacao nibs in secondary for a week
• 1 split vanilla bean in secondary
• 0.5 tsp cinnamon in secondary
• UNKNOWN CHILI COMBO??? in secondary

Would love some input on how this will work. You don't really see too many huge flavor, low ABV stouts so there must be a reason why? I kinda want a Mexican Cake feel here without the 10.5%. Not a clone or anything, just a nice bold flavor. What do you guys think? Like I said, looking at the chilis more for a little bit of heat, not for the vegetal flavors.

Verified? (This bot cannot verify AMAs just yet)
Date: 2014-01-24
Link to submission (Has self-text)

Questions	Answers
Hey Sam! I run the chocolate blog Little Brown Squares and we've been curious - what did you base your packaging on? Friends have told us everything from 1920s soap boxes to shaving kits. What was the idea behind the packaging design? Other questions if you have time! When are you going to start selling your bars on the west coast? Did you start with small equipment and build your way up? How did you get your funding for your small business? What other origins of cacao do you want to explore? What do you think of Guatemala or Papua New Guinea cacao? Did you know the University of Florida is growing it in their state? What would you tell aspiring chocolate makers who want to get into the bean to bar business?	Hey Little Brown Squares! We built our packaging to break the form or traditional chocolate packaging. My wife loves getting things that she can eat and then re-use the packaging for something else. Question 1. We sell at a Chocolate Covered in SF and you can order our chocolate on our site and we ship to the lower 48. Question 2. Started with small equipment and will work our way into larger stuff as it becomes available. Question 3. We built a business plan that looked appetizing and an investor dug our principles and ideas. Question 4. I love it all. We are traveling to Belize with the folks from Dandelion chocolate in February. Then going to Trinidad and Ecuador to dig deeper into farms we already purchase beans from. (UF growing cacao) No we didn't, we will look into that information! Question 5. Be honest and get ready for machines to break. Become really good friends with an electrician, machinist, plumber, coffee roaster, brewers and whoever else knows about machines breaking.
Do you have small theatrical orange people? Also can you hook a bro up with a golden tickets?	I think some people over do it when they tan.
What are your thoughts on white chocolate? Is it a legitimate form of chocolate?	I like making white chocolate, it is a fickle beast. "legitimate" is an interesting way of putting it. Technically because it has no cocoa solids, it isn't the same as say our 70% Classic Dark Chocolate, which is Roasted cocoa nibs, sugar and cocoa butter. White Chocolate is traditionally Milk powder, sugar and cocoa butter.
Whats the craziest thing you've found while sorting beans?	Chicken bones, rocks, wires, found a grenade pin one time (seriously).
Do you save the chicken bones... for you know... later... maybe a stew.. or a necklace?	Actually we used to keep a jar of all the stuff we found in bean bags but it got kinda gross pretty quickly. The beans are essentially coming from the rain forest.
Chocolate is an aphrodisiac... so... uhhh... how's that working out for you?	Well, my wife and are blessed with a baby boy...so yeah.
Can i have some samples? you know, for comparison.	Sure, come on down to the factory and sample all the varieties we make. You can also get a delicious mocha or sipping chocolate, made with our chocolate (of course)
Why no straight up milk chocolate?	We make a straight up milk chocolate. We call our Dark Milk Chocolate because it has a much higher percentage of cocoa. Deeper and darker than most commercial chocolates.
What did you think about the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory re-make, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?	I love Gene Wilder... but I also love Johnny Depp. And Tim Burton. I'm torn to be completely honest.
Me too? el_burracho and I will compare and contrast what we like/dislike about your chocolate.	Meet el_burracho down here, sort of like Match.com but for chocolate. You can enjoy it together...
About how many beans make up one chocolate bars? if you had to guess?	I don't have to guess it takes 37 beans, plus sugar, plus cocoa butter to make a bar of chocolate.
What is the hardest chocolate to make?	Milk Chocolate has the most science behind it, because of the amount of fats in the different ingredients.
Do you add other ingredients to your chocolate ... like fruit, nuts, spices? If so, how do you determine what to use and how much?	We are a nut free facility, so no nuts. When we build flavors with our chocolate, we use a couple different methods. For instance, if we use a Dominican chocolate, it will have a nice banana like aroma with pronounced cherry flavor, so we might add a something to compliment those. If we have a nutty flavored bean, like a Venezuelan bean, we can mix the two and create a delicious treat.
How many oompa loompa jokes do you hear?	Many, many more than we ever expected.
What do you enjoy more; the taste of chocolate or the process of making it?	Very much equal. But, for me specifically it is making it. It is amazing what the beans smell and taste like when they arrive at our factory in the burlap sacs. Then they get transformed into chocolate, kind of a trip!
Would you say you're like this fish around chocolate? Link to www.youtube.com.	A touch more enthusiastic and less manic :)
Are you hiring? I live in NC and no prior knowledge to Chocolate other then I used to live in PA and have been to Hershey Park like a billion times and still to this day know the song from the touride, with all that said when do I start?	We love positive chocolate lovers! Drop off your resume and get a few samples of our chocolate. See you soon.
Can I come work with you ? And can I do traveling chocolate promotions..as well as taste tester. In compelete seriousness.	Do you live in the area?
There was a series on the BBC about a chef who bought his own cacao farm in Venezuela, and then brought the beans back to the UK to start his own factory. The trial and tribulations he went through were enough to make me think this is a crazy business. His name is Willie Harcourt-Cooze and here is a link to his website. It's well worth checking out. Do you have to be a little crazy to get into the chocolate business?	Willie is an awesome guy. We met him at The Good Food Awards, marketplace. I don't know if you are crazy, but you definitely have moments of feeling crazy or acting crazy. As you saw in his show, when he talks about the "voices" in the factory...that happens to me and when it does, I know I have been at work too long and the machines are NOT talking to me.
Where did you come up with the name 'Videri Chocolate'?	We lifted it from the NC state motto "Esse Quam Videri" which means "to be, rather than to seem". Also, I'm half Italian and in the Italian translation Videri means "to see" and that's a big part of our factory and retail space. We want folks to see how we make chocolate and become a part of the process, we want everyone who walks through our door to get immersed in the chocolate experience.
What's the most difficult process of creating a chocolate bar?	The dang humidity in the south, gives us fits in the summer time.
Thanks for making fantastic chocolate and being part of what is getting Raleigh on the map for food! You've added a coffee bar to the space and your chocolate can be found in shops around the Triangle, including places like Whole Foods, as well as in collaborations with other local businesses, like Crank Arm's beers - what's the next destination in expansion?	We are building a great base of retail partners and look forward to growing with this community. A small brewery in North Raleigh-Sub Noir-has started using our nibs in a beer, Mystery Brewing in Hillsborough makes a delicious beer with our nibs as well.
Do you like chocolate?	Oh yeah, I have to chill out on eating it some days. It is so good. We have chocolate from other bean to bar makers and love eating all kinds of chocolate.
Why does peanut butter and chocolate taste so good together?	It's the salty and sweet combo. You can't beat it. I like your username btw. Go Panthers!
Where did you come up with the idea for pink peppercorn chocolate. It sounds...spicy. Do you have any ideas you could share with us for upcoming chocolate bars that are coming down the line?	Our chocolate lent itself to the flavor of a pink peppercorn, which has a sweet effervescence and a touch of spice. The next bars coming out, are a line of 90% & 75% Origin based bars. Keep an eye out, they are delicious!
What is the most chocolate you've made in one day?	In our factory, we have made 1,000 bars in a single day. Making chocolate, we can pump our 50 kgs per day of untempered chocolate.
What's the most difficult part of the chocolate making process? If I had no experience making chocolate what would be some rookie mistakes to look out for?	Be prepared for environmental factors like humidity to come in to play, also, it's manufacturing so be prepared for your machines to break frequently.
Which bar is your most popular?? I live nowhere near NC and want to try!	Our 60% dark chocolate blend with sea salt is by far the most popular. The salty and sweet man, you can't beat it. Where do you live? We're in about 60 retail outlets across the states and we also sell on our online store.
Have you ever tasted the fruit from the cacao pod? If not, you definitely should. It's a cool experience.	When I was 18 I traveled through Ecuador and Peru. I tried it and I had no idea that ten years later I would be making chocolate from that :)
Hi Sam, what was the biggest challenge you faced creating your own chocolate shop?	The machinery we get isn't always what we paid for. Other than that it is pretty chill and easy to do.
Seems like people disregard white chocolate too often which is a huge mistake. whats your take on that?	Their loss. Look up in the thread as we give a bit more of a description.
What don't you like about your job?	Not being able to make chocolate all day.
What is your favorite chocolate? (Besides Videri)	Dick Taylor 75% Ecuadorian Camino Verde and Dandelion Chocolate in SF makes an incredible Madagascar variety.
How inaccurate is Roald Dhal's depiction of the chocolate factory.	The books depiction of a chocolate factory is very different and from a different time in the world.

Last updated: 2014-01-28 19:29 UTC
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