cocoa nibs???

[badbeer]

hello again my beer making pals!!!!!
Me and my brother made a bark(I MEAN BLACK!!!) wheat 2 weeks ago and I wanted to add 1oz of cocoa nibs for a hint of chocolate. The guy at my LHBS said just to add them at the end of the boil and they would melt into the brew.
Well that did not happen!! they didn't melt at all and they clogged the drain line into my chiller!!! Does anybody out here have any knowledge on using these cocoa nibs or maybe chocolate powder, or maybe chunks of chocolate bar in their beer? any ideas on how much to use and when to use it????

Do I need to prepare the cocoa nibs first somehow???

Thanks again!!
MIKE
BADBEER

 

[Jwerner23]

I could be wrong but most of the things I have read said to add the cocoa nibs to the secondary. Maybe someone with more experience will chime in.

 

[redshift76]

I bake 4-8 oz nibs @ 275 for 15 min, cool, add to sanitized Pyrex container, cover with vodka for a week +. I add the liquid only, either in secondary or @ bottling by straining the nibs/vodka through a strainer lined with a coffee filter.

 

[Troubadour.Drew]

Honestly the mash is probably the best place for nibs.

A little late now but maybe next time.

 

[Cathedral]

I add nibs to the boil at 15 min, and use them in secondary. Nibs aren't chocolate. They don't melt.

Whirpool your wort and most will settle in the trub cone; however some will float. You can make a rough filter for your chiller line by wrapping a stainless steel scrubby around the inlet, or a strainer, or anything else that will keep big particles out that you can sanitize or boil.

I whirlpool and use a Hop Blocker and have no problems.

 

[lucasxp]

Just what i was looking for ha

I justbought some cocoa nibs to add to secondary, that's what i read from other threads. Soak them in vodka and add to the fermenter. The only thing that people seem to have their own ways is; how much of cocoa nibs they use; how long they leave them soaked in vodka; and to add or not to add the vodka with the nibs into the fermenter.... I guess those are personal preferences but overall, people soak the cocoa nibs for 3 to 5 days, then add the whole thing (vodka + cocoa) to the fermenter and let it sit for 3 to 7 days.

 

[StonesBally]

I have used cocoa nibs for a couple of beers that turned out great. One was a Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, and the other and Imperial Chocolate/Bourbon/Wood Aged Stout. I used the nibs in secondary, no soaking in vodka and no roasting in the oven. I treated them much the same as dry hops. I used 4 oz. in my Chocolate Stout, and 8 oz. in my Imperial, both 5 gallon batches. I used 8 oz. for the Imperial because of the other competing flavors, but in both beers the chocolate flavor came through very nicely, but not dominating. I also let these beers age for at least 6 months in the bottle before drinking, and the Imperial I brewed in 2012, saving most of it for Christmas and New Year's this season. These were just bulk cocoa nibs from Whole Foods too. The nibs will clog any tubing valves etc. You have to have some sort of filter. I found out the hard way on my first beer with nibs.