Copper Kettle Mexican Chocolate Stout Recipe

[Dynachrome]

My wife found this on Facebook - linked from a different stie and asked me to brew a batch.

The temp seems low. I usually don't go lower than 154F..

I also have never used peppers. Does the heat get lowered during the brewing and fermentaion? I've had one pepper beer - once. It was good, but I don't want to brew a big batch of something too hot to drink.

....thoughts please?

Copper Kettle Mexican Chocolate Stout Recipe Published: 2015-12-01

Mexican Chocolate Stout was one of the first beers that Copper Kettle Brewing Company brewed after it opened in Denver, Colorado, in 2011. The beer won gold the same year at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in the Herb and Spice Beer category.

Mexican Chocolate Stout is a dry stout to export strength of around 7 percent ABV. To that they add chile peppers and cinnamon at two stages of the brewing process, along with cacao nibs in the fermented beer.

According to Copper Kettle’s owner and head brewer, Jeremy Gobien, Mexican Chocolate Stout is very sensitive to temperature, and warm storage can deteriorate the spice flavors. So keep it cold and drink it fresh!

ALL-GRAIN

OG: 1.075
FG: 1.016
IBUs: 50
ABV: 7.5%

MALT/GRAIN BILL
11 lb 4 oz (5.1 kg) 2-row malt
1 lb (454 g) chocolate malt
12 oz (340 g) dextrine malt
12 oz (340 g) crystal malt 77L
12 oz (340 g) roast barley
8 oz (227 g) flaked oats

HOPS AND ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
1 oz (28 g) Warrior [16% AA] at 60 minutes

Spice Addition #1—Steep in whirlpool
½ habanero chile, dried, chopped
4 whole guajillo chiles, dried, chopped
2 whole ancho chiles, dried, chopped
2oz (57 g) Saigon Cassia Cinnamon chips or sticks

Spice Addition #2—Post Fermentation “Dry Spicing”
¼ habanero chile, dried, chopped
0.5 oz (14 g) Saigon Cassia Cinnamon chips or sticks
1 oz (28 g) cacao nibs

DIRECTIONS
Mash at 150°F (65°C) for 60 minutes. Collect the wort and begin a 60-minute boil with a single hops addition for bittering only. Cut up the chile peppers and steep the chile pepper blend and cinnamon chips in a nylon bag in the hot wort for at least 10 minutes after the boil is complete. Ferment using a neutral ale yeast at 68–70°F (20–21°C). When the final gravity is reached, steep the “dry spices” in the fermented beer for 3–5 days.

YEAST
White Labs WLP001 California Ale Yeast

Recipe is built to yield a batch size of 5 gallons (19 liters) and assumes 72 percent brewhouse efficiency.

Mexican Chocolate Stout

 

[Dynachrome]

OK, no thoughts on, other than my own...

Upon reflecting, I hearken back to the time I decided to make chili with some of my dad's home grown peppers.

There's more than one story about dad's peppers.

My brothers and sister were home from school. I thought a big pot of chili would be nice. Everybody could have some.

My middle brother and my sister were going through a phase where they liked hot spicy food. My youngest brother doesn't do heat to this day as far as I know. I thought I liked hot too. I ate Taco John's green sauce by the spoonful.

My dad grew a variety of peppers. Thai-hots were one of them, along with Hungarians, jalapenos, and a couple others. I learned that they cross pollinate when they bloom at the same time. The fruit becomes part of both parent plants. Thai-hots are hot to start out with.

Anyway, I browned up ten pounds of hamburger and added onions, beans, tomato sauce etc. ....and five Thai-hots. They're tiny, barely bigger than a pine-nut. It was a fairly large pot of chili.Five little peppers, just five, no more. They're tiny, I think I said that right?

I ate a bowl. At first it was fairly uncomfortable, not to worry though, it got worse. The lining of my mouth started to slough off and my eyes were tearing up. By the end, I was sure that the chili was sucking all of the oxygen from the room. I made it through the bowl though, after all, I cooked it.

I thought to myself, again, my brother and sister will both have a couple bowls and my dad will have a couple bowls and it will be eaten up and not go to waste.

My Sister had one and finished it, my brother had one and finished it. They were done. It was beyond their pay grade too. My dad had a bowl. The pot sat.We left it on the stove in those days. If you heat it up once a day, the bad things don't grow. My dad had a bowl a day until it was gone. I still cringe thinking about that batch of chili.

So, now I'm thinking of making a batch of chili beer with peppers that I have no idea how hot they are. I'm too damned scared to taste them raw.

My dad is no longer around to finish off the beer if it's too hot. I have phaith though that there is someone out there that will empty the bottles for me if I need help.

My wife picked out six of the peppers pictured above. We brew tonight.

 

[Dynachrome]

Time for bed!

 

[Dynachrome]

Cocao nibs soaking on vodka, one package S-04, one starter from bottle cake S-05.

Kettles and such cooling on northern Wisconsin.The low is 30F tonight.

 

[SeeMont]

This looks like an interesting beer, Wish I could taste the original. Let us know how this turns our. thanks

 

[Dynachrome]

Will do.

 

[Dynachrome]

I screwed up and left the cinnamon and peppers in all night - the recipe says to steep for ten minutes.

I tasted the wort. It wasn't barely hot. The cinnamon was really forceful though.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12-07-2015 - Transfer to fermentor- wort @ 44deg F

3 gal @ 1.064 O.G.
3 gal @ 1.050 O.G.

http://www.brewersfriend.com/hydrometer-temp/

...averages to 1.057 O.G.

Survey says averages to 1.056 O.G.

I poured about a gallon of "that other beer" into the Mexican Chocolate Stout due to fermentor space mostly.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[JF_HBrews]

The hat level doesn't seem to change much over time. It sounds like you may not have enough to your liking even after the "lining of my mouth started to slough off" chili incident you had. you could always choose one of the hotter peppers, slit it, and drop it in your fermentor to increase the heat. Or make a tincture of hot pepper (fresh or dried and ground) mixed with some vodka and add it to taste. The cinnamon should decrease some over time.

FYI - the original from Copper Kettle is amazing if you can get it in your area.

I hope you enjoy your version!

 

[botigol]

I have only had this once, but I thought that the cinnamon was overdone. The heat was also a little much (only a little), but the cinnamon could have been pushing the heat sensation higher as well. I say that it is worth a sample before the 'dry spicing' in order to check.

 

[Dynachrome]

Thanks for the tips guys.

Is there a syndrome, sort of like stage fright/crossed procrastination, only it would be a name for not-wanting-to-bottle-your finished beer?

I hauled a bunch of bottles up and have them along one unused wall in my kitchen. I walked past them all weekend. I told myself I was going to get at it tonight.

I just can't force myself to do it.

:/

 

[craitchky]

I made this one myself, and am very pleased with it. The peppers are not at all overwhelming, the cinnamon and caco come out very nice. My wife loves it!

 

[Dynachrome]

I made this one myself, and am very pleased with it. The peppers are not at all overwhelming, the cinnamon and caco come out very nice. My wife loves it!

Glad to hear. Does she help brew/bottle?

We're off top-dead-center. We're bottling. The head coming out of the fermentor is fabulous. I just drank a glass straight out of it. It's awesome. The peppers sit for about ten seconds then surprise you. This many days in the fermentor with the pepper grinds really steeped them nice.

I have more than 6 gallons. My gauzintas were off.

 

[craitchky]

Glad to hear. Does she help brew/bottle?

We're off top-dead-center. We're bottling. The head coming out of the fermentor is fabulous. I just drank a glass straight out of it. It's awesome. The peppers sit for about ten seconds then surprise you. This many days in the fermentor with the pepper grinds really steeped them nice.

I have more than 6 gallons. My gauzintas were off.

She helps brew when she can, and is my assistant bottler.
I really like the way the peppers just linger on you tongue.
I will be doing this one again.

 

[Dynachrome]

Six gallon fermentors are bigger than six gallons. I have 6.5 gallons - it was pretty high up the neck.

 

[Dynachrome]

...a quarter cup priming sugar – dextrose in 5-1/2 gallons
1.5 oz in the second kettle – 1-1/2 gallons

I've been over-doing it. My beer has been really heady.

I think I'm about double what I should be.

 

[Dynachrome]

I screwed up and left the cinnamon and peppers in all night - the recipe says to steep for ten minutes.

I tasted the wort. It wasn't barely hot. The cinnamon was really forceful though.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12-07-2015 - Transfer to fermentor- wort @ 44deg F

3 gal @ 1.064 O.G.
3 gal @ 1.050 O.G.

http://www.brewersfriend.com/hydrometer-temp/

...averages to 1.057 O.G.

Survey says averages to 1.056 O.G.

I poured about a gallon of "that other beer" into the Mexican Chocolate Stout due to fermentor space mostly.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The cinamon really went away. If you want the cinamon - bottle early and serve fresh.

 

[Dynachrome]

F.G was 1.014 FWIW

ABV ~ 5.64%-ish

 

[Dynachrome]

Ok, I'm crossing a couple threads

One of us on the website suggested I take my double batch of Left Hand Clone and split it to make two single batches - one Left Hand - the other turned into a Chocolate Mexican stout I did last year- the one in this thread.

I documented it already over there, but wanted to update this thread for my own diabolical purposes

All I could find at the local market this time of year were dried Guaillio, and fresh habenero. I've heard habeneros can give a vegatal flavor, but I'm not too worried about that with the other flavors going on. It will be a pretty complex beer.

The grain bill for the double batch was
22lb Maris Otter
2lb Weyerman's dehusked Carafa II
24oz Breiss Carapils
24oz Breiss two row Caramel 60L
18oz Breiss Roast Barley
16oz flaked oats.

I added four sticks of cinnamon,1/4 cup cocoa nibs, and a small handful of fresh and dried peppers to about 7 gallons of wort and boiled for about 50 minutes.
I'll have to look for my pictures for the hops..

I fit almost 6 gallons into a glass carboy and it's been there for about 4 weeks. I have the leavings from the Left Hand AND the Choc Mex Stouts in a 3 gallon SS pot with a glass cover.
...Franken-beer.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=445659&page=4

 

[Dynachrome]

This one has some heat going into the bottle.

I hope some of it stays till the St Patty's Day/Birthday party I made it for.

 

[MT2sum]

So since the grain bills are the same, why are the ABVs different, in your opinion?

 

[Dynachrome]

So since the grain bills are the same, why are the ABVs different, in your opinion?

I bumped my grinder and changed my grind. I got a stuck sparge. More sparge water, less sparge water.... ...I don't know.

 

[MT2sum]

Thx, just curious .....Sounds like a good brew .....



I'll hafta consider puttin that onto my to do list ..... I did put it into my BS recipes

 

[frettfreak]

You guys followed the recipe from the brewery with regards to the peppers? $ guajillo, 2 ancho, and 1/2 hab in the whirl?? I am so nervous about putting that many peppers in the whirl! lol

But if you guys say its not that spicy, i will give it a go! I LOVE CC Mexican Chocolate Stout, its not crazy on the spice, which is why this recipe just made me scratch my head, seems like a lot of peppers! lol

 

[Dynachrome]

Necro-thread revival...

I've been getting requests to make this again. I stopped to check my past recipe.

 

[Dynachrome]

The boil.

I messed up an forgot hops, so boil longer.

 

[Dynachrome]

Airlock activity within hours after adding reconstituted S-04.

 

[Dynachrome]

I let it sit over night to cool. I tasted the wort going into the fermentor. There was no heat from the pepper. I chopped up a scorpion pepper. I placed a small sliver on my tongue and expected immediate pain. It was barely hot.

That's my problem with this, trying to develope a pepper beer recipe. How can you predict heat without possibly tasting some ungodly hot pepper? ...or you have peppers with no power.

How much of what pepper to call out?

I may chop up a habanero into it later.

 

[Dynachrome]

O.G. was 1.064

Grain bill was 22lbs maris otter and 4 lbs mixed cara-pils. 1 lb rolled oats.

 

[mashpaddled]

I let it sit over night to cool. I tasted the wort going into the fermentor. There was no heat from the pepper. I chopped up a scorpion pepper. I placed a small sliver on my tongue and expected immediate pain. It was barely hot.

That's my problem with this, trying to develope a pepper beer recipe. How can you predict heat without possibly tasting some ungodly hot pepper? ...or you have peppers with no power.

How much of what pepper to call out?

I may chop up a habanero into it later.

Start small and work up until you're happy with the heat. You can add peppers as a post-fermentation addition instead of during the brew day. Add, test every day for five days or so. If you find the heat and flavor has leveled off and you want more, add another round of peppers and repeat.

With superhots you need to start out really low unless you're looking for intensity. Like a fraction of a pepper for the entire carboy.

 

[tracer bullet]

1 ounce of each Colombia, Fuggles, Hallertauer, and Palisade hops, all boiled for 60 minutes.

1 lb Cacao nibs in secondary for 2 weeks

For the hops, 4 different ones and all run at 60 minutes, I think you're just going to get some bitterness to counter the rest but otherwise not have any idea what hop was actually used. Little flavor survives 60 min of boil.

For the nibs, I use them in the mash and the boil, I'm nervous about picking up somethign funky and ruining the batch. Secondary may work since there's alcohol but you might still think about baking them a little bit or something.

 

[doug293cz]

I let it sit over night to cool. I tasted the wort going into the fermentor. There was no heat from the pepper. I chopped up a scorpion pepper. I placed a small sliver on my tongue and expected immediate pain. It was barely hot.

That's my problem with this, trying to develope a pepper beer recipe. How can you predict heat without possibly tasting some ungodly hot pepper? ...or you have peppers with no power.

How much of what pepper to call out?

I may chop up a habanero into it later.

I solved the "how do I know how much pepper to add?" problem by making a tincture in grain neutral spirits (Everclear 151 equivalent), and then adding measured amounts of the tincture to the finished and carbonated beer. For the tincture I used 1.8 lb of Jalapeno and 0.2 lb of Habanero peppers, and about 3 cups of the 151 proof alcohol. Macerated the peppers in a food processor, and added the alcohol. Let sit for a couple of weeks. Ended up with about 3.5 cups of pulp free (strained thru polyester voile cloth) tincture.

Poured measured samples of the beer and added tincture with a graduated syringe. First try was way too hot. Cut the amount of tincture in half - still too hot. Cut the amount of tincture in half again - and this seemed about right. Ended up using 2.6 - 2.7 fl oz of tincture in about 4.5 gal of beer. Used a large syringe to inject the tincture thru the PRV port (valve removed) into the keg.

Gave some of the leftover tincture away, and still have enough for a few more batches.

Warning: PPE is advised when working with the macerated peppers and tincture. I don't want to know what it feels like to get it in the eyes, and you probably don't either.

Brew on

 

[tracer bullet]

Warning: PPE is advised when working with the macerated peppers and tincture. I don't want to know what it feels like to get it in the eyes, and you probably don't either.

You don't want to hear too ,much about me taking a leak after cutting habaneros without gloves. You don't notice it right away, but about 15 minutes later you're in for a treat.

I love tinctures, I rarely throw anything directly into a beer other than the obvious ingredients. You can customize how much you want with every glass, including having none at all. I guess if I made a recipe enough times I might stop , but it's too fun to experiment.

 

[doug293cz]

You don't want to hear too ,much about me taking a leak after cutting habaneros without gloves. You don't notice it right away, but about 15 minutes later you're in for a treat.

I love tinctures, I rarely throw anything directly into a beer other than the obvious ingredients. You can customize how much you want with every glass, including having none at all. I guess if I made a recipe enough times I might stop , but it's too fun to experiment.

There is an old saying about chemists washing their hands before they go to the bathroom.

Brew on

 

[Dynachrome]

I still have some of this batch. It's more heat than I care for.

I need to box it up and give it to the friends who requested it.