"ARRIBA!! Mexican Chocolate Porter"

[Jeffro74]

Would love if anyone would like to chime in on a recipe I'm working on. My inspiration is my love of Mexican hot chocolate, and the wild hair I got to add powdered caffeine into a beer.

6 lbs of Dark Malt Extract
1 lbs of Chocolate malt
1 lbs of Coffee malt
1/2 lbs of Blackprinz malt
1/2 lbs of De-bittered black malt

1 oz US Kent Goldings (60 min)
1oz US Fuggle (10 min)

1/2 tsp cayenne (10 min)
3 Tbsp of cocoa powder (2 min)
1 tsp cinnamon (2 min)

Wyeast Irish Ale

same amount of hops used for dry hop one week after fermentation.

powdered caffeine added to bottling sugar (amount TBD after research to put approximately a cup of coffee's worth into each bottle)


Looking for any kind of criticism on timing, amounts, hop choice, yeast choice, grain bill (seeing as it's kind of a mixed bag).... anything you want to tear apart. No offense taken if you see something and think I'm whacked

Thanks in advance!!

 

[cheezydemon3]

Sounds good, the de-bittered malt will be utterly lost in that. Guess I would take it out.

Maybe a handful of roasted? 4oz maybe? for just a hint of fire roasted chiles.

 

[Jeffro74]

Debittered malt is in there purely for color... so you are right, in terms of flavor. I just wanted it to be dark. Thanks for the response!!

 

[Cyclman]

Smoked Chilis? I found a Left Hand Fade to Black recipe online, similar idea.

 

[Jeffro74]

I'm having a smoked pepper porter now (Indeed's "Hot Box")... don't think I want to add smoke to this one cuz I want more sweet to it...

Thank you though! I do like smoke!

 

[Jeffro74]

Quick math for my own reference here:


11 grams of powdered caffiene

5 gallons of beer = 640 oz

11,000 / 640 = 17.18 mg per fluid oz.

~206mg per 12oz brew... which is the equivalent of a Starbucks Grande Americano. Perfectly safe.

 

[Brewing_Master]

I would worry about the spices and cocoa powder being added in the boil. After being boiled and then going through a vigorous fermentation the majority of what your looking for in those powders is going to be scrubbed/boiled out and the beer will likely miss what you were aiming for. I would suggest adding the powders after the primary fermentation has finished and let the beer age on the spices/cocoa.

 

[Jeffro74]

Good suggestion, sir! Thank you! I think I'll follow that one.

I've also thought about upping the amount of cocoa powder... anyone have a good suggestion for what should be a fairly chocolatey brew?

 

[Brewing_Master]

Yes, depends on the cocoa powder though. I've had great results with 4 oz of Hershey's cocoa powder.

 

[Jeffro74]

Brew day for this one!! Just the steeping grains are getting me excited about it... this sucker is DARK!

 

[Ostomo517]

What kind of chocolate are you using?

 

[Jeffro74]

Are you asking about the chocolate malt, or the cocoa powder? Cocoa powder was going to just be Hershey's... the malt was Briess.

Briess chocolate malt
Briess Blackprinz malt
Castle de-bittered black
Simpson's coffee malt

added 4oz of table sugar too, at the end of the boil as my gravity was below 1.050... got it up to 1.052.

 

[Ostomo517]

Was wondering if you used actual mexican chocolate, I have been planning to mess around with it and was just wondering how it went if u used it.

 

[Jeffro74]

Nah... just regular ol' Hershey's


And I'm taking Brewing_Master's advice on the late addition of the cocoa and spices. This sucker is bubbling away!!

But your comment about "Mexican Chocolate" reminds me of a cooking demo I worked where a woman was making traditional Brazilian desserts, and they just about ALL of them had Nestlé Cocoa and sweetened condensed milk. She said "You can use fancier stuff if you want... but traditionally, we just used the can of Nestlé cocoa powder."

 

[Ostomo517]

Oh totally, Nestle actually makes my favorite variety of mexican chocolate, awesome stuff.

 

[dougdecinces]

Was wondering if you used actual mexican chocolate, I have been planning to mess around with it and was just wondering how it went if u used it.

I plan on doing this. I'm making a RIS and I'll add Abuelita to the mash. I'll probably also add ancho and/or guajillo chiles to secondary. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Ostomo517]

I plan on doing this. I'm making a RIS and I'll add Abuelita to the mash. I'll probably also add ancho and/or guajillo chiles to secondary. I'll let you know how it goes.

Niiiice sounds great!!

 

[Jeffro74]

I was enticed by the Ecuadorian cacao nibs at the brew store... so I added 4oz of those and1oz of Hershey's cocoa powder.

After two days, I put in 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Off to Memphis for 4 days and when I'm back I'll add the cayenne.

Broke my hydrometer, so wasn't able to take a gravity reading. The yeast starter was very active, so I'm not worried. I'll also, likely, cold crash it after two weeks. Was thinking I'll give it three weeks in the fermenter, 10 days of sitting on the cayenne and spices.

 

[Jeffro74]

Still in the fermenter... the aroma I'm picking up is sweet and faintly spicy, backed by a strong base of apple! Was not expecting that - might be from the Irish ale yeast?!?

Smells great, regardless. I should bottle sometime this coming week.

 

[Jeffro74]

Damn. Took a hydrometer reading last night and it's around 1.028. I think it may have stalled with the cold crash... my basement is around 60 degrees.

Is this low enough to bottle?!? Do I pitch more yeast, maybe?! Do I let it sit for a few more weeks?... raise the temp, maybe?...

Looking for any advice. Thanks!

 

[Ostomo517]

Damn. Took a hydrometer reading last night and it's around 1.028. I think it may have stalled with the cold crash... my basement is around 60 degrees.

Is this low enough to bottle?!? Do I pitch more yeast, maybe?! Do I let it sit for a few more weeks?... raise the temp, maybe?...

Looking for any advice. Thanks!

I would say try raising temp first, maybe try rousing the yeast with a quick swirl.

 

[Brewing_Master]

I would say try raising temp first, maybe try rousing the yeast with a quick swirl.

Agreed, also monitor (check gravity in the next 3-5 days) to make sure there is no further gravity change. If no change you could bottle or try adding a lil fresh'n'healthy yeast. (champagne yeast does a good job at drying things up, but take that advice with a bit of salt because it also tends to add some unwanted characters....sometimes)

What was your OG?

 

[Jeffro74]

Original gravity was 1.052...

I moved her upstairs. Temperature after less than 24 hours is back up to 68F. I swirled her a bit too. I'll check gravity again before I leave for a long Easter break. I won't plan on bottling until afterwards. I'd be fine if it was around 1.020.... but 1.028 seemed like something had stalled out.

Thanks for the suggestions, all! Truly appreciated.

 

[Jeffro74]

Crap. Got back from break... it's been a week, and no real movement in that time. At about 1.025 which is what it was last Wednesday.

Should I add some dry yeast to it, or bottle it up?! Taste is good. It's rich, which is what I was going for. But I am afraid of blowing up bottles

Opinions?!? Advice?!?

 

[Hernando]

It won't hurt to add some US-05. The worst that could happen is nothing changes and you wasted 3 bucks.

 

[Jeffro74]

I had a pack of Munton's dry yeast, so I sprinkled that on it. We'll see what that does.

 

[Jeffro74]

Just about two weeks and the gravity is around 1.016...

I'd be fairly happy with that, but I don't want to explode bottles. Is that low enough, or should I wait?

 

[Brewing_Master]

If there is no tested visual change in gravity then the beer is stable enough to bottle. But from experience 1016 is about where a dark beer with that high of an OG should finish at.

 

[Jeffro74]

Stayed at 1.016 for over a week... I am plenty happy with that.

So bottling night, dissolved 12 grams of powdered caffeine and 5 ounces of sugar in 1 cup of water and 1 TBSP vanilla extract.

Forty-eight 12oz beers with 250mg of caffeine per bottle. It's spicy dangery goodness!

For the record, though, most of the malt liquors that were sold with caffeine in them were around 12% alcohol... which is likely the reason they were banned. While I don't plan on marketing this, I was also aware and planned for a more reasonable level. Mine should be around 5.3%

And the caffeine, while more than I had planned, is still within a reasonable limit.