cacao nibs

Iliff Avenue Brewhouse

Well-Known Member
Trial Member
Established Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Messages
707
Reaction score
572
Points
93
Any advice on how to use them? Brewed an imperial oatmeal stout last night that will be getting some adjuncts...

I was told by my brewshop to roast them at 200F for about one hour, cover them in spirits for a few days, discard the sprits, and add the nibs at the end of fermentation. I was under the impression that you were supposed to add the sprits and not the nibs?
 
Any advice on how to use them? Brewed an imperial oatmeal stout last night that will be getting some adjuncts...

I was told by my brewshop to roast them at 200F for about one hour, cover them in spirits for a few days, discard the sprits, and add the nibs at the end of fermentation. I was under the impression that you were supposed to add the sprits and not the nibs?
You can add them a number of ways. I've never heard of roasting them - they're already roasted when you buy them. You can add them to the boil, you can "dry hop" them, you can make a tincture as you describe. There's nothing volatile about the flavor and aroma so it really doesn't matter when you add them. So when I'm adding cocoa nibs to a brew, I just throw them in at 10 minutes remaining and call it good.

Why would you want to soak them in spirits, then discard the extract? That just seems a waste to me.... Just chuck them in the boil with 10 minutes remaining and call it good.

Pro tip: If you want chocolate flavor instead of cocoa, add some vanilla at packaging to taste. You can do the complicated, time consuming thing with the beans and vodka, or just let someone else do that work and use a good quality vanilla extract (not the McCormack stuff). Extra goodness: Different vanillas taste different, and your local TJ Maxx or Homegoods is a great place to get the extracts.
 
Thanks for the tips. Using sprits and dumping it didn't make sense to me either hence this thread.

The beer was brewed last night. In the past, I have just thrown them in post fermentation before but had less than stellar results. I am planning to add vanilla and perhaps a bit of cinnamon. There will be a lot going on in this beer...
 
Thanks for the tips. Using sprits and dumping it didn't make sense to me either hence this thread.

The beer was brewed last night. In the past, I have just thrown them in post fermentation before but had less than stellar results. I am planning to add vanilla and perhaps a bit of cinnamon. There will be a lot going on in this beer...
Mexican chocolate beer. Good idea!
 
I believe you can buy cacao nibs raw or roasted. Assuming you were buying the nibs at the LHBS and giving them the benefit of the doubt, I would roast them like they suggested. Then soak them in your spirit of choice (Tequila, if you are going all Mexican! ;)) and add the tincture to taste at packaging. Whatever way you choose, good luck and keep us posted!
 
I believe you can buy cacao nibs raw or roasted. Assuming you were buying the nibs at the LHBS and giving them the benefit of the doubt, I would roast them like they suggested. Then soak them in your spirit of choice (Tequila, if you are going all Mexican! ;)) and add the tincture to taste at packaging. Whatever way you choose, good luck and keep us posted!

Planning to roast them for sure. The last ones I bought were roasted so I didn't bother. Not actually going the mexican chocolate route although that does sound delicious. Thanks for the feedback.
 
As a roaster and brewer of artisan coffee; I would advise similar as your LHBS, roasting the nibs if they aren't already... but roasting lightly as nibs don't need much roasting. Increasing surface contact area is where you will see the most benefit, meaning to grind the nibs to a fine powder prior to adding to the brew/beer.
 
Are those your Nibs?
You're soaking in it Madge:D
 

Back
Top