SWAMBO Chocolate Ale

You've inspired me to use Hershey's syrup in a chocolate chipotle ale that I'm moving up on the list!
 
Chocolate chipotle.... Add some Annatto and you have Dogfish Head's Theobroma - I had one the other night and I lust after some hints as to how to reproduce it! They use anchos - I have several on my pepper bushes and it may just move me to do some experimenting....
 
I don't even know where I could get Annatto; I know my LHBS doesn't have it. I have some jalapenos and other peppers growing, but an exceptionally mild spring and summer have meant that they're maturing very slowly. I really like the smokiness of the chipotles though, and I'm planning on using a couple in the boil and then bathing a couple in some bourbon and then putting them in the secondary, along with the chocolate syrup. I have never seen Theobroma; Indiana is not a state to which many craft breweries seem to distribute, as Hoosiers apparently don't have a really well-developed collective beer palette. I read a beer blog about 13 beers for the summer of '13: 12 aren't available near me at all and the 13th is Sam Adams. Sigh.
 
Nosybear said:
Bottling the Chocolate version tonight. 16 Oz Chocolate Syrup in 2.5 gal. gives a nice, subtle chocolate flavor. The base beer is very dry, malty. The cocoa and vanilla add a nice complexity and the sugar all fermented away. It looks nasty in the fermenter, imagine brown krauesen. While the base beer dropped very bright, this one is still somewhat cloudy - hoping it will clear in the bottle in time for the Colorado State Fair!
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I'm pumped to hear the Syrup worked out! I'll have to give it a try. :)
 
I used some Polyklar at bottling and it cleared up well. First time I'd ever used it, worked like a champ!
 
Nosybear said:
I used some Polyklar at bottling and it cleared up well. First time I'd ever used it, worked like a champ!
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My LHBS has this, Biofine, Clarity Ferm and Clearfine; Clearfine seems like a good option from what I see online. Do they all work by getting stuff to drop out of suspension? Clearfine seems to be for use in the fermenter prior to racking, so is Polyklar the same? I'd be happy to spend a few more dollars for greater clarity.
 
This is a fascinating thread. I am planning an oatmeal stout for the fall and now considering to jazz it up with a can of Hershey's. when should I add?
 
I added the syrup when I racked the beer - about five days into fermentation this time around - that yeast definitely was hungry! As to the Polyklar, it's the fine granulated plastic - a whole lot like styrofoam - I think all the brands you're mentioning are pretty much the same thing. It's the second clarifying agent I've used - Isinglas in a Pilsner was the first - and both have worked well.
 
Nosy. Please post pics of each version.

What would happen if I add syrup to boil? What gave you the idea to add post fermentation?
 
Will do as soon as I can - but don't expect something dark and black! It's about the color of a good Mild, even the chocolate version! As far as adding to secondary rather than the boil, I've considered both and next time I do it, I'll do cocoa nibs in the primary. Biggest reason is chocolate flavor is cocoa and vanilla and I found references to using syrup on the Internet. Had to try it! In secondary, the yeast will digest the sugars in the syrup, leaving the very mild chocolate flavor. Understand, this produces a very subtle chocolate flavor! If I do the syrup thing again, I may make my own syrup rather than using Hersheys for a couple of reasons: I can choose my cocoa, perhaps Giardelli's rather than Hershey's, I can choose my vanilla - there are differences - and I can avoid preservatives in the syrup that may have slightly interfered with fermentation.
 
What do you think would be a good amount of cacao nibs to use? I've never used those before but want some real cacao flavor, though the chocolate flavor is fine too, in my chocolate/chipotle beer. My LHBS sells them in 4oz portions, but I'm not sure whether that's a lot or a little in terms of adding to the beer.
 
Three ounces in five gallons should be a good place to start. Here's a reference from "All About Beer" magazine:

This brings us to cocoa nibs, the most raw, and hence, most intense of cocoa products. Nibs are essentially crushed cocoa beans that are either raw or slightly roasted. Raw nibs are lighter in color and don’t have the burnt edge that roasted nibs do, so pick your appropriate confection. Taste them before using and trust your instincts, which is often the homebrewers’ best directive. Raw nibs would fold nicely into a brown ale or porter, with the roasted nibs more at home in a stout. Each unaltered nugget is roughly the size of a barleycorn. They can be used directly in the mash, the boil, or suspended in conditioning beer like hops or spices.

As they are the precursor to cocoa powder, nib character is just as concentrated and powerful, and should be used with restraint. Three ounces in a five-gallon batch is a good starting point. To get maximum effect in the mash or kettle, mill them as you would your grain. I have found that the flavor is fully extracted in the mash, adding another roasted dimension to the brew. If used in conditioning beer, simply fill a small mesh sachet with the desired amount and suspend in the beer with a string. Since the extraction will be lower and mellower than if it is mashed or boiled, you will find that this approach will give a softer edge to the finished beer. Nibs are this brewer’s preferred choice for most brewing additions, as they are relatively unaltered, and can be sampled in their natural state prior to use.
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And, if it's not enough, you can always use syrup. Cheers!
 
Within the next couple days I plan to rack a milk stout on 30 oz of Hershey's Syrup. Have you changed your mind or have additional advise on the use or amount of the syrup? Thanks.

Dan
 
Advice stands for use of syrup. I've made a brew since using cocoa in the mash and recommend that over syrup but then if you're doing extract, options are boil or secondary, and syrup is easy.
 
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