After a couple of weeks or research, asking my normal questions, trying several versions of the recipe, I have finalized the ingredients for my next home brew: Pot Licker Chocolate Stout. Let me remind you that this is just my second beer that I will be brewing, my first recipe that I created on my own, and on the heels that my first batch of beer is still a week from being bottle conditioned.
I felt confident with a taste of my Robust Porter, from a kit, when I went to bottle, as outside of the carbonation it tasted like a robust porter. Nothing fantastic mind you. I try to be very careful with sanitation, so I am expecting a half-way decent beer come next weekend. Pot Licker I am hoping to take to the next level as I believe I have ironed out some problems I had with the first brew. I realize that I am sure more problems with come with this beer.
My recipe, is sort of a combination of a sweet stout. I hope that there will be the sweetness from the lactose and chocolate, while picking up a little bitterness from the chocolate and black patent malt. The hops will add some offsetting bitterness too. My goal is that the chocolate is a subtle flavor not an over whelming flavor. If you want a chocolate bar, eat a snickers. 
Recipe for Pot Licker Chocolate Stout:
Malt:
5.40# Muntons Plain Lights DME
0.50# Lactose
1.00# Briess Chocolate Malt
0.25# Black Patent Malt
0.75# Simpsons Crystal Malt 60L
0.50# Roasted Barley
Hops:
1.0oz Kent Goldings 5.0AA (60 min.)
SG: 1.064
SRM: 48.3
IBU: 21.9
This should make a five gallon batch of beer after a sixty minute boil after I steep the grains at 154 degrees for 30 minutes. Hop addition at beginning of boil. I will add 4 tablespoons of cocoa to the beer with 10 minutes left in the boil. If the amount of chocolate is too subtle or one of the other flavors is “off”, I will make changes to the recipe and try again.
I plan on placing in the primary for about a week to ten days, then letting it sit in the secondary for two to three weeks or more to let it condition. Into the bottle to condition for a good three or four more weeks. In all I think it will be a little more than two months before I can enjoy this beer.
When I put my beer into the bottling bucket I did take some of the yeast cake with hopes of trying to use it with this beer. I am debating this as it was a different beer, so I did buy some backup yeast.
Special: I plan on taking six of the bottle and adding a specific number of drops of coconut extract to see what type of fun that can bring too. I hope I am not being to adventurous for my second beer. Enjoy!
Tags: Beer, chocolate stout, home brewing