Pot Licker Chocolate Stout

By scot in Home Brewing on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

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 free run 4.0 v3 femmes 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!