Yeah, it’s cacao like in the Portlandia skit.
I have only ever used nibs in secondary but I plan on making a few chocolate beers this fall/winter using powder and a mixture of nibs/powder to see if I can get the chocolate flavor in looking for.
I’ve used coco powder at the end of the boil for years with good results. Have you tried chocolate extract. Yes, add it to secondary or even before bottling. A little bit goes a long way.
Good Brewing
Does processing cacao result in flipping the vowels?
From memory of a trip to Hershey PA, yes, the names change occurs once processed but I think that is an oversimplified explanation.
I’d use chocolate extract at packaging instead of either nibs or powder. https://www.olivenation.com/chocolate-extract.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhOCAgKTX1QIVB6ZpCh0KEQZCEAQYAyABEgL_O_D_BwE
I use a whole bakers bar of chocolate in my stout. I think it’s 8 oz, but it’s whatever standard size you can get at the grocery store. I add it to the boil and get noticeable chocolate flavor in the stout. No issues with head retention or oils over many years. It can be a pain to get it to melt and you need to be sure not to scorch it, but the bakers bar works fine for me.
Do you throw it in whole or chop/blend/grate first?
I usually just break it into chunks. I try to add in the last 15 minutes. It needs at least that long to get adequately dissolved. My theory is that even if it’s sort of syrupy when it hits the fermenter, the yeast will still eat it.
I use it in an imperial stout, so there are a lot of big flavors (roast, hops, etc.). In a smaller beer, maybe the whole bar would be too much?
While I was writing that post, I realized the irony in using both forms, so I did a little searching to make sure that “cocoa powder” was correct. Yes, something in the processing step does change the name from cacao to cocoa. Strange, huh? I try not to correct grammar, but as a teacher and former state spelling bee competitor, I notice those things! 