So I am going to brew a chocolate hazelnut porter found in Brewing classic styles. It calls for the use of unsweetened cocoa powder. Never thought I would be using this in a brew. Anyone have any brands they recommend? I’m guessing this is just something I can get at the grocery store
MoreBeer sells that recipe as a kit. I believe they use Hershey’s. Like any other ingredient, get the highest quality you can find locally.
Be careful with the hazelnut extract. Extract quality and potency can vary. Add a little and taste.
Edit - Checked MoreBeer. They use nibs now. When I bought that kit 8 years ago (5th or 6th batch) it had cocoa powder in it. http://morebeer.com/images/file.php?file_id=2120
So if I used nibs instead are they just as potent? It did say in the book that the hazelnut extract was extremely potent. Figured I would add small amounts at a time until I got it right
I’ve only used nibs once, so I don’t have much experience there.
Typically, I use baking chocolate (often a Ghirardelli baking bar). I’ve used their cocoa powder in the past, but don’t recall anything special about that brew.
Whatever you get, go for the highest cacao % possible. At least, that’s my MO.
It’s probably not available every where but valrhona makes a 100% cocoa powder that is amazing. It also contains no fat so no worries about head retention problems down the road
Amazon lists several suppliers for valrhona cocoa powder.
I have found that using nibs works great when trying to add chocolate to a stout or doppelbock, so I think it would work well in this situation too.
I generally use about 3 oz per 5 gallon batch. To sanitize them I put them in a glass and add just enough vodka to cover them. I let them sit in the fridge for 24-36 hours then add the whole thing in the secondary. Let them sit for a week or two, and you are good to go.
All cocoa powder that I am aware of contains fat. The Valrhona powder is 21% cocoa fat. It is also a dutch-process cocoa. This generally equates to darker color, improved solubility, but overall less rich chocolate flavor than natural cocoa. I haven’t tested them in beer, so I can say whether the improved solubility of dutched cocoa balances out the richer flavor that natural cocoa typically gives.
As far as natural cocoa goes, I will be making a mead with Domori’s in the near future. Everything they make is out-of-this-world, and their Il 100% bar is one of the best chocolates I’ve ever had.
They have a variety of cocoa powders, our did when I got some last. it was 100% cocoa content. As I said may not be available every where
It is 100% cocoa, but some of the fat (i.e., cocoa butter) is still in there. Unprocessed cacao is approximately 50% fat. Powder has had much of the fat expelled, and is typically in the 20-24% cocoa fat range.
okay. must have misunderstood