There are few things in this world as ancient, as revered, as cherished and as highly consumed as beer. One of those things, however, is chocolate. Its history, health benefits, allure and powers as an aphrodisiac are all well documented. Thus it only makes sense that the flavors of the two (beer & chocolate that is) would work together in such harmony. Sam Adams Chocolate Bock, Foothills Sexual Chocolate, Dogfish Head Theobroma, and Rouge Chocolate Stout are all perfect examples of this.

While brewing with chocolate is certainly an art form and the resulting flavors are not something to be taken lightly – remember if adding chocolate to homebrew: back off of the dark malts at the same rate at which you add new chocolate to the recipe so as not to overwhelm the palate – the results can be beautiful.

Just about any chocolate will work in a homebrew recipe. Cocoa powder, bar chocolate, cocoa nibs and even Hersey’s Chocolate Syrup are all more-or-less trouble-free and can work very well at different times during the brewing process. In fact, the resulting chocolate flavors and aromas of adding a 12 ounce can of Hersey’s syrup (which itself is fat-free and thus very advantageous to brewing) to the secondary fermentation of a brown ale, porter or stout will astound you. And it doesn’t get much easier than that.

If you want to be a little more “genuine” in your brewing than chocolate syrup, although both cocoa powder and chocolate bars will work, the best recommendation is the cocoa nib. Nibs are the most raw, and thus most intense of the four; they are essentially crushed cocoa beans that are either raw or a little toasted. Raw nibs work best in a brown ale or lighter porter, while roasted nibs will have enough power to stand out in a Baltic Porter or stout. If you’re unsure about the strength of the nibs you’ve got, taste them. It will usually be your best bet in determining the character they will impart in your brew (as a rule of thumb, three ounces is usually a good starting point for a five gallon batch). Nibs can be added to the mash, the boil or suspended in the secondary like you would dry hops or spices. While syrup is probably easiest, coco nibs are generally the brewer’s chocolate of choice, as they are relatively unaltered from their natural state, thus contributing the most authentic taste.

Baltic Cocoa Porter Recipe

• 7 pounds light DME (9# pilsner malt for all-grain)
• 2 pounds Munich or amber malt extract (3# light Munich malt for all-grain)
• ½ pound caramunich III
• ½ pound cararoma malt
• ½ pound black patent malt
• 2 ounces of milled cocoa nibs
• 7 AAU Perle or Liberty hops
• ½ ounce Liberty, Halletau or Saaz hops for flavor/aroma, about 10 minutes in the kettle
• Ferment with American ale yeast for robust porter, or California Common yeast for Baltic-style porter. During aging, suspend 3 ounces of uncrushed roasted cocoa nibs in the beer.

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