The Aphrodisiac (12/22/11)

While Jack was in Nashville for December break, I brewed a batch of raspberry chocolate ale with Greg from Peet's. Named 'The Aphrodisiac' for its invigorating flavors—we hope it will last until Valentine's day. The recipe is based on our previous batch of raspberry stout, but we're adding some cacao nibs to the fermenter after fermentation is complete. For the raspberry, we're adding 3 lbs of Vintner's Harvest raspberry puree a couple of days into fermentation, as we did the first time. The only difference between this recipe and the last, besides the cacao nibs, is that the local homebrew shop was out of pale chocolate malt, so instead of half a pound of regular chocolate malt and half a pound of pale chocolate malt, we added a full pound of regular chocolate malt.

The raspberry is very slightly cooked in the canning process, so it has a slightly jammy taste. I wouldn't want this flavor in all fruit beers (e.g., fruit lambics), but I think that in dark, viscous beers it works quite well. The cacao nibs should add a rich, natural chocolate flavor and bitterness. I expect this beer to taste like a raspberry chocolate truffle, with carbonation. And alcohol.

Batch Size: 5 gal

Boil Volume: 4 gal

Calculated OG: 1.069

Measured FG: 1.019

Calculated ABV: 6.5

Calculated IBUs (Tinseth): 40

Pitching Temperature: 65F

Yeast: Nottingham

Starter: none

Fermentation vessel: Bucket

Malts Mashed		Amount	%
Chocolate		1	11%
Roasted Barley		0.25	3%
Crystal 60		0.75	8%

Other Fermentables		Amount	%
DME		7	78%

Hops/Additions		Amount	Time	AA%
Kent Goldings		1	60	6.7%
Kent Goldings		1	5	6.7%

12/26/11: Added raspberry puree.

1/6/12: Racked into secondary, on top of 6 oz of cacao nibs from Theo Chocolate, which I cracked with a rolling pin and soaked in rye whiskey to sanitize.

1/7/12: Gravity of 1.019. For some reason, the beer did not attenuate as well this time. Perhaps the yeast wasn't as viable, or preferred the temperature or water at Hampshire.

Bottled 1/22/12 to 2.4 volumes of C02.