Choc Milk Stout Clarifications

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing
1

Hello. I’m looking for some guidance in regards to the chocolate milk stout. This is the first brew that I have done with additions that occur post boil.

  1. I currently only opt to rack to secondary for lagering and keep ales in the primary for the duration. Is there any reason that I should not add the cacao nibs to the primary?

  2. Is it important for that fermentation to be 100% complete before adding the cacao? My current plan is to add about 2 weeks following pitch, assuming that the gravity is close to its expected endpoint.

  3. I see that people have been soaking the nibs in vodka. Am I correct to assume that this is for sanitation purposes only?

If there are any other items that were found to be pertinent, they would be appreciated as well.

Thanks in advance.

2

I’ve only used nibs a few times, but it is true that anyone who soaks in vodka is doing so only for sanitation. And I would think that there is no problem leaving the nibs in for longer than the recommended time. It is not like they will over-extract or something. The reason to wait for fermentation to finish before adding them is that much of the aroma characteristics could be lost along with the CO2 that blows off during the fermentation. So, you could add them to the primary, but wait till the fermentation is finished before doing so.

3

Thanks for the comments. I will let the process play out as it will and react accordingly.