Hi guys! I’m brewing the chocolate milk stout kit tomorrow. IM only going to primary ferment this recipe. I’ve been told second fermenting isn’t neccessary with a milk stout kit. So can the cacao nips be added after a few weeks of the primary? And how long should I ferment in the primary if that’s all I’m doing? Thanks. Bty this is my second recipe.
After two weeks, drop the nibs in the fermenter for two more weeks. Bottle and condition for two more weeks. You are good to go. 
I made a chocolate milk stout kit. I did the primary for one week then added the nibs. Let it sit for two more weeks then I kegged it. It came out fantastic. You only need to wait really until the big vigorous fermentation completes before you add the nibs. That happened for me after three days. I let it sit the extra few days only because I didn’t have the time to do it after three.
Oh, and also… On the brew day I put the nibs in a glass and added enough vodka to just cover the nibs. That makes sure the nibs are sterile (mostly) and it also gives a headstart on the flavor being pulled out of the nibs. When I added the nibs to the beer I added the vodka as well
^^^ +1 to that. My last two batches I added 90 grams of unsweetened cocoa powder to my five gallon batch during the last ten minutes of the boil. As a result, I decided that transferring to secondary for two weeks of “dry hopping” with the vodka soaked nibs (after two weeks of primary fermentation) would give me the highest amount of chocolate flavor and would help me bottle a much clearer beer. It worked great. I hear all the talk about how a secondary isn’t necessary, etc, etc, etc. And while folks are entitled to their opinion, my advise is that, as long as you adhere to good sanitary and handling practices, there is no need to fear using a secondary and to do whatever works for you.
[quote="Ken in MN I hear all the talk about how a secondary isn’t necessary, etc, etc, etc. And while folks are entitled to their opinion, my advise is that, as long as you adhere to good sanitary and handling practices, there is no need to fear using a secondary and to do whatever works for you.[/quote]
I would have agreed with you 2 months ago but I have changed my mind on that after I was able to cold crash before kegging. It is a preference but it isn’t really necessary. I do wonder if two identical batches, one racked to secondary and one left in primary taste a little different.
Some great advice guys thank you!
