Finster's Finest Chocolate Raspberry Stout

Classification: stout, fruit beer, raspberry stout, extract

Source: Kinstrey (kinstrmi@dso008.sch.ge.com), r.c.b., 2/8/95

What I was brewing I call "Finster's Finest Chocolate Raspberry Stout". I substituted frozen raspberries for the cherries, and added some baker's chocolate.
I'm going to try this recipe again, with cherries, because I think the cherry taste is more agreeable with the chocolate flavor.

After 1 week in the bottle, this brew was overpoweringly raspberry. No chocolate taste at all. At 2 weeks in the bottle, the raspberry had really mellowed, and the chocolate came thru. Yummy. Next time, I'll used 1-1.5 lbs of cherries or raspberries. I'm looking for just the barest hint of fruit flavor. I may only use 4-6 oz of choc. also. I'm also looking for a dark-chocolate flavor in the stout, so I'll have to continue experimenting. Ultimately, I'm aiming for a smooth stout that has overtones of those Mon-Cherie chocolate-covered cherry candies.

Ingredients:

3.3 lbs John Bull plain dark extract syrup
3 pounds plain dry malt extract
1 pound crystal malt
1/2 pound roasted barley
1/2 pound black patent malt
1-1/2 ounce Northern Brewer hops pellets
1/2 ounce Willamette hops pellets
gypsum to create hard water
3 pounds frozen raspberries
2 packages Edme dry ale yeast
1-1/4 cups dry malt extract
8 ounces baker's chocolate

Procedure:

Heat 1.5 gal water to 170F. Add grains, cover, and let sit for 30 min. stirring occasionally. Remove grains. Bring to boil. Add gypsum, malt extracts, NB hops, chocolate, and boil for 60 min. Turn off heat. Add raspberries to hot wort (be careful of splashing). Cover, and let sit for 13 min. Add Willamette hops. Cover, and let sit for 2 min. Cool wort. Dump entire mess into primary, aerate, and pitch yeast (I rehydrated it while waiting for the rasp. to steep in wort).

4-5 days in primary. Rack *very carefully* into secondary, to avoid racking fruit particles. 10-14 days in secondary (I went 14).

Specifics:

O.G.: 1056
FG.: 1018