Got some leftover chocolate grains ...

[King Ruddager]

... but I don't want to make another dark beer this time of year. Any suggestions for a lighter style I can add 250g of chic grain to?

[DylanI]

Hey Ruddager

 

It depends on whether it's the pale choc (~600EBC) or choc malt (~1200EBC).

 

Either way, if you want to make something 'lighter', you may want to use it in two batches.

 

I reckon you could make a nice American brown ale with some choc:

 

to 23L

 

1.70kg Coopers Real Ale

1.50kg Light LME

0.15kg Chocolate malt

0.25kg medium crystal

 

Do a boil with around 3-4L of water using your favourite American hops (Amarillo, cascade, citra, etc) something like a:

 

10g addition boiled for 15 mins

10g addition boiled for 5 mins

 

Ianh's magic spreadsheet says you can expect something on the order of 4.9% alcohol and around 35 IBU (I had Amarillo as the hops).

 

If you really want a lighter colour, you may even want to dial the chocolate malt down to 100g (assuming you've got the darker choc malt).

 

I made a similar all extract recipe of this a while ago. It tastes a little like the White Rabbit Dark Ale, but with higher bitterness (which I think it needs).

 

That's what I'd do anyway.

-Dyl

[Guest]

Regardless of what you are making, if you are going to add choc then you have to expect a darker beer. Nothing you can do about that. However, why not make something with what you have and store it away for 9 months or so?... even if you feel like a darker beer sometime sooner you will have one to select.

[Hairy]

Perhaps you could make a darkish lager that is clean and crisp.