Moving Chocolate

It is probably time to do another video for the process of racking to secondary fermentation, but I did not remember to do so for this batch.  I know that I say that a lot, but I will actually get to it one of these days!  So for now if you are interested in the specifics of racking the wort from a primary to secondary fermenter check out the video in “Pumpkin Ale – Part 2” on the “Brewing” page above.  In this post I will simply highlight the specifics of this brew to keep you up to date on the progress.

There was nothing to add to the mix at this stage so it was a simple as it could be and makes for a very short recap in this post.  You may be wondering where the blueberry comes in to this Blueberry Chocolate Stout.  Well, I am using an extract flavoring for this batch, so it will be added when I bottle and you will have to wait for the bottling post to see how that goes.  Not to worry, I have real fruit going into another batch very shortly.

Before

During

After

The Chocolate Stout (until the blueberry is added) came in with a specific gravity of about 1.0154 at the time of transfer.  That leaves it with a current ABV of approximately 5.96% and is now the highest ABV that I have brewed to date.  Of course the bar was pretty low, but still a new personal record!

Hydrometer close up

The sample had great, smooth flavors with a very nice roasted and chocolate aroma.  It should turn out well and there was a moment where I though about just leaving the blueberry out completely.  However, after talking with my consultant (The Wife) it was decided to move ahead with the blueberry as originally planned.

A little reward for the effort

So now everything is back in the bathtub and I plan on bottling sometime very soon.  If I end up with enough empty bottles there will be plenty of bottling going on this week, leaving a lot of beer ready for when Cousin Adam come to visit in a few weeks.

Until bottling . . .