Maltodextrin and Chocolate Extract

[Brew Askew]

I made a milk stout and it came out pretty good. I wanted to do it again but with some changes. I wanted to a little thicker and have some more body and a guy suggested adding maltodextrin. He said to add to keg but I dont have a kegging system. When should I add it? Boil? Bottling bucket? What differences will I get? Is it fermentable?

Also, I was thinking of adding some chocolate extract to give it a little different flavor. I have seen Terrapin has a chocolate milk stout called Moo-Hoo, I wish I could get it here. I had read about someone adding chocolate extract to the bottling bucket. Has anyone had any experience with this? I had a southern tier chocolat last week that I liked but had a little too much chocolate flavor.

[Hoser]

Cacao nibs give a better chocolate flavor than extract or powder, in my opinion. Just dry hop in a muslin bag in your secondary vessels. Probably 2-4oz/gal. Remove after achieving desired flavor.

The maltodextrin is probably best added in the boil, it is not fermentable. It is essentially long chain sugar dextrins that can not be broken down by the yeast. You could always just mash a few degrees warmer and save yourself the trouble of using maltodextrin?

Insider tip: toast the nibs in the oven at 350F x 10 min, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. It smells awesome!

[Brew Askew]

Will adding the maltodextrin make it much sweeter? What will it do to the flavor?

[Hoser]

My understanding is that maltodextrin just adds body and mouthfeel. If you want it sweeter use lactose.

[Brew Askew]

It was already pretty sweet, with the chocolate I don't think I want to add any more sweetness. Wouldn't mind adding more body, and cant do anything about mash temp since I am doing extract.

[Hoser]

The nibs will actually add a little bitterness if you go that route, which you may need if it is already very sweet. If you are looking for more body, then go with the maltodextrin. Alternatively, you could add some munich or wheat extract or steep some carapils. I wouldn't make it any sweeter or it will become undrinkable.

[spiderwrangler]

Yeah, maltodextrin is just body... it doesn't taste good.

[Brew Askew]

What should the maltodextrin do to the gravity? My gravity was lower than the last time I brewed this receipe and I would have thought the maltodextrin would have bumped up the gravity.