Brewers seeking to add chocolate flavor have numerous strategies to capture it. Cocoa, chocolate's base, is incredibly bitter. If you use chocolate or cocoa with sugar, expect the sweet character to disappear. You can compensate with lactose or mashing hot, leaving residual sweetness, or appreciate a different variety of bitterness. Here are some ways to get chocolate flavor into your beer:

• Chopped bittersweet chocolate — Added straight to the boil, chopped bittersweet chocolate adds loads of flavor and fat. Make sure to completely melt and dissolve the chocolate to avoid scorched chocolate solids. Use a couple of ounces per five gallons.

• Cocoa powder — Cocoa powder is defatted and can be tossed straight into the boil without scorching. Dose with a couple tablespoons.

• Chocolate syrup — The same stuff you use for chocolate milk can be used to chocolatize a beer. Use a half cup in the boil.

• Chocolate extract syrup — In this day of artificial flavorings there are a number of chocolate extracts. Designed for Italian soda and coffee, add directly before bottling to add flavor. The lack of fat and color make these perfect for adding chocolate to pale beers, like wheat ale. Use 6 to 8 ounces.

• Cacao nibs — Cracked and roasted cacao seeds, nibs are raw chocolate at its finest. They give a potent chocolate flavor over two weeks of secondary aging and don't leech fat. Combine with a vanilla bean to seal the chocolate flavor. Use about 6 ounces for two weeks for maximum flavor and minimum astringency.

Coffee

The African bean that jump-starts the day. The idea of caffeinated beer may be off-putting, but the flavor is well worth the extra jolt. Don't skimp on the fresh coffee that you add as you'll only hurt your beer.