Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer Choconut Porter

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I'm eagerly awaiting your critique. This sounds like a definite "snow brew". I plan on making this the following saturday after the first snowfall.
 
Tasted it tonight! It tasted great! I think it would taste much better with good quality hazelnut extract, rather than the generic syrup I used. All in all, though, It was an excellent beer. I'm sure it will get better with time. I'll check back in a few days and let everyone know how the beer has progressed.
 
Brewing this right now. When did you all add the Hazelnut Extract? It sounds like I add it at the same time as the priming sugar before I bottle. ex: before I rack into my bottling bucket put the extract and sugar in there

Think I've got it down but any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
 
Add it same time as priming sugar in the bottling bucket. Then let it condition in bottles for at least a couple weeks. If you can wait that long :)
 
The first time I made this, I used the extract instructions and it turned out awesome. This recent time, I used AG and the hazelnut is over powering. I used the same brand 2oz hazelnut extract with each batch. Any idea what went wrong? I will have to go back and look, but I think the first one ended up being ~6.5% and this one was ~5.25%.
 
Second one may have less roasty grains to balance out the hazelnut flavor. Try letting it age for a couple weeks more and try again. The flavors may blend together more with some conditioning.
 
I plan on doing this as my first brew. looks simple enough. I'd like to omit the hazelnut extract though. Any ideas on how this might end up?
 
Excellent good to hear! Now to get all these ingredients together...

edit: sidenote - any idea how much to pick up all the ingredients needed for this? I have some usweetened cocoa powder, though its Hershey's, not that Girralledaldi stuff (sorry for butchering the name)
 
This beer came out absolutely amazing! Easy recipe to follow and absolutely delicious. My only concern was I felt that maybe 1 - 1.5 oz of the hazelnut flavor would have probably been good (or maybe more chocolate?)...but that's just personal preference as I would have liked a little more chocolate flavor. Once again, only personal preference.
 
I made this and it had a very strong coffee taste. The people that tried it said it tasted a bit like peanut butter and chocolate. However, it was not a winner with my group.

I used 1 oz of hazelnut and the suggested amount of dutch processed cocoa.
 
I have a couple questions, this being my first post and all.

I'm wanting to try this as my first brew, but my supplier only sells LME in 3.3lb tins (Briess CBW). This would leave me with leftover; how long would LME last once it's been opened? I could get around this by using DME (I've read that you can substitute DME at 80% volume). Would that be a reasonable approach?
 
I brewed this recipe on wenesday doing AG, I increased the pale to 9# and dropped the choc malt to 1# used nestle unsweeted coca powder (if it matters) and pitched with some saf-05 I have a ton of it. Planning on adding vanilla bean to the secondary what do you think? Brewed 2 different porters this week and a milk oatmeal stout and am adding vanilla to them all as an experiment.
 
This recipe will be my next brew.
The vanilla bean idea sounds awesome with it. How would you do the beans? In the boil? In the primary? Soaked in bourbon?
 
I used 2 or 3 beans I can't remember now and cut them up soaked them in vodka for a few days to clean them and put them in secondary. If you don't use a secondary just add them to your pirmary about a week after your brew date. Mine turned out great only a few bottles left.
 
I brewed this yesterday ended up with an OG of approx 1.072, plan to add a few vanilla beans soaked in vodka in about 2 weeks and let it sit a bit, then when bottling add in a graham cracker flavor to try to get a s'mores taste to it.
 
Larzean said:
I brewed this yesterday ended up with an OG of approx 1.072, plan to add a few vanilla beans soaked in vodka in about 2 weeks and let it sit a bit, then when bottling add in a graham cracker flavor to try to get a s'mores taste to it.

I like the Graham cracker idea hope it turns out good for you.
 
this brew looks simple and AMAZING. I'm soooooo trying this out for one of my next brews after I get my equipment in (impatiently pacing)

one thing to clarify if you don't mind. you list 8.52 lb's of Pale Malt (2 Row)

the only 2 row at my LHBS is just called Domestic 2 row
http://www.beer-wine-brewing.com/store/product.php?productid=18022&cat=330&page=1

is that the right one??? the only other "pale" malt was listed as belgian pale only (no mention of 2 row)
 
Oh yeah this looks awesome! Just getting strike water ready. Doing the ag version with 10 lbs of 2 row and knocking the chocolate and crystal down to 1 lbs. got some fancy cocoa SWMBO gave me from penzeys spice company. Have 2 vials of dry English wlp 007 that I bought by mistake that I'm going to try. Maybe going to try out almond extract since I can't find hazelnut.
Hey wormrap yeah that two row you linked is the base malt you want.
 
Just kegged and bottled this yesterday wow great flavor. Big coffee notes with a chocolate finish that is just tell you to take another gulp. A few months in the keg should make this just incredible. I am not putting hazelnut in as I couldn't find it for one and the other think this one stands well on its own. Thanks for a great recipe.
 
For those of you who DO use a secondary fermentation stage, have any of you tried adding the hazelnut during secondary? Likely kegging this one and I was thinking of adding it then. Any thoughts on adverse effects?
 
I just started a batch of this- I decreased the chocolate malt slightly and added a bit of unmalted barley. I cannot believe the rich chocolate smells that were coming from the kettle, even before adding my cocoa. Three days later my kitchen still smells like rich dark chocolate- it is a good thing.

Thinking I may skip the hazelnut in favor of either orange zest or some cherry pulp.

My LBHS stopped milling grain, and I was unable to find my rolling pin, so I improvised and put the grain bag between two cutting boards and smashed it with a rubber mallet. Bit messy, but effective
 
SWMBO voted down the orange for the first batch off this, which was recently bottled w 3/4 cup priming sugar. However, I chain brewed this and have another batch on the bucket. Thinking I will split it I'm half and make one half a choco orange porter and leave the other half as is.
 
Have the day off, so I decided an early taste on this was in order. Clarity is awful (suspended cocoa?) but the taste is amazing. Nice cocoa and coffee start with a slight lingering sweetness. Just a little thin- my fault for cutting the malts short.

Can't wait to see how this is in another couple weeks

EDIT: did I say weeks? Apparently I meant days. I found a rock hard PET bottle and chilled it for a couple days. First pour had TONS of head with great retention (my wife compared it to a root beer float). The coffee and dark chocolate are very present in the scent. First taste was all cocoa and burnt caramel, with a little coffee.

Any complaints about thinness are gone. In less than a week this has transformed from a sweetish porter with not enough body to a rich, tasty, semi-complex, pleasantly dry and SILKY smooth brew, even without the hazelnut.

Clarity is still non existent. I don't expect to be able to see through a dark beer, but to get a sense that I can still see into it. I am guessing this is the cocoa in suspension? I skipped the cocoa on my second batch to use this as a stripped down "base" recipe to experiment on, so we will see.
 
The last of batch 2 has been kicked. Leaving out the cocoa, surprisingly, did not do much to decrease the dark chocolate in the nose but it really brought out the coffee and woody/earthy undertones in the flavor profile. Really, really, really good ratio for a malt bill. Thank you!
 
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