I know this is an extract thread...the inclusion of an AG recipe is to illustrate the use of the cara specialty malts and use/non-use of the roasted malts....perhaps you will find it useful, perhaps not...
Just a thought...While your recipe looks inviting; certainly I
would like a couple of pints right now! But, my personal inclination is what I see as the differential diagnostic point, or dividing line betwixt a Porter and a stout...and that is the use of Black Malt, or Patent Malt, or Roasted Barley...the use of which creates a Stout. Of course, in very small amounts, one may be able to observe that other differential sign of a Porter; indeed without this visible indicator, in the finished pint, I do not consider it to be a Porter...and that is the ruby color seen in the bottom corner, when the pint glass is tipped 45 degrees.
So, for my money, I would depend on the Chocolate Malt for base color, and lose the Black Malt and the Roasted Barley, then, for a wee bit more complexity, and softening balance to the use of the highly attenuative Nottingham, use some Cara-Pils, or some Cara-Munich, and the one malt I always use in my Porters, Special-B.....or as I prefer, all of those malts.
Here's a 7 US bbl recipe, knock-out 8.25 bbl, 12.5 Plato...this recipe is limited by state law to 5% ABW, so boost it with more 2 row, and wheat to fatten it up....before using ProMash, or your own preferred brewing software to skinny it down to your homebrew sized batch, make it, then tweak in a second batch to your own taste.
Note the extensive use of Cara-Malts...this adds body, without lots more ETOH...and for my taste, a variety of Cara malts makes for more variety in taste. Of course, all that Cara goes hand in hand with the use of the Nottingham, as attenuative as it is, overcoming what some complain about, that it makes for a thin beer....I feel that kind of response is only made by those who forget it's characteristics. The Nott, as clean a yeast as it is, also allows the malt profile to strut it's stuff...
300 2 Row
50 Wheat
50 Cara-Pils
25 Cara-40
25 Cara-Munich
25 Special-B
25 Chocolate
4 Oz Northern Brewer 9.9% Commencement of Boil (90/60)
22 Oz NB 9.9% 60/60
13 Oz Hersbrucker 4.8% End of Boil
13 Oz Hersbrucker 4.8% End of Whirlpool
You can use this as a base for a nice stout, by adding 25 lbs Roasted Barley, or Roasted Malt or Patent....or make a decent Smoked Porter with 25 lbs of Smoked Malt.
As with any recipe, I always suggest tweaking to taste as the most important step..in other words, YMMV!
Cheers!
Rob Moline
Danstar
Full Disclosure-I answer tech questions sent to the Danstar website.