Recipe feedback needed on Chocolate/Hazelnut Porter

Hi, so this will be my 4th homebrew, and I'm really craving a nice porter with Christmas coming around. I still dont have an AG setup, so Im still stuck with extract, and I've put together a recipe based on a bunch of different ones ive found. How does it sound?

5gal batch

7lbs dark DME
.8 lbs chocolate malt
.8 lbs crystal 80L
.3 lbs unsweetened cocoa
.5 oz hazelnut extract/flavoring
.8 oz Norther Brewer @ 30
.4 oz Willamette @ flame out
Safale US-05

Thanks

Overall, I would say a good place to get a "base" recipe from are the brewer's best kits. You can find their recipie sheets on the LD Carlson website. That's what I did when i first started doing recipies. I found their "version" and then tweaked it.

i am not an expert...still fairly new myself. I did recently do a stout and ended up with a smoked flavor since my roasted grains (i.e choc malt etc) were too high of a percentage of the total grist. Although since you are steeping this may not be the case and steeping imparts mainly color and some flavor.

I also read that when designing extract recipies its best to use light malt and speciality grains to darken. this allows you to be able to replicate it easier, or so I am told.

I could be completely off...but just some stuff something to get you thinking.

It's up to you, but I suggest using Light DME instead of dark. Unless you really get picky about your beer and start figuring out what goes into your dark extract, it's easier to stick with light. This gives you a base (like using 2-row in AG) and allows you to build on it with specialty grains.

OK cool, so since my homebrew store sells in 3lb and 1lb packets, I'll probably do 6lbs light and 1lb dark. Also, when do you guys suggest I should add the unsweetened cocoa and hazelnut flavoring?

I would suggest backing off the hazelnut a little. You can always add, but you can't take away. I did a Rouge Hazelnut Brown with .5oz of Hazlenut and it was way too much. As for when to add it, I suggest at bottling/kegging.

I would recommend looking at Jamil's Chocolate Hazelnut Porter. It has won several awards and he is well known for that recipe, among others.

Take a look at the book Brewing Classic Styles or listen to the Jamil Show. Here's the quick version of the recipe:

For 6 gallons:

7.8# English Pale LME
1# Munich LME
1# Crystal 40
1# Crystal 80
0.75# Chocolate Malt
0.5# Black Patent

0.5# Unsweetened Cocoa Powder at flameout
0.5oz Hazelnut extract at bottling

1.25oz Kent Goldings 5% at 60min
0.8oz Willamette 5% at 30min
0.8oz Willamette 5% at 15min
0.4oz Kent Goldings at flameout
0.4oz Willamet at flameout

White Labs WLP001

If you can't get English Pale LME or Munich LME, you can use extra pale LME and add Marris Otter and Munich and do a mini-mash. I am not sure how much to add though...I've always had my LHBS help with that part.

Eric