Xocoveza Mocha Stout Help

[bmoritzasu]

Trying to create something similar to the Stone Xocoveza collaboration beer. Really love this stuff and wanted to try my first attempt at mocha stout. From what I've read the stout contains oats/lactose/chocolate in the boil and is bitter/flavored with Challenger/EKG.

The real trick will be the spices in secondary.

This is what I've come up with so far. Is this too complex of a malt bill? Any suggestions would help out.

Recipe Specifications
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Batch Size (fermenter): 3.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.084 SG
Estimated Color: 55.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 43.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 68.00 %

Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Pale Malt, Maris Otter 68.8 %
Chocolate Malt 8.6 %
Oats, Flaked 6.5 %
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L 5.4 %
Black (Patent) Malt 2.2 %
Roasted Barley 2.2 %
Special B Malt 2.2 %
Milk Sugar (Lactose) 4.3 %

1.00 oz Challenger [7.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min 32.7 IBUs
1.00 oz East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.00 %] - Boil 15 min 10.8 IBUs
1.0 pkg London Ale III (Wyeast Labs #1318) Yeast -


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Mash 150.0 F 60 min

Notes:
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With 5 mins left in boil add four oz. of cocoa powder and 10 oz. lactose.

Secondary cinnamon/nutmeg/vanilla and pasillo/ancho chilis. Will taste to see if cocoa nibs need to be added as well.

Two days prior to bottling will add 3 oz. coffe beans to secondary.

 

[rolewiii]

The cocoa powder will give you the best flavor - but it becomes a pain when transferring to secondary and bottling. It never goes away.

Go easy on the cinnamon and coffee beans. As the other flavors fade, the cinnamon can get pretty obnoxious with time. Last night I had Schmaltz's Reunion Ale '14 and all I could taste was sour coffee cinnamon - not good.

Xocoveza was incredibly smooth to me - I would go as high as 1# lactose in this beer.

 

[bmoritzasu]

Would 1# lactose be a little too much for a 3.50 gallon batch?

 

[mbbransc]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/stone-xocoveza-mocha-stout-492778/