Heading for disaster on Hazelnut Porter?

[Froyd]

Just a plea for feedback and advice from the many more experienced than me. I love porters and I love the flavor of hazelnuts. Seems the best way to add that flavor is through the addition of an extract at kegging/bottling.

To support the hazelnut flavor, I wanted a porter with a "warm, rounded" flavor that's not too bold and upfront while still providing something significant to complement the light hazelnut flavor. I'm also hoping for a medium/full mouth feel.

Fermentables:
81.5% Light DME - 5.5lbs
11.11% Victory Malt - 0.75lbs
7.4% Chocolate Malt - 0.5lbs

Hops:
Goldings at both ends... 1.5oz @ 60 minutes and 0.5oz @15

Yeast:
White Labs WLP005

A small amount (0.5 oz???) of hazelnut extract will be added when ready to keg.

-Do I need to add something (e.g. Oats) to get a more substantial mouthfeel?

-What about the ratio of Victory to Chocolate? I don't want the flavors to cancel each other out. I would reduce the Chocolate to emphasize the biscuit flavor of Victory, but I'd like the beer to be dark (though I'm not too concerned about style guidelines)

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I looking to brew a porter next, but I'm thinking coffee or chocolate, though hazelnut sounds good too. I think a small amount of oats or maybe flaked barley would add to the body, but you wouldn't want it too "thick". I'm looking forward to hearing from more experienced Brewers than myself on this.

 

[derekcw83]

Maybe throw in some caramel 60? Abundance of victory always leaves me with a very bready cracker flavor, and not very nutty.

 

[csurowiec]

I think half a pound of caramel 60 with the Victory will be a good combo. Oats or flaked barley would help mouthfeel but they need to be mashed not steeped. You could add lactose or maltodextrin to boost mouthfeel.

 

[Froyd]

I was thinking of lactose, also as a way to take the edge of the bitterness of the chocolate malt.

How much would you recommend adding in proportion to the other specialty grains?

 

[csurowiec]

I just made a porter with 4 oz in a 5 gallon batch and I think it worked out nicely.

 

[Froyd]

For the crystal 60L advice, how about substituting the light DME with Amber? Would that give roughly the same effect and reduce the volume of grains I would have to step?

 

[Froyd]

Here is what I ended up with and at 1.5 months after brewing, it tastes fantastic. The jury is still out to see if aging will suppress the hazelnut flavor or keep it as is (which is just about perfect: defining the beer but not overpowering it)

5lbs Light DME (full amount boiled for 60 minutes)
8oz Lactose (last 10 minutes of boil)

Steeping specialty grains:
8oz Victory
4oz Carafa II
4oz Chocolate (US)

Hops:
1.5oz East Kent Goldings (60mins)
0.5oz East Kent Goldings (15mins)

Yeast:
White Labs WLP005

Flavoring:
25ml Hazelnut Extract from MoreBeer (added at kegging)