Trying a hazelnut stout. Real hazelnuts or artifical flavoring?

[bbarnesy]

Anybody have any experience adding hazelnuts or a artifical flavor to a beer? Which is better and if using favoring when to add it?
Thanks!

 

[foodplusbeer]

I haven't personally done it with nuts, but I've made my own extracts for beer using coffee and chocolate in the past.

Get hazelnuts, grind them up and soak them in high proof vodka or grain alcohol for 2 weeks. You could also use bourbon too, I personally prefer that for additional flavor.

You'll only need 2oz or less of extract for 5 gallons. You'll taste it for sure. Id say use about a handful of hazelnuts and half a cup of liquor. Shake periodically during the 2 weeks. Once done, run your mixture through a coffee filter once or twice and your done! The alcohol will extract the color and flavor of the nuts.

It'd be interesting to do this side by side with toasted and raw hazelnuts to see which flavors you prefer.

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

I've used 2oz of hazelnut extract in a 5gallon batch with good results. I just add it to the keg when filling. Or the bottle bucket if bottling.

 

[Beernik]

I use 1 - 3 teaspoons of hazelnut extract at bottling for 5 gallons.

 

[half_whit]

Dumb question...I have a recipe calling for 1oz hazelnut extract.
1 fluid oz (shot glass) or 1oz weight?

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

Dumb question...I have a recipe calling for 1oz hazelnut extract.
1 fluid oz (shot glass) or 1oz weight?

I would go with weight. I think it should be the same. But I'd go with weight just to be sure.

 

[reed1911]

Fluid and weight measurement are very close when you look at pure water with a ratio of about 1:1.0425. For what it is worth, you would be fine either way in this case, and for most folks the volume measurement is likely much easier to get since most folks don't have a scale accurate enough to weigh a single oz. Careful on the shot glass measurement, unless it is actually marked as 1 oz, there are a lot of variations in volume from glass to glass. The conversion is 6 tsp. (teaspoon) per oz.

 

[bbarnesy]

Thanks for all the tips! Any experience with raw vs roasted hazelnuts? I will let you know how it turns out.

Cheers

 

[foodplusbeer]

btw - I realize that i didn't mention before. If you are making your own extract, make sure you crush the hazelnuts first. you'll get more flavor extraction that way. Same goes if you are adding them to the secondary.