Off the back of the success of my VBP (Vanilla Bourbon Porter) and with the 2016 London and South East Brewing Competition looming, I'm working on another dark, exotic beauty: an HCP (Hazelnut Chocolate Porter).
Based on the same base recipe as the VBP I've tweaked the amount of brown malt in an attempt to up the 'chocolateyness' a characteristic that brown malt imparts. Along with this I'm adding cacao nibs soaked in vodka, to help bring out their flavour and aroma. This technique appears to be working a treat as, after one night in vodka, my kitchen smells akin to Willy Wonka's Chocolate room it's honestly quite staggering. For the 'hazelnuttyness' I've created a hazelnut extract by infusing toasted hazelnuts with vodka and fresh vanilla pods, for nearly 4 months then straining, crushing and boiling down the crashed nuts with water then blending. In an attempt to push the hazelnut character further, I'm resting the porter on an additional 150g of toasted Hazelnuts.
After sitting on the nuts for nearly a week, I couldn't resist a little sample and the signs are very promising. Good roast notes, pleasant chocolate character on the palette, nutty on the nose and lovely, warming alcohol to finish. It's going to be good...