Finally!!

[geek_chaser]

I have not brewed in a year! I found a brew shop near me and decided, its about time, and went in for some small stuff and walked out with a recipe. I got the Rogue Hazlenut Brown Ale clone in partial mash. I got it with extract, but was curious if I were to use actual hazlenuts, how much would I need to roast/sanitize?

 

[IslandLizard]

Welcome back to brewing!

I'd say the oils in the nuts will play havoc with the beer's foaming capabilities, perhaps even carbonation.

Not sure if you could get hazelnut flour, basically nuts with most oil removed. Like PB powder.
There are better extracts out there than most brew shops sell. Those $4-6 Brewer's Best, BrewCraft bottles and alike aren't the best.

 

[geek_chaser]

I got the hazlenut extract for this batch, but im wondering about it for future batches if this is something i like. I toasted pecans for a batch and it turned out great. But i know peanuts are too oily. So im glad you brought that up. I will look into powders or flower. Thanks!

 

[IslandLizard]

Pour yourself a quarter pint of some decent Brown Ale or a Porter and add your hazelnut extract, a drop at a time while tasting. When you think it's there, cover and leave it for at least an hour. Double the volume by adding more beer, but no more extract, basically cutting your extract dosage in half, and taste again. That should be about the level to use. Get a 2nd opinion from someone who doesn't know what you did.

Amoretti seems to have very decent flavorings, most if not all based on natural ingredients.
For example, I got a bottle of Tangerine Craft Puree and it's truly wonderful. Still, a little goes a long way, don't overdo it.

 

[Aaron Beers]

I got the hazlenut extract for this batch, but im wondering about it for future batches if this is something i like. I toasted pecans for a batch and it turned out great. But i know peanuts are too oily. So im glad you brought that up. I will look into powders or flower. Thanks!

Peanuts are about 50% oil by weight. Pecans are about 75% oil by weight. Hazelnuts generally fall somewhere between peanuts and pecans in oil content. If you've used pecans and were happy with the results, then you'd probably find hazelnuts (or peanuts) acceptable.

Breakside Brewing makes a tasty stout that barrel ages on hazelnuts. The flavor comes off reminiscent of nutella and I found it enjoyable.

I'd highly suggest ignoring any advice about avoiding the use of nuts due to head retention. Plenty of beers pour without significant head and are enjoyed by many, it's about your personal preferences, not someone else's preconceived notions of what the beer that you brew should be (unless you're entering it into a competition, but I'm not even touching on that).