Hop change, Mangrove Jacks Baltic Porter

[Dan.]

Hi All, my first post here.
I recently brewed a Mangrove Jacks Baltic Porter. It’s come ok but quite sweet & not as ‘bitter’ as I would like.
Can anyone recommend a hop substitution for the Styrian Goldings the kit comes with that would accomplish this, assuming this is possible?
Thanks, Dan.

 

[Clint]

Looking at the kit it's described as having a "sweet,malty finish". The ibu rating is 22 to 28 which isn't very bitter. The hops are for dry hopping so won't add very much if anything to the final bitterness.
The malt is pre hopped for bitterness during production as this is where most bitterness is added..."at the start and during the boil" .
What type of beers do you like?

 

[Dan.]

Looking at the kit it's described as having a "sweet,malty finish". The ibu rating is 22 to 28 which isn't very bitter. The hops are for dry hopping so won't add very much if anything to the final bitterness.
The malt is pre hopped for bitterness during production as this is where most bitterness is added..."at the start and during the boil" .
What type of beers do you like?

Looking at the kit it's described as having a "sweet,malty finish". The ibu rating is 22 to 28 which isn't very bitter. The hops are for dry hopping so won't add very much if anything to the final bitterness.
The malt is pre hopped for bitterness during production as this is where most bitterness is added..."at the start and during the boil" .
What type of beers do you like?

This is my first Porter, normally I like a dry, hoppy IPA kind of beer, think Pale Rider or Jaipur. I was hoping for a more bitter taste so I’m looking at posible options for my second brew of Baltic Porter.

 

[clib]

You need to boil some hops to 'extract' the bitterness from them. Then add that liquid to the kit as part of your 23 litres or whatever it is.

 

[Clint]

Obviously you can do what you like to your beer kit but you're in danger of making something you really don't like at all!
Adding "boiled hops" to your brew needs to be looked at carefully as all hops even the same varieties have different AAU,alpha acid unit,levels which determines how bitter they are and how much bitterness can be extracted over a given time...typically a hour.

 

[clib]

Obviously you can do what you like to your beer kit but you're in danger of making something you really don't like at all!
Adding "boiled hops" to your brew needs to be looked at carefully as all hops even the same varieties have different AAU,alpha acid unit,levels which determines how bitter they are and how much bitterness can be extracted over a given time...typically a hour.

That's true but if you don't like the kit the way it s, why not try to improve it? If you use brewing software you can calculate the approximate bitterness you'd add by boiling a known weight of hops for a given length of time. As long as you know the AA% of the hops.

 

[Clint]

I don't think improving the kit is the objective here as the OP is comparing a Baltic porter to an IPA.
Isn't it like buying a lager kit and saying you preferably like stout so want to make it a bit roasty and black? Suppose a black lager would do...

 

[YeastFace]

Isosmerised hop extract is another option, but check the dosage.

 

[clib]

I don't think improving the kit is the objective here as the OP is comparing a Baltic porter to an IPA.
Isn't it like buying a lager kit and saying you preferably like stout so want to make it a bit roasty and black? Suppose a black lager would do...

How is the OP comparing a Baltic Porter to an IPA? That's not how I read it. He's made the Baltic Porter kit and found it too sweet. No mention of IPA?

 

[Clint]

Said his preferred drinks are Pale Rider,sorry this might be a pale not sure without looking,and Jaipur. Both not Baltic Porter. I understand he doesn't like the sweet taste but the other mentioned beers are pale Ales,the Jaipur I know is quite bitter.

 

[Clint]

What I can find out..
Pale rider..ibu 30 (from Kelham clone recipe) though now brewed (by) Thornbridge?
Jaipur...ibu 55
So the Pale Rider is on the top end of the Baltic kit but the Jaipur could be twice the quoted bottom end of the kit.
Perhaps it's the beer style that is preferred?

 

[clib]

What I can find out..
Pale rider..ibu 30 (from Kelham clone recipe) though now brewed (by) Thornbridge?
Jaipur...ibu 55
So the Pale Rider is on the top end of the Baltic kit but the Jaipur could be twice the quoted bottom end of the kit.
Perhaps it's the beer style that is preferred?

Oh ok I was looking at the opening post. Still he obviously wants more bitterness, having made the porter before and finding it too sweet. I'm similar, I find some beers not bitter enough. The Kernel brewery does porters with high IBUs and IPA hops which I like a lot and which are rated very highly on ratings sites. Export India Porter.

 

[Clint]

Export India porter...that figures as it "would have been" high abv and hopped to preserve it.

 

[clib]

If you boil some 10% AA hops for 30 minutes, for 20L of 1040 wort, you get approx 10 IBU for approx every 10g of hops. Rough rule of thumb! IBUs are not an exact science, you're boiling flowers. Isomerised hop extract might get you more accuracy but you need to be able to measure a small quantity of liquid accurately.

 

[matt.]

I made this kit 19/9/23. Bottled 3/10/23. Into the cold garage 15/10/23 after 12 days in warm room.
Made 18 litres. All bottled.
Estimate 5%. My calc: 5.86%
Tried first bottle 15/12/23 from a swing top was flat. Second the next day I poured from a slightly greater height and head held for a little while.
Deep dark appearance. Malty smell. Little sediment in bottles
I like it and would make again. But I'm a Bitter man, so it won't be soon.

Cheers

Matt

 

[MrRook]

Double the amount of styrian goldings?

 

[Dan.]

Oh ok I was looking at the opening post. Still he obviously wants more bitterness, having made the porter before and finding it too sweet. I'm similar, I find some beers not bitter enough. The Kernel brewery does porters with high IBUs and IPA hops which I like a lot and which are rated very highly on ratings sites. Export India Porter.

This. I’m new at this so probably didn’t explain myself too well. The pale rider/Jaipur were mentioned as the type of bitterness I might look for in my brew, not trying make a Porter into an IPA. I was wondering if I could achieve something more bitter with my Porter by dry hopping.

What I can find out..
Pale rider..ibu 30 (from Kelham clone recipe) though now brewed (by) Thornbridge?
Jaipur...ibu 55
So the Pale Rider is on the top end of the Baltic kit but the Jaipur could be twice the quoted bottom end of the kit.
Perhaps it's the beer style that is preferred?

Double the amount of styrian goldings?

And this would make the final beer more bitter but preserve the basic character?

 

[MrRook]

This. I’m new at this so probably didn’t explain myself too well. The pale rider/Jaipur were mentioned as the type of bitterness I might look for in my brew, not trying make a Porter into an IPA. I was wondering if I could achieve something more bitter with my Porter by dry hopping.


And this would make the final beer more bitter but preserve the basic character?

This. I’m new at this so probably didn’t explain myself too well. The pale rider/Jaipur were mentioned as the type of bitterness I might look for in my brew, not trying make a Porter into an IPA. I was wondering if I could achieve something more bitter with my Porter by dry hopping.


And this would make the final beer more bitter but preserve the basic character?

I think so, it's the first thing I'd try.

 

[foxy]

I made this kit 19/9/23. Bottled 3/10/23. Into the cold garage 15/10/23 after 12 days in warm room.
Made 18 litres. All bottled.
Estimate 5%. My calc: 5.86%
Tried first bottle 15/12/23 from a swing top was flat. Second the next day I poured from a slightly greater height and head held for a little while.
Deep dark appearance. Malty smell. Little sediment in bottles
I like it and would make again. But I'm a Bitter man, so it won't be soon.

Cheers

Matt

I have made it twice, it is sweet but that is what a Baltic Porter is. This second time the IBU was 39 but still ended up sweet, noble hops don't seem to achieve bitterness. My Robust Porter is 60 IBU all with EKG much more to my liking.
What you can do, if you decide to do it again is take some of the wort before pitching and simmer it for one hour in a saucepan adding bittering hops of your choice

 

[clib]

This. I’m new at this so probably didn’t explain myself too well. The pale rider/Jaipur were mentioned as the type of bitterness I might look for in my brew, not trying make a Porter into an IPA. I was wondering if I could achieve something more bitter with my Porter by dry hopping.


And this would make the final beer more bitter but preserve the basic character?

Dry hopping doesn't influence bitterness much. You need to boil some hops in water or wort. You can use brewing software to calculate how much bitterness you would add by boiling hops for a specific length of time.