Robust Porter with Pics

[alanywiseman.]

Plan to brew this on Sunday and thought I would run this past you all.

Boil Size: 31.38 l
Post Boil Volume: 26.00 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 23.00 l
Bottling Volume: 21.30 l
Estimated OG: 1.067 SG
Estimated Color: 94.0 EBC
Estimated IBU: 34.0 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 76.1 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
5.20 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (30.0 EBC) Grain 1 72.6 %
0.70 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (150.0 EBC) Grain 2 9.8 %
0.70 kg Munich Malt (17.7 EBC) Grain 3 9.8 %
0.34 kg Chocolate Malt (1060.0 EBC) Grain 4 4.7 %
0.22 kg Black (Patent) Malt (1280.0 EBC) Grain 5 3.1 %
68.11 g Goldings, East Kent [5.60 %] - Boil 60.0 Hop 6 34.0 IBUs
21.00 g Goldings, East Kent [5.60 %] - Boil 0.0 Hop 7 0.0 IBUs


Mash Schedule: BIAB, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 7.16 kg
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Saccharification Add 35.76 l of water at 71.1 C 66.7 C 75 min
Mash Out Heat to 75.6 C over 7 min 75.6 C 10 min

The recipe I believe comes from Brewing Classic Styles but the chocolate malt used has a lower colour (600EBC vs 1000EBC) so this has put the colour well out but I think I will go for it anyway. If you could have a look at the water volumes that would really help as I have been really out with volumes on my first 2 batches.

Cheers :

 

[calumscott]

Have you got records of which of your volumes went south?

 

[Dr Mike]

The pre-boil volume looks about right, but the 7.2Kg of grain will take about 7L with them so you might want to up the initial liquor to 39L or so unless you do a mini-sparge to put some volume back.

I do 3 vessel rather than BIAB but I would need 40L or so of total liquor to get 23L into the fermenter for a beer of that strength.

 

[MyQul]

I did something very similar two weeks ago (BIAB though not 3v).

(Brown Porter)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.044 (°P): 11.0
Final Gravity (FG): 1.011 (°P): 2.8
Alcohol (ABV): 4.32 %
Colour (SRM): 36.8 (EBC): 72.5
Bitterness (IBU): 29.7 (Average)

67.64% Maris Otter Malt
10.15% Crystal
10.15% Munich I
6.76% Chocolate
3.04% Roasted Barley
2.25% Black Malt

2 g/L Fuggles (4.7% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
0.6 g/L Fuggles (4.7% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil)


cipe Generated with BrewMate



I tried a tester after 1 week conditioning and a must say it was REALLY nice. At the last moment I doubled the black malt because I thought 1% wouldnt do anything (this is the first time I've used black malt) but you can really taste it. Its not overpowering but it is a quite a dominant flavour. I'm quite suprised at the power of this malt. Have you experience with black malt and put 3% in a brew before? Personally after trying my tester I wouldn't go more than 2% (but that's my taste). I think with black malt less is more

 

[alanywiseman.]

Thanks for all the replies and advice :thumb:

Have you got records of which of your volumes went south?

It went south from the start really on the previous brews. I had my previous recipes set for a 120min boil with a 17% boil off. I have now changed that and altered the boil off to 10%. It resulted in me ending up 5L over so really want to get a bit closer this time.

The pre-boil volume looks about right, but the 7.2Kg of grain will take about 7L with them so you might want to up the initial liquor to 39L or so unless you do a mini-sparge to put some volume back.

I do 3 vessel rather than BIAB but I would need 40L or so of total liquor to get 23L into the fermenter for a beer of that strength.

Thanks for the advice about the volume. I will keep an eye on it and will do a mini sparge if I come up short.

I did something very similar two weeks ago (BIAB though not 3v).

(Brown Porter)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.044 (°P): 11.0
Final Gravity (FG): 1.011 (°P): 2.8
Alcohol (ABV): 4.32 %
Colour (SRM): 36.8 (EBC): 72.5
Bitterness (IBU): 29.7 (Average)

67.64% Maris Otter Malt
10.15% Crystal
10.15% Munich I
6.76% Chocolate
3.04% Roasted Barley
2.25% Black Malt

2 g/L Fuggles (4.7% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
0.6 g/L Fuggles (4.7% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil)


cipe Generated with BrewMate



I tried a tester after 1 week conditioning and a must say it was REALLY nice. At the last moment I doubled the black malt because I thought 1% wouldnt do anything (this is the first time I've used black malt) but you can really taste it. Its not overpowering but it is a quite a dominant flavour. I'm quite suprised at the power of this malt. Have you experience with black malt and put 3% in a brew before? Personally after trying my tester I wouldn't go more than 2% (but that's my taste). I think with black malt less is more

This is only AG3 so I do not have a lot of experience with the ingredients. I have reduced the black malt to 2% and cut the crystal back as i was looking at a previous SNPA clone with 400g crystal and found it quite sweet, the darker malts will balance this out a bit. I also relised that I have pale chocolate malt so I have replaced the darker chocolate with it. Here is the altered recipe:


Boil Size: 29.02 l
Post Boil Volume: 26.02 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 23.02 l
Bottling Volume: 21.31 l
Estimated OG: 1.063 SG
Estimated Color: 67.5 EBC
Estimated IBU: 33.7 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 76.1 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
5.19 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (30.0 EBC) Grain 1 77.0 %
0.70 kg Munich Malt (17.7 EBC) Grain 2 10.4 %
0.40 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (150.0 EBC) Grain 3 5.9 %
0.30 kg Chocolate Malt (500.0 EBC) Grain 4 4.4 %
0.15 kg Black (Patent) Malt (1280.0 EBC) Grain 5 2.2 %
68.03 g Goldings, East Kent [5.60 %] - Boil 60.0 Hop 6 33.7 IBUs
21.00 g Goldings, East Kent [5.60 %] - Boil 0.0 Hop 7 0.0 IBUs

 

[MyQul]

This is only AG3 so I do not have a lot of experience with the ingredients. I have reduced the black malt to 2% and cut the crystal back as i was looking at a previous SNPA clone with 400g crystal and found it quite sweet, the darker malts will balance this out a bit. I also relised that I have pale chocolate malt so I have replaced the darker chocolate with it. Here is the altered recipe:


Boil Size: 29.02 l
Post Boil Volume: 26.02 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 23.02 l
Bottling Volume: 21.31 l
Estimated OG: 1.063 SG
Estimated Color: 67.5 EBC
Estimated IBU: 33.7 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 76.1 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
5.19 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (30.0 EBC) Grain 1 77.0 %
0.70 kg Munich Malt (17.7 EBC) Grain 2 10.4 %
0.40 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (150.0 EBC) Grain 3 5.9 %
0.30 kg Chocolate Malt (500.0 EBC) Grain 4 4.4 %
0.15 kg Black (Patent) Malt (1280.0 EBC) Grain 5 2.2 %
68.03 g Goldings, East Kent [5.60 %] - Boil 60.0 Hop 6 33.7 IBUs
21.00 g Goldings, East Kent [5.60 %] - Boil 0.0 Hop 7 0.0 IBUs

I wouldn't worry too much about reducing the crystal. Yes, in a pale ale you haven't got anywhere to hide so too much crystal will show up to sweet but s you say, in a porter the dark malt will help balance out the flavours. My Porter has 10% crystal and definately wasn't too sweet. I've also read that sweetness of crystal helps to bring out the chocolate flavour in the chocolate malt (if that's what you want)

 

[alanywiseman.]

I wouldn't worry too much about reducing the crystal. Yes, in a pale ale you haven't got anywhere to hide so too much crystal will show up to sweet but s you say, in a porter the dark malt will help balance out the flavours. My Porter has 10% crystal and definately wasn't too sweet. I've also read that sweetness of crystal helps to bring out the chocolate flavour in the chocolate malt (if that's what you want)

I will consider upping the crystal to 10% tonight and post final recipe in he morning with brew day pictures. Thanks for all the help.

 

[MyQul]

If you haven't already decided your final recipe, chech out this web page that helped me with my porter recipe. in particular note some of the percentages for the different grains

http://beersmith.com/blog/2008/03/01/be ... er-recipe/

" Dark Crystal/Caramel malts are used for color and body and provide at least 10% of the grain bill."

 

[alanywiseman.]

I went with 10% crystal in the end and glad I did from the taste of the wort. I will post a full brewday report this eveing with the final recipe.

 

[alanywiseman.]

Managed to get this brewer. I will post the final recipe when I get to my laptop but all wen fairly smoothly. I did manage to **** up at the first stage by under filling the boiler by 3L which I replaced in the FV. I came out with 22.5L at 1.058 so need to make some alterations to beersmith I think but here are the pics.

The Grains

Post mash

Coming up to boil

60 and 0min hop additions

Boiling so first addition in

0min addition at 80c for 30mins

Lovely black nectar

I will post an update of the gravity at the weekend but till then I will let it do it's thing.

 

[alanywiseman.]

Here is the final recipe:

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
5.19 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (30.0 EBC) Grain 1 73.7 %
0.70 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (150.0 EBC) Grain 2 10.0 %
0.70 kg Munich Malt (17.7 EBC) Grain 3 9.9 %
0.30 kg Chocolate Malt (500.0 EBC) Grain 4 4.3 %
0.15 kg Black (Patent) Malt (1280.0 EBC) Grain 5 2.1 %
68.03 g Goldings, East Kent [5.60 %] - Boil 60.0 Hop 6 33.0 IBUs
21.00 g Goldings, East Kent [5.60 %] - Boil 0.0 Hop 7 0.0 IBUs

Which given the volumes and OG gave a brewhouse efficiency of 60%. Not to worried about that as will end up with a 5% beer if it gets down to 1.010 so fingers crossed. Now off to alter the recipe for this weekends brew.

 

[RobWalker]

i've had volumes go all over the place too. it might pay to be flexible with your volumes...add DME if you have too much water, liquor back if you have too little water and a higher OG...

 

[alanywiseman.]

If only I had thought to add DME I have 3 KG. Oh well I do need this to be ready fairly soon for a stag party I am organising so no massive loss.

 

[alanywiseman.]

SG 1.013, thinking it's done so will fine it in a couple of days then keg at the weekend.

It is tasting surprisingly good but time is needed to round off the flavour from the darker malts.

 

[alanywiseman.]

SG was 1.013 a couple of days ago so I rack and fined it and will keg it up today. It has lovely coffee and chocolate notes. Glad a reduced the black malt to 2% as you can taste it there. It will get a few weeks to mature before I make a final comment on the taste.

 

[MyQul]

SG was 1.013 a couple of days ago so I rack and fined it and will keg it up today. It has lovely coffee and chocolate notes. Glad a reduced the black malt to 2% as you can taste it there. It will get a few weeks to mature before I make a final comment on the taste.

That black malt can be quite powerful stuff. My porter had both black and roasted barley but it's turned out to have a lovely smokey/roasty flavour. Make sure to have a weekly "quality control" bottle to track the progress of the malty flavours

 

[alanywiseman.]

Unfortunately I only have 3 bottles of it. The keg is being saved for a stag but will definitely sample one or two. I think when I rebrew this one I will up the crystal a touch and not add the black malt till the last 5-10 mins in the mash to try and cut back on the roasty notes a bit but keep the colour