How can I avoid extracting unpleasant bitterness of chocolate malt and black malt?

I am about to brew a porter (anchor porter) and 7% of my total grain bill is chocolate malt and 3% is black patent (700L).

I will mash my grain bill for 60 mins at 154.4F, but I am wondering if that will extract bitterness? I think the temperature is fine, the quantities too. I want all the vanilla, roasted coffee, caramel flavours but no unpleasant bitterness at all.

Any thoughts on this?

By the way.....I do BIAB. No sparging will happen after mashing.

Elysium said:

I am about to brew a porter (anchor porter) and 7% of my total grain bill is chocolate malt and 3% is black patent (700L). I will mash my grain bill for 60 mins at 154.4F, but I am wondering if that will extract bitterness? I think the temperature is fine, the quantities too. I want all the vanilla, roasted coffee, caramel flavours but no unpleasant bitterness at all. Any thoughts on this?

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It's going to depend on how well you control the mash pH as that will determine whether or not you extract tannins.

You could also add your dark malts at vorleuf on the sparge to reduce the issue if you cannot control your mash pH.

Ensure proper mash pH.
Keep your sparge pH from running up too high.
Keep your sparge temps under 170F.
Don't oversparge.

These alone should ensure no astringency. I did full mash time on a robust porter of 6.3% Black (Patent) malt and 3.2% Crisp Chocolate 600+srm, and didn't not get any off-putting astringency (granted the mash was 156F for only 45min).

Edit: I don't think you'll get enough of the dark malt flavors if only added to the vorlauf. For me, part of a porter and stout is the dark roast character (but not excessive astringency of course). But that's bring up the point of doing a steep of your dark grains on the side and add them to the runnings.

I found that adding the black malts at sparge gives me the color and some of the roastiness without the bitterness of it. Just remember that you aren't going to get as dark of a beer or as much of the roastiness when you only sparge the black malts.

Proper mash pH should ensure fewer tannins are extracted, especially with BIAB. Another thing you can do if you are sensitive to extreme roast flavors is substitute some of the black patent and chocolate for the appropriate Carafa Special (debittered) malts.

Or try a cold steep. Soak your black grains in cold water overnight or for a couple days.

Or so I've heard. Never done it, but planning to soon. It was actually recommended by a judge who marked me down for astringency.