All-Grain - For Peat's Sake Smoked Porter

jgourd · 10-20-2010, 02:02 AM

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: White Labs WLP007
Yeast Starter: 2500 mL
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.052
Final Gravity: 1.018
IBU: 43
Boiling Time (Minutes): 90
Color: 32 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 15 days @ 66F
Tasting Notes: Initial subdued smoke that only gets more prominent over time.

So I love very peaty and smoky single malt Scotchs like the Laphroaig 10 y.o. or the Ardbeg 10 y.o. I wanted this to be an homage to those and therefore wanted it heavy on the peat. Most people claim that peat malt is overpowering and you should use it sparingly. You're all full of crap! That was my hunch so I went big. Well 1# big (or almost 9% of the grain bill). Now I wish I used maybe 15%. Although I must say that, at first, the peatiness was not as prominent as I would have liked. Well, it's getting there now. I love this beer and hope that it gets a bit peatier and smokier. The bitterness is about right for my taste, and I get a nice malt and roast. It's one of those beers that gets better when you've consumed half a pint. Then you want to sit around a bonfire and enjoy several more!

Code:

For Peat's Sake Smoked Porter
-----------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal (7.76 gal preboil)
Estimated OG: 1.053 SG (actual: 1.052 SG)
Estimated FG: 1.013 SG (actual: 1.018 SG)
Estimated IBUs: 40 (Tinseth; actual: 43)
Estimated Color: 31 SRM (actual: 32 SRM)
Brewhouse Efficiency: 73% (actual: 71%)
Boil Time: 90 minutes

Grains:
4.75# Pale Malt (2-Row) US (42.22%)
3.25# Rauch malt (28.89%)
1.00# Peated malt (8.89%)
0.50# De-bittered black malt (4.44%)
0.50# Caramel/Crystal 40L (4.44%)
0.50# Caramel/Crystal 60L (4.44%)
0.50# Chocolate Malt (4.44%)
0.25# Flaked oats (2.22%)

Hops:
1.25 oz Fuggle (US) (5.1%) @60 min
0.75 oz Fuggle (US) (5.1%) @30 min
0.25 oz Willamette (4.8%) @30 min
0.50 oz Kent Golding (7.2%) @30 min
0.25 oz Fuggle (US) (5.1%) @2 min
0.25 oz Willamette (4.8%) @2 min

Yeast:
White Labs WLP007 (English Ale) (English Ale)

Mash/Sparge Schedule:
Single Infusion, 151F; Batch Sparge
Mash for 60 min at 151F w/ 3.66 gal of water at 165F
Mashout w/ 2.12 gal of water at 210F; hold for 10 min
Batch sparge w/ 3.64 gal of water at 183F; hold for 10 min

Fermentation Schedule:
Primary Fermentation: 15 days @66F

vega · 11-29-2010, 08:20 PM

That is a large amount of smoked malt and peated malt. I'm just starting off in the area of smoked beers and I'm still trying to inch my way closer to the right level of smoke character. Has this batch finished up yet? Do you have plans for batch aging? I would love to hear some tasting notes on this one.

jgourd · 11-29-2010, 10:36 PM

This beer has been in the keg for a few months. I tapped it at our Halloween party. The opinions were extreme in the sense that you either loved it or hated it. I figure about 1/3 of the people loved it. Those that do want nothing else to drink when they come over. Plus, it's one of the best beers to drink around a campfire. Initially, it was nowhere near as smoky and peaty as I wanted it to be (something of an homage to the Laphroaig single malt Scotch which is extremely smoky and peaty). Over the past few months, however, it has steadily increased in peatiness--which I absolutely love. I look forward to trying this now and again throughout the winter. I will definitely make this again with a slight substitution: more peated malt and less Rauch malt. But again, we all have unique tastes. And by the way, the chocolate malt does make it through along with a nice toastiness.

jgourd · 01-01-2011, 08:32 PM