Brown Poter Recipie.. How to add some depth without "Burnt" tastes

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cyclogenesis

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Ok Here is what I am thinking of brewing Saturday:
Code: 
Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
9 lbs                 Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)           Grain         1        77.6 %        
1 lbs 8.0 oz          Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)    Grain         2        12.9 %        
9.6 oz                Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)               Grain         3        5.2 %         
8.0 oz                Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM)   Grain         4        4.3 %         
0.60 oz               Target [11.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min         Hop           5        19.3 IBUs     
1.00 oz               Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 15.0 Hop           6        7.3 IBUs

First: How does that look.. it is based on the porter recipie in that section of this site...

Second: To hit my SRM I upped the choc a bit, is there anything else I can add instead of more choc to boost color and increase complexity? I thought about patent (just a tiny bit) but I am scared that would add some stuff that would take it out of style (yes I want to enter this in a club comp so I am trying to brew to style...)
 
Use a pound or so of brown malt and then use chocolate malt to boost the color.
 
As far as I'm concerned, Patent is the signature grain of any Porter.

The Brown Porter I brew has a total of 1lb of specialty grains in 5 gallons. The recipe quoted has 2lb of crystal alone... not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not where I'd go.
 
944play said:
The recipe quoted has 2lb of crystal alone... not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not where I'd go.
Click to expand...

+1

My favorite porter recipe is 8oz Crystal 45, 4oz Crystal 120, and 12oz Chocolate. Plenty dark, almost no "burnt" tastes without roasted barley.
 
944play said:
As far as I'm concerned, Patent is the signature grain of any Porter.

The Brown Porter I brew has a total of 1lb of specialty grains in 5 gallons. The recipe quoted has 2lb of crystal alone... not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not where I'd go.
Click to expand...

How much patent do you use?
 
I skipped it entirely in mine because I didn't want the burnt flavor. Not a true porter then? Fine. But it was awesome.
 
I used UK brown malt, and Thomas faucet english chocolate malt im my last Brown Porter and it really came out nice and rounded. It has a slight roast flavor that quickly gives way to toffee and toast flavors. I used 1lb of each in a 10 gallon batch. I avoided any caramel or crystal malt with this style.

I also used WLP005 for the first time with this beer, I was really happy with the results, though I think I'll mash a little higher to give it more body next time.
 
Molasses will be out of style, it's a strong flavor, if you use it only use 2 oz. You can use Dehusked carafa 3 (de bittered black patent) or a blend 50/50. You can also take already converted specialties and soak a cold tea as recommended by briess for grains with lovi over 120, then you add the tea straight to your boil slowly starting at 60 minutes. I did this for an oatmeal stout because I find barley too harsh and it came out very smooth and scored 40 in the NHC.
 
enricocoron said:
Molasses will be out of style, it's a strong flavor, if you use it only use 2 oz.
Click to expand...

Molasses isnt actually out of style. The last thing they say in the bjcp ingredient section of brown porter says it may have small amounts. Plus the english would use small amounts of it and/or dark sugar back in the porters hayday.
 
One way to add some depth is to use smaller portions of different crystal malts vs a larger portion of one crystal malt. So instead of 1.5lbs of 60L you could try 1/2lb of 40L, 1/2lb of 60L and 1/2lb 80L.
 
cyclogenesis said:
How much patent do you use?
Click to expand...

4 oz each:
Patent
Briess Special Roast
C90
Chocolate

It's from Austin Homebrew's Session Series. The recipe is a keeper!
 
Awesome...

Update
Code: 
Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
9 lbs                 Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)           Grain         1        73.8 %        
1 lbs 8.0 oz          Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)    Grain         2        12.3 %        
1 lbs                 Brown Malt (65.0 SRM)                    Grain         3        8.2 %         
11.2 oz               Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)               Grain         4        5.7 %         
0.60 oz               Target [11.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min         Hop           5        19.0 IBUs     
1.00 oz               Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 15.0 Hop           6        7.2 IBUs      
1.0 pkg               London Ale Yeast (Wyeast Labs #1028) [12 Yeast         7        -
 
cfonnes said:
^ This ^ in addition to the brown malt I would drop the Crystal 120.
Click to expand...

+2

Brown malt is quite unique and doesn't add a charred taste but adds a very bold flavor
 
With the Brown porter you are looking for a subtle caramel and toffee flavor, that you will get with the brown and chocolate malt. By adding the crystal you may be wandering in to the range of a robust porter, but will be lacking the strong roast needed for that style.

If I where you, I'd substitute maris otter for the two row , or do a 50/50 blend and subtract the Crystal.
 
Ok... Just a wee little bit of patent
Code: 
Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
9 lbs                 Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)         Grain         1        81.8 %        
1 lbs 3.2 oz          Brown Malt (65.0 SRM)                    Grain         2        10.9 %        
11.2 oz               Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)               Grain         3        6.4 %         
1.6 oz                Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM)          Grain         4        0.9 %         
0.60 oz               Target [11.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min         Hop           5        19.5 IBUs     
1.00 oz               Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 15.0 Hop           6        7.3 IBUs      
1.0 pkg               London Ale Yeast (Wyeast Labs #1028) [12 Yeast         7        -
 
You folks are awesome... I brewed up the following Saturday based on advice here:
Code: 
Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
9 lbs                 Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)         Grain         1        80.3 %        
1 lbs 3.2 oz          Brown Malt (65.0 SRM)                    Grain         2        10.7 %        
11.4 oz               Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)               Grain         3        6.3 %         
3.2 oz                Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM)    Grain         4        1.8 %         
1.6 oz                Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM)          Grain         5        0.9 %         
0.60 oz               Target [9.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min          Hop           6        17.3 IBUs     
1.00 oz               Goldings, East Kent [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 Hop           7        8.0 IBUs      
0.40 oz               Fuggles [4.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min          Hop           8        1.0 IBUs      
1.0 pkg               London Ale Yeast (Wyeast Labs #1028) [12 Yeast         9        -

I had some spare xtal so I just threw it in.. also had some fuggles laying around so I threw a very small amount in at t-5

Volume was slightly low (5.5Gal) came in at 1052..

I took a 30ish hour gravity and taste sample last night and it has some awesome flavors! and no bitter burn taste.. And color is pretty much spot on what I was looking for... Oh and it is fermenting like nuts! (nice big starter...)

All the feedback here has been great!
 
It sounds like you want a rich Brown ale more than a Porter. Try tasting some New Holland Poet, or search for a clone. It tastes like an uber smooth marriage of chocolate and malts, but it's not terribly sweet.
 
Read the BJCP guidelines on Brown Porter... Quite a different beast to a robust porter...
Malt flavor includes a mild to moderate roastiness
(frequently with a chocolate character) and often a significant
caramel, nutty, and/or toffee character. May have other secondary
flavors such as coffee, licorice, biscuits or toast in support.
Should not have a significant black malt character (acrid,
burnt, or harsh roasted flavors), although small amounts may
contribute a bitter chocolate complexity.
Click to expand...
 
I don't see Molasses in there? I thought somebody posted it was part of the guidelines, or is this just part of the style description? I'd have thought the brits more likely to use treacle than molasses.
 
enricocoron said:
I don't see Molasses in there? I thought somebody posted it was part of the guidelines, or is this just part of the style description? I'd have thought the brits more likely to use treacle than molasses.
Click to expand...

The last line of the ingredients section of the bjcp guidelines for brown porter says... "May contain a moderate amount of adjuncts (sugars, maize, molasses, treacle, etc.)."
Also historically in britian when the price of grain was higher the brewers would use whatever sugar they could get away with and was the cheapest at the time.
Sugars don't have to be added to make it a brown porter but it isn't out of style and it does add a small complexity.
 

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