Looking for input on Porter recipe

This is a recipe I have come up with, but I am looking for input to make it turn out as well as possible. As it stands now:

4 lbs BRS
2 lbs toasted rolled oats covered in 1 lb maple syrup (steeped then added to mash)
1 lb d-180 candi
1 lb corn sugar (enough for body?)
6 oz molasses

.5 oz UK Northdown @60
.5 oz Challenger @ 60
Irish moss @ 15

3.5 lb crushed cranberries in secondary


If anyone sees any redflags, feel free to let me know. I plan to brew Sunday.

What do you mean "steeped then added to mash"?

Corn sugar doesn't add body, it subtracts it. You might be confusing it for maltodextrin.

I'd recommend D-90 rather than D-180, it's a bit less roasty and possibly more appropriate for a Porter. And if this is a 5-gallon batch, I'd strongly recommend at least 2 lbs of it.

I'm drawing a blank- what's BRS?

I don't like corn sugar in it, but that's because it ferments fully and leaves no body or flavor behind. With the corn sugar and the candi sugar, it looks like it might be pretty thin.

BRS= brown rice syrup

It's often used in gluten free beers for a part of the fermentables. You're definitely going to end up with a dry beer as previously mentioned. Ditch the corn sugar and add some more candi syrup. Also, think about adding some maltodextrin for body. Otherwise, you're on the right track.

Won't 2#'s of oats add a considerable amount of body?

frothdaddy said:

Won't 2#'s of oats add a considerable amount of body?

Click to expand...

i've never had oats add body. It does has a "slick" or even slippery mouthfeel, though, so it's pretty silky feeling.

This is great. Thanks for all the input I am going to replace the 180 and corn sugar with 2# maltodextrin. I did have that confused as the same thing. When I say steeped then added to the mash, I was planning on steeping the toasted oats at 150 for an hour then adding everything to the boil. Bad idea? Thanks for all the help, I am going to put off the brew til next week.

Wait, you're going to replace the D-180 with maltodextrin? No no no, bad idea. 2# maltodextrin, also not a good idea. Replace the 1# of corn sugar with 1# of maltodextrin, and double the candi syrup to 2# (maltodextrin doesn't ferment, so since you took out the corn sugar, you'll end up with a lower ABV than you want unless you compensate with more fermentables). Do NOT boil the grains after steeping. Steep and strain, then boil. If you boil the oats after steeping, they're basically going to turn your wort into a thick sludge and be very difficult to remove.

I think I have a final recipe now. I'm still picking things up, but I think this should turn out pretty well. Thank you Igliashon and everyone else!

4 lbs Brown Rice
2 lbs Maple toasted oats
2 lbs D-90 Candy
1 lb maltodextrin
1 lb molasses

.5 oz. UK Northdown @ 60
.5 oz. Challenger @ 60

I have Safale US-05 on hand so I was going to use that, but I need to go to the brew shop so I can use something else if there is something better.

I like S-04 or Windsor, but I've actually never tried US-05 in a dark beer, so I can't say if it's a good or bad idea.

Brewed this tonight. The color looks great and smells fantastic! Hopefully it turns out well. I did end up going with Windsor for the yeast because I have been using S04 for everything and want to see the difference.

OG came out at 1.062, slightly lower than the expected 1.065.

I took a sample today and gravity is already down to 1.020, so that eases my mind about the ferment ability of the sorghum free recipe. I tasted the sample and it was VERY smooth with caramel tones and a toasty smell and taste. I would like to get it a title darker, maybe around 30 SRM (recipe is around 24-25). I can't wait to try the finished product, but I think this has fantastic potential.

Popped one of my porters tonight and all in all it's pretty good. Very smooth and drinkable with great body, head and carbonation. I bottled with brown sugar and can't tell any difference except maybe I. The head color. I wish it had a little more hops. Flavored to note are coffee and caramel. This is still very young so hopefully hops will come through. Ill update again at Christmas but I think having a little sorghum has merit and there's a flavor in there I don't love, maybe the molasses or candi? I will call it a success though.