I don't like coffee... porter/stout question...

I don't like coffee. Can't stand the taste of it at all.
My question is that every porter or stout I've tasted, tastes strongly of coffee. Are there any that don't, or is this just a part of the style? I need to avoid the styles if so!
Thanks!

Roasty qualities are pretty key to stout and porter recipes. That's where that coffee flavor comes into play. You could try a recipe with more chocolate malts than roasted Malts. I don't have a recipe in mind bit I'm sure someone else will chime in here.

Avoid recipes that use black (patent) malt, black barley or roasted barley then. You can make a porter with other malts, you just need to do the right recipe/combination. Use chocolate malt, or debittered malts, and darker caramel malts to get what you want. More kettle caramelization can also get you partially there.

I make a "porter" that is not "roasty" -
5lbs 2 row
5lbs munich
1lb flaked oats
1lb chocolate
.5lbs cara wheat
.25lbs brown malt
.25lbs caramalt

It is a nice chocolate/nutty/smooth beer - looks to all the world a stout (32 SRM), but not any of the "harsher" flavors some people do not enjoy in that style of beer.

This is for about 6.5 gallons or so - gravity of around 1.05

Used fuggles and goldings for about 24 IBU's
1056 yeast

It gets knocked as "Nice beer but not roasty enough" when I enter it as a stout or porter, but it took 2nd in american ale cat. last week in a big comp as a brown ale. So, consider it a small porter or a big brown ale.

But, if that is what you are posting for - a stout that dosn't "taste" like a stout -something like this is in that ballpark. Chocolate malt, pale chocolate malt, brown malt, carafa malt - that can get you a smoother, subtle "stout."

Id recommend looking into brown porters, which are mostly just chocolate or brown malt and some caramel malt. For stouts, try looking up milk or sweet stouts, theres some that are much more sweet then roasty.

Funny story, I just came on here to extoll the virtues of a nice glass or 9 of stout. Proof positive that there is not a single beer that would please everyone.

Golddiggie said:

Avoid recipes that use black (patent) malt, black barley or roasted barley then. You can make a porter with other malts, you just need to do the right recipe/combination. Use chocolate malt, or debittered malts, and darker caramel malts to get what you want. More kettle caramelization can also get you partially there.

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This.

The best part of homebrewing is being able to tailor your recipes to your taste. There are plenty of porters out there that are sweet and not astringent or roasty.

seabass07 said:

This.

The best part of homebrewing is being able to tailor your recipes to your taste. There are plenty of porters out there that are sweet and not astringent or roasty.

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Yup... I'm working on my mocha porter recipe. Have the second batch in serving keg, just need to put one into the brew fridge, on gas, and then try it out. I changed the recipe from the first brewing, looking to get more of a mocha profile.

I've done some brown ales that are almost porters too. I like both pale chocolate and kiln coffee in these recipes (depending on what I'm going for). I actually like those better than the regular chocolate and roasted barley malts.

IMO, if you don't want/like to drink it, don't brew it.

I hated coffee.. until I got a Keurig and found some tasty ones.. however long before that i found I loved stouts and porters, never noticed a single coffee like flavor among the ones I had except for Guinness.

Nova5 said:

I hated coffee.. until I got a Keurig and found some tasty ones.. however long before that i found I loved stouts and porters, never noticed a single coffee like flavor among the ones I had except for Guinness.

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I found the right coffee maker is a very important factor in getting something you'll like to drink. A good grinder makes it even better. I have a KitchenAid coffee grinder and a coffee maker that I've set up to make great coffee. It brews in the lower end of the temperature range (so it doesn't burn the coffee) and then I have the hot plate under it set to the lowest temperature. Makes drinking it black a pleasure. :rockin:

Golddiggie said:

I found the right coffee maker is a very important factor in getting something you'll like to drink. A good grinder makes it even better. I have a KitchenAid coffee grinder and a coffee maker that I've set up to make great coffee. It brews in the lower end of the temperature range (so it doesn't burn the coffee) and then I have the hot plate under it set to the lowest temperature. Makes drinking it black a pleasure. :rockin:

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At least mine was partially ontopic..

A baltic porter can finish dryer with a higher ABV and taste less roasty and more spicey. Also adding liccorice root makes for some nice zing.

Dark brews typically have toasted coffee character. So it's possible you are one of those IPA hop head, Golden Ale,Blonde Belgian type of a person.

Some people just hate certain flavors.