Baltic IPA

I like hops. I really like hoppy beer.

For that reason my tastes have always tended towards IPA's. I could appreciate a good stout like I could appreciate the guitar work of guys like Steve Vai, but like Steve Vai's music....it wasn't for me.

That was until I tried, on a whim, Sam Adams Baltic IPA (it was from their short run, craft beer line). A hoppy porter? I could get down with this.

Then igliashon posted his "no nonsense stout" recipe, and I figured, "What the hell? Let's throw some floral hops in there and see what we get."

So, here's my Baltic IPA/Porter recipe:

90 minute boil
5 gallons final volume

2lb Bob's Red Mill Quick Oats (1lb roasted to medium brown and left to waft for a week. 1lb lightly roasted and left overnight) @ steeped together for 30 minutes prior to boil
3lbs Brown rice syrup @ 90
3lbs D-180 @ 90
3.3lbs Sorghum syrup @ flameout


0.5 oz Chinook @ 90
1 oz Hallertau @ 30
1 oz Hallertau @ 20
1 oz Hallertau @ 15
1 oz Hallertau @ 7

The fermantables in my recipe differ slightly from Iglisahon's because I am lazy and the amounts I used fit more easily into how they are packaged.

I called this a Baltic IPA because it is really not a porter. If I understand the difference between a porter and a stout correctly that difference would really be academic when using only GF extracts, but still....it's not a porter. Also, typically a Baltic Porter is made using lager yeast which I have not done.

Let me known what you think and I'll let you know how the results turned out!

You're gonna post pictures right? I sure hope so! Seems to me like this will work very well. Did you use any maltodextrin?

Verrrrrry interesting! I may have to try this.

Jenkins said:

You're gonna post pictures right? I sure hope so! Seems to me like this will work very well. Did you use any maltodextrin?

Click to expand...

I will take pics AND I forgot to mention the maltodextrin. I'll use 8oz. Also I'll be subbing 1oz of saaz for one of the hallertau additions. I didn't buy enough.

3lbs of candi syrup seems like quite a lot. On the recipe section of their website http://www.candisyrup.com/recipes.html the most they ever use is 2lbs. Usually they recommend between 1/2lb-1lb. They also recommend adding the syrup at flameout.

Now, all of that being said, their recipes are not GF and I know GF is a whole different bag. when I do 5 gallons I'll use 2lbs but I've never used 3. I'm not saying don't do it, I'm interested to see what happens, just a heads up. If you are going to use 3lbs you may want to do 2lbs of 180 and 1lb of 90 just to see what kind of complexity that brings.

EDIT...there is also a baltic porter listed on their site if you are interested in it: http://www.candisyrup.com/uploads/6/0/3/5/6035776/baltic_porter_-_002x.pdf

I use 2 pounds of D180 in my 3-gallon stout recipes, so 3 lbs in a 5-gallon recipe will be just fine.

I get what you are saying CC, and I appreciate the constructive criticism.

I am not recommending any one do this at this point, but I am also not too terribly reluctant to try to on my own because of igliashon's success.

Here's a pic of the roasted oatmeal. You can see the medium and light roasted colors. Although the medium is not very dark it did have a slightly burned smell to it even after wafting for a week.



This is the wort after steeping the oatmeal for 30 minutes



This is the finished product wort. Black as coal and very sweet.



Fished gravity was 1.07

Oh, wow. I'm really glad I noticed this post before my first brew day. Thanks a lot Thanatos for uploading pictures of what your oats look like. I haven't had any solid clue as to what they should look like. I now notice that you're using quick oats; I have access to both quick and regular; is there a difference in roasting process and outcome between the two? I bought 2lbs. of regular gluten free oats, soaked them slightly, let them dry a bit, then roasted to a medium color in the oven at 350. They look nothing like what you have here. I'm assuming I've done something wrong...

Soaked and roasted oats can vary considerably in their appearance. Thanatos's don't look much like mine usually do, either (the oats are more identifiable in mine). Don't worry about it, Jenkins, if they're brown and smell good, you'll be fine.

Okay then! Pot is on the stove now and I'm rolling with it. Thanks!

It's VERY cold in MI right now (10 degrees or so) and I live in a 100 year old house so its not much warmer inside!

That being said, I got a few days of GOOD airlock activity out of my primary (a bucket) with the external, stick on, thermometer reading between 61 and 63 degrees.

I racked to secondary tonight with a gravity of 1.02. I HOPE the gravity doesn't drop too much lower, but I suspect this one is not done fermenting yet as my calculated gravity was 1.015. I placed the carboy (covered in a towel) on the upper floor of my house to try and get fermentation to finish completely.

The hydrometer sample tasted GREAT with a nicely balanced, hoppy finish. The burnt notes are still coming through but are much reduced.

I'll give this one two more weeks in secondary, dry hop and keg up.

Sorry for the off topic noob question, but how did you you get from the 30 minute steep picture to the final product wort? My all grain mashes always stay like that first picture, they never get thick and sweet. I must be missing something, but I followed all the instructions.

Well, I used extract syrup, but I have no clue about all grain brewing.

Subscribed! Ill be doing this one soon, let me know how it turns out.

I took a hydrometer reading last night and it was still at 1.02 and the flavors have mellowed and melded dramatically so I racked it into a keg.

I hope to have some tasting notes within the next couple days.

Probably too soon update time:

But, I kegged this one up recently with a FG of 1.020 so the gravity stayed steady after the rack to secondary.

It's good. Already perfectly drinkable, buuuuut it could and will be MUCH better.

As time goes on and I drink more I realize it needs more time.

However, even though it is still very young, and it WILL get better I can already see how to make it better.

#1. Increase IBU's. Both on the the bitterness end (late addition fermantables? Calvinist recommended adding the D-180 at flame out and this might accomplish this) and on the aroma end. I did not dry hop this and that was clearly a mistake.

Mid-stream P.S. here: At this point in my brewing career I have come to the realization that ALL beers needs dry hops....at least the ones I like to drink anyway.

#2. It needs a couple months to sit in secondary and condition. I had nothing on tap and rushed this through too quickly. 2 weeks in primary and 2 months in secondary (with a week of dry hops at the end) would have been much better.

I probably won't do this again until next winter, but I WILL do it again and will follow these guidelines. Check back next winter

P.S. I think a whiskey/bourbon note would go REALLY well with this.

I may make two batches next fall. One with my current recommendations and one with those as well as adding some Jack Daniels soaked oak chips in secondary.

When it comes to hop scheduling for hoppy beers, the scheduling I've been most satisfied with is that used by Stone brewing in most of their beers: a bittering charge at 60-90 minutes with something strong, like columbus, chinook, magnum, or millenium, followed by a flavor charge at 10 minutes, and then a huge load at flame-out, which you let steep in the wort as it cools. For a more assertive bitterness, a large charge of medium-to-low AA hops (like Northern Brewer, Perle, or Cascade) seems to do better than a small dose of super-high-alpha hops. But the real key is skipping additions between 60 and 10 minutes, and doing a big load at flame-out.

Thanks igliashon. I will try that in my next beer.

With that in mind, the way I would have hopped this beer is like this:

1 oz Chinook at 90
2 oz Hallertau at 10
2-4 oz Hallertau at flame-out

Then condition for several months. I've found that adding a #$%@-ton of hops at flame-out can reduce the need for a dry-hopping in any style but an IPA (which pretty much always needs dry-hopping).

igliashon said:

With that in mind, the way I would have hopped this beer is like this:

1 oz Chinook at 90
2 oz Hallertau at 10
2-4 oz Hallertau at flame-out

Then condition for several months. I've found that adding a #$%@-ton of hops at flame-out can reduce the need for a dry-hopping in any style but an IPA (which pretty much always needs dry-hopping).

Click to expand...

Thanks again, I'll try that next time.

Mmmm, tasty.