Critique - Simple Porter Recipe

Nothing fancy. I want to get a basic recipe down before adding coffee, honey..etc.


Batch = 5 gals
Type = Extract and Steeped Grains
Recipe Gravity = 1.055
Est. FG = 1.014
Bitterness = 34 IBU
Color = 35 SRM
ABV = 5.4%

6.6 lbs Muntons LME - Light
1.50 lbs Crystal 80L
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt
0.75 lb Black Patent Malt

1.50 oz Fuggles (UK) @ 60 minutes
0.50 oz Fuggles (UK) @ 30 minutes

English Ale Yeast - WLP002

Steep grains @ 160 for 30 minutes
Add to main boil
Add Extract
Boil until hot break
Add bittering hops at 60 min
Add flavoring hops at 30 min
No finishing hops
Cool to 80 degrees
Pitch yeast
Primary 1 week
Secondary 2 weeks
Bottle 2 weeks

Super64 said:

Primary 1 week
Secondary 2 weeks
Bottle 2 weeks

Click to expand...

why go to secondary at all? it's a porter, so clarity isn't important and you're not dry hopping.

I'd say leave it in primary for 3 or 4 weeks. Then bottle and leave it for at least 2, just like you're planning.

looks decent. i agree with longer primary, my last porter took longer than one week to hit terminal

Thanks guys,

3 in the Primary and 2 in the bottle it is!

Should I use a starter on the yeast or just pitch it?

1055 is close to the "threshold" for not having to make a starter. But I would, happy yeast make better beer

I hate Black Malt. I would say dump it, you don't need it, and up the Choc to 0.75 lbs. You have plenty of dark Crystal in there.

If you have to have black, go with 0.25 lbs max.

I don't know if you will get down to 1.014 with that amount of speciality grains. Their sugars are fermentable, but they have a higher amount of unfermentable sugars than regular malt. Maybe 1.017. You could replace 1 lb of the LME with 1 lb of table sugar to get a couple of points lower. I wouldn't go more than a pound.

Add the flavor hops at 10 or 15 to go. Pretty much all the flavor is gone by 20.

Try and pitch yeast closer to ferment temps. 80 is a little high. It will work, but the yeast will start producing esters you might not want at that temp.

Recommend makiing a starter. You really don't know the health of the yeast.

At least 2 weeks in primary.

Maybe add a little licorice, or star annis.

Calder said:

If you have to have black, go with 0.25 lbs max.

Click to expand...

but then you can never go back.

seriously- I like black malt and have used it in multiple recipes. don't overdo it- it's easy to do. 4 to 8 oz. should be plenty for your recipe.

Doesn't look balanced to me. The amount of dark grains you
are using, and the large amount of black malt is appropriate
for what some call an "Imperial" stout, but the alcohol level
is too low. That much dark malt is really overkill, imo.

My porter uses the same dark malts but for a 5 gal batch its
.5 pound crystal 120
3 ounces black malt
1 oz chocolate malt.

Ray

I saw a piece on the net that quoted Ray Daniel's book "Designing Great Beers".

The article quotes the ratios for a porter as 55% pale malt, 11% crystal, 4% chocolate and 5% Black.

I replaced the pale with the LME - Light and adjusted the grains to match the above ratios as best I could.

Others quote the target values as OG 1.040+, 20-40 SRM, 18-35 or 55+ IBU.

According to QBrew, my numbers are OG 1.055, 29 SRM, 32 IBU.

Again, I needed a starting point before I began experimenting with adjuncts.

Calder, Rayg - how does that differ from what you do?

I just followed the recipe in Foster's book on porter,
but adapted the hopping to suit my taste.

Ray

rayg said:

I just followed the recipe in Foster's book on porter,
but adapted the hopping to suit my taste.

Click to expand...

One of the recipies. It just happens to be the one with the least amount of Chocolate in it. Only half the recipies have black, and for the most part, they contain more Chocolate than black.

I see in the Beginners Section someone is also asking about a Porter recipe.

There, some folks have said to add some flaked oats to add mouth-feel.

Would a couple ounces of that add anything to this recipe?

I just brewing up a simple porter (it's fermenting now). I used 4 oz black patent, and 8 oz flaked oats. I think the oats will really add to mouthfeel.

Black malt will add color, but not too much flavor, so keep that in mind. You can get flavor from chocolate malt. My porter used brown/amber malt for flavor.