Chocolate Brown Porter recipe - critique please

I'm looking to create a malty, chocolatey brown porter with some breadiness to it as well. I read that brown malt is preferred, but the only thing I can find that is even close to being called brown malt is crisp brown. Here's what I'm thinking off the top of my head, please let me know what you think:

Revised Recipe:
4# Light DME
1# 60L
2# Crisp Brown
.5# Chocolate Malt
.5# Carapils
1oz EKG @ start of boil (60')
.5oz Fuggles with 15 minutes left in boil


Yeast debating between:
Wyeast 1098 British Ale and Wyeast 1318 London Ale III and Ringwood

Ferment in primary 10 days, then another 10 days racked over 4oz cacao nibs in secondary.


Please let me know what you think!

bringing this back to the top for opinions

I'd drop the cara-pils (you have at least 1/2# of it in the DME). With 1.5# of brown malt I doubt you would need the 1/4# of victory. Crisp brown malt will do the job.

I'd switch the recipe to use all light dme and get your color and favors from specialties.

I use ringwood yeast for my porter on the recommendation of the brain at my LHBS that many award winning porters use ringwood

I would drop back the crisp brown to a pound at most. In the only porter I used it in a half pound of brown with a half pound chocolate malt gave decent roast flavor though I don't know if the brown malt was really chocolaty. I would also cut the dark extract in favor of more light dme just because it's hard to know what flavor the dark dme will really impart. I've liked the British ale yeast in the past and don't have experience with the london III but it seems to be the more popular choice for porters.

Here's what I'm thinking after reading what you've all said:

4# Light DME
1# 60L
2# Crisp Brown
.5# Chocolate Malt
.5# Carapils
1oz EKG @ start of boil (60')
.5oz Fuggles with 15 minutes left in boil

I'm leaning towards leaving the cara-pils in just because I want to ensure a nice, rocky head on the beer (and I don't think it will hurt to have some extra in there worst case?).

I am leaning towards using a lot of brown malt - just because from descriptions it adds a less roasty flavor than the chocolate malt. I'm going for a porter that's higher on sweetness and low on roastiness.

I did take out the victory malt, I'm thinking that this being my first batch, I can always gauge the breadiness and add it in next time if I fel it's lower than I want this time (and one less variable).

I left out the dark DME and upped the light DME. I also changed to Fuggles for the bittering hops.... sort of a guess there.



How does this look? Is there any downside to using so much brown malt? I want a sweet, malty, chocolatey beer so I'm hoping that brown malt is the right path.

Also, it sounds like British/London Ale 3/ Ringwood are the popular options for the beer.... any opinions there? I'm not sure how/if they will alter the beer (outside of the wyeast website description).

bumping this one last time, mainly concerned with the yeast... Leaning towards the British Ale but I'm not sure.

2 pounds seems excessive. I'd use only 1lb of Brown and C60 then the 1/2 pound Chocolate. If you can get Simpsons Pale Chocolate, you might consider that instead of chocolate, and increase the quantity to 0.75 or 1 lb. With 1 pound of crystal malt already, head should be no problem.

I haven't used Lpndon Ale III, but based on its description and your desire for sweetness, that may work well. Some flaked oats, wheat, or barley could add a smooth mouthfeel which may increase the perception of sweetness.

What's the downside of using 2 pounds of brown malt? Honest question, not trying be snippy

I think it'll be too much singular roastiness, and it seems like a ton of steeping grains for an extract batch. You have chocolate and the cocoa nibs as well, so you have plenty of flavor in my opinion. If you wanted to really amp up the malt, I'd put the victory back in to build complexity rather than just more of the same brown malt.

This may be a silly question, but will I be fine with steeping the above ingredients, or do I need to do a partial mash?

Just to ensure conversion of the brown, here's what I'm considering:

4# Light DME
1.5# Crisp Brown
1# Maris Otter
1# 60L
.5# Chocolate Malt
.5# Carapils

Do a partial mash at ~153 for 90 minutes then a 60 minute boil with the DME and the according hop schedule. Overkill? I want to ensure conversion, and I'm thinking MO in a brown porter can't hurt.

I think it's wise. 90 minutes might be over kill, but I don't have any reference or experience to back it up. I think the MO would provide enough enzymes to still convert the brown in an hour.