So, I brewed a robust porter that turned out really well. The only problem is that it is a little bit boring. It has a nice, clean flavor in which the malt is featured prominently. But I think it would do well with maybe some chocolate (cacao nibs?) and vanilla beans in secondary.
Here is my original recipe (partial mash):
5 .25 gallon batch
3 lbs. Maris Otter
1 lb. Amber malt
10 oz. Chocolate malt
6 lbs. Maris Otter LME (flame-out addition)
1 oz. UK Phoenix - 60 min. - 30 IBU
1 oz. UK Kent Goldings - 12 min. - 6 IBU
1 oz. UK Kent Goldings - 2 min. - 1 IBU
1 oz. UK Kent Goldings - dry-hop - 7 days
I originally planned on using some Fuggles in the 12 min. addition, but the package had gone bad at some point and smelled terrible. So, I went with the UK Kent Goldings that I had on hand. Seeing as how I was planning on using some of the Goldings in this brew anyway, I figured it was fine.
As I've been drinking it recently, I've enjoyed it but would like to enhance it a bit for the next time around. I'm thinking of upping the Chocolate malt slightly, subbing in some Biscuit malt in place of the Amber malt. Adding some Crystal 60L and flaked barley. I'm also planning on getting rid of the dry-hopping step, as it didn't really seem to show up in the final product.
So, here's where I'm at with my revision:
5 .25 gallon batch
3 lbs. Maris Otter
12 oz. Chocolate malt
12 oz. Crystal 60L
8 oz. Flaked Barley
8 oz. Biscuit malt
6 lbs. Maris Otter LME (flame-out addition)
1 oz. UK Phoenix - 60 min. - 31 IBU
1 oz. UK Kent Goldings - 8 min. - 5 IBU
1 oz. UK Kent Goldings - 2 min. - 1 IBU
And like I mentioned earlier, I'm thinking about adding something chocolate and vanilla beans. I remembered the BrewingTV episode when Chip used baker's chocolate, and I know some people use coco powder and cacao nibs as well. Through some searching/reading I've settled on about 8 oz. of cacao nibs for a couple weeks in secondary. I am thinking of using 2 or 3 vanilla beans, but I'm not sure how long to have them in secondary. I'm not sure if I should add them at the same time as the cacao nibs or if they need a longer/shorter time.
Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated. I'm not sure when I might brew this. Probably not until after I've finished drinking the first batch. In adjusting this recipe, my goal is to end up with more substantial flavor profile, even if I leave out the cacao nibs and vanilla beans.
Here is my original recipe (partial mash):
5 .25 gallon batch
3 lbs. Maris Otter
1 lb. Amber malt
10 oz. Chocolate malt
6 lbs. Maris Otter LME (flame-out addition)
1 oz. UK Phoenix - 60 min. - 30 IBU
1 oz. UK Kent Goldings - 12 min. - 6 IBU
1 oz. UK Kent Goldings - 2 min. - 1 IBU
1 oz. UK Kent Goldings - dry-hop - 7 days
I originally planned on using some Fuggles in the 12 min. addition, but the package had gone bad at some point and smelled terrible. So, I went with the UK Kent Goldings that I had on hand. Seeing as how I was planning on using some of the Goldings in this brew anyway, I figured it was fine.
As I've been drinking it recently, I've enjoyed it but would like to enhance it a bit for the next time around. I'm thinking of upping the Chocolate malt slightly, subbing in some Biscuit malt in place of the Amber malt. Adding some Crystal 60L and flaked barley. I'm also planning on getting rid of the dry-hopping step, as it didn't really seem to show up in the final product.
So, here's where I'm at with my revision:
5 .25 gallon batch
3 lbs. Maris Otter
12 oz. Chocolate malt
12 oz. Crystal 60L
8 oz. Flaked Barley
8 oz. Biscuit malt
6 lbs. Maris Otter LME (flame-out addition)
1 oz. UK Phoenix - 60 min. - 31 IBU
1 oz. UK Kent Goldings - 8 min. - 5 IBU
1 oz. UK Kent Goldings - 2 min. - 1 IBU
And like I mentioned earlier, I'm thinking about adding something chocolate and vanilla beans. I remembered the BrewingTV episode when Chip used baker's chocolate, and I know some people use coco powder and cacao nibs as well. Through some searching/reading I've settled on about 8 oz. of cacao nibs for a couple weeks in secondary. I am thinking of using 2 or 3 vanilla beans, but I'm not sure how long to have them in secondary. I'm not sure if I should add them at the same time as the cacao nibs or if they need a longer/shorter time.
Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated. I'm not sure when I might brew this. Probably not until after I've finished drinking the first batch. In adjusting this recipe, my goal is to end up with more substantial flavor profile, even if I leave out the cacao nibs and vanilla beans.