Brown Porter Critique

[GreenDog]

Here is a recipe I'm playing with after looking at some examples on here. I plan on turning it into a vanilla pumpkin spice porter but I'm still playing with my spice mix.

Mash:
Mash at 153* for 60 mins
2 Batch Sparge

Grains:
10lb Pale Malt (2-Row)
1lb Crystal - 60L
.75 lb Chocolate Malt
.50 lb Black Patent

Hops:
Northern Brewer @60mins
Challenger @5mins

Yeast:
Wyeast 1084

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Yooper]

In my opinion, a brown porter needs brown malt. It's the defining character of a brown porter. I'd use brown malt and no black patent, for a brown porter.

Your recipe is more of a robust porter, with the black patent in it. If that is what you want, that will be good. The level of roast might be a bit much for spices, though.

 

[GreenDog]

I definitely don't want to overpower the spices. Would you add say a pound of brown malt in place of the black patent?

 

[Yooper]

I definitely don't want to overpower the spices. Would you add say a pound of brown malt in place of the black patent?

Yes, I'd use a pound of brown malt in that recipe. I'm going to use 1.5 pounds in the brown porter I"m doing next. I'm going to use maris otter for the base malt.

 

[GreenDog]

I was looking at using MO but I was afraid it would make it to malty.

 

[JesperX]

I would definitely use Maris Otter as a base for this and most other English beers. It's not overpowering enough to turn it into a malt bomb, it just has a more pronounced toastiness to it.

It's not required but if you're shooting for style accuracy, it'll help. So will using British crystal malt.

 

[JesperX]

Also +1 on the brown malt, it kind of defines the style.

 

[GreenDog]

Awesome, thanks for the input!

 

[jfr1111]

Another vote for brown malt. Maris Otter, brown malt and chocolate malt are a must in a proper low gravity porter.