Brown porter--no crystal?

[hoosbrewing]

Hey all,

Here's a recipe I'm toying with for a brown porter. (It's pretty hoppy for a brown, and may actually break into the robust area, but I'm trying Randy Mosher's technique of getting most of the hop bitterness by late additions) I'm thinking of bypassing the crystal malt and getting all of my sweetness from a high mash temp (156 or 158). Any thoughts?

Lazy brown dog porter
12-A Brown Porter
Date: 9/16/09

Size: 5.76 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 168.01 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.051 (1.040 - 1.052)
Terminal Gravity: 1.013 (1.008 - 1.014)
Color: 27.1 (20.0 - 30.0)
Alcohol: 4.97% (4.0% - 5.4%)
Bitterness: 37.0 (18.0 - 35.0)

Ingredients:
4 lb Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt
4.0 lb Brown Malt
2.0 lb Victory® Malt
8 oz Chocolate Malt
8 oz Aromatic Malt
2.0 oz American Black Patent
10.0 oz Oats Raw

1.0 oz Glacier (5.2%) - added first wort, boiled 20.0 min
.5 oz East Kent Goldings (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.5 oz East Kent Goldings (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 20 min
.75 oz East Kent Goldings (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
.75 oz East Kent Goldings (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 10 min
.5 oz East Kent Goldings (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min
1.0 oz Glacier (5.2%) - added dry to secondary fermenter
1.0 ea White Labs WLP013 London Ale

Schedule:

00:03:00 Mash in - Liquor: 3.52 gal; Strike: 168.03 °F; Target: 156.0 °F
01:03:00 Sac rest - Rest: 60 min; Final: 154.3 °F
01:04:00 Mash out - Water: 1.51 gal; Temperature: 212 °F; Target: 168.9 °F
01:04:00 Sparge - First runnings: 0.0 gal sparge @ 168.0 °F, 0.0 min; Sparge #1: 1.5 gal sparge @ 168.0 °F, 0.0 min; Sparge #2: 1.75 gal sparge @ 168.0 °F, 0.0 min; Total Runoff: 6.89 gal

Notes
1qt starter

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.5.3

Edit: I scale my recipes to get 7 gal preboil into my kettle, that's why the volume is 5.76 gal.

 

[Teacher]

Sure...why not? Crystal is a relatively recent invention and, as such, wasn't used in porters early on. Of course, the "sweetness" from high mash temp vs. from crystal won't be the same thing, but I say go for it. You may very well like it.

 

[flyangler18]

I find brown porters have a significant caramel presence in support of the roastiness for which the style is recognized, so to omit crystal completely is quite odd to me. That said, you will have a different non-roast malt character in its place - nutty, toasty and biscuity.

As an aside, 'sweetness' is more a function of grist composition than mash temperature.

 

[sonetlumiere85]

Crystal isn't entirely necessary, in my experience, when you're dealing with sweet base malts like MO. I am curious about the fact that you have 3 kinds of dark malt - chocolate, brown, and black? Why not just leave the black off, especially if you're going for a brown porter?

 

[hoosbrewing]

As an aside, 'sweetness' is more a function of grist composition than mash temperature.

Oh--good to know. I'm still an AG noob. So high mash temp is more for mouthfeel and body rather than sweetness?

by the way--three responses in 10 minutes. i love this forum. you guys rock. :rockin:

 

[flyangler18]

So high mash temp is more for mouthfeel and body rather than sweetness?

You've got it right. Higher mash temperatures (say, 154 - 160) favor alpha amylase and a more dextrinous wort - higher sugars that aren't sweet but leave a feeling of fullness. Caramel/crystal malts also boost the body in addition to their flavor contributions; so, a higher mash temperature with crystal malts in the grist will result in a more full-bodied beer than the same grist mashed lower to favor beta-amylase activity and a more fermentable wort.

 

[hoosbrewing]

so how much (and how dark) crystal would you add?