Coconut Porter (Kind of?)

[John Kimble]

I would like feedback before I execute this recipe if possible. I plan on brewday this weekend. The reason I am doing the smoked malt as the primary base is two fold. #1 I love the taste and aroma of that grain. #2 I want the ability to age without a higher ABV, and I was told by several brewers that having a smoked malt as the primary increases the aging potential.
Thank you for your feedback.

Name Ideas:
Crazy Horse Coconut Porter

Recipe Type:
All Grain
Yeast:
Omega Yeast Labs - British Ale IV OYL-010
Yeast Starter:
No
Batch Size (Gallons):
5.5
Original Gravity:
1.060
Final Gravity:
1.016
Boiling Time (Minutes):
90
IBU:
63.64
Color:
50 SRM
ABV:
5.76%

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp):
10 days @ 68 degrees or until FG reached
Keg Serving PSI:
12PSI

Grain Bill:
#6 Briess Cherrywood Smoked Malt
#3 Briess Chocolate Malt
#2 Dingemans Special B Malt
#1 Briess Caramel 60L Malt
#1 Toasted Rolled Oats

Hop Bill:
1oz US Magnum Hop Pellets
1oz UK Kent Goldings Hop Pellets

Other Ingredients:
8oz Toasted Coconut

Mash Schedule:
Single infusion mash (8.75 GAL) at 154 degrees for 90 minutes.

Hop Schedule:
1 oz. Kent Goldings 9.03 IBU @ 60 min
1 oz. Magnum 54.6 IBU @ 10 min

Spice Schedule:
8oz Toasted Coconut in Primary until FG is reached

CO2 Carb Schedule:
Cold Crash in Fermenter to 35F for 24hrs
Rack to purged Keg
Set PSI to 30
Lay keg on side and roll for 3-5min
Purge CO2 and set to serving PSI Value of 12PSI
Refrigerate and let sit for 24hrs


Priming Sugar
Brown Sugar: 2.76oz/78.11g

 

[John Kimble]

I have seen people argue for both sides, but do you guys think #6 of the smoked malt is too much? Should I use a base malt and just 1 or 2 # of the smoked?

 

[TallDan]

(flagged a mod here since this should be moved out of the recipe DB and into recipe/ingredient forum)

You had me at coconut. You lost me at smoked malt. You really lost me with 54% specialty malt/adjunct.

I think you need to go back to the drawing board with this one. Are you using any sort of recipe software to help? Maybe start with a proven porter recipe and tweak it to your preferences.

First, you need to lower the specialty malts dramatically. For example the porter that i recently brewed is 16% specialty malt:

10lb (83%) two-row
1lb (8%) Simpson's medium crystal
.5lb (4%) Chocolate Malt
.5lb (4%) Roasted barley

Second would be adjusting the smoked malt. I'm not a big fan of smoked beers, so hopefully someone else can jump in here and help, but 46% smoked malt seems like way too much to me. Personally, I'd drop it altogether, but that's just my preference.

Third, (and especially with the smoked malt) you likely need to increase the coconut if you want it to be a prominent flavor. I'd suggest 12oz, maybe up to a pound. Be advised that this will soak up a lot of beer, so you may want to increase your batch size to compensate.

 

[Rev2010]

First, you need to lower the specialty malts dramatically.

Totally agreed. I had to recheck the batch size as that amount you have is way too much. I use 14oz of chocolate malt in my Coconut Porter and it comes out amazing with a lot of chocolate flavor. Same goes for the Special B, too much IMO. I also would ease back on the smoked malt, cut a few pounds and use 2-row to balance it out.


Rev.

 

[TallDan]

Also, i just noticed that you have both priming sugar and a forced carbonation plan. If you do both, it will be overcarbonated.

 

[John Kimble]

Got it. Will readjust and post back.
Thank you for the help!

 

[John Kimble]

I have both listed depending on if I want to bottle or keg.

 

[ApolloSimcoe]

shoot for 10-20% depending on what your preference is. I do believe that the smoke flavor may fade over time

 

[TallDan]

shoot for 10-20% depending on what your preference is. I do believe that the smoke flavor may fade over time

The coconut likely will as well. Personally, I'd not age a coconut beer. If the intent is to age it, it might need to be stepped up dramatically, maybe over a pound.

 

[ApolloSimcoe]

i would step it up to a pound for this 5.5 batch, but that's me. You need to remember that the chocolate and Special B malts have really strong flavors that you need to overcome for the coconut to show through.

 

[ApolloSimcoe]

Here's a recipe I pulled off AHA. You can see that the 1lb of coconut is in the wheelhouse

• For 5 gallons (19 L)

• 10.8 lb (4.9 kg) Maris Otter pale malt
• 0.55 lb (250 g) Crystal malt
• 0.48 lb (218 g) Chocolate malt
• 0.48 lb (218 g) Carafa I
• 13.4 oz (380 g) Toasted coconut flakes (secondary)
• 3.8 oz (110 g) Black patent malt
• 0.5 oz (14 g) Chinook hops, 13.1% a.a. (60 min)
• 0.7 oz (20 g) Willamette hops, 6.3% a.a. (40 min)
• 0.5 oz (14 g) Willamette hops, 6.3% a.a. (20 min)
• Safale US-05, rehydrated

 

[Rev2010]

I'll second the others that coconut fades over time. I personally use 2lbs of finely shredded (more exposed surface area) organic coconut and toast it first. It up's the cost of my beer but lends to a very nice toasted coconut flavor that is prominent and not hidden but also not overwhelming. If you want to age this beer then age it and add the coconut one week before kegging/bottling. I use a large crystal ball to weigh down the mesh bag filled with the shredded coconut. I let the coconut sit in the fermenter for the last week then keg. It's my best beer to date - and that's not just me saying it but everyone that has tried it. Made it 5 or 6 times already.


Rev.

 

[John Kimble]

Name Ideas:
Cutthroat Harbor Coconut Porter

Recipe Type:
All Grain
Yeast:
Omega Yeast Labs - British Ale IV OYL-010
Yeast Starter:
No
Batch Size (Gallons):
5.5
Original Gravity:
1.053
Final Gravity:
1.014
Boiling Time (Minutes):
70
IBU:
33.33
Color:
31.9 SRM
ABV:
5.06%
Mash pH
5.42
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp):
10 days @ 68 degrees or until FG reached
Keg Serving PSI:
12PSI



Grain Bill:
#6 Briess 2-Row
#1 Briess Cherrywood Smoked Malt
#1 Briess Chocolate Malt
#1 Dingemans Special B Malt
#1 Briess Caramel 60L Malt
#1 Toasted Rolled Oats

Hop Bill:
.5oz US Magnum Hop Pellets
1oz UK Kent Goldings Hop Pellets

Other Ingredients:
16oz Toasted Coconut

Mash Schedule:
Single infusion mash (8.75 GAL) at 154 degrees for 90 minutes.


Hop Schedule:
1 oz. Kent Goldings 9.03 IBU @ 60 min
.5 oz. Magnum 54.6 IBU @ 15 min

Spice Schedule:
16oz Toasted Coconut in Primary until FG is reached

CO2 Carb Schedule for Kegging:
Cold Crash in Fermenter to 35F for 24hrs
Rack to purged Keg
Set PSI to 30
Lay keg on side and roll for 3-5min
Purge CO2 and set to serving PSI Value of 12PSI
Refrigerate and let sit for 24hrs

Priming Sugar Schedule for Bottling:
Brown Sugar: 2.76oz/78.11g

 

[TallDan]

You're still pretty high on specialty malts. With so much specialty malt and a high mash temp, i think you're going to end up with a much higher FG than 1.014. I'd also think about what you're trying to do with each of them. Smoked malt, chocolate malt, special b, crystal, and oats all bring something to the beer. With all of those malts and coconut (oh ,and priming with brown sugar), I think you're trying to do too much. Is this your first porter?

I'd drop the oats, cut the special b, chocolate, smoked, and crystal in half, and increase 2row to 9lb to at least get you in the ballpark. Maybe also consider dropping the special b, crystal, or smoked malt and bumping the chocolate back up a little.

Or just take one of these proven recipes and add coconut:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/edmund-fitzgerald-clone-ag.46844/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/bee-cave-brewery-robust-porter.56768/