- Recipe Type
- All Grain
- Yeast
- Imperial A10 Darkness
- Yeast Starter
- n/a, but probably a good idea
- Batch Size (Gallons)
- 5
- Original Gravity
- 1.096
- Final Gravity
- 1.030
- Tasting Notes
- Sweeter than intended -- could have benefited from more yeast. Spice reasonably subtle.
The idea for this beer came from a thread about very complex malt bills. @Holden Caulfield wrote: "Anything more than 5 grains, not including acidulated malt, is making a muddy mess - we're not making curry or mole." @GoodTruble responded: "Molé porter! Genius!" I thought: why not?
For a 5-gallon batch, I mashed 17 pounds of 2-row and 1 pound of 60L crystal at 155°F. Boiled with the rinsate from steeping 1 pound of chocolate malt and 1 pound of Carafa II, along with an ounce each of 9.9% α-acid Centennial and 7.7% α-acid Cascade. Yeast: Imperial A10 Darkness.
I infused chili peppers (2 guajillos, 2 anchos, 3 chipotles) stemmed & seeded, broken up in 7 oz. of Everclear. I wasn't sure how hot that would be so I separately infused the other Mole spices in 1 oz. of Everclear: a cinnamon stick, 2T cumin seeds, 1T thyme, 1/4t cloves. After a week, I poured the infustions through a strainer into the keg that later received the fermented Porter.
The result is a yummy dessert Porter with subtle-to-moderate spicy character. Some tasters, not told about the recipe, don't immediately notice the spice, which surprises me because I definitely taste them. But it confirms how expectations shape our perception, and how much palates (tongues?) vary.
For a 5-gallon batch, I mashed 17 pounds of 2-row and 1 pound of 60L crystal at 155°F. Boiled with the rinsate from steeping 1 pound of chocolate malt and 1 pound of Carafa II, along with an ounce each of 9.9% α-acid Centennial and 7.7% α-acid Cascade. Yeast: Imperial A10 Darkness.
I infused chili peppers (2 guajillos, 2 anchos, 3 chipotles) stemmed & seeded, broken up in 7 oz. of Everclear. I wasn't sure how hot that would be so I separately infused the other Mole spices in 1 oz. of Everclear: a cinnamon stick, 2T cumin seeds, 1T thyme, 1/4t cloves. After a week, I poured the infustions through a strainer into the keg that later received the fermented Porter.
The result is a yummy dessert Porter with subtle-to-moderate spicy character. Some tasters, not told about the recipe, don't immediately notice the spice, which surprises me because I definitely taste them. But it confirms how expectations shape our perception, and how much palates (tongues?) vary.
