Please Critique this Robust Porter recipe

[Dixon9717]

5.5 gallons



11lb 2 row 81.48%

1lb c-90 7.41%

.5lb black patent malt 3.7%

.5lb chocolate malt 3.7%

.5lb honey malt 3.7%



1oz northern Brewer 45 min

1oz Northern Brewer 15 min

1oz Hallertau flameout.



2oz Vanilla extract soaked in 10oz bourbon all poured in keg



Mash at 152* 60 min. 1.5Qt per lb.

batch sparge



est. OG 1.060

est. FG 1.014

est. IBU 38

est. SRM 33

est. ABV 5.9% without the bourbon. have no idea how to calculate that.

Yeast Imperial Darkness.



A fairly straight forward recipe but would like some input on how to better balance it out.



Thanks...........

 

[Hujo]

What was unbalanced about it? It seems like a good recipe, simple and quite classic. The only thing I'd question is the Hallertau, I'd probably use something brittish like Fuggles or EKG, or continue with the Northern Brewer or some other classic american hop like Cascade.

 

[cantrell00]

Piggy backing on the previous post , cascade worked really well in the robust porter I did recently.

 

[madcowbrewing]

I agree with the hops suggestion. Question on the vanilla extract "soaking" .....are you soaking vanilla beans or actually using vanilla extract? 2 oz of vanilla extract I would think is pretty potent unless you are actually wanting that flavor.

 

[joshesmusica]

Yeah, I'm not really sure why someone would add vanilla extract to bourbon. Seems weird. Also, something British, or Cascade, is what works best for this style.

I would personally want a little more chocolate malt in this recipe, but I also believe that brown malt is really what separates a porter from a stout. You really don't want so much roast that it becomes more like coffee than dark chocolate. Or at least not like espresso-type of astringency. Although since you're wanting a robust porter, then it's beginning to borderline being a stout.

If you have vanilla beans and not extract, then I suppose the bourbon would add some abv, but it's typically only recommended to soak that sort of thing in hard alcohol with just enough to cover it entirely. This is still beer, and you don't want to inundate it with hard liquor.

In the end, I think you're at the top end for color, which is coming from your roast malts, but at the mid-low range of IBUs, and middle range for abv, which I believe will begin to taste more like a stout than a porter. I find porters to typically be more of a balance between those three things.

 

[permo]

Recipe looks solid, the honey malt might get lost a bit. 10 oz of bourbon in a keg of porter is going to be very pronounced. If you are going to do that I would not use any finishing hops whatsoever as they will be completely masked by vanilla and bourbon. Bitter your beer at 60 to the desired IBU level and let it ride.

 

[Dixon9717]

Question on the hops suggestion. When recommend Cascade replace all hops with Cascade? Maybe I'll use vanilla bean instead of extract and skip the bourbon.
Thank for all the advice.

 

[Bobbybob]

Looks tasty to me. Maybe replace the back patent with something else dark for added complexity with out the astringency. Personally I have always associated black patent with "stout" not porter, but I have had plenty of craft porters that had black patent in them.

The guidelines say "Ingredients: English ingredients are most common. May contain several malts, including chocolate and/or other dark roasted malts and caramel-type malts. Historical versions would use a significant amount of brown malt. Usually does not contain large amounts of black patent malt or roasted barley. English hops are most common, but are usually subdued. London or Dublin-type water (moderate carbonate hardness) is traditional. English or Irish ale yeast, or occasionally lager yeast, is used. May contain a moderate amount of adjuncts (sugars, maize, molasses, treacle, etc.)."

The guidelines are just that guidelines not right or wrong. Bet you will make a tasty porter.

 

[Dixon9717]

Thanks Bobby maybe I'll eliminate the Black Patent and up the chocolate malt.
Trying to keep it simple and semi traditional.

 

[Hujo]

I think nowadays it's very common to use black patent, more so than brown malt. I would not use more chocolate malt either, that's quite a lot. Don't worry about colour, after 30 it's pretty black anyway. About the hops: the 45 min addition is mostly about the bitterness so that doesn't really matter. If you want to you could combine NB and Cascade at the end or just do one of them.

 

[Dixon9717]

I replaced the Black Patent with Biscuit Malt and use all Cascade hops.
1oz 60
1oz 30
1oz 5
new numbers are
Est OG 1.060
Est IBU 43.4
Est SRM 26.7
EST ABV 5.9%
dropped the bourbon idea and will add 2 vanilla beans cut and scrapped out. when is the best time to add vanilla?

Thanks for all the advice....

 

[chickypad]

Just FYI everyone seems to be describing more of a brown porter. If you truly are aiming for a robust porter (now categorized as American porter I think in the 2015 guidelines) black malt would be very common to include. I think it's fine either way, just depends what you are going for.

Robust porter (from 2008):
Comments: Although a rather broad style open to brewer interpretation, it may be distinguished from Stout as lacking a strong roasted barley character. It differs from a brown porter in that a black patent or roasted grain character is usually present, and it can be stronger in alcohol. Roast intensity and malt flavors can also vary significantly. May or may not have a strong hop character, and may or may not have significant fermentation by-products; thus may seem to have an "American" or "English" character.

Ingredients: May contain several malts, prominently dark roasted malts and grains, which often include black patent malt (chocolate malt and/or roasted barley may also be used in some versions). Hops are used for bittering, flavor and/or aroma, and are frequently UK or US varieties. Water with moderate to high carbonate hardness is typical. Ale yeast can either be clean US versions or characterful English varieties.

American porter (2015):
Characteristic Ingredients: May contain several malts,
prominently dark malts, which often include black malt
(chocolate malt is also often used). American hops typically
used for bittering, but US or UK finishing hops can be used; a
clashing citrus quality is generally undesirable. Ale yeast can
either be clean US versions or characterful English varieties.

Style Comparison: More bitter and often stronger with more
dark malt qualities and dryness than English Porters or PreProhibition
Porters. Less strong and assertive than American
Stouts.

 

[JKaranka]

I'd keep some patent malt even if it's 4oz or so. I like a combo of pale, brown and patent malt that seems to hit all the bases. But pale, brown, patent and some fancy malt of your choice (e.g., biscuit, crystal) will do pretty well.

 

[Dixon9717]

Thanks guys for the education and tips. I already crushed and mixed what I wrote above. I'll heed some of this advice on my next Porter.
Appreciate it

Jeff...

 

[Bobbybob]

woops I must have pulled from 12a instead of 12b your mash bill is perfect.