Porter Recipe Help

[RealDarkKnight]

Sorry if I sound like a rookie but that's what I am. I've done 3 all grain batches so far. I really want to make a good Vanilla Porter. I started with what I thought sounded like a great robust porter recipe to which I added vanilla beans to my secondary. It came out very bitter and dry, also lacked the vanilla flavor I was going for. The beer itself as a robust porter is fantastic, just not what I want for a sweeter porter. I want to change it up and I understand everyone saying change one thing at a time but I wanted to do several things and would love to have some feedback!

Original Recipe:
10 lbs Pale 2 row
1 lb Black Patent
1 lb Crystal 10L
.5 lb Chocolate Malt
.5 lb Munich Malt
2 oz Fuggles (60 min)
WLP002 English Ale Yeast

Also used Irish Moss and Gypsum for clarity and Ph

I want to sub 2 lbs of the 2 row for the following:
1 lb flaked oats for mouth feel and head retention
.5 lb more Chocolate Malt for the chocolate flavor and color
.5 lb Caramunich Malt for added sweeteness

I also want to move the Crystal Malt to 20L, use Goldings instead of Fuggles and WYEAST1098 British Ale to tame some of the bitterness.

Am I changing too much or are the things I am changing going to correct what I dislike about the original batch?

 

[Ski12568]

http://beersmith.com/blog/2014/05/1...ewing-with-randy-mosher-beersmith-podcast-81/

I have no experience with chocolate malt but this podcast can explain the flavor a little. Listen from 19:15 to 20:00.

Carafa Malt (not the special) might be what you are looking for but I hear you need to use a bit more

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

A pound of black patent is A LOT of black malt. It will give you a very dry, burnt flavor. I would back that off to 4 - 6 oz. Keep the chocolate as is, up the munich to a pound and change the crystal to C40 or C60. You can try the caramunich but that may be a step too far. The flaked oats could be OK but, again, it's one more change.

A really strong porter will mask the vanilla flavor. You don't say how many beans you added or how you prepared them. I just bottled a vanilla porter last week. I used 4 beans split, chopped and soaked in vodka. I dumped the whole mix in for 5 days after I reached FG. I also kept the gravity lower (1050-ish) and added the dark grains (black, chocolate and some roasted barley) late in the mash to mellow the roasty "bite" a little.

With the amount of dark grains you used, I imagine your pH got pretty low if you didn't compensate. I usually use some pickling lime in my mash when I have a lot of dark grains. If you don' already use it I would suggest Bru'n Water. It's a great (free) program for water adjustment.

One more thing. Give your current porter some time to mellow. You won't get the vanilla back but the harshness should fade. Give it a few months.

 

[RealDarkKnight]

"A really strong porter will mask the vanilla flavor. You don't say how many beans you added or how you prepared them. I just bottled a vanilla porter last week. I used 4 beans split, chopped and soaked in vodka. I dumped the whole mix in for 5 days after I reached FG. I also kept the gravity lower (1050-ish) and added the dark grains (black, chocolate and some roasted barley) late in the mash to mellow the roasty "bite" a little."


I split and chopped 3 beans then soaked them in Capt. Morgan for a week, added to my secondary for a week. Gravity was at 1056. It sounds like the main problem was too much black patent. Thanks for the help!!

 

[rorypayne]

The best way I have found is to use pure vanilla bean paste in the last 5 min of the boil. I used 2oz by volume. Then some beans in the secondary.

It came thru quite nice after about 4 months bulk aging due to work conflicts.

 

[Queequeg]

Yeah +1 to the black patent. Also chocolate malt can if the dark variety taste very roasty and not chocolatey. Use pale chocolate malt or chocolate rye for a smoother chocolate less bitter flavor. I think oats are a good addition to a porter, 2lbs might be too much though, 0.5lb should be enough.

 

[Queequeg]

Munich won't sweeten the beer BTW, if you want it sweeter mash higher and use a English yeast. I would suggest London ale yeast or wlp002