Recipe Formulation Help - Smokey Maple Syrup

[samwrighteous]

Hey fellow brewers,
I am relatively new to this, but I wanted to make a beer that is both smokey and flavored with maple syrup. I think this would be delicious, but I don't know exactly how to achieve this. Should it be a porter or stout or something else? I would like to do this using partial mash/extract ingredients and make a 5 gallon batch. I tried looking for a recipe but couldn't seem to find one. Any ideas? Thanks guys.

 

[jonmohno]

Take a basic porter or stout recipe and add some smoked malt adjusting the other grains. I have a hard time determining between browns-up to stouts.Im still stumped on wether my brown ale is a porter.
Ive added the maple for priming sugar but also added vanilla bean and checked it after a week and it is awesome. I think it may be brown american ale. I havent used the smoked malt yet but am going to soon. Probably in a honey porter. With that one i may just use Midwest supplies honey porter kit recipe you can download and just tweak it.
But since your new you may want to get a kit or read read read . I think Northern Brewer may have a kit you may be looking for though

 

[samwrighteous]

And you could taste the maple syrup when you used it as a primer. How much did you use? 3/4 cup for 5 gallons? Also I have heard smoked malts can overpower more delicate flavors like maple syrup. What do you think is a good amount to use?

 

[jonmohno]

Check a priming calculator some of them have maple syrup included, I think i used Tasteybrews calc.
If you can find the balance or someone more experienced. Im realitivly new. I think you may like adding maple at least the last 20 min of the boil. I would look at recipes with smoked malt.like smoked porters.
I kinda wish i hadnt used the vanilla so i could determin the maple better but for a two gallon batch 1 bean is pretty pronounced. It definatly is good but it was more vanilla, im going to have to try maple for my oatmeal cream vanilla stout as a primer. I used vanilla in the boil on that one and im thinking it wont be as intense as using it in the priming sugar. If you really want a maple flavor you may want to add molassis in the boil ive heard alot about that really giving off a flavor.
Hopefully someone with more experience with this can chime in. Happy Brewing.

 

[aseg]

the general rule of thumb for peated malts is "go big or go home". And it takes FOREVER to age! I would recommend that you try the peated malts in something (scotch ale) and the maple in something else (brown ale) and then consider slamming the two together after you have a grip on the two adjuncts in a more isolated scenario.

 

[jonmohno]

the general rule of thumb for peated malts is "go big or go home". And it takes FOREVER to age! I would recommend that you try the peated malts in something (scotch ale) and the maple in something else (brown ale) and then consider slamming the two together after you have a grip on the two adjuncts in a more isolated scenario.

so your saying if i added a small amount of smokey malt to a brown ale , for instance doing a 2 gallon batch,which in most cases would add like 3 oz to.since its a specialty steeping grain,right? That this would take forever to ferment?really? Im finding that hard to beleive. Is there a differnece in peated malt to smokey malt? Or is this a base grain?

 

[aseg]

No, not forever to ferment, forever to age. A young beer made with peated malts tastes like a fire place IMO.

And I would look around for some reference on the quantity of peated malt to use. It is not like a crystal malt - it has a totally different impact.

 

[jonmohno]

No, not forever to ferment, forever to age. A young beer made with peated malts tastes like a fire place IMO.

And I would look around for some reference on the quantity of peated malt to use. It is not like a crystal malt - it has a totally different impact.

Ok thanks i bought some but haven looked into what to do with them yet.thanks again. Making beer is a never ending quest to make it better, and even better when you have a good beer like Two Brothers Resistance ipa holy crap is it good and got that marshmellow head pillowy thing going on too.

 

[skyebrewing]

Keep in mind there is a huge difference between peated malt and smoked malt. Do some searches on the differences. Peat is very phenolic (strong earthy intense smoke taste/smell) and you might only add a couple ounces to 5 gal. Smoked malts are less intense and a larger percentage of your grain bill could be smoked in exchange for regular 2 row. Search peated and smoked recipes for a beter idea of percentages of your grain bill. Good luck