Using treacle in a porter

[mikesmith1611]

Any 1 know how strong a flavour black treacle gives to a beer and the quantity to use in a porter?

 

[BradleyBrew]

I wouldn't use more then 6oz in any recipe. Black Treacle is about 95% similar to dark molasses. Check out the link:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/treacle-v-molasses-10305/

 

[Seven]

I once added an entire can of this black treacle (454 grams) to an experimental brown ale and the finished beer had a sharp alcohol bite to it. Not sure if this was caused by the treacle but I would suggest going easy on the treacle until you know how it will affect the final beer.

 

[scoundrel]

I once added an entire can of this Video Link: http://www.amazon.com/Tate-Lyle-Black-Treacle-454g/dp/B000BTEHRC (454 grams) to an experimental brown ale and the finished beer had a sharp alcohol bite to it. Not sure if this was caused by the treacle but I would suggest going easy on the treacle until you know how it will affect the final beer.

At what point did you add the treacle?

 

[mikesmith1611]

So if i go for half a can 225g it should b ok... do i add this before the boil?

 

[Seven]

At what point did you add the treacle?

I added it with 10-mins boil time remaining. The beer tasted good overall, only it had the alcohol bite when I first tried it. I pulled the keg from the keezer and have been giving it time to condition to see if the sharp alcohol note will settle down some with more time.

I brewed this on Oct 23, 2011. I'll try it again in the next few days and if the strong alcohol bite remains then I may dump it.

 

[Seven]

So if i go for half a can 225g it should b ok... do i add this before the boil?

I'd suggest adding it at the end of the boil, maybe with 5 or 10 mins boil time remaining. That way you will preserve some of the unique treacle flavor.

 

[scoundrel]

I added it with 10-mins boil time remaining. The beer tasted good overall, only it had the alcohol bite when I first tried it. I pulled the keg from the keezer and have been giving it time to condition to see if the sharp alcohol note will settle down some with more time.

I brewed this on Oct 23, 2011. I'll try it again in the next few days and if the strong alcohol bite remains then I may dump it.

That's why I asked. The alcohol bite comes from adding or fully fermentable sugar like treacle or table sugar to the boil. If you add it after a week in primary when the yeast begin to settle you will get little or no bite. Plus adding it later ensures the yeast eat the more complex malt first then go after the 100% fermentable sugars for dessert. Next time you add treacle or sugar, give it a try. It made a world of difference in my strong Belgian beers.

 

[CadillacAndy]

I added 6oz of black strap molasses to a porter and it was excellent. I added it during the last 10 mins of the boil.

On another batch of the same recipe, I added 12oz of black strap molasses and it's wayyyy too over powering. I ended up moving it to secondary after 1.5 months in primary and hopefully it will mellow itself out a little bit. It's not overly alcoholy, it just has a burnt, acrid, bitter kind of flavor. I may end up adding some lactose to it to try to balance it out a little if time doesn't balance it for me.

 

[Seven]

That's why I asked. The alcohol bite comes from adding or fully fermentable sugar like treacle or table sugar to the boil. If you add it after a week in primary when the yeast begin to settle you will get little or no bite. Plus adding it later ensures the yeast eat the more complex malt first then go after the 100% fermentable sugars for dessert. Next time you add treacle or sugar, give it a try. It made a world of difference in my strong Belgian beers.

I will give this a try next time. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Pezman1]

Never use treacle, but I have used honey.
In order to preserve the most aroma/flavor compounds, honey is best added at flameout. I'm assuming the same would be true of treacle???

Pez.

 

[mikesmith1611]

Seems to be many opinions on this, i guess boiling would break down some of the more complex sugars creating more fermentable and therefore loosing flavour?
Or is it only the proteins that can do this?

 

[GaryJohn]

Seems to be many opinions on this, i guess boiling would break down some of the more complex sugars creating more fermentable and therefore loosing flavour?
Or is it only the proteins that can do this?

I don't believe boiling will make the treacle more fermentable, but it can destroy some of the more volatile compounds that add subtle aroma and flavor. However, it thoroughly sanitizes it, so there is that consideration also.

 

[mikesmith1611]

Im going to go with adding at flame out and see how it tastes will report back in a few weeks!

 

[Pezman1]

Im going to go with adding at flame out and see how it tastes will report back in a few weeks!

Please do, I'm interested to hear how it comes out. Treacle is something I've heard about and would like to try. A porter sounds like the perfect home for it.

Good luck! Pez.