Cloning Yuengling's Hershey Porter

I'm going to take a try at cloning this, my wife really seems to like it. I haven't tried it yet (I guess that would be a good place to start). I was able to find a few clone recipes of Yuengling's basic porter (I have had that, but not for a long time, I'll have to try and find some). I'm making the assumption that they're using the same basic recipe for the base beer and just adding stuff for the chocolate notes. Here's what I have for the base recipe:

Style: American Porter
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
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Boil Size: 6.73 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.73 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.050 SG
Estimated Color: 24.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 33.7 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 79.2 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
8 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 84.2 %
8.0 oz Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 2 5.3 %
8.0 oz Crystal, Medium (Simpsons) (90.6 SRM) Grain 3 5.3 %
0.60 oz Chinook [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 4 28.6 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 5 5.0 IBUs
8.0 oz Turbinado [Boil for 5 min](10.0 SRM) Sugar 6 5.3 %
1.0 pkg SafLager S23 Yeast 7 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 9 lbs 8.0 oz
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Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 11.25 qt of water at 163.7 F 152.0 F 60 min
Mash Out Add 6.30 qt of water at 200.7 F 168.0 F 10 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 4.17 gal water at 168.0 F


The Yuengling website says for the Hershey Porter:

I'm thinking maybe 2oz of cocoa powder in the mash, a secondary on 8oz of cacao nibs, and 8oz of hershey syrup mixed in at bottling/kegging (maybe cut with a little vodka and water to thin it out and aid mixing. I'll have to try the beer to see how much resudual sweetness is in it, as far as if the syrup should also be added to secondary and the sugar allowed to ferment out, or if the beer should be stabilized and effectively backsweetened and flavored with the syrup.

Anyone see flaws or have any suggestions? I've brewed with cacao nibs before but never syrup or powder so open to suggestions/experiences on using those especially.

 

I wouldn't bother adding the syrup until secondary to see what flavor survives any renewed fermentation. If it's not enough then definitely stabilize and backsweeten to get the flavor you want, I do this all the time with different flavor coffee shop syrups. As for the cocoa powder the flavor will survive no problem regardless of when you add it. I've added cocoa powder in the boil and secondary with great results. 2oz increments in 1 gallon batches are what I like to play around with. I made a Mexican Chocolate Stout (1 gallon) with 2oz cocoa powder in the boil and 2oz more powder in secondary. I also made a Salted Caramel Milk Stout (1 gallon) with 2oz Torani caramel syrup added to backsweeten after stabilizing.

 

Brewed this on Monday, ended up starting with 7.5oz of cocoa powder (5gal batch) added at 10 min in the boil, it's fermenting away now so I'll see how it tastes prior to secondary to determine the rest. I have 2.5oz of cacao nibs sitting in vodka right now so plan on adding all that, plus maybe 8oz of Hershey's syrup. Only thing to decide will be whether I add the syrup right into secondary, or if I lager for a week or two, then stabilize and add syrup afterward. Time will tell.

 

I am interested in making this too and was wondering if you had a chance to make it ? Curious about the additions!! I may go get the supplies to make it this weekend?!?

 

Following

 

Yeah see post three, I followed the recipe in the first post then used the additions in post three, it just finished up secondary fermentation activity after adding the chocolate syrup, I'll probably give it another week in the fermenter and then keg.

 

Sorry just realized I never updated the actual volumes. I ended up using 7.5oz of cocoa powder at 10min in the boil, then added the cacao nibs/vodka tincture and 12oz by weight of Hershey's syrup into secondary. My efficiency was low on the mash due to a poor crush so my OG was a little low, ended up at 1.042.

 

Took a gravity reading yesterday. It's down to about 1.008 and looks like it's about done. Took a taste and it's....meh. It is still very turbid, and I've never used S23 before so I'm not sure how long it generally takes to clean up, but right now it's looking like I will cold crash, stabilize and backsweeten with more Hershey's syrup. The flavor from the cocoa powder is there, and I wish I had more of the cocoa nibs tincture to add to increase the depth of flavor. I think I'll likely have to add another 6-8oz of syrup, but I'm not going to decide until the beer has a chance to lager for at least a week or two and hopefully brighten up.