All Grain - Dark Ale process

[epikuryan]

Hello,
After brewing several all grain pale ale beers, now I intend to make a Stout or Porter style dark ale beer.
AFAIK, what I need to do is steeping with dark malts.

My question is; what is different in process of making dark ale than standard pale ale?
-Should I steep dark malts in the boiling stage (maybe last 10-15 minutes)
-Is there a longer waiting period for these type of beers for the taste and aroma to settle?
-What else is different?

Best Regards.

 

[lari]

making dark beer is no different than making pale beer. you mash all of your grain, drain, boil, chill, add yeast, wait, drink. the reason some people steep their dark grains is to do with mash ph. you should look into that.

 

[LLBeanJ]

No difference between the two. Mash all the grains together and call it good. There are some brewers who will hold the roasted grains back until the last 15 or so minutes of the mash to prevent extracting harsh flavors, but my feeling is that if you don't want harsh flavors, then use roasted malts that minimize them (e.g., debittered or dehusked, pale chocolate, etc.). I've always mashed the entire grain bill together and have always been happy with the results.

Generally, the darker beers will need a few more weeks of aging/conditioning for flavors to meld, but I've found they are plenty drinkable early, though they will tend to improve with time.

 

[ZebulonBrewer]

Welcome to the world of homebrewing!

If you've already brewed some all grain pale ales, the only change in making darker ales like porters, brown ales, and stouts is the addition of roasted barley, chocolate malt, or other darker grains in the mash with your other grains during the mash. Some people will the dark grains for less time to impart less 'roast' flavor into their beers, but if you're starting out, don't worry about it, and mash them for the whole duration.

There can be differences in how long it takes the beer to mature, but that depends on other factors like alcohol content and yeast, and to a lesser extent the grain and hop bill.

Good luck, and if you have more questions read through other stuff in the beginner's section, or check out Palmer's 'How to Brew' (the first edition is free on the internet, but the newer ones are much improved!)

 

[epikuryan]

Welcome to the world of homebrewing!

If you've already brewed some all grain pale ales, the only change in making darker ales like porters, brown ales, and stouts is the addition of roasted barley, chocolate malt, or other darker grains in the mash with your other grains during the mash. Some people will the dark grains for less time to impart less 'roast' flavor into their beers, but if you're starting out, don't worry about it, and mash them for the whole duration.

There can be differences in how long it takes the beer to mature, but that depends on other factors like alcohol content and yeast, and to a lesser extent the grain and hop bill.

Good luck, and if you have more questions read through other stuff in the beginner's section, or check out Palmer's 'How to Brew' (the first edition is free on the internet, but the newer ones are much improved!)

Thanks.
I did some reading and saw that some text suggest to avoid use of dark malts in mashing since too much brewing of dark malts can cause astringent flavors.
I understand that one solution is to steep the dark malts in the last 15 minutes of boiling to avoid astringent and undesired flavors. Is that meaningful?

 

[IslandLizard]

I steep dark malts (say over 120°L) at around 140-150°F on the side while the rest of the wort is boiling. Drain, sparge 2x and add the black potion during the chilling phase after the wort has cooled to around 180°F. I hold it there for 5 minutes to pasteurize, then resume chilling.

I think the dark flavors are better, smoother that way. No astringency and some of those "boiled coffee" flavors I sometimes notice if mashed with the other grains, and boiled for the whole hour. I use dehusked varieties where I can.

Needless to say, you got to keep and mill them separately to be able to do this.

 

[chickypad]

No difference between the two. Mash all the grains together and call it good. There are some brewers who will hold the roasted grains back until the last 15 or so minutes of the mash to prevent extracting harsh flavors, but my feeling is that if you don't want harsh flavors, then use roasted malts that minimize them (e.g., debittered or dehusked, pale chocolate, etc.). I've always mashed the entire grain bill together and have always been happy with the results.

Generally, the darker beers will need a few more weeks of aging/conditioning for flavors to meld, but I've found they are plenty drinkable early, though they will tend to improve with time.

I'm with LL. I tried experimenting with the different techniques like adding the roasted grains late, or steeping separately, but didn't notice a huge difference and it was kind of a pain. If I'm using those grains then it's because I want the roast, if they come out too harsh or astringent then I adjust the recipe. I'd say try things out and do what you like best, but know that you don't have to treat the dark malts separately if you don't want to (though you should always be paying attention to pH, which can be significantly affected by lots of roasted malts).

 

[tri_clamp_ninja]

I've tried separate dark grain steeping as well as "late mashing" dark grains, none of them made that much of a difference. Minor ph change but either way I was still within acceptable spec.

You'll actually find more of a difference as to what dark grains you use vs when/how you use them. For example: instead of roasted barley try black patent or briess black malt. You'll get very similar color and (positive) flavor without as much astringency and bitterness. Another example: instead of using say... 15% chocolate malt, try 10% C90+ with 5% chocolate malt. This will still give the dark color and slight dry cocoa flavor you get from chocolate malt but with a touch of sweetness from the C90+ to round it out and mellow the astringency

 

[dstockwell]

I have also cold steeped darker grains.