I've been contemplating an all Brown Malt porter aged with some funky bugs ala porter in the early 1700's. However, I know that modern brown malt lacks any diastatic power. So, I was wondering what's the minimum amount (in percentages terms) of base malt I'll need to use to convert the brown malt?
Converting Brown Malt
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Bob
Well-Known Member
Don't exceed 20% brown malt in the grist. Most brewers of historical ales prefer a blend of Amber, Brown and Pale malts. I like 20/20/60%.
Good luck with your funky bugs!
Bob
Good luck with your funky bugs!
Bob
I was hoping to aim for the period just before brewers realized "oh ****, we can get better extract by using pale malt in the mix".
Plus, I think I'll be aging this for at least a year so any worries about the extreme flavors from the brown malt should be lessened.
I just wish I had a giant vat to store it all in.
Take a good look at this thread.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/s...tic-slow-help-us-save-10-gallons-beer-219950/
In summary, another brewer tried making a porter dominated with Amber malt, and experienced very little fermentation. The reason; there was practically no starch conversion in the mash.
Brown malt is an even higher kilned grain than Amber malt, and will have even less conversion power.
As I understand it, the "Brown" malt that was historically used is a much different product than the "brown" malt that is on the market today.
You are more than free to try your recipe as designed, but I would really look at the experiences of the brewers at the thread linked above, and then re-evaluate your plans a bit.
Joe
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/s...tic-slow-help-us-save-10-gallons-beer-219950/
In summary, another brewer tried making a porter dominated with Amber malt, and experienced very little fermentation. The reason; there was practically no starch conversion in the mash.
Brown malt is an even higher kilned grain than Amber malt, and will have even less conversion power.
As I understand it, the "Brown" malt that was historically used is a much different product than the "brown" malt that is on the market today.
You are more than free to try your recipe as designed, but I would really look at the experiences of the brewers at the thread linked above, and then re-evaluate your plans a bit.
Joe
Bob
Well-Known Member
The problem is that modern brown malt is nothing like the brown malt available to the ~1800 porter brewers.
Brown malt ca. 1800 was a grade of base malt. Though it had been kilned to a high color and flavor, it still had the ability to convert itself, as you know. Modern amber and brown malts are roasted malts which have had all the diastatic power destroyed. Moreover, they're usually made in a drum roaster based on the same design that permitted the manufacture of Black Patent malt, which revolutionized porter brewing!
I don't think it's possible to even approximate all-brown-malt Porter. Believe me, I've tried; I haven't yet stumbled upon an ingredient or technique which approximates the malt to my satisfaction. Other than, of course, using a mix of malts and calling it a day!
It's just one of those things we'll never really know about until DARPA gets off their asses and funds time travel.
Cheers,
Bob
Brown malt ca. 1800 was a grade of base malt. Though it had been kilned to a high color and flavor, it still had the ability to convert itself, as you know. Modern amber and brown malts are roasted malts which have had all the diastatic power destroyed. Moreover, they're usually made in a drum roaster based on the same design that permitted the manufacture of Black Patent malt, which revolutionized porter brewing!
I don't think it's possible to even approximate all-brown-malt Porter. Believe me, I've tried; I haven't yet stumbled upon an ingredient or technique which approximates the malt to my satisfaction. Other than, of course, using a mix of malts and calling it a day!
It's just one of those things we'll never really know about until DARPA gets off their asses and funds time travel.
Cheers,
Bob
The problem is that modern brown malt is nothing like the brown malt available to the ~1800 porter brewers.
Brown malt ca. 1800 was a grade of base malt. Though it had been kilned to a high color and flavor, it still had the ability to convert itself, as you know. Modern amber and brown malts are roasted malts which have had all the diastatic power destroyed. Moreover, they're usually made in a drum roaster based on the same design that permitted the manufacture of Black Patent malt, which revolutionized porter brewing!
I don't think it's possible to even approximate all-brown-malt Porter. Believe me, I've tried; I haven't yet stumbled upon an ingredient or technique which approximates the malt to my satisfaction. Other than, of course, using a mix of malts and calling it a day!
It's just one of those things we'll never really know about until DARPA gets off their asses and funds time travel.
Cheers,
Bob
Oh don't get me wrong, I'm still going to do a Brown Malt + Pale Malt mix for conversion, I just didn't want it to be mostly pale malt.
I'll probably mash around 158 to convert as much of the starch as possible. Hopefully the bugsI'm looking at Wyeast 1968 with the Roeselare blend and maybe some dregs of George Gale's Old Alewill pick up the slack in getting at the longer sugar chains.
As for time travel, I'd be afraid of altering anything for fear that beer culture as we know it might not even exist. :cross:
Pilgarlic
Well-Known Member
Mosher in "Radical Brewing" gives instructions to toast your own brown malt, resulting in an approximation of the brown malt of old. His recipe for a brown malt porter includes, I believe, some 6-row to help with conversion.
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