Help with Porter Recipe

[wetdog]

This will be my first porter/ stout, and I was hoping for some help with a grain portion of the recipe given my specialty grains. My question arises because because, I have no chocolate malt which most recipes seem to contain. On hand, I have lots of 2-row and a few pounds of vienna, munich, and maris otter.

The specialty grains I have are:
special B
black patent
black roasted barley
caramel 80, 60, 40, and 15
cara-pils
honey
melanoidin

This is for a 6 gallon batch ~1.05-1.06 OG
I plan on using Willamette hops for aroma and possibly also for bittering ~40 IBU. I mostly have hops geared toward IPAs. chinook, warrior, centennial, cascade, and palisade.

 

[Cubslover]

Southern tier uses chinook as a bittering hop in their Choklat Stout with Willamette for aroma/flavor. I haven't understood that, but it IS a good brew.

As far as your recipe, black patent and roasted barley will obviously give you the color. Patent will be roasty bitter in amounts much more than 6-10oz. Roasted barley can get the color up there too but with a coffee flavor/aroma, both in typical amounts will get your color there.

I'd go with the c80 (1lb) and Roasted Barley (if you want a Stout) with 2-row or Maris Otter. Why not throw some oats in the mix? Push up the OG and get that silky mouth.

A little special b actually sounds good to me in something like this as long as it isn't overdone.

Throw some numbers in a program and see what comes out.

 

[Vance71975]

This will be my first porter/ stout, and I was hoping for some help with a grain portion of the recipe given my specialty grains. My question arises because because, I have no chocolate malt which most recipes seem to contain. On hand, I have lots of 2-row and a few pounds of vienna, munich, and maris otter.

The specialty grains I have are:
special B
black patent
black roasted barley
caramel 80, 60, 40, and 15
cara-pils
honey
melanoidin

This is for a 6 gallon batch ~1.05-1.06 OG
I plan on using Willamette hops for aroma and possibly also for bittering ~40 IBU. I mostly have hops geared toward IPAs. chinook, warrior, centennial, cascade, and palisade.

Ok here is a Porter with what you have on hand.



On Hand Porter
Robust Porter


Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 8.00 gal
Boil Time: 60 min


Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 43.48 %
2.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 17.39 %
2.00 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 17.39 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 8.70 %
1.00 lb Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 8.70 %
0.50 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 4.35 %
1.50 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 34.6 IBU
1.00 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops 4.2 IBU



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.062 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.016 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.96 %
Bitterness: 38.8 IBU
Est Color: 28.3 SRM


Mash Profile

Single Infusion, Full Body
45 min Mash In Add 14.38 qt of water at 170.5 F 158.0 F
10 min Mash Out Add 5.75 qt of water at 196.6 F 168.0 F

 

[usfmikeb]

Everyone has different opinions, and here's mine. You're not going to make a porter with the specialty grains you have on hand, the flavor profile simply won't be correct. Either go to the LHBS or order some online, but get yourself some chocolate malt.

 

[wetdog]

Thanks for the input. I will be making a trip to my local brew store for some chocolate malt before I attempt my porter. I realize I can go without chocolate, but most of the recipe I have found contain some chocolate.
Gordon Strong recommends mashing dark malts separately from base malt. Has anyone tried this? He suggests adding my dark malts during vorlauf or mashing them apart from the mash and adding during the boil.

Here is my rough recipe...


Type: All Grain
Date: 7/19/2011
Batch Size: 6.00 gal
Brewer:
Boil Size: 8.61 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Brew Pot (10 gal) and Igloo Cooler (10 Gal)
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
10.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 72.73 %
1.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 7.27 %
0.75 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 5.45 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3.64 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 15L (15.0 SRM) Grain 3.64 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 3.64 %
0.25 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 1.82 %
0.25 lb Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 1.82 %
1.25 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 19.2 IBU
1.00 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (20 min) Hops 9.3 IBU
1.00 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops 3.1 IBU



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.061 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.016 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.87 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.65 %
Bitterness: 31.6 IBU Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 31.0 SRM Color: Color

 

[lumpher]

Ok here is a Porter with what you have on hand.



On Hand Porter
Robust Porter


Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 8.00 gal
Boil Time: 60 min


Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 43.48 %
2.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 17.39 %
2.00 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 17.39 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 8.70 %
1.00 lb Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 8.70 %
0.50 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 4.35 %
1.50 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 34.6 IBU
1.00 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops 4.2 IBU



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.062 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.016 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.96 %
Bitterness: 38.8 IBU
Est Color: 28.3 SRM


Mash Profile

Single Infusion, Full Body
45 min Mash In Add 14.38 qt of water at 170.5 F 158.0 F
10 min Mash Out Add 5.75 qt of water at 196.6 F 168.0 F

without the roasted barley, that's basically an esb. not a porter at all

 

[Vance71975]

without the roasted barley, that's basically an esb. not a porter at all

If you refer to Designing great beers, you will see that Roasted barley, is out of place in a Porter, that is for Stouts. Also this recipe is FAR too dark and heavy to be anywhere near an ESB. By today's Standards, Black Patent is used in Porter and Roasted Barley is used in Stout, that is the major difference between them For a Robust Porter that is, For a brown porter you leave out black AND roast and rely on Chocolate Malt.