House Porter Recipe Feedback

[rowan57]

Hi All,

Been messing around with a Porter recipe tonight - I don't think its the most fashionable style but I really enjoy a good Porter. Feedback appreciated:

Brown Porter:

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 25.72 l
Post Boil Volume: 20.72 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 18.93 l
Bottling Volume: 16.43 l
Estimated OG: 1.057 SG
Estimated Color: 53.2 EBC
Estimated IBU: 30.3 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 75.8 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
3.70 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 1 76.0 %
0.50 kg Brown Malt (128.1 EBC) Grain 2 10.3 %
0.30 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (130.0 EBC) Grain 3 6.2 %
0.22 kg Wheat, Flaked (3.2 EBC) Grain 4 4.5 %
0.15 kg Black (Patent) Malt (1300.0 EBC) Grain 5 3.1 %
35.00 g Goldings, East Kent [6.00 %] - Boil 60.0 Hop 6 25.6 IBUs
7.00 g Fuggles [5.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 7 2.1 IBUs
7.00 g Goldings, East Kent [6.00 %] - Boil 15.0 Hop 8 2.5 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 9 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 4.87 kg
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Mash In Add 13.60 l of water at 75.2 C 68.9 C 45 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (4.59l, 13.31l) of 75.6 C water
Notes:
------

Thanks!
Rowan

 

[lowtones84]

Looks like a pretty good start to me. 30 IBU is a little high for my tastes in a porter, but if you dig that, go for it. It is your house porter after all!

 

[Weezy]

It looks great!

I'd recommend considering a darker crystal, or split it with 3% 60L and 3% something in the 90-105 range, like Simpsons Dark Crystal

 

[rowan57]

Looks like a pretty good start to me. 30 IBU is a little high for my tastes in a porter, but if you dig that, go for it. It is your house porter after all!

It looks great!

I'd recommend considering a darker crystal, or split it with 3% 60L and 3% something in the 90-105 range, like Simpsons Dark Crystal

Thanks both.

Low, where would you sit in terms of IBU?

Weezy, thanks, I based it on an extract clone recipe called RCH Old Slug Porter from Clone Brews and tweaked it. Your suggestion sounds sensible, I will add it in!

Can anyone explain the logic behind the two stage batch sparge that Beersmith suggests?

 

[rowan57]

OK, Recipe reviewed with both of your suggestions in mind (and with a bit more reading about the style), thank you! Comments on the below welcome;

--------------------------
Boil Size: 25.72 l
Post Boil Volume: 20.72 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 18.93 l
Bottling Volume: 16.43 l
Estimated OG: 1.050 SG
Estimated Color: 50.1 EBC
Estimated IBU: 26.9 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 75.8 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
3.50 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (2.6L) (5.5 EBC) Grain 1 81.4 %
0.22 kg Wheat, Flaked (3.2 EBC) Grain 2 5.1 %
0.15 kg Black (Patent) Malt (490L) (1300.0 EBC) Grain 3 3.5 %
0.13 kg Brown Malt (50L) (130.0 EBC) Grain 4 3.0 %
0.13 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt (60L) (130.0 EBC) Grain 5 3.0 %
0.13 kg Dark Crystal Malt (90L) (240.0 EBC) Grain 6 3.0 %
0.04 kg Extra Dark Crystal Malt (130 L) (340.0 E Grain 7 0.9 %
28.00 g Goldings, East Kent [6.00 %] - Boil 60.0 Hop 8 21.4 IBUs
8.00 g Fuggles [5.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 9 2.5 IBUs
8.00 g Goldings, East Kent [6.00 %] - Boil 15.0 Hop 10 3.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 11 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 4.30 kg
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Mash In Add 12.11 l of water at 75.2 C 68.9 C 45 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (5.50l, 13.31l) of 75.6 C water
Notes:


Cheers
Rowan

 

[lowtones84]

Up to you man, that's just what I would do. I don't think 30ish is actually out of style for a porter, mine just typically fall in the low to mid 20's.

 

[JKaranka]

I preferred the first recipe you posted! Half a kilo of Brown Malt upwards is a good measure to go by. It will get lost in such a small measure. I think the second recipe is too much of a scattershot approach to chucking everything in to see if the beer ends up complex. A beer with just pale, brown and black is complex enough, if you add some dark crystal it will be very good. I thought the original 35 IBU, aprox, was good, while this second recipe starts to resemble a dark mild with some extra booze.

 

[rowan57]

Up to you man, that's just what I would do. I don't think 30ish is actually out of style for a porter, mine just typically fall in the low to mid 20's.

Ok thanks! I don't want it too bitter for sure.

 

[rowan57]

I preferred the first recipe you posted! Half a kilo of Brown Malt upwards is a good measure to go by. It will get lost in such a small measure. I think the second recipe is too much of a scattershot approach to chucking everything in to see if the beer ends up complex. A beer with just pale, brown and black is complex enough, if you add some dark crystal it will be very good. I thought the original 35 IBU, aprox, was good, while this second recipe starts to resemble a dark mild with some extra booze.

Totally get what you are saying. This is what happens when you play around with recipes at midnight! Revision 2 below, simple update to original with slightly reduced IBU's and addition of Dark Crystal. The IBU's are not fixed as until I actually receive the hops I won't know the precise Alpha Acid content so I will adjust accordingly.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 25.72 l
Post Boil Volume: 20.72 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 18.93 l
Bottling Volume: 16.43 l
Estimated OG: 1.057 SG
Estimated Color: 55.0 EBC
Estimated IBU: 29.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 75.8 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
3.70 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (2.6L) (5.5 EBC) Grain 1 76.0 %
0.50 kg Brown Malt (50L) (130.0 EBC) Grain 2 10.3 %
0.22 kg Wheat, Flaked (3.2 EBC) Grain 3 4.5 %
0.15 kg Black (Patent) Malt (490L) (1300.0 EBC) Grain 4 3.1 %
0.15 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt (60L) (130.0 EBC) Grain 5 3.1 %
0.15 kg Dark Crystal Malt (90L) (240.0 EBC) Grain 6 3.1 %
32.00 g Goldings, East Kent [6.00 %] - Boil 60.0 Hop 7 23.4 IBUs
9.00 g Fuggles [5.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 8 2.7 IBUs
9.00 g Goldings, East Kent [6.00 %] - Boil 15.0 Hop 9 3.3 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 10 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 4.87 kg
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Mash In Add 13.60 l of water at 75.2 C 68.9 C 45 min


Thanks!
Rowan

 

[Weezy]

Yep. Roll that last one and be sure to let us know how it turns out. It'll be tasty.

 

[JKaranka]

That looks very good. Once you brew it you will know: a) whether you want more / less crystal malt, b) whether you want more / less roast character, c) whether you want more / less hops in there. At least you don't have too many variables to play afterwards. Also, if you later decide to increase the Brown Malt, start reducing the Crystal Malt.

Do you need any water treatment? I'm in South Wales and I add 1g / gallon of gypsum to increase the sulphate. The water is otherwise very good, but extremely bland. No need for any acid additions with the dark malts, but could potentially do with a gram of salt to increase the body.

 

[rowan57]

Ok thanks! I did my first AG brew this weekend and used bottled water as the water here is super hard which I understand is not ideal. I haven't got into water treatment yet.

 

[JKaranka]

You might want to add a bit of that hard water back into it, but depends a bit on what the bottled water had in it. If it's your second brew I wouldn't worry about it.