Peat smoked porter recipe

[kye77]

Just a quick question for anyone that has ever used Simpsons peated malt. I used 4 oz. of peated malt (2%) in a porter and I can not get the smoke out of it. Everyone’s opinions lead me to only use 4 oz. in any given recipe but I feel like I should have gone with atleast 8 oz. Or does the smoke character tend to come out more with age? Thanks guys.

Grain bill is
9 lb marrow otter
1 lb brown malt
1 lb C 80
.75 lb chocolate
4 oz. Simpson’s Peated malt

Wyeast 1028

 

[rhys333]

My understanding is that it can be powerful stuff and you did the right thing starting low. Better to have no character than way too much, and end up with a beer you can't drink. Now you have a base to work from, I would just do exactly as you say and double the amount next time.

 

[kh54s10]

I used a Peat Smoked Malt a few years ago that was very strong. I used .1 pound or 1.6 ounces. I recently did another and did not get as strong smoke using .15 pounds this time. My grains came from a different supplier this time. Probably not the same maltster.

I still advise going with caution, Peat Smoked is harsh. My recipe also had 1 pound of Oak Smoked Wheat malt. So your amount might be fine.

 

[kye77]

Makes since... the levels of Intensity could vary from malster to malster. I’ll see how this beer ages out and try again.
Thanks guys.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

The other thing to think about is freshness - it's the sort of thing that can hang around on store shelves for a long time.

 

[BrewMan13]

It depends on lots of factors, not the least of which is your own taste. It takes a good amount of smoke for me to notice. The last couple of times I used 4oz of peat smoked malt, I could scarcely tell there was any in the brew. But it definitely decreases with age, not the reverse, so if you are already light on the smoke, aging won't help.

 

[kevin58]

Why do you want to use peat?

 

[kye77]

I want to use peat smoked malt because I love Islay scotch. I want a campfire taste rather than just ham/bacon you can get from regular smoked malts.

 

[dmtaylor]

The degree of smoke might vary between brands. I know when I used 2 oz it was way too much for me. Now if I ever use it (which is rare), I use just 0.5 oz per 5 gallons and it turns out as intended.

It could also be that you personally do not detect smoke at the same threshold as the average joe. Our senses of taste all vary considerably, it's true.