porter ideas

[10thstreetBrew]

I wanna make a porter batch with some different flavoring being chocolate vanilla cherry, hell an maybe even rum. Does this sound to crazy of an idea? I've only made 2 batches before(brown ale and a wheat which turned out good), so I am a little new to home brewing. Anybody got some advise for me?

 

[Dynachrome]

What porters have you tried? I have had a few. I would say my favorite has been Summit Great Northern Porter, but I don't know how true to style it is.

If you look at my recipes I have an Edmund Fitzgerald's Porter That is lighter body and more subtle than the Great Lakes actual version.

If I had any advice to give, I would say be cautious with added flavoring. You might make something that was tough to pallet.

Do some research here. Google Porter - look for threads that have grown long they are usually good beers.

 

[Beezy]

It's not crazy but I'd get you flavoring from the grain and hops and get that right and then go from there. Hell you can add a lot of those flavors at packaging anyway. I am doing a smoked brown porter right now. Can't wait to drink.

 

[Walker]

adding out of the ordinary flavors is a great way to make an interesting beer, but also a great way to make a terrible beer.

I see it often happen that someone wants to experiment (which is great), but they go overboard with the extra stuff. My suggestion when using something different in a beer for the first time is to be conservative with it and see how it comes out. Tweak from there.

I personally like a little molasses in my porter, but it really doesn't take much to give the beer some character. It's really easy to use too much and end up with a beer that simply tastes like molasses instead of a good beer with a hint of molasses.

For something like rum, on bottling day, just take a sample and add a little rum to it. taste and adjust until you find the right amount. Then do the math and figure out how much to dose the batch to match that level.

 

[Walker]

I would say my favorite has been Summit Great Northern Porter, but I don't know how true to style it is.

That one is a DAMN good porter, and true to style for a robust porter (vs brown porter).

 

[Dynachrome]

That one is a DAMN good porter, and true to style for a robust porter (vs brown porter).

Thanks. It's a great beer for cold dark winter afternoons.

 

[Brulosopher]

Fairly uncommon, but consider adding about 1.25 lbs Special B malt to you 5.5 gallon batch. I do it frequently in my porter to give it that touch of sweet caramel flavor without adding adjuncts... and most people would swear I threw vanilla in the beer

Also, another experiment I've done that turned out well is replacing the roasted malt (usually chocolate and/or roasted barley) with Carafa II, which imparts a much softer roast flavor. Combine both of these, and you'll have a nice porter on your hands