MattTimBell
Well-Known Member
Hey all,
I'm about to venture for my first time into the wonderful world of lagers, having had lots of success with ales in the past, and several weeks of solidly cold-but-not-frozen weather coming up here in the Inland Empire. Baltic Porter is my aim, a significantly smoked one. However, I've never been really pleased with my attempts at smoked ales in the past. They're always good, but never smokey enough for my tastes, and I've even tried using all rauchmalt as the base. I'm needing some advice on recipes.
I'm thinking about trying a very simple grain-bill, with the suspicious character that I'm using no Munich for the base. I hope to get the maltiness I want on the other side using a three-decoction mash schedule, fairly high mash temps to finish out saccharification, and specialty malts. Does this sound crazy, or worth trying? Or, will I possibly get a good beer, just not a Baltic porter?
14 lbs Rauchmalt
1 lb. toasted, flaked rye
0.75 lbs debittered black patent or maybe some species of Carafa
0.75 lbs brown malt
Mash-in at 110degF for a beta-glucan rest.
Decoct up to 135degF
Decoct up to 155degF
Decoct up to 170degF
1oz Chinook for 60 minutes for bittering
.5 oz Chinook for dry-hopping for two or three days at the end of the lagering phase.
Or, I might replace the Chinook dry hop with 1 oz. Mt. Hood. I'm leaning towards Chinook at the moment, because it's my favorite hop, with a smokey-piney character when used at the dry-hop phase.
Thanks for the comments!
I'm about to venture for my first time into the wonderful world of lagers, having had lots of success with ales in the past, and several weeks of solidly cold-but-not-frozen weather coming up here in the Inland Empire. Baltic Porter is my aim, a significantly smoked one. However, I've never been really pleased with my attempts at smoked ales in the past. They're always good, but never smokey enough for my tastes, and I've even tried using all rauchmalt as the base. I'm needing some advice on recipes.
I'm thinking about trying a very simple grain-bill, with the suspicious character that I'm using no Munich for the base. I hope to get the maltiness I want on the other side using a three-decoction mash schedule, fairly high mash temps to finish out saccharification, and specialty malts. Does this sound crazy, or worth trying? Or, will I possibly get a good beer, just not a Baltic porter?
14 lbs Rauchmalt
1 lb. toasted, flaked rye
0.75 lbs debittered black patent or maybe some species of Carafa
0.75 lbs brown malt
Mash-in at 110degF for a beta-glucan rest.
Decoct up to 135degF
Decoct up to 155degF
Decoct up to 170degF
1oz Chinook for 60 minutes for bittering
.5 oz Chinook for dry-hopping for two or three days at the end of the lagering phase.
Or, I might replace the Chinook dry hop with 1 oz. Mt. Hood. I'm leaning towards Chinook at the moment, because it's my favorite hop, with a smokey-piney character when used at the dry-hop phase.
Thanks for the comments!