cyclonite
Well-Known Member
I like Maris Otter as the base grain (gives it a maltier profile, and a bit of nuttiness). I've used all of the following malts in various porters to get roasty flavors:
Black Malt (very little to avoid too much acrid/astringent taste)
Carafa III (aka debittered black - I prefer this to Black Malt to avoid astringency)
Chocolate Malt (pretty much a must IMO)
Special B (LOVE this in porters )
Kiln Coffee (This also makes for a great porter, kind of like chocolate but with some definite coffee tones without actually using coffee beans)
Brown Malt (great in porters, never used it in anything else)
High kilned Crystals (90, 120, 150/British extra dark)
I avoid roasted barley in porters - I think it should be reserved for stouts. I've also done some porters without any black malt, and giving more of a mix of the other roasted malts. These tend to be smoother, and you can get some great complexity by mixing up some other malts (try Special B + Kiln Coffee = great combination). I also tend to use some Biscuit in porters for the flavor.
You can really experiment with porters - kind of a catch all dark beer!
Black Malt (very little to avoid too much acrid/astringent taste)
Carafa III (aka debittered black - I prefer this to Black Malt to avoid astringency)
Chocolate Malt (pretty much a must IMO)
Special B (LOVE this in porters )
Kiln Coffee (This also makes for a great porter, kind of like chocolate but with some definite coffee tones without actually using coffee beans)
Brown Malt (great in porters, never used it in anything else)
High kilned Crystals (90, 120, 150/British extra dark)
I avoid roasted barley in porters - I think it should be reserved for stouts. I've also done some porters without any black malt, and giving more of a mix of the other roasted malts. These tend to be smoother, and you can get some great complexity by mixing up some other malts (try Special B + Kiln Coffee = great combination). I also tend to use some Biscuit in porters for the flavor.
You can really experiment with porters - kind of a catch all dark beer!