Brown Porter Help
  • flyfisherwesflyfisherwes
    Posts: 1,053
    So brown porter. I dunno what this might be, but it sounds a little like this.

    Percent Weight (g) Weight LBS
    100 6946 * 15.31246966
    Goden P 75.6 5248 11.56942152
    Crys 120 4.4 309 0.680554207
    Spec B 5.3 370 0.816665048
    Choc 4.4 309 0.680554207
    Crys 60 6.7 463 1.02083131
    Vienna 3.6 247 0.544443366
    UM WHT 2.7 185 0.408332524
    Molassses 8oz


    How many IBUs should it be?

    And what hop varieties? Galena and Williamette?

  • jlwjlw
    Posts: 16,454
    looks like around 40 to 50 based on this article in BYO. Some good info that might helps as well.

    http://www.byo.com/stories/beer-styles/article/indices/11-beer-styles/1265-practical-porter

  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,828
    Style Guidelines call for 18 to 35 IBU. Just want enough bitterness and flavor to balance. English hops preferably.
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,828
    Keep it simple.

    Thym
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
  • ThymThym
    Posts: 121,600
    Listen to the old guy.. He knows what he's talking about.
    The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
  • flyfisherwesflyfisherwes
    Posts: 1,053
    ok. so simple up the grain bill a bit? maybe golden promise, crystal 60, chocolate and vienna?

    Just Willamette? Or Just Tettnanger? 60 min and 30 min to get 30IBU?
  • flyfisherwesflyfisherwes
    Posts: 1,053
    how about an ounce or 2 of oats?
  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,056
    Lakewood said:

    Listen to the old guy.. He knows what he's talking about.



    flyfisherwes said:

    how about an ounce or 2 of oats?



    ceannt said:

    Keep it simple.



    this
    "I don't have TP, but I do have ammo."
    -Some guy in Ohio
  • flyfisherwesflyfisherwes
    Posts: 1,053
    Dr_Jerryrigger said:

    Lakewood said:

    Listen to the old guy.. He knows what he's talking about.



    flyfisherwes said:

    how about an ounce or 2 of oats?



    ceannt said:

    Keep it simple.



    this


    just an ounce or 2 for head though...?
  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,828
    This may be the only time in your life you don't want a lot of head ....

    flyfisherwes
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,828
    Too much in there will just make it muddy ... leave out the Vienna

    flyfisherwes
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
  • flyfisherwesflyfisherwes
    Posts: 1,053
    ceannt said:

    Too much in there will just make it muddy ... leave out the Vienna



    k. This is my next brew then.
  • flyfisherwesflyfisherwes
    Posts: 1,053
    How about the hops?

    So the flavor could be altered by changing the amount of crystal or the type of crystal? How much impact would it have changing the type of crystal? I have C10 C60 and C120. Would it be worth it to brew this with the 60 then the 10 then the 120 just to see the differences? or would it be a waste of time and yield not so great beer?

    Lots of questions I know, but this is so simple it seems a great thing to swap an ingredient out to be able to see the taste differences.
  • FuzzyFuzzy
    Posts: 49,656
    there are huge differences between those crystals. the 10 is pretty much all sweet and the c120 is almost all roasty/raisiny flavor. the 60 is a good mix of the two with a lot more toffee/caramel type flavor.
    The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake
  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,828
    The Willamette hops will do fine for this, they are a “test tube baby” of the Fuggle Hops. EKG hops would be good, but I am afraid I would not be able to help myself and way over do the late addition……
    You want a “medium” Crystal Malt in there. The 60 is spot on for what it is supposed to do, provide some sweetness to balance out the roasted character and “smooth” things out. You want a little caramel flavor, but not as intense as a dark crystal, and no “raisin”… It also gives body, and head retention, even though you want a low head on this.
    But, it never hurts to experiment, that’s how you learn (at least that’s what she said…)
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,828
    A little background on the style…..
    This beer started out as “Entire Gyle Butt Beer”…. was made from 100% Brown Malt, and was typically served out of the same cask it was fermented in. It was usually brewed in the pub. A simple beer for simple, hard working men…. The blue collar beer of the 1700’s. Brown Malt has a very low potential gravity, and it took a lot of it to brew with… at some point, some wise brewer figured out that if he used Pale Malt for the base, and roasted his Brown malt a bit more, he could get the same effect with less malt, and produce it cheaper. The addition of Crystal/caramel Malt came about at the same point in time. This beer survived the advent of Black Patent and other “modern” Malts, and the sudden popularity of Robust Porters and Stouts simply because it is freaking good Beer….
    The moderate roasted character, from preferably Chocolate Malt, should dominate, but be balanced by just enough sweetness to smooth out any harshness from it. Hop bitterness should be just enough to keep it from being overly sweet. Hop flavor and aroma should be present, but not enough to steal the show from the roasted character, and should really be just barely enough to perceive.
    This beer is best if made from a flavorful Pale Malt (Maris Otter is perfect, Golden Promise would be very promising….) to give the beer some depth. It is not a “big” beer by any stretch, but should taste bigger than it is. It doesn’t require long aging, 5-weeks is about optimum.
    This may be a simple beer, but tastes far more complex than you would think from the simple ingredients. Sometimes it is more difficult to brew a simple beer like this right, than a much more complicated style…. Balance is key.
    Unfortunately, there are not a lot of good commercial examples of this style out there anymore…. American Craft brew versions typically have too much hops and no depth… Sammy Smith’s “Taddy Porter” is close, but seems a bit “whimpy” to me….. I would like to try Shepherd Neame’s version…
    If you haven’t gathered by now…. I REALLY like this style….
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
  • jlwjlw
    Posts: 16,454
    You guys have me wanting to make this beer now. Especially based on the "history of the beer" I need to shor horn this thing into the cycle at some point. Too many beers I want to brew and not enough time.
  • flyfisherwesflyfisherwes
    Posts: 1,053
    ceannt said:

    It should taste bigger than it is.....tastes far more complex than you would think...



    This, too, is what she said.
  • flyfisherwesflyfisherwes
    Posts: 1,053
    I will be brewing this. And a brown ale. next time I brew. Its almost time for another IPA as well. But I'm going to remake one I already made.
  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,828
    jlw said:

    Too many beers I want to brew and not enough time.



    Story of my life .......
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
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