This is my first post, though I have been lurking for a while.
I started brewing back in 2000 when my wife bought me a kit for my birthday. I brewed for close to 6 years, then took some time off to work on my doctorate and have returned to brewing. Thank God someone early in my brewing recommended keeping notes!
One of the porters I brewed back in the day was a robust porter. The recipe was:
7.0 lbs Maris Otter
1.0 lb Chocolate malt
0.5 lbs Special B
0.5 lbs 60L crystal
1.0 lb Flaked barley
1.0 lb Brown sugar
Hopped with Willamette to 35 IBU.
I was thinking about changing the brown sugar to molasses. I have used brown sugar and molasses in different recipes and looking at my notes, the molasses in brews other than porters seems to give a rum-like taste.
What do you think? Brown sugar or molasses?
Any and all comments and suggestions would be appreciated.