[homoeccentricus]

Any comments on this porter recipe? (modified from Gordon Strong's latest book) I want this to be really quaffable.

1.056 SG, 28 SRM

65% Maris Otter
10% Brown Malt
12.5% Cara 60L
7% Munich Malt
5% Chocolate Malt
25 IBU Northern Brewer
Wyeast 1275 (Thames Valley)

Single mash blablabla

Brewed with demi-water, brew salts added according to Bru'nwater Black Balanced, pH of mash and sparge water 5.5

To be brewed on the last day of the year.

[JJeffers09]

What would be un-drinkable about any porter?  I can hammer the commercial crap versions and sip on the first couple pints of a gold medal winner, before really pounding them down.  So I am not sure what you are looking for in a "Quaffable" Porter.  de-bittered dark malts?  minimum to no Roasted Barley? Medium vs Dark crystal malts? Biscuit malt or munich malt? Baltic or Robust porter? Maybe even an Imperial Spiced Porter - aged in bourbon oak barrels and sitting on bourbon soaked vanilla beans? (Cause yeah I would drink the sh*t out of that too )Spiced or straight forward?  pH ranges (Baltic is like 5.2-5.4 I think)? Rich Chocolate/coffee/roasted character your looking at ~5.6-5.8 pH


*too many questions, not enough answers pretty much sums up my reply*

I can say good yeast choice for sure, I would drink the crap out of what you have now, just matters what you like...

[homoeccentricus]

Haha, yes, you may be right. But I'm gonna brew this recipe unless someone notices something really stupid about it or has some suggestions to tweak it.

[JJeffers09]

Some of the most drinkable porters out there in my opinion is a brown porter like Sam Smiths Taddy Porter.

This is what I work with when I make an approachable porter that about anyone can get into:

8 lbs Otter
1 lbs UK Medium Crystal
.5 lbs Brown Malt
.5 lbs UK Chocolate
.13 lbs UK Black Malt

152F for 60 mins
pH as stated above what ever you like ~ 5.2-5.5 for "dryer" 5.6-5.8 for "richer"
1.5 East Kent - 60
1 Fuggle        - 30
.13 Molasses  - 15
.5  East Kent  - 10

Hold at 68F with Ringwood Ale 1187  or 1275 Thomas Valley depends which one is younger at my local shop.

[brewinhard]

I like Brown Malt and I like Maris otter.  But 10% brown malt might be a bit overly toasty when combined with the Maris otter as well.  Maybe switch out the Maris otter for Golden Promise for a smoother base malt note which could play better with the brown malt.  Just trying to keep in vain with your "quaffable" porter.

[HoosierBrew]

I like Brown Malt and I like Maris otter.  But 10% brown malt might be a bit overly toasty when combined with the Maris otter as well.  Maybe switch out the Maris otter for Golden Promise for a smoother base malt note which could play better with the brown malt.  Just trying to keep in vain with your "quaffable" porter.

Good advice. That much brown together with MO base would be pretty toasty. Another approach is to drop the brown malt altogether, use maybe 2 or 3% black patent (along with the 5% chocolate) and use some Midnight Wheat for color adjustment if need be. That's often what I do for porter.

[homoeccentricus]

I have never used brown malt, and Gordon Strong says it's the "missing flavor" in a London porter, so I do want to try it out. So maybe decrease the %. I only have MO and pale malt, so maybe 50/50?

[HoosierBrew]

I have never used brown malt, and Gordon Strong says it's the "missing flavor" in a London porter, so I do want to try it out. So maybe decrease the %. I only have MO and pale malt, so maybe 50/50?

Sure. That would work.

[homoeccentricus]

Ah yes, something I wanted to ask. Should I care about boil pH at all if pH was ok during the mash?

[JT]

Ah yes, something I wanted to ask. Should I care about boil pH at all if pH was ok during the mash?

I noticed your post said pH of mash and sparge water 5.5, you are measuring the pH of your actual mash right, not just the water going into the mash?  5.5 is what I would target for this beer for the mash pH, and I would not mess with the boil pH for this one either. 

"I collect spores, molds and fungus."

[HoosierBrew]

Ah yes, something I wanted to ask. Should I care about boil pH at all if pH was ok during the mash?

I noticed your post said pH of mash and sparge water 5.5, you are measuring the pH of your actual mash right, not just the water going into the mash?  5.5 is what I would target for this beer for the mash pH, and I would not mess with the boil pH for this one either. 

"I collect spores, molds and fungus."

I wouldn't either. The jury's still out on whether dropping pH in kettle on a black, roasty beer is even a good idea. If you mash this beer @ 5.6 pH you'll love it.

[homoeccentricus]

Ah yes, something I wanted to ask. Should I care about boil pH at all if pH was ok during the mash?

I noticed your post said pH of mash and sparge water 5.5, you are measuring the pH of your actual mash right, not just the water going into the mash?  5.5 is what I would target for this beer for the mash pH, and I would not mess with the boil pH for this one either. 

"I collect spores, molds and fungus."

yes, of course. pH of the mash. One more question though: in Brunwater you can set the target pH of the sparge water. What should that be in the case of this kind of dark beer?

[PORTERHAUS]

If you really want the Brown Malt to shine you could always sub Pale Chocolate in place of the regular Chocolate Malt. Together, this is more of a toasty character and less roast. I brewed a Brown Porter 5% abv a couple times I was really happy with doing so. Your recipe looks really similar to what I brewed. It was MO, Munich, C-40, Brown Malt, Pale Chocolate and Carapils.

As far as the sparge water ph, pretty sure 5.5-5.8 is a good target for most any beer depending on your water. Anything to keep it from running up on you so you can target a good boil ph.

Edit* ...Looking back at my notes I split the Chocholate malt addition with half Pale Chocolate Malt. All Pale Chocolate would probably not make it Porter enough. I have about 9% Brown Malt in the recipe Im referencing.

[JT]

Ah yes, something I wanted to ask. Should I care about boil pH at all if pH was ok during the mash?

I noticed your post said pH of mash and sparge water 5.5, you are measuring the pH of your actual mash right, not just the water going into the mash?  5.5 is what I would target for this beer for the mash pH, and I would not mess with the boil pH for this one either. 

"I collect spores, molds and fungus."

yes, of course. pH of the mash. One more question though: in Brunwater you can set the target pH of the sparge water. What should that be in the case of this kind of dark beer?

I would need to go back and look at this in Brunwater but I think the sparge water page is all about setting the target alkalinity of the sparge water.  The sparge water pH will (or won't) fluctuate when added to the mash based on the alkalinity.  When I add RO water to the mash, I rest easy that the mash pH won't move much, whether I'm brewing a light or dark beer. 

"I collect spores, molds and fungus."

[chinaski]

I like my porters with the robust flavor of some black/black patent malt.  Without it, I just don't think "porter."