Smoked porter

[alsch890]

Hi there,

I am planning a Smoked Porter tomorrow and have the basic recipe calculated, I just wondered if anyone had any thoughts on the grain bill. I like smoked beers a lot so don't mind if its quite "pungent" but i don't want to make it undrinkable for visitors etc. There is so much conflicting advice online, including this forum, over how much smoked malt to use...

Boil vol: 19l
Batch: 15l

Intended OG 1.058
Intended FG 10.16
Intended ABV5.6%
(I've been seeing a drop in my efficiency and attentuation past few brews and can't wor ou why)

3.25kg pale malt (68.4%)
750g smoked malt (Weyermann) 15.8%
250g Carafa III (like black) 5.3%
250g Cara-aroma (like Crystal 120) 5.3%
250g Caramunich III (like Crystal 80) 5.3%
---
25g Challenger @60
15g Fuggle @15
15g Fuggle Whirlpool
---
Safale S-04

I'm already thinking there is too much crystal. Perhaps I could do this:

200g carafa II
200g carafa III
250g Caraaroma

Any thoughts or ideas?

 

[Leon103]

@Hoddy makes a great smoked porter, he may advise.

 

[JonBrew]

I think your recipe looks good for a first attempt at the style. If it turns out too smoky or not enough you can adjust for next time. However, the percentage you have looks about average. I think it'll give you a prominent smoky character but not 'balls to the wall' smoke.

I personally wouldn't reduce the crystal malts but then I like malty sweet beers. What I'd maybe be tempted to do is half your carafa 3 and make up the rest with chocolate malt. or you could do a 70/30 split of carafa 3 and chocolate or maybe even pale chocolate. I'd also probably drop the fuggle whirlpool addition but that's just my preference.

 

[Sadfield]

I haven't got the book to hand, so hopefully someone can check, but I think the Torrside Fire Damage recipe in the new CAMRA homebrew book is around 50% Smoked malt. And is an excellent beer.

Will try and remember to look it up when I get home.

If it's Beechwood smoked it can be used upto 100% of the grist, to make rauchbier. I believe cherrywood or oak smoked are more pungent.

EDIT: Just asked the brewer (via Twitter), they use 63% Weyermann beech smoked. Around 4.5% crystal, and 11% of roasted malts.

 

[Cwrw666]

I've made quite a few smoked beers. Cherry smoked was nice, as was Rauschmaltz (beech smoked I think). Both at about 750g per brew.
Also used peat smoked malt and found the flavour very harsh and won't be using it again.

 

[dad_of_jon]

I used 500g smoked malt and could have / should have gone higher. 750g would have been my next step...

 

[MyQul]

I made the smoked porter in the GH book a long time ago and it has 700g of smoked malt in it (for a 23L of 1.054OG) and its definatley not overpowering. Was a really nice beer in fact

 

[Hoddy]

Hi there,

I am planning a Smoked Porter tomorrow and have the basic recipe calculated, I just wondered if anyone had any thoughts on the grain bill. I like smoked beers a lot so don't mind if its quite "pungent" but i don't want to make it undrinkable for visitors etc. There is so much conflicting advice online, including this forum, over how much smoked malt to use...

Boil vol: 19l
Batch: 15l

Intended OG 1.058
Intended FG 10.16
Intended ABV5.6%
(I've been seeing a drop in my efficiency and attentuation past few brews and can't wor ou why)

3.25kg pale malt (68.4%)
750g smoked malt (Weyermann) 15.8%
250g Carafa III (like black) 5.3%
250g Cara-aroma (like Crystal 120) 5.3%
250g Caramunich III (like Crystal 80) 5.3%
---
25g Challenger @60
15g Fuggle @15
15g Fuggle Whirlpool
---
Safale S-04

I'm already thinking there is too much crystal. Perhaps I could do this:

200g carafa II
200g carafa III
250g Caraaroma

Any thoughts or ideas?

In the smoked porter i make i use about 25% of the grist as a rauchmalt from weyermann. In my opinion going for that much of a dark malt like carafa II & III will create a battle between the smoke and the roast you get from the rauch and carafa. I would suggest rethinking where you want to get the depth of colour and dark malt back bone from and try and avoid having too many clashes of strong character malts. Like carafa, dark crystal and rauch malts plus a dark malt to give you the dark colour and deep roast and charcoal you want.

Also as a guide i would tend to stick to one of the crystal type malts to use to add sweetness. You just need to decide how much you want it to show with the dark malts and smokeyness. Because you would need way to much for you to be able to really pick it out, but your right you do need a light background sweetness. I am usually in the 6% region on this.

Base malt (of your choice) usually in the 50% region.

Every piece of the malt and hop bill needs to earn its place and it has to have a reason to be there. You wont get the recipe right for where you want it to be the first time, but you will get it there eventually. Trial and error is the way!

 

[Leon103]

Told you he would have sound advice

 

[Alside101]

In the smoked porter i make i use about 25% of the grist as a rauchmalt from weyermann. In my opinion going for that much of a dark malt like carafa II & III will create a battle between the smoke and the roast you get from the rauch and carafa. I would suggest rethinking where you want to get the depth of colour and dark malt back bone from and try and avoid having too many clashes of strong character malts. Like carafa, dark crystal and rauch malts plus a dark malt to give you the dark colour and deep roast and charcoal you want.

Also as a guide i would tend to stick to one of the crystal type malts to use to add sweetness. You just need to decide how much you want it to show with the dark malts and smokeyness. Because you would need way to much for you to be able to really pick it out, but your right you do need a light background sweetness. I am usually in the 6% region on this.

Base malt (of your choice) usually in the 50% region.

Every piece of the malt and hop bill needs to earn its place and it has to have a reason to be there. You wont get the recipe right for where you want it to be the first time, but you will get it there eventually. Trial and error is the way!

Id love to get your recipe for a smoked porter as its on my to do list

 

[alsch890]

Thanks guys, especially Hoddy. That is great info. I've literally just doughed in. Was delayed like 5 mins still recalculating the grain bill. In the end I did increase the smoked to the max that I had (1kg) and reduced the carafa malts. Like this :

3kg pale
1kg smoked
250g caraaroma
125g carafa II
125g carafa III

And I think I will remove the Fuggles whirlpool as it seems a bit pointless for a porter. I'll do 25g challenger @60 and 25g Fuggles @15.

 

[Slid]

Sounds good! Did a Smoked Porter with similar proportion of smoked malt (think it was Weyermann) and it was noticeably smokey, but not overpoweringly so.