Stanimirov's Imperial Oatmeal Porter

[Dmntd]

I had planned to brew my first beer last June, it ended up being a braggot. After a number of all grain braggots, and talking with Brian, Ted and others yesterday, It's time.

I don't sparge. My mash efficiency has been 60% (consistantly), requiring 30% more grain to hit a target gravity 80% efficiency would yield.

My goal is to brew a beer that falls between BJCP style guidelines for a Baltic Porter & a Russian Imperial Stout. The overall character of a Baltic Porter with the complexity of an Imperial Stout.

Grain bill;

7.5lb Belgian Pale
8lb Belgian Munich
1lb Belgian CaraMunich
1/4lb Belgian Special B
3/4lb Belgian Chocolate
1/4lb Crystal 60
1/4lb Crystal 80
1/2lb Flaked Barley
1.5lb Flaked Oats
20lb total.

Other;
2lb Belgian Dark candy
5.5oz Corn sugar for 2.5 volumes CO2 @ 75°F
1oz Perle pellet hops (60 minute boil)
1 tsp. Irish Moss, steeped and strained before addition

Mash volume, 4 gallons;

Beta conversion - 145°F 40 min.
Alpha comvertion - 158°F 20 min.
Mash out - 168°F
60 minute boil.

Anticipated results for 6 gallons using Wyeast 1098 British Ale yeast;

O.G. 1.088 - F.G. 1.020 - 36 SRM - 18 IBU
9% A.B.V. after bottle conditioning

Again, this will be my first beer.

Any thoughts, comments or advice for this recipe. Might there be a better yeast for porter?

Anthony

 

[seeGarzz]

Re: Stanimirov's Porter

Dmntd,

That's a pretty complex grain bill! There are a couple of things that might affect the wort and finished beer.

First, using 10lb of Munich as the base malt will give the beer a very malty profile similiar to an Octoberfest or Maibock. The Munich malt also has a higher proportion of complex sugars (yeast can't break down) so it will leave more residual sugar in the finished beer. It will be difficult to get anywhere near 1.008 FG if you use that much Munich Malt. You could use Pale or Pils malt to increase the fermentability of the wort.

Second, you might want to increase the time for your Beta conversion since you will want to make the wort as fermentable as possible. You could skip the Alpha conversion totally and go right to mashout. Another solution is to add Amalayze Enzyme to the mash to increase the ability to convert the starch in the malt to simple sugars.

Just a couple of thoguhts, good luck and let us know how it turns out.

seeGarzz

 

[Dmntd]

Re: Stanimirov's Porter

Thanks seeGarzz,

Would replacing 2lb Munich with 2lb Pale, combined with 40min Beta and 20min Alpha be enough to hit the taget gravity?

Dmntd

 

[seeGarzz]

Re: Stanimirov's Porter

I think the Target gravity is fine, the Final Gravity will be hard to hit. When I make my Robust Porter (~1.065) I use 3lbs Munich and the rest Pale Malt. If my Final Gravity hits 1.013 I am very happy, it often stops around 1.016. I think this style, especially with the proportion of dark malts, really benefits from some additional residual sugar. The residual sugar adds some complexity to finished beer and really brings out some of the dark malts, especially the chocolate malt. I mash my Robust Porter at 149F and never do a stop for the Alpha conversion, I go right to mashout at 165F.

seeGarzz

 

[Dmntd]

Re: Stanimirov's Porter

BJCP Baltic Porter ~ O.G. 1.060 - 1.090 | F.G. 1.016 - 1.024
20 - 40 IBU | SRM 17 - 30 | ABV 5.5 - 9.5%

Okay, I see that 1.008 is quite low for the style, and would be to dry.

For this batch, I want to try a 2 stage mash to see what it yields.

Thank's for your input seeGarzz,

Dmntd

 

[Dmntd]

After mulling this around a while, I've pinned down the qualities I'm after in a Big Dark Ale

Aroma: Rich, deep and complex, slight malty sweetness with fruity esters, and alcohol. Roasted malt character of caramel, coffee and dark chocolate, but not burnt. Moderately strong and complex, dark fruit esters, like plums, prunes and raisins. No hops aroma. No sourness. Very smooth. Noticeable alcohol character, but not sharp, hot or solventy. No diacetyl.

Appearance: Very dark brown (not black). Thick deep tan to brown head, well-formed moderate to good retention. High alcohol and viscosity visible in "legs" when the beer is swirled in a glass. Clear.

Flavor: Rich, deep and complex, some malt sweetness, fruity esters, perhaps a hint of hop flavor, and alcohol. Medium-low bitterness just to provide balance. Moderate to moderately-high roasted malt flavors, bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate, strong coffee and caramel complexity. A prominent yet smooth roasted flavor that stops short of burnt. Fruity esters like, raisins, plums, or prunes. Alcohol strength which is evident, but not hot, sharp, or solventy. No diacetyl. A palate and finish that are relatively dry to somewhat sweet, with a lingering roastiness and warming character. Possibly developing vinous or port-like qualities with age.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied and smooth. Gentle warmth from alcohol that is noticeable. Medium-high carbonation, making it mouth-filling.

Overall: A very complex, intensely flavored, big, dark ale. Dark fruit and deep roasty flavors, leaning towards bittersweet, with a noticeable alcohol presence.

O.G. ~ 1.095+ | F.G. ~ 1.030+ | IBUs ~ 17 - 20 | SRM ~ 17 - 36 | ABV ~ 12+%

The question is, how do I get this?

Dmntd

 

[byathread]

Hey DMNTD,

Hope this went as planned. I like Amber and Brown malts to fill out the mid-range on porters and stouts. These aren't common malts anymore so if you can't get them locally, try www.northernbrewer.com. Not sure how much color you get out of the dark candi sugar, I prefer not to use it myself as it is expensive and doesn't compare I think to homemade carmelized sugar. But I think you may need more color grains to get to the very dark brown you're shooting for. If so, I like Weyerman's carafa malts as they are debittered black malts and give that great smooth roastiness found in Schwartzbiers.
Let me know how its going, man.


Cheers,
Kirk

PS - I really like your outline below of what you're looking for. The better idea you have of what you wanna brew the more likely you'll nail it on the head!