# Style Of The Week 20/08/08 - Brown Porter



## Stuster (20/8/08)

This week, by request, a style that's wedged in between brown ale and robust porter, brown porter. This is a UK style that's bigger than a brown ale, but not as big or as roasty as a robust porter.

I haven't been able to turn up many threads on this topic, or links to any articles on it, but Jamil's show on brown porters is here. (Anybody got any more links?)

So any tips from those who've brewed this style. Grains? Hops? Kits and bits? Yeasts? Any commercial version you love?

Tell us all you know so we can make great beer. :chug: 

From the BJCP.



> 12A. Brown Porter
> 
> Aroma: Malt aroma with mild roastiness should be evident, and may have a chocolaty quality. May also show some non-roasted malt character in support (caramelly, grainy, bready, nutty, toffee-like and/or sweet). English hop aroma moderate to none. Fruity esters moderate to none. Diacetyl low to none.
> 
> ...


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## bconnery (20/8/08)

I did up one of these recently that I think was close to style. 
Whatever the case the keg really didn't last very long...
I like what I guess are brown porters, more on the sweet side than a good solid robust porter. 

This had a nice choc character...

Recipe: Pregnant Pauses Porter
Brewer: Mooshells
Asst Brewer: 
Style: Brown Porter
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0) 

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 21.00 L 
Boil Size: 34.00 L
Estimated OG: 1.044 SG
Estimated Color: 49.2 EBC
Estimated IBU: 27.7 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 70 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU 
3800.00 gm Pale Malt - Perle (6.3 EBC) Grain 85.88 % 
250.00 gm Crystal, Medium (Bairds) (150.0 EBC) Grain 5.65 % 
200.00 gm Caraaroma (Weyermann) (350.7 EBC) Grain 4.52 % 
125.00 gm Carafa Special II (Weyermann) (817.6 EBC) Grain 2.82 % 
50.00 gm Black Malt (Bairds) (1350.0 EBC) Grain 1.13 % 
15.00 gm Green Bullet [11.00 %] (45 min) Hops 20.4 IBU 
25.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.40 %] (15 min) Hops 7.3 IBU 
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale


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## TidalPete (20/8/08)

Got nothing to add to this thread as I have never done a Brown Porter although I have just pinched your recipe for future reference Ben.  
Good to see that you are using Nottingham. A great yeast for all Porters & Stouts I reckon.

TP :beer:


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## drsmurto (20/8/08)

Always struggled with what to call my dark ales. It wasnt until i looked up the style guidelines and stumbled across brown porters that i realised thats what i was prob closest to making. Up until that point i had been entering them as ESBs and dealing with the fact the colour was out!

So i was hoping others out there had opinions/experience on this style. Last winter Grumpys had a beer called Black Betty on tao (and on the handpull) that i loved that was probably a brown porter rather than a robust porter.

Anyway, the 'dark ale' i have on tap now

Recipe: 75 Dark Ale
Brewer: DrSmurto
Asst Brewer: 
Style: Brown Porter
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0) 

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 25.00 L 
Boil Size: 33.55 L
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 50.0 EBC
Estimated IBU: 33.5 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount  Item Type % or IBU 
5.25 kg Pale Malt, Traditional Ale (Joe White) (5.Grain 85.37 % 
0.25 kg Amber Malt (Bairds) (100.0 EBC) Grain 4.07 % 
0.25 kg Chocolate Malt (Bairds) (1100.0 EBC) Grain 4.07 % 
0.25 kg Wheat Malt, Pale (Weyermann) (3.9 EBC) Grain 4.07 % 
0.15 kg Crystal, Dark (Bairds) (240.0 EBC) Grain 2.44 % 
50.00 gm Fuggles [5.40 %] (60 min) Hops 24.6 IBU 
30.00 gm Fuggles [5.40 %] (20 min) Hops 8.9 IBU 
25.00 gm Fuggles [5.40 %] (20 min) (Aroma Hop-SteeHops - 
0.50 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 
1 Pkgs London Ale (Wyeast Labs #1028) 

The OG is just over the limit.....

and the one i plan on doing next 

Recipe: 83 Brown Betty
Brewer: DrSmurto
Asst Brewer: 
Style: Brown Porter
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0) 

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 20.00 L 
Boil Size: 27.10 L
Estimated OG: 1.051 SG
Estimated Color: 55.7 EBC
Estimated IBU: 32.2 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU 
3.40 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 72.34 % 
0.50 kg Munich I (Weyermann) (14.0 EBC) Grain 10.64 % 
0.30 kg Chocolate Malt, Pale (Bairds) (500.0 EBC) Grain 6.38 % 
0.20 kg Crystal, Medium (Barret Burston)) (180.0 EGrain 4.26 % 
0.20 kg Wheat Malt, Pale (Weyermann) (3.9 EBC) Grain 4.26 % 
0.10 kg Black Malt (Bairds) (1300.0 EBC) Grain 2.13 % 
22.00 gm Target [9.10 %] (60 min) Hops 25.2 IBU 
25.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.50 %] (15 min) Hops 7.0 IBU 
0.50 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 
1 Pkgs London Ale (Wyeast Labs #1028)


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## drsmurto (21/8/08)

*BUMP*

Wow, the first new Style of the week in a while and bugger all responses.

Does that mean noone brews brown porters?

FWIW, here's a recipe for Fullers London Porter i pinched from Jims Beerkit

FULLERS LONDON PORTER According to Real Ale Almanac

25 litre batch OG 1053 ABV 5% 140 units of colour 33 EBU

OPTIC PALE MALT 4300 gms
CRYSTAL MALT 568 gms
BROWN MALT 683 gms
CHOCOLATE MALT 115 gms

HOPS 90 minute boil

FUGGLES 86 gms

Add 10 gms Fuggles last 15 minutes

Use Wyeast 1968 London ESB yeast.

12% brown malt, 10% crystal seems like a lot. I am assuming this is a more historical brown porter?


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## Stuster (21/8/08)

Yeh, that's more of a historical porter there, Dr S. Would be nice, but might be best with a little age on it with that amount of brown malt. That does look a tasty recipe.

I know Trent's brewed a very nice brown porter so hopefully he'll put in his 20c at some point (along with a recipe :super: ).

Your one looks the goods to me. The first one looks great, although maybe too much late hopping. (Did I really just say that? :blink: :lol: ) That's some dark chocolate malt there. Does it contribute a chocolate character?


The second one looks more experimental. I guess I think the first one looks better, though the second one is interesting and could work very well. I guess it depends if you want a bit more bite with the black malt or more chocolate.


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## drsmurto (21/8/08)

Picked up some JW choc chit malt this week - woudl the extra sweetness and more choc type flavours from this malt go well in this style? Never used this grain before so keen to give it a go. 

I find the bairds choc and even the pale choc give more of a coffee flavour than choc. Hoping the choc chit throws up something different.


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## Stuster (21/8/08)

Right. Never used that Bairds chocolate, though I like the light choc. Also never used the choc chit but this is what Wes Smith has to say about it.



> Choc Chit is an 800 EBC chocolate malt - a bit lighter in colour than Carafa 2. You would normally use it in place of a Chocolate Malt to take advantage of its lower astringency properties. The malt is a cross between a roasted malt and roasted barley, technically a roasted malt though. Joe White developed Choc Chit to take advantage of the milder roasted flavour Chit Malt presents when roasted.





> Chocolate Chit Malt or "Choc Chit" as we know it, is a roasted chit malt (Chit or chitting is the stage in germination of the barley where the rootlets begin to emerge from the tip of the grain) that has been removed from the germination boxes as a partly germinated "green" malt and then roasted in the normal way. With a colour of 800 EBC, Choc Chit offers a mild to low level of astringency and a medium coffee flavour. Great for porters and schwartzbier styles where a strong colour is needed without the development of astringent notes.



Let us know how it goes.


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## bconnery (21/8/08)

The choc chit sounds about right for a brown porter to me, I'd always wondered what the deal was with it. 
I like carafa special for the smoother character it brings, I pretty much use it as my 'chocolate' malt all the time, and that sounds like it will bring a similar character. 
Pale chocolate is definitely more coffee like. It's a nice malt. 

The key for me is to get a nice caramel sweetness underneath. Not cloying, but a good solid background with some chocolate in there and then hint of roast flavour. 

I can't remember who recommended caraaroma, someone on here, but I think it definitely worked well. 
Next time I'm definitely adding some brown and/or amber but I'll stick a similar combo of caramel/choc based malts. 

I've been meaning to use some Fuggles again so that might be a good opportunity.


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## Stubbie (21/8/08)

That Fullers London Porter recipe is similar to the one I have planned. My dark ales so far have been ok ish, but not sensational. Hoping to improve on my past performance with the next attempt. Just happen to be low on grain ATM  Hangin' for the Melb grain BB  

(21L)
3.7 kg JW Ale Malt
0.35 kg Bairds Brown Malt
0.35 kg Wey Caramunich II
0.25 kg Wey Carafa Special I
Bitter w Northern Brewer, Flavour w Willamette to approx 30IBU.
Wyeast 1028

I should probably replace the Caramunich II with Bairds Crystal?

Stubbie


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## mje1980 (21/8/08)

My best beer i have ever brewed fits this style. Absolutely delicious. Here it is. 

1.051
25.8 IBU

Whitbread ale

82.1% MO
7.2% Choc malt ( bairds )
5.1% Caramunich 3
2.1% Brown
2.5% Melanoiden
1% Smoked malt ( Weyermann )

15g Northdown ( 6.5% ) 60 mins
10g Willamette ( 4.9% ) 60 mins
20g Willamette FWH

Didn't last long i can tell you!!. 

Oh, and the choc malt was added at the last 15 mins of the mash. Makes a smoother roast flavour.


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## mje1980 (21/8/08)

I find the caramunich malts much smoother than the english crystal malts. Better aroma too. I love them :icon_cheers:


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## Luka (21/8/08)

Alrighty guys,

I was just planning to brew one of these so this topic is timely.
I'm looking for a good extract with specialty grains recipe.
What I have on hand is
Light and Amber malt extract (unhopped, dry variety)
Crystal malt
Choc Malt
Black patent
Some Challenger and EKG hops too

Should I avoid using the black patent, cause I've heard small amounts add flavour as well as colour.

Any advice?

Cheers


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## mje1980 (21/8/08)

Luka said:


> Alrighty guys,
> 
> I was just planning to brew one of these so this topic is timely.
> I'm looking for a good extract with specialty grains recipe.
> ...



Yep, dont use the black patent, you're getting into Robust porter territory then. Everything else looks good, though i have no advice on extracts. Definately use those hops too.


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## lagers44 (22/8/08)

I was going through Terry Foster's book on Porter recently and spyed this recipe for brown porter.

19L OG-1045 FG-1.010-1.011 IBU-27

3.1kg Ale malt
227g Crystal
28g Chocolate Malt
85g Black malt

27IBU bittering hops Galena (12%) 60min
28g Hallerauer flame out

Mash at 66 - 68C

I'll have to add this to my brew list.

Lagers


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## Steve (22/8/08)

Stuster said:


> I know Trent's brewed a very nice brown porter so hopefully he'll put in his 20c at some point (along with a recipe :super: ).



I cornered trent for his brown porter recipe that he used in last years NSW Xmas Case swap. He swore it was just ale malt (I think marris otter) and a dash (500gms) of chocolate malt and nothing else. It was a pearler.
Cheers
Steve


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## Stuster (22/8/08)

Steve said:


> I cornered trent for his brown porter recipe that he used in last years NSW Xmas Case swap. He swore it was just ale malt (I think marris otter) and a dash (500gms) of chocolate malt and nothing else. It was a pearler.



Right. Good info there, Steve. Simple recipe and a great beer. :icon_cheers:


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## goatherder (22/8/08)

+1 for Trent's Brown Porter, it was a cracker. Simple is often best.


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## RobboMC (27/11/08)

The Porter in my fridge never seems to last very long.

For a simple boil and extract brew:

Muntons Nut Brown Ale ( should be called Nut Black it's so dark )
2 kg Morgans Caramalt
1 kg light liquid malt extract boiled with 50g Goldings for 20 to 30 min

5.5% abv in 23 litres

Yeast of choice but the kit yeast makes decent beer as pictured in my avatar.

First made to celebrate the birth of our baby girl, now the standard fare at all our house celebrations.


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## bum (1/5/09)

Sorry for the un-necessary bump.

Bringing something to Chappo's attention.


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## sponge (19/2/15)

Let's go grave diggin'!

Looking at a hybrid brown porter for tomorrow night, and using up a bunch of spec and base malts and using yeast I have on hand as (one of) the last brews before moving house. The spec malts should add a nice little complexity to the pils malt.

Not to style, but I'm not concerned. 

40% Munich 
40% pils
5% dark xtal
5% choc (cold steep)
4% victory 
3% brown
3% spec b

Willamette @ FWH 

1.047
27IBUs
1450

Should be a bit sweet, a bit nutty with a slight bit of chocolate. I've never been a man of style, my wardrobe and the Mrs can back me up on that.


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