Ale Into A Porter

[sluggerdog]

I've got a mate who wants to start out brewing and mentioned that his first brew he would like to make a porter.

Anyway after looking st HB kit reviews it seems there isn't many porter cans around or atleast at that is good.

So I was thinking maybe I could get him to use an dark ale kit such as the coopers or morgans and step it up a bit with some steeped roasted barley or chocolate malt? (can these be steeped?)

What would your suggestions be?

being his first kit I don't want to get into extract or mashing at all but steeping is fine.

Maybe something like this:

-Coopers Dark Ale
-1kg of Dark Dried Malt
-50 grams of roast barley steeped (I have a available: roasted barley, chocolate malt, black malt or dark crystal)
-1098 british ale yeast (already in my fridge)

Never done a porter before so not much experience here.

Cheers :beer:

 

[Duff]

G'day SD,

My dad brews as well but only sticks to the kits, loves his dark beers. A couple of months ago I was visiting and took him an ESB 3kg Stout kit and 250gm of chocolate malt I had in stock. We cold steeped the malt overnight in the fridge and simply mixed it up the next day. Those kits don't need anything else, just dump, add water and stir, and maybe for a porter style you could add a couple of litres more of water. I didn't get to try it, but he really enjoyed it. Even came with S-04 yeast. Couldn't be easier.

Cheers.

 

[barls]

why not just buy the tcb wet pack porter its just what your after mate its an extract and some grain to steep, all with easy directions to follow

 

[sluggerdog]

why not just buy the tcb wet pack porter its just what your after mate its an extract and some grain to steep, all with easy directions to follow

[post="88040"][/post]​

yeah this one seems like the best choice however I want to do something that is readily available around here (QLD)
So the coopers or morgans kits seem like the best choice.

We could give the Cascade Chocolate Mohogany Porter a crack but it doesn't seem to rate too well...


SAME goes for the ESB kit however that is an option, I think my local sells ESB... Anyone tried watering down a stout kit?

 

[barls]

good point mate they do mail order. i made this one and its great. but like you said your after whats available up there. ive done the esb stout as a Guinness clone it was very strong in taste but my mum liked it.

 

[Mothballs]

Sluggerdog, I have recently done a couple of kit beers trying to emulate JS Porter which would be my favourite commercial beer. I have used a lighter base kit and made additions of dark grains and have had pretty good results. They are not to style as i used a lager yeast with both so they are more dark lagers than porter. However I believe that JS porter is fermented with a lager yeast anyway.

version 1
Tooheys real ale kit 1.7kg
1kg ultra brew (500 light dme,250 maltodextrin, 250 dextrose)
100g roasted barley
50g chocolate malt
50g med crystal malt
10g fuggles hop pellets
saflager 34/70

Steep the grain for 20-30 min and strain off liquid. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 min with hops.

version 2
Morgans qld bitter kit 1.7kg
1kg light dme
500g wheat dme
250g roasted barley
100g med crystal malt
100g chocolate malt
15g tettnanger hop pellets
saflager s23

Steep the grain for 20-30 min and strain off liquid. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 min with hops.

In hindsight the I would reduce the roast barley in the 2nd version to 100/150g. But both are great drinking and full of rich roasty flavour.

Cheers
:beer:
Mothballs

 

[sluggerdog]

Thanks Mothballs, looks like something I can work from.

I only have halleratu, saaz, cascade or tettang hops here at the moment so was planing on not adding any hops at all.

Maybe this:
Tooheys real ale kit 1.7kg (or coopers or morgans)
500 grams DDME
500 grams LDME
100 grams dark crystal
100 grams chocolate malt
50 grams black malt

 

[Mothballs]

sounds good.

:beer:

 

[sluggerdog]

OK here we go again:

how about this for something super simple for his first brew:

Morgans Iron Bark Dark Ale
Morgans Master Blend Chocolate Malt

Dump and Stir...

Sounds ok?



Master Blend Chocolate Malt

Aromas and colours in a world of their own

A light roasted flavour and aroma. Chocolate Malt is very useful when making any of the darker styles of beer, where a mild roasted flavour is desired. Dark Munich, German Dark Bock, Porters, Brown Ales and Dunkelweizen are among the beer types where chocolate would be utilised.

Contains 15% Chocolate Malt Grain and 85% Munich Malt Grain being 200g Chocolate grain and 1150g Munich.

Colour added 1kg Master Blend in 23 litres 21.6 ebc.



Iron Bark Dark Ale

BEERS TO BOAST ABOUT

From Australias outback, the character and strength of the great Iron Bark Tree typifies Morgans Iron Bark Dark Ale. Powered up with special dark crystal malt, a hearty caramel flavor with deep aroma and nutty overtones.

Color in 23 litres ebc 65.5 bitterness 25 IBU.


FROM HERE:
http://www.morgansbrewing.com.au/

 

[apd]

The Grain and Grape sight has a simple enhanced kit version of a London Robust Porter:
http://www.grainandgrape.com.au/BeerOTMont...gers_entire.htm

 

[sluggerdog]

Thanks apd, gives me something to think about.

 

[delboy]

well i was at GMK's AG day five weeks ago and he introduced me to partials .we made a london porter partial as a little experiment for me to learn the art of making better beers.
what can i say i am having one right now and its goooood .

we used a tin of goo (cascade chocolate mahogony porter) and a goliath london poert pack.
and dry hopped in the secondary with some fuggles 20 gms, ekg20gms, and pride of ring wood plugs x 2

after 8 days primary and 14 days secondary 7 of which were in the refer i primed a kingkeg pressure barrel with 240 gms of dbs soft and matured for 2 weeks at room temp .
just served up a glass at 11.75 degs c and it was acting like one of thoughs guiness cans with a widget after it settel the taste test began and boy its a winner .
now saying that i should have botteled 6 of these and entered them in next years comp to get them judged and let the critics have ther say .i am very proud of this one and alot of thanks goes out to GMK and all you guys on the forum for all your help .
thank you fellow beer junkies with out this forum i would still be making crappy kits that i thought were great .

delboy :beer:

 

[ColdBeerLuke]

we used a tin of goo (cascade chocolate mahogony porter) and a goliath london poert pack.


delboy :beer:

[post="88148"][/post]​

Where is the Goliath London Porter pack?
Couldn't find it on their website.

 

[delboy]

just give bill a ring and he will make it up for you .

ken fro the barossa brewers club got him to make it up for me so i am sure he will know what you are talking about
del

 

[ColdBeerLuke]

just give bill a ring and he will make it up for you .

ken fro the barossa brewers club got him to make it up for me so i am sure he will know what you are talking about
del

[post="88242"][/post]​

Cheers.
:beer:

 

[RichLum]

how about this for something super simple for his first brew:

Morgans Iron Bark Dark Ale
Morgans Master Blend Chocolate Malt

Dump and Stir...

Sounds ok?

I use those 2 cans and also add 250gm dry dark malt, 250 gm maltodextrin, 250 gm choc grain and some kent goldings in the primary just before pitching the yeast.
S-04 yeast

One of my favourite beers. Reasonably close to the JS porter.

Rich

 

[delboy]

yes mine turned out at about 6.5%
it is rich and full bodied with a superb head and smooth as a babies bum (not that i have a fetish for babies bums)
no it would be a real winner this one I would like to just get it judged at a comp dont care if i didnt win or placed but the feed back would be nice.
delboy

 

[sluggerdog]

Was re-thinking this and because the mate who is going to do this brew does not drink much beer i though maybe we could do a half batch using the can, some grains and nothing else.

Anyone has much experiance with this? how much water would I want to add to a 1.7 litre dark ale with maybe some chocolate malt steeped in? around 14 litres sound right?

Cheers

 

[Wassa]

Slugger,

Try the following:

1 x cascade Mahogany Porter kit
1kg of dark dry malt
500gm of yellow box honey and 20gm of cascade hop pellets added at end of mixing.

I made this and it is a bloody great drop.

Wassa

 

[sluggerdog]

Still have not done this as my mate is still collecting his bottles. We have it planned for next friday arvo.

I went and got him:

Morgans Old
Morgans Master Blend Chocolate Malt

Was thinking of maybe steeping some black malt or dark crystal malt, how much would you recommend and would you say one over the other?

Just to beef it up a little.