Dark Ale Request

[drsmurto]

EDIT - I spent the last hour searching the forum for dark ale recipes and really had very little luck. Need to learn how to use google or equiv to do more targeted searches.....


G'day brewsters

About to move into my new house so the fermenters will be released from storage. My dark/porter stocks are pitiful and wont last me the winter so am looking for a few dark ale and/or porter recipes. I dont mind drinking the cooper dark ale or the tooheys black ale but think i could do better. And just to challenge you lot i dont want to start with a tin of dark ale or porter! I have 2 lager kits in the cupboard so want to use them as a base. A few other limitations to really get you to dig into your knowledge base...

I dont do sugar, all malt, all the way. :beerbang:

Spec grain a must.

Hops - i have 90g of fuggles and a few others (cascade, amarillo).

Generally use a dry yeast (US56 or S-04).

My last porter is a tasty drop so this is to show you the sort of level i am up to in my brewing. Have done full extract but want to use the lager kits up and as a famous bloke on another forum once said - 'life's too short for lagers - Ed' B)

Recipe
1 can Coopers lager
1kg dried dark malt extract
500g weyermann carafa special 2 malt - steeped for 30 mins at ~68degC
500g Honey (blue gum)
25g POR @ 30 mins
20g Cascade @ flameout
US-56 yeast

OG 1.046 FG 1014 ABV 4.8%

So many experienced brewers here i am sure that this will be a breeze. Just scored a sexy 16L heavy duty pot for my bday (did ask for 40L but that apparently would have broken the budget) so a decent boil with kit added at flameout is do-able.

Cheers and dark beers
DrSmurto

 

[THE DRUNK ARAB]

My last porter is a tasty drop so this is to show you the sort of level i am up to in my brewing. Have done full extract but want to use the lager kits up and as a famous bloke on another forum once said - 'life's too short for lagers - Ed' B)

Recipe
1 can Coopers lager
1kg dried dark malt extract
500g weyermann carafa special 2 malt - steeped for 30 mins at ~68degC
500g Honey (blue gum)
25g POR @ 30 mins
20g Cascade @ flameout
US-56 yeast

OG 1.046 FG 1014 ABV 4.8%

So many experienced brewers here i am sure that this will be a breeze. Just scored a sexy 16L heavy duty pot for my bday (did ask for 40L but that apparently would have broken the budget) so a decent boil with kit added at flameout is do-able.

Cheers and dark beers
DrSmurto

Cripes!!

500grams of Carafa 2 I would have thought might stand out likes dogs bollocks in that recipe.

I would recommend getting hold of some TF or Bairds Pale Chocolate malt and use 300grams of that and maybe 70 to 100grams of Carafa 2. Even 300grams of medium crystal malt wouldn't go astray as well.
Then use your Fuggles hops for bittering and flavour additions and if you can afford liquid yeast try Wyeast 1968 or even 1028.

I could be way off here as I haven't brewed a kit dark beer for years but I am sure others on here could help out.

C&B
TDA

 

[drsmurto]

Cripes!!

500grams of Carafa 2 I would have thought might stand out likes dogs bollocks in that recipe.

I would recommend getting hold of some TF or Bairds Pale Chocolate malt and use 300grams of that and maybe 70 to 100grams of Carafa 2. Even 300grams of medium crystal malt wouldn't go astray as well.
Then use your Fuggles hops for bittering and flavour additions and if you can afford liquid yeast try Wyeast 1968 or even 1028.

I could be way off here as I haven't brewed a kit dark beer for years but I am sure others on here could help out.

C&B
TDA

Thought it might have been a tad too much but damn tasty - i just need to find some Adelaide brewers to test it out on to see how my K&Ks stand up to the harsh criticism of people that drink good beer. My mates find a lot of my beers too hoppy but they are carlton draught and CPA drinkers so hardly surprising. I am keen to leanr more about balancing the hops/malt in beers... need to hook up with the grumpys crew next time me thinks.

Good tips TDA, havent used choc malt yet so good enough excuse!

 

[Velophile]

Cripes!!

500grams of Carafa 2 I would have thought might stand out likes dogs bollocks in that recipe.

I would recommend getting hold of some TF or Bairds Pale Chocolate malt and use 300grams of that and maybe 70 to 100grams of Carafa 2. Even 300grams of medium crystal malt wouldn't go astray as well.
Then use your Fuggles hops for bittering and flavour additions and if you can afford liquid yeast try Wyeast 1968 or even 1028.

I could be way off here as I haven't brewed a kit dark beer for years but I am sure others on here could help out.

C&B
TDA

I'd say TDA is spot on.

All my kit based Porters had a few hundred grams of JW dark crystal, Choc & a smaller amount of Roast in varying amounts.
I'm liking the batch made with SO4 more than the US56 too.

 

[drsmurto]

Not too sure of the difference between porters and dark ales. IBUs?

Cheers for the tips - keep 'em coming

 

[Adamt]

Its a bit of a hand-wavey thing, discerning dark ales/black ales/porters. I see a porter as a black ale, more roastiness than a dark ale but less roastiness than a stout. I'd think around 1-2% roast barley would be about in the middle.

However... if you don't do sugar, why the honey?

Ditch the honey and use something more dark like molasses or golden syrup, even brown sugar.

Adam.

 

[drsmurto]

Its a bit of a hand-wavey thing, discerning dark ales/black ales/porters. I see a porter as a black ale, more roastiness than a dark ale but less roastiness than a stout. I'd think around 1-2% roast barley would be about in the middle.

However... if you don't do sugar, why the honey?

Ditch the honey and use something more dark like molasses or golden syrup, even brown sugar.

Adam.

Adamt - the honey porter was a bit of fun, was trying to see what a bit of honey did to a heavier beer.

roastiness ay. I like hand-wavey descriptions. Bit of this, bit of that. Maybe its why i have had trouble trying to define a beer as one or the other. But halfway between dark and stout sounds about right.

 

[simpletotoro]

hi...
you could try a coffee stout for something a little different links below...

http://www.stoutbillys.com/stout/recipens/...t)/1013F2A2.htm
http://www.stoutbillys.com/stout/recipens/...t)/E279E816.htm

they seem to satisfy your requirements...except the lager tins...maybe just do what you did in your example then modify the recipes to suit ...hope it helps

cheers simpletotoro

 

[petesbrew]

I've got a dark ale in mind and would just like to bounce this recipe off you guys for feedback

Tooheys Dark Ale kit
1.5kg DLME
150g Choc grain (steeped for 30min)
20g Goldings (10min)
Safale S04 yeast

I have some molasses handy (maybe use 100-150g) but will probably pass on it.
:chug:

 

[Brownie]

A good recipe that I have used:

1 Can Coopers Dark Ale;
Safale S-04 Yeast (11g Satchet)
50G Dark Brown Sugar
150G Corn Syrup
500g LDME
500g DDME
Tea Bag Tettnanger Hops
Tea Bag Goldings Hops.

Re-hydratred Safale Yeast for 30 Mins.

Boiled (Hgh Simmer really) DDME, LDME, DBS, Corn Syrup, Kit Yeast and Tettnanger Hops for 30 Mins. Turned off heat added Goldings Hops and left sit for 10 Mins. Added Coopers Dark Ale Can, gave a damn good stir, poured into Fermenter, added cold water to 23 Litres.

Added Yeast and left for two weeks to ferment

Starting Gravity - 1044
Left in Secondary for 2 weeks
Final Gravity - 1014

Bulk primed with 30g Corn Syrup and 150g LDME and bottled on 10 September 2006.

Been tasting this drop over the Xmas break and it is damn good, nice head, good flavour.

Brownie.

 

[WillM]

This one worked for me.

1 can coopers Dark Ale
1kg light dried malt (coopers)
US56

Tastes great & could not be easier

 

[simpletotoro]

I've got a dark ale in mind and would just like to bounce this recipe off you guys for feedback

Tooheys Dark Ale kit
1.5kg DLME
150g Choc grain (steeped for 30min)
20g Goldings (10min)
Safale S04 yeast

I have some molasses handy (maybe use 100-150g) but will probably pass on it.
:chug:

hi...i've read somewhere that you shouldn't use more then say 30g molasses...but like i say i've only read it not based on anything i actually know.
cheers simpletotoro

 

[drsmurto]

So i have finally moved in and unpacked and am ready to unleash the fermenters.

Would like to use up some kits that i have lying around.

Black Rock mexican lager
Black Rock colonial lager

I was planning on treating these as simply tins of malt with the required bitterness and then add the colour etc thru additions of what you have recommended above.

250-300g of choc malt
250g medium crystal
100g golden syrup
How much roast barley and can this be steeped with the choc and crystal?
Fuggles hops for flavour, say 25g at 30 mins and another 15g at flameout.
Yeast - S04

Trying to find out the IBU of these blackrock kits. Hoping that the extra bitterness i want in a dark ale is supplied by these tins otherwise will do a longer boil with extra hops.

ANy hints/tips suggestions? Got some EKG on the way......

Cheers
DrSmurto

 

[drsmurto]

*BUMP*

EKG arrived from Ross yesterday along with 5 other bags of hops. Am in heaven!

Was thinking that i could convert the above recipe into a mini mash with 1.5kg of pale malt and cold steep the choc malt (and maybe 100g of roast barley) overnight. Reading through the recipe section it appears the EKG are preferred to fuggles for the dark beers?

Am i way off?

Cheers
DrSmurto

 

[petesbrew]

I've got a dark ale in mind and would just like to bounce this recipe off you guys for feedback

Tooheys Dark Ale kit
1.5kg DLME
150g Choc grain (steeped for 30min)
20g Goldings (10min)
Safale S04 yeast

I have some molasses handy (maybe use 100-150g) but will probably pass on it.
:chug:

Mixed it up over easter (leaving out the molasses). Tasted late last week and it tastes fantastic. Nice, rich and chocolatey.
Good luck drSmurto. yours sounds good

 

[3GumsBrewing]

Hi All,

The very very kind SWMBO picked up two cans of Tooheys Dark Ale from the supermarket for me on Monday (they were on sale and she can't resist a bargain!).

I have been doing BIAB recently and my grain stocks are totally depleted so I thought I would give the cans a go.
I have been racking my brain as to what sort of recipe I can come up with. Here is what I have got so far -

Ingredients -
2 Can 1.7 Tooheys Classic Dark Ale
Approx 60g Perle
Approx 20g Cascade
500g clover honey
2x Kit yeast (no idea what it is)

Method -
Boil 1 tin in 7L water for 60min
30g Perle @ 30
500g honey @ 10
20g Cascade @ 5

Cool, add to fermenter. Dump remaining tin into fermenter. Top up to 23L with water.
Pitch both packets of yeast. Ferment at 18deg.

What do you reckon guys?

Beers
YN

 

[petesbrew]

Hi All,

The very very kind SWMBO picked up two cans of Tooheys Dark Ale from the supermarket for me on Monday (they were on sale and she can't resist a bargain!).

I have been doing BIAB recently and my grain stocks are totally depleted so I thought I would give the cans a go.
I have been racking my brain as to what sort of recipe I can come up with. Here is what I have got so far -

Ingredients -
2 Can 1.7 Tooheys Classic Dark Ale
Approx 60g Perle
Approx 20g Cascade
500g clover honey
2x Kit yeast (no idea what it is)

Method -
Boil 1 tin in 7L water for 60min
30g Perle @ 30
500g honey @ 10
20g Cascade @ 5

Cool, add to fermenter. Dump remaining tin into fermenter. Top up to 23L with water.
Pitch both packets of yeast. Ferment at 18deg.

What do you reckon guys?

Beers
YN

I reckon you've got a great wife!!!

 

[3GumsBrewing]

I reckon you've got a great wife!!!

LOL, yep. As long as the brewing takes place out in the shed, she is very supportive!!

 

[brettprevans]

A good recipe that I have used:

1 Can Coopers Dark Ale;
Safale S-04 Yeast (11g Satchet)
50G Dark Brown Sugar
150G Corn Syrup
500g LDME
500g DDME
Tea Bag Tettnanger Hops
Tea Bag Goldings Hops.

Re-hydratred Safale Yeast for 30 Mins.

Boiled (Hgh Simmer really) DDME, LDME, DBS, Corn Syrup, Kit Yeast and Tettnanger Hops for 30 Mins. Turned off heat added Goldings Hops and left sit for 10 Mins. Added Coopers Dark Ale Can, gave a damn good stir, poured into Fermenter, added cold water to 23 Litres.

Added Yeast and left for two weeks to ferment

Starting Gravity - 1044
Left in Secondary for 2 weeks
Final Gravity - 1014

Bulk primed with 30g Corn Syrup and 150g LDME and bottled on 10 September 2006.

Been tasting this drop over the Xmas break and it is damn good, nice head, good flavour.

Brownie.

Stupid question. whats the theory behind boiling the fermentables then adding to fermenter? is it sort of like a partial mash theory?

 

[Tyred]

Sanitize the fermentables and to mix them really well together.
Also, I think you get better utilization of the hops than you would from just boiling them in water.
The kit yeast is added as an extra bit of food for the yeast that are added later on.