Low ABV Brown or Porter Recipe Wanted

[Moad]

I had a bit of a poke around but couldn't find anything. I did Dr Smurtos light amber from the recipe database and was very surprised at how well it came out, very tasty and to my relatively uneducated palate it wasn't far removed from a full strength.

I'd like to do a low ABV dark beer, be it a brown or a porter. I understand dark malts are less fermentable however I seem to remember reading you may get astringency from too high a mash temp with dark malts?

Does anyone have a tried and true recipe?

 

[nvs-brews]

grain or extract? grain im guessing?

 

[Moad]

sorry yeah grain

 

[nvs-brews]

sorry cant help then, still having a good time on extracts..
i will convert once ive moved house and have more time..

 

[manticle]

I've got a good dark mild recipe but basically the main trick for me with this kind of beer is to mash high and short. I do 70 degrees for 30 minutes only.

Start with a good base like Maris otter or a UK brown malt, add in a shade of toasty malts (I like biscuit or biscuit and aromatic together), colour to spec with a couple of different roasts to give it some dimension. For porter, I like about 50% of my roast to come from choc malt and the remainder from a 50:50 mix of roast barley and black. Some people don't like to use black or RB in a porter but if you keep the amounts minimal it stays out of overly roasty/stout territory. I also add in a small portion of good UK crystal malt. Sounds like a lot of malts but in the right amounts they all bring something to the final beer. Raisin from the crystal, toast from the biscuit, coffee from the roasts - basically raisin toast and coffee and who doesn't like raisin toast and coffee?

UK appropriate hop like styrians or EKG with a small late addition and some 1469.

Whatever recipe you go with, the short high mash enables you to get good flavour and body but keep the abv down.

 

[bullsneck]

For what it's worth, I did the Dr Smurto's Amber, but used oats (toasted for about 20mins in the oven) and darker crystal. Turned out very nice indeed. If the Light Amber is a recipe you like, alter it to suit your needs.

 

[manticle]

Forgot to add - you can cold steep the roast malts and add the grain and liquid to the last ten minutes of the mash - very smooth, non astringent roast character from doing this. Also enables you to get pH where you want it without adding chalk but that's a story for another time.

 

[Moad]

Manticle why only mash for 30 minutes?

 

[Moad]

This is my usual porter recipe (I normally add 100ml of Treacle syrup as well). Dropped the base malt and upped the brown, choc and crystal a little bit. Normally mash at 66 but upped to 67. Look OK for a base?

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 50.72 l
Post Boil Volume: 44.72 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 40.00 l   
Bottling Volume: 36.00 l
Estimated OG: 1.034 SG
Estimated Color: 47.0 EBC
Estimated IBU: 18.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 80.6 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
5.00 kg               Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC)         Grain         1        75.8 %        
0.60 kg               Brown Malt (128.1 EBC)                   Grain         2        9.1 %         
0.60 kg               Crystal Malt - 60L (Thomas Fawcett) (118 Grain         3        9.1 %         
0.40 kg               Chocolate Malt (Thomas Fawcett) (1000.8  Grain         4        6.1 %         
48.69 g               Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min         Hop           5        15.6 IBUs     
24.34 g               Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min         Hop           6        2.8 IBUs      
1.3 pkg               London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968) [124. Yeast         7        -             


Mash Schedule: Toad 3 Step Mash
Total Grain Weight: 6.60 kg
----------------------------
Name              Description                             Step Temperat Step Time     
Mash In           Add 25.71 l of water at 73.6 C          69.0 C        0 min         
Saccharification  Add 0.01 l of water and heat to 69.0 C  69.0 C        30 min        
Mash Out          Heat to 78.0 C over 11 min              78.0 C        10 min        

Sparge: Fly sparge with 40.11 l water at 78.0 C
Notes:
------

 

[O-beer-wan-kenobi]

I've got a good dark mild recipe but basically the main trick for me with this kind of beer is to mash high and short. I do 70 degrees for 30 minutes only.

Start with a good base like Maris otter or a UK brown malt, add in a shade of toasty malts (I like biscuit or biscuit and aromatic together), colour to spec with a couple of different roasts to give it some dimension. For porter, I like about 50% of my roast to come from choc malt and the remainder from a 50:50 mix of roast barley and black. Some people don't like to use black or RB in a porter but if you keep the amounts minimal it stays out of overly roasty/stout territory. I also add in a small portion of good UK crystal malt. Sounds like a lot of malts but in the right amounts they all bring something to the final beer. Raisin from the crystal, toast from the biscuit, coffee from the roasts - basically raisin toast and coffee and who doesn't like raisin toast and coffee?

UK appropriate hop like styrians or EKG with a small late addition and some 1469.

Whatever recipe you go with, the short high mash enables you to get good flavour and body but keep the abv down.

Manticle, is the 30 min mash because you get less extraction and efficiency from the mash or is it the high mash temp completes the starch conversion quicker?
I know low mash temps may need additional time to get the conversion and efficiency.

Manticle's advise on the recipe would see you right. I would start off with a dark mild recipe similar to the Brewing Classic styles recipe and maybe replace some of the malts with a touch of brown malt or chocolate malt. You would want to use a low attenuating yeast like 1968 or 1469.

Your recipe looks pretty good and I'm sure it would turn out a really good beer. For me I would prefer EKG hops and pull back on the chocolate malt a bit.

I make a few milds and this has got me thinking. I may give a low alcohol porter a go next time

 

[manticle]

The high temperature in the mash favours alpha amylase resulting in a dextrinous wort - thus you can use a good amount of malt but ensure the final gravity stays a touch high. Then you get full bodied, full flavoured beer rather than thin, watery beer.

Because alpha amylase works quicker than beta amylase and because beta can still be active (although not optimised and starting to denature) at that temperature, the idea behind the short mash is to totally favour alpha function and reduce the effect of beta. Beta can continue to work on sugar chains already broken down by alpha.

 

[Moad]

Ok gone on more of a modification of Smurtos light amber under instruction from the good dr and others (thanks gents).

Would be keen to put this through soon if anyone would be kind enough to continue the comments. It may be too much choc and brown but I want to get it dark and keep the ABV low so the %'s are coming out high.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 73.52 l
Post Boil Volume: 65.52 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 60.00 l   
Bottling Volume: 56.00 l
Estimated OG: 1.037 SG
Estimated Color: 39.7 EBC
Estimated IBU: 25.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 84.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
5.40 kg               Pale Malt, Traditional Ale (Joe White) ( Grain         1        55.7 %        
2.80 kg               Rye Malt (Weyermann) (5.9 EBC)           Grain         2        28.9 %        
0.75 kg               Brown Malt (128.1 EBC)                   Grain         3        7.7 %         
0.75 kg               Chocolate Malt (689.5 EBC)               Grain         4        7.7 %         
30.00 g               Challenger [7.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min      Hop           5        10.7 IBUs     
15.00 g               East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.00 %] - Boil Hop           6        3.6 IBUs      
38.00 g               Challenger [7.50 %] - Boil 20.0 min      Hop           7        8.2 IBUs      
23.00 g               Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 20.0 min         Hop           8        3.0 IBUs      
22.50 g               East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.00 %] - Boil Hop           9        0.0 IBUs      
8.0 pkg               London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968) [124. Yeast         10       -             


Mash Schedule: Temperature Mash, 2 Step, Full Body
Total Grain Weight: 9.70 kg
----------------------------
Name              Description                             Step Temperat Step Time     
Mash              Add 42.45 l of water at 74.1 C          70.0 C        30 min        
Mash Out          Heat to 78.0 C over 8 min               78.0 C        10 min        

Sparge: Fly sparge with 49.28 l water at 78.0 C
Notes:
------

 

[O-beer-wan-kenobi]

The high temperature in the mash favours alpha amylase resulting in a dextrinous wort - thus you can use a good amount of malt but ensure the final gravity stays a touch high. Then you get full bodied, full flavoured beer rather than thin, watery beer.

Because alpha amylase works quicker than beta amylase and because beta can still be active (although not optimised and starting to denature) at that temperature, the idea behind the short mash is to totally favour alpha function and reduce the effect of beta. Beta can continue to work on sugar chains already broken down by alpha.

Thanks manticle. I may give that a go next time.

Moad. I have never used Rye before so I can't give any sound advise on the recipe. Some others on here may be able to contribute more.I liked your previous recipe and would go with that and then adjust to your tastes. I suppose it comes down to what you are aiming for

 

[Mardoo]

Have a go at Manticle's Dark Mild Recipe from the database. It's an excellent recipe. Even got the approval of my CAMRA loving English father in law. Very flavorful.

 

[Moad]

Cheers gents, I may just have to try all 3!