Porter Recipe advice

[mosto]

Hi all,

Just after some advice on a Porter recipe. In my K&K days a made a beautiful Porter using a Cascade Chocolate Mahogany Porter tin with some Choc grain and Fuggles. Yeast was S04 from memory. It had a beautiful choc/caramel flavour.

With the cooler weather coming on, I grabbed case of James Squires Jack Of Spades Porter, which reminded me I really need to have a crack at brewing a Porter of my own. The Jack Of Spades has probably more coffee than caramel compared to my k&k attempt, but that's roughly the flavour I'm chasing.

Here's the recipe I've come up with:

Parkes Road Porter (Brown Porter)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.050 (°P): 12.4
Final Gravity (FG): 1.013 (°P): 3.3
Alcohol (ABV): 4.91 %
Colour (SRM): 23.6 (EBC): 46.5
Bitterness (IBU): 30.9 (Average - No Chill Adjusted)

80% Maris Otter Malt
10% Caramunich III
5% Chocolate
5% Melanoidin

1.5 g/L East Kent Golding (4.7% Alpha) @ 40 Minutes (Boil)
1 g/L East Kent Golding (4.7% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)
1 g/L Fuggles (5.7% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)


Single step Infusion at 67°C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 40 Minutes

Fermented at 18°C with WLP002 - English Ale


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

My main questions:

I've never used Melanoidin, but have read it provides a richness and fullness, which I think would lend itself to the flavour profile I'm after. Would this be correct, or it is wildly out of place in a Porter.

Secondly, am I better off to bitter with the EKG or Fuggles?

Any other suggestions/tips most appreciated.

 

[The Village Idiot]

Not sure you need the melanoidin... I'm no expert. Why only a 40 min boil??

 

[mosto]

I no chill so a 40 min hop addition is effectively a 60 min addition, so boiling for the extra 20 min isn't really necessary in my case. Just saves time and a bit if boil off.

 

[mosto]

Just a bump to see if the Friday crowd have anything to offer.

 

[yum beer]

I would drop the melanoidin by 2% and up the choc equally, I don't think you need the melanoidin but give it a go.
EKG is my go to for bittering porters and stouts, EKG and Fuggles for flavour/aroma is fine.

 

[mosto]

Thanks yum.

I was using Melanoidin and Caramunich as I have them on hand, but I'll need to get some Chocolate grain in anyway so, after a bit more research, I think I'll get some Brown Malt as well and sub that in for the Melanoidin and Caramunich, and up the Choc a bit as per yum's suggestion.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

+1 for brown malt. That stuff defines porters for me.

 

[pat86]

I've used both hops but not to any expert level. That said from looking at pitting together porter and English ale recipes it seems most people prefer fuggles for early bittering and EKG for early to late additions. Fuggles can be pretty earthy, which is why, I aassume, but I'll let the experts chime in.

 

[fletcher]

i'm no expert but i'd keep the fuggles early and your EKG for flavour and aroma. fuggles late has a real distinct dirt-water taste to my palate.

 

[warra48]

Forget the Melanoidin, you don't need it with all that Maris Otter.
Drop the Caramunich III to about 6 or 7 %.
Add about 8% or so Brown Malt, and adjust the Maris Otter to get back to 100%.

Why a 40 minute boil? Just because you are no chilling and your hops at 40 min give the same IBU as at 60 min with no chill (not sure of this is accurate, just repeating what you quote), is no reason to shorten your boil. There are lots of other things happening in the boil, and in my view you need at least a 60 minute boil to make those things happen, preferably longer. Just adjust the timing of when you add your hops, simple.

 

[mosto]

So you would keep some Caramunich in warra, or just go with the choc and brown malt with the MO?

I was thinking of ditching it as well and going with roughly:

MO 80%
Brown 10%
Choc 10%

 

[warra48]

The best Brown Porters I've brewed have had a mix of light and medium crystal to about 7½ to 8%, so the Caramunich is not out of place.
Drop it to about 5% if you want, but you want some backbone to balance against the Brown and Choc malts.
A good Porter should be a beautifully balanced beer, not a thinner version of Stout.

 

[mosto]

Ok, taking on the suggestions above, I've modified the recipe to the following:

Parkes Road Porter (Brown Porter)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.049 (°P): 12.1
Final Gravity (FG): 1.012 (°P): 3.1
Alcohol (ABV): 4.81 %
Colour (SRM): 26.1 (EBC): 51.3
Bitterness (IBU): 31.3 (Average - No Chill Adjusted)

82.22% Maris Otter Malt
6.67% Brown Malt
6.67% Chocolate
4.44% Caramunich III

1.5 g/L Fuggles (5.7% Alpha) @ 40 Minutes (Boil)
1.5 g/L East Kent Golding (4.7% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)

10.0 g/L Whirlfloc Tablet @ 15 Minutes (Boil)

Single step Infusion at 66°C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 18°C with WLP002 - English Ale


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

Any other adjustments recommended that anyone can see?

 

[warra48]

Give it a shot, looks good to me as it is.
Adjust to your taste for the next batch.
Happy brewing.