Robust Smoked Porter

Next up in the to style series was a beer brewed for the other smoked beer style category 22b. With this category you can basically brew any base style and add smoked malt. Judges are looking for a balance of smoke in the base style and how the smoke blends into the balance of the style. Now I enjoy the smokiest of beers ie: Schlenkerla where many of the beers have nearly one hundred percent smoked malt but many people don't enjoy drinking liquid bacon cooked in a campfire. This robust porter was brewed with only a modest amount of smoked malt accounting for 25% of the overall grist bill.

For the Tap Vermont tasting I presented this robust smoked porter as, "Test Batch #161- This robust porter brewed with traditional German smoked malt creates a background of, bacon. Before the advent of in-direct fire malting techniques all beer had a smokey character. Brewed with English barley malt, pale chocolate malt, crystal malt, and flaked barley this 19th century London inspired ale transports you to another time." People enjoyed this beer but didn't love it. Many had never had a smoked ale before and enjoyed the barbecue flavors blending with the roastiness of the robust porter.


     Robust Smoked Porter
Briess Two Row
Best Smoked Malt      25%
TF Roasted Barley      8%
TF Pale Chocolate       8%
TF Crystal 45              7%
Flaked Barley              7%

mash 152*f

Super Galena  :75   .7oz pellet
Delta              :5      1 oz pellet

15.2*P (1.061sg)
Safale US-05

Judging 

Aroma

#1-Very Roasty - coffee, dark chocolate followed by a noticeable but not excessive smokyness

#2-Heavy chocolate & roasted malt; smoke is present, layers in nose, no diacetyl

Appearance

#1-Black nearly opaque, mahogany hues, thick tan head with good retention, legs, and lace work

#2-Black, opaque beer with nice clingy brown tan head

Flavor

#1-Lots of roast malt flavor, coffee, and dark chocolate. Lingering hop flavor in finish and aftertaste.

#2-Very rich chocolate initially, then complemented by smokyness; hops hard to distinguish from overwhelming chocolate flavor. Heavily malt flavored with little yeast character; no diacetyl

Mouthfeel

#1-thin body, moderate carbonation level. Some warming from alcohol

#2-Creamy and full bodied beer with no astringency. Slight alcohol warmth.

Overall Impression

#1-Well made beer, the smoke is not excessive. The roast malt is a tad strong for me maybe reduce roast slightly or replace with chocolate or de-bittered black malt. Raise mash temp.

#2-Interesting beer, I enjoyed it. Beer would benefit from less extreme chocolate slant, unless you were looking to develop a chocolate porter. Probably needs a cooler mash temp to loosen that body some.

#1-Professional Brewer  31/50

#2-Recognized               31/50

Overall 31/50---Very Good (30-37)

2nd Place in Category 22

Porter with Smoked Paprika & Fennel Seeds

This is definitely a batch to file under experimental. A porter designed to pair with a well seared and seasoned steak. Where the golden brown toasted bread and chocolate flavors of a Porter are blended with the licorice flavor of the Fennel Seeds and unique flavor of Smoked Paprika creating a one of a kind Porter. The fennel seeds were toasted in the oven for twenty minutes before being crushed in a mortar and pestle.

Recipe: American Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Victory Malt, Amber Malt, Coffee Malt, Crystal Malt, and Chocolate Malt. Super Galena hops for bittering. Half an ounce of Smoked Paprika and three quarters of an ounce of Fennel Seeds added to end of boil. Fermented with Safale US-05 American Ale yeast.

Pumpernickel Porter

The first time I brewed this beer I brewed 150 gallons of it at the Dogfish Pub while I was working as a brewer at the production brewery in Milton, DE. When it was my turn to brew at the pub I went through my research and development folder and looked at my list of styles and beers I was planning on brewing at home. A porter brewed with caraway seeds and rye malt inspired by Rye Bread was half way down the list. I decided this would be a fun one off for the pub that I called Daily Wry. Overall I was happy with the finished beer and it's reviews. To make this beer better I'm going to try and get a more pronounced flavor from the caraway seeds. Adding a half ounce of crushed caraway seeds at end of boil might do the trick. We'll see. Also first wort hopped this batch with Hallertau Hersbrucker which I've found lends a peppery flavor which will complement this brew.

Farm Fresh Series: Smoked Pumpkin Porter

After a hot summer this year Fall is finally in sight. The changing of the season signifies the time of year when almost every brewery in the country is brewing a spiced Pumpkin ale. An amber ale that sweeps you away on a sensory experience of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and well, Autumn.

For my fall seasonal I'll be using a heirloom pumpkin variety called Red October. A smaller, sweeter, pumpkin that is ready for harvest early in the season. The pumpkins were grown at Wright's Farm in Delaware. They were roasted and then smoked. The smoker that was used is a well seasoned smoker that contributed a huge smoked bacon flavor. After cooking the pumpkins there were twelve pounds of pumpkin meat to add to the mash. The base style to complement the flavor of the smoked pumpkins is a strong porter with a target abv of 7.5%. I'm not using any smoked malt in the grist so the smoked pumpkins will be the only smoke flavor in the beer. Also won't be using any spices to muddle the flavor of this harvest ale. Allowing the smoked pumpkins and dark malt flavors of the Porter to shine.

Farm Fresh Series: Tart Cherry Porter

This weekend at the farmers market there were some fresh Tart Cherries and Blueberries. I decided to brew a Porter with the cherries. I'll be adding the cherries directly into the primary FV as I did during knockout for the Strawberry Cream Ale. Both the cherries and previously mentioned strawberries were from Fifer Orchards in Wyoming, Delaware.

Grist Bill: English pale malt, Amber malt, Crystal malt, Coffee malt, Chocolate malt, Black Patent, and CaraPils. Six Pounds of Tart Cherries. Lightly hopped with Willamette. Fermented with Safale US-05.

Triple Smoked Cocoa Brown Porter

Brewed with three different smoked malts. Cherry wood smoked malt, pecan smoked malt, and German rauchmalt. With almost 30% of the grist being smoked malt this is a fairly smokey beer. Still not Schlenkerla Brewery in Bamberg levels of smoke but still smokey. I just decided to add some minimally processed S. American cocoa to the end of today's boil for this smoked Brown Porter. The cocoa is cured over a open fire which gave a slightly smokey flavor to my Chocolate Porter I brewed with it. I think the cocoa will be a nice addition to this brew, adding a layer of complexity and depth. Watched the sunrise as I was pitching yeast into this brew.

Grist bill: Briess two row, Cherry Wood Smoked, Pecan Smoked Malt, Weyermann Rauchmalt, Amber Malt, Coffee Malt, Crystal malt, Chocolate Malt. Hopped with Vanguard. Fermented with chico yeast.

#xbrew Imperial Porter

A unique beer. Brewed with the energy of brewers across the country. Collaborating to create a special brew. One to share amongst each other and friends. Using 21st century technology to communicate live via google wave, twitter, and live video streams. This #xbrew collaboration is organized by Justin Boswell @theBrewDude.


This batch of Porter will be fermented using second generation lager yeast. The main twist is I'll be aging this imperial porter on home infused coconut rum and french oak. A Coconut Rum Porter. 


The other other home brewers are:

• TheBrewDude
• fermentnation
• newbrewthursday
• slovakbrewer
• averagebeersnob
• ABeerADay
• hoptrollop
• simplybeer

Check out collaborative #xbrew blog.

Google Wavebook comments on the collaboration.

Justin's Examiner post.

Smoked Porter

This will be the third variation of a smoked porter I've brewed this year. Brewed the first one back in May and the second one in September. Making some minor adjustments to the grist bill, adding some crystal malt and roasted barley and increasing the percent extract from wheat malt. Keeping the hop additions the same with an addition at sixty minutes and ten minutes. Just mashed in at 152f, letting rest for one hour than mashing out to 168f. Great runoff. Used whole leaf vanguard hops in the boil and fermenting with dry American ale yeast (Safale US-05).

Chocolate Vanilla almost Baltic Porter

Yesterday I brewed a Chocolate Vanilla Porter that is approaching the strength of a Baltic Porter. I added a large amount of South American Cocoa that I have had for some time. I got it from family friends who brought some back from their travels. I grated two cups worth and added it directly to the kettle with one minute left in boil. That is also when I added the pulp of one vanilla bean pod. Very lightly hopped with Vanguard hops and fermented with dry Safale US-05 yeast. There is also a good quantity of flaked oats in the recipe to add a silky mouthfeel to this dessert beer.

Here is what wikipedia has to say about the history of the cacao plant. "The cacao tree is native to the Americas. It may have originated in the foothills of the Andes in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South American where today, examples of wild cacao still can be found. However, it may have had a larger range in the past, evidence for which may be obscured because of its cultivation in these areas long before, as well as after, the Spanish arrived. It may have been introduced into Central America by the ancient Maya, and cultivated in Mexico by the Olmecs, then by the Toltecs and later by the Aztecs. It was a common currency throughout Mesoamerica and the Caribbean before the Spanish conquest. Cacao trees will grow in a limited geographical zone, of approximately 20 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. Nearly 70% of the world crop is grown in West Africa. Cocoa was an important commodity in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Spanish chroniclers of the conquest of Mexico by Hernan Cortes relate that when Montezuma II, emperor of the Aztecs, dined he took no other beverage than chocolate, served in a golden goblet and eaten with a golden spoon. Flavored with vanilla and spices, his chocolate was whipped into a froth that dissolved in the mouth. It is reported that Montezuma II may have consumed no fewer than 50 portions each day, and 200 more by the nobles of his court. Chocolate was introduced to Europe by the Spaniards and became a popular beverage by the mid 1600s. They also introduced the cacao tree into the West Indies and the Philippines. The cacao plant was first given its botanical name by Swedish natural scientist Carolus Linnaeus in his original classification of the plant kingdom, who called it Theobroma ("food of the gods") cacao."

The Aussie's Attack Smoked Porter

The International home brewing community is strong. Around the world home brewers get together to share brew, ideas, and stories. Last Wednesday night was one of those nights. A group of Australian home brewers came to my house to home brew and drink. How all this came together is somewhat explained in this newspaper article. Out of the Times Union in Albany, NY. http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=835847&category=&BCCode=&newsdate=8/28/2009&BCCode=&newsdate=8/28/2009. So, Ross and Dave express some interest to Jim Azotea, the former president of the Saratoga home brew club(my first home brew club http://www.thoroughbrews.com/), that they want to go to DFH. Since, I am reluctant to say this, a brewer there Jim emailed me Tuesday if they could come to the mid Atlantic to home brew and get a tour. Of course my response was yes. The opportunity to hang out with home brewers that have the wealth of knowledge that Ross, Dave, and Matt have was priceless. We started brewing around 11:00 at night. I think I finished brewing around 3:30 in the morning. Not sure, but there is a carboy full of smoked porter from that night that doesn't taste too bad considering the circumstances. The circumstances were the tasting of quite a few brews. I don't think many were under 8%. Needless to say the night lasted till the morning. I learned a new term. To take a pint to the head, to skull it. For example "hey, I bought you a pint, skull it". Ross, Dave and Matt, you can crash here anytime and I'll be looking you guys up when I'm in Brisbane. Hey Dave send me some of the pics you took. Cheers!

Cherry Wood Smoked Porter

Smoked malt is a traditional brewing ingredient. At one point most malted barley was smoked. Not because people meant to make a smoked flavored malt barley, but at one time all malts were in-directly smoked during the kilning process whether they liked the smoke flavor or not. The process of kilning the malts was done over fires of different types of wood, which in itself created unique flavors. Today I'm using a malt that was smoked over Cherry wood. Un-smoked malted barley is a new invention of the 19th century.

This malt was created by the Briess malting company and this is what they have to say about their malt:"There’s nothing like brewing a beer with smoked malt. Smoked malt delivers exceptional brewing creativity, making it possible to develop complexity in Scotch Ales to rich, robust smoky flavor in Rauch Beers and Porters. And now, with Briess Smoked Malt, you can brew all that and more without infusing astringent, phenolic harshness in your beer. That’s because Briess Smoked Malt delivers an intense yet smooth, sweet, smoked malt character not available in any other commercially available smoked malt, and that lends itself to use in many beer styles."

From Wikipedia, they have this to say about smoked beer history:

"Drying malt over an open flame may impart a smoky character to the malt. This character may carry over to beers brewed with the smoked malt. Prior to the modern era, drying malted barley in direct sunlight was used in addition to drying over flames. Even though kiln drying of malt, using indirect heat, did not enter into widespread usage until the industrial era, the method was known as early as the first century BCE. Also, there have been various methods over the years of preparing cereal grains for brewing, including making beer from bread, so smoked beer was not universal. However, it is known that beer made from malt dried over flame was common in England from the 16th to the 18th century. Beginning in the 18th century, kiln drying of malt became progressively more common and, by the mid-19th century, had become the near-universal method for drying malted grain. Since the kiln method shunts the smoke away from the wet malt, a smoky flavour is not imparted to the grain, nor to the subsequent beer. As a result, smoke flavour in beer became less and less common, and eventually disappeared almost entirely from the brewing world."



Good brew day today. Started off sunny with a huge storm rolling in by the time I started the boil. I'm using whole leaf fuggle hops today. I really enjoy there earthy spice in darker beers. There is 15% smoked malt in the grist which should give a slightly noticeable smoke character but not overpowering. Overpowering would be upwards of 60% smoked malt in a darker beer such as a porter, using this specific smoked malt at least. Well, I'll pick up ten pounds of it next weekend and see if 100% of this smoked malt is to overpowering. It's five lovibonds so it should make a nice pale cherry smoked slim jim.