Recipe suggestions?

[Bert]

Hi,

Can anyone suggest a recipe for these malt and hops? Pretty much ran out of ideas of what to make without buying some new hops. I like my beers 5%+ and like all styles, especially hoppy ones!

This is what I've got

25kg marris otter
2kg light crystal
2kg dark crystal
500g chocolate malt

ahtanum (quite a bit)
amarillo
columbus pellets (pellets block my hop filter so would prefer to not use these in boil)
hallertau northern brewer
saaz
goldings
fuggles

I've only got notty in but could find some others by brew day on Saturday.

Thanks in advance, cheers!

[Matt12398]

Either a nice bitter with pale, crystal and chocolate with fuggles, goldings or both or alternatively a nice pale ale with pale a bit of light crystal, northern brewer for bittering and Amarillo and ahtanum added late or just one.

Is that too vague?

[Clibit]

Going only from stuff I've read really, being pretty new to brewing, I think Amarillo, Columbus and Ahtanum could work well in an APA or IPA.

Columbus as bittering hops, other two or even all three as flavour and aroma. IBUs to your liking, maybe use up some of that Ahtanum with heavy aroma additions. Maris Otter and a bit of light crystal as a malt base.

Buy a more suitable yeast, maybe chuck a few wheat or oats in.

Edit. Nicked from homebrewtalk,com:

American Pale Ale
Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 3.00 gal
Boil Size: 3.75 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00

Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.27 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 80.00 %
0.53 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 10.00 %
0.53 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 10.00 %
0.50 oz Ahtanum [5.20 %] (60 min) Hops 16.5 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo [8.20 %] (20 min) Hops 15.8 IBU
0.50 oz Ahtanum [5.20 %] (10 min) Hops 6.0 IBU
0.50 oz Amarillo [8.20 %] (5 min) Hops 5.2 IBU
1 Pkgs SafAle American Ale (DCL Yeast #S-05) Yeast-Ale

Est Original Gravity: 1.048 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.75 %
Bitterness: 43.6 IBU
Est Color: 7.5 SRM

[Clibit]

Or you could modify this one slightly, a competition winning beer from BYO website.

Avant Garde American Pale Ale
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.060 (14.7 °P)
FG = 1.012 (3 °P)
IBUs = 45 SRM = 10 ABV = 6.3%

This beer won a gold medal in the first round of the 2008 NHC competition.

Ingredients
6.5 lb (2.9 kg) Maris Otter malt
1 lb (0.45 kg) Vienna malt
0.75 lb (340 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
0.25 lb (113 g) crystal malt (80 °L)
0.5 lb (226 g) wheat malt
1 lb (0.45 kg) white sugar
1 oz (28g) Amarillo whole hops 8% AA (FWH)
0.5 oz (14 g) Columbus whole hops 14% AA (15 min.)
0.5 oz (14 g) Columbus whole hops 14% AA (10 min.)
0.5 oz (14 g) Simcoe whole hops 12% AA (5 min.)
1 oz (28 g) Amarillo whole hops 8% AA (2 min.)
0.5 oz (14 g) Simcoe whole hops 12% AA (0 min.)
White Labs WLP060 American Blend yeast

Step by Step
Mill grains and dough-in using RO water until a medium thickness mash is achieved. Treat mash with 1 tsp calcium chloride. Hold mash at 150 °F (66 °C) until conversion is complete. Add first wort hops to kettle. Sparge slowly with 170 °F (77 °C) RO water treated with 2 tsp phosphoric acid, collecting 6.5 gallons (24.6 L). Bring wort to a boil.

After the hot break, add the sugar. Boil for 75 additional minutes, adding the hops per the hopping schedule. Allow the wort to rest for 5 minutes, then chill rapidly to 68 °F (20 °C). Rack to fermenter, leaving break material behind. Oxygenate, pitch the yeast, and ferment at 70 °F (21 °C). Fermentation should be done in less than a week, but don't rush it.

[seymour]

Lots of good suggestions, here's another for your consideration:


Okay, let's take one of my all-time dark, rich, malty favourites—Aldaris Porteris, a Baltic Porter brewed in Riga, Latvia—and then crazy-hop it:

The original:

Aldaris Porteris (2005)
Carlsberg/Aldaris - Riga, Latvia
Style: Baltic Porter
ABV: 6.8%
Grainbill: 80-85% Pale, 10-15% Dark Crystal Malt, 5% Chocolate Malt
Hops: English hops pellets
IBU: 30
Colour: 23/45, dark brown
Yeast: Danish lager strain

BERT SEYMOUR HOPPY BALTIC PORTER

6 US Gallons = 5 Imperial Gallons = 22.7 Litres

GRAINBILL:
80% = 12.15 lb = 5.51 kg, Maris Otter Pale Malt
15% = 2.29 lb = 1038 g, Dark Crystal Malt
5% = .76 lb = 345 g, Chocolate Malt
Total weight: 15.2 lbs/6.89 kg

MASH ≈ 151°F/66°C for 90-120 minutes.
If you have very soft water, stir-in sprinkle of Calcium Carbonate.

SPARGE ≈ 170°F/76.7°C to collect 7.75 US Gal/6.45 Imp Gal/29.35 L pre-boil.

BOIL for 60 minutes, sprinkle-in a tiny bit of gypsum

HOPS:
1.23 oz = 35 g, Northern Brewer, 60 min
1.23 oz = 35 g, Amarillo, 20 min
1.23 oz = 35 g, Goldings, 5 min
1.23 oz = 35 g, Fuggles, 5 min
1.23 oz = 35 g, Ahtanum, 5 min
1.23 oz = 35 g, Columbus, dry hops in secondary fermentor
1.23 oz = 35 g, Ahtanum, dry hops in secondary fermentor

YEAST:
Best practice: the original Carlsberg Danish lager strain such as White Labs WLP850, follow a standard lager fermentation regime. This is what makes it a Baltic Porter.
Or, if you don't have cold-temperature-control: use a high-attenuating, neutral ale strain and bulk-age as cold as you can for as long as you can stand. This would obviously be less authentically Baltic.

STATS assume 75% mash efficiency and 77% yeast attenuation:
OG: 1070
FG: 1017
ABV: 6.8%
IBU: ≈42 (a relatively low bitterness number, but it will have HUGE hoppy flavours/aromas)
COLOUR: 36°SRM/72°EBC, very dark brown, reddish at the edges

[Bert]

Cheers for the recipes guys, I had a hectic weekend so didn't get a brew on in the end. I've got a wort chiller arriving this week so was probably for the best anyway. I am going to go for Seymour's porter as I have a stock pile of pale ale at the moment but the "Avant Garde American Pale Ale" looks like a future brew.

Seymour, i usually do 90 mins mashes will 120 make a lot of difference? Unfortunately, I haven't got a brewing fridge and it's 20 degrees indoors here at the moment would something like s05 be ok? Or could you suggest anything better suited? Temp control is next on shopping list!

Thanks for your help

[seymour]

I would strongly recommend a lengthier mash this time, that was an intention choice, since a Baltic Porter is higher than average gravity, and with so much dark crystal and chocolate malt, you really need to give it extra time to convert and become as fermentable as possible. Without the ability to lager, yeah US-05 would be fine, I hate to say it but it'll pair nicely with the American aroma hops. Generally speaking, I much prefer fruitier English ale strains, but this style is supposed to be clean, clean, clean. Give it a long, long secondary fermentation. I think you're gonna like this a lot.

[AnthonyUK]

This is easily the best beer I have made and the first one I would say is better to my taste than a commercial one.
Mash 67°c 90 mins, 90 min boil
23l batch (BIAB)
Treat water to reduce alkalinity if required.

4.50 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter
281.2 g Caramel/Crystal Malt
250.0 g Munich Malt
200.0 g White Wheat Malt
40.0 g Cascade - Boil 60 min
15.0 g Amarillo - Boil 15 min
15.0 g Amarillo - Boil 05 min
20.0 g Amarillo - Boil 00 min
1 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05)
50.0 g Amarillo [14.1%] - Dry Hop 7 days

You can replace the Munich with MO as it is mainly for colour and the Wheat is only for head retention.
This is based on a Beersmith recipe called Ed's Haus pale ale.
I have made both this and a Citra variant which is also lovely.

[Bert]

I would strongly recommend a lengthier mash this time, that was an intention choice, since a Baltic Porter is higher than average gravity, and with so much dark crystal and chocolate malt, you really need to give it extra time to convert and become as fermentable as possible. Without the ability to lager, yeah US-05 would be fine, I hate to say it but it'll pair nicely with the American aroma hops. Generally speaking, I much prefer fruitier English ale strains, but this style is supposed to be clean, clean, clean. Give it a long, long secondary fermentation. I think you're gonna like this a lot.

Sounds excellent Seymour, I also want to try your citra gold. I haven't dabbled with liquid yeast yet, maybe this would be time to start. Are there any you can suggest that would be good for the baltic porter that don't require lagering? Or should I just stick to the s05?

This is easily the best beer I have made and the first one I would say is better to my taste than a commercial one.
Mash 67°c 90 mins, 90 min boil
23l batch (BIAB)
Treat water to reduce alkalinity if required.

4.50 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter
281.2 g Caramel/Crystal Malt
250.0 g Munich Malt
200.0 g White Wheat Malt
40.0 g Cascade - Boil 60 min
15.0 g Amarillo - Boil 15 min
15.0 g Amarillo - Boil 05 min
20.0 g Amarillo - Boil 00 min
1 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05)
50.0 g Amarillo [14.1%] - Dry Hop 7 days

You can replace the Munich with MO as it is mainly for colour and the Wheat is only for head retention.
This is based on a Beersmith recipe called Ed's Haus pale ale.
I have made both this and a Citra variant which is also lovely.

That also sounds lovely, I will be adding that to my list. Cheers!

[seymour]

...Sounds excellent Seymour, I also want to try your citra gold. I haven't dabbled with liquid yeast yet, maybe this would be time to start. Are there any you can suggest that would be good for the baltic porter that don't require lagering? Or should I just stick to the s05?

US-05 will work great. If you wanna try a liquid yeast which produces a clean ale, I highly recommend a German Alt or Kolsch strain.

And I agree, AnthonyUK's recipe sounds splendid too!

[Bert]

Seymour, what effect would using gervin have on this beer? I have so busy this week and haven't got a chance to get any more yeast...

[seymour]

Gervin is Nottingham, a nice neutral ale strain. It'll be just fine in a pinch.

[Bert]

I managed to get some mangrove jack's m10 workhorse yeast. It's got Baltic porter written on it so went for it!

[seymour]

I managed to get some mangrove jack's m10 workhorse yeast. It's got Baltic porter written on it so went for it!

Cool. I can't wait to hear how it turns out for you!

[Bert]

Sadly the OG was 1056, quite disappointing really. I ended up with 25l and my sparging technique probably contributed to it as well.

On the plus side, I've found a spot in the house that is 15 degrees so hopefully it will be true to style in that sense.

Was gonna post the brew day up but am too disappointed! Hopefully this weeks brew is more successful.

Cheers