Baltic Porter recipe

[OntheLoose]

11# Maris otter
.4#Victory
.4#chocolate
.4#crystal 70-80L
.2#black roasted barley
.2#black patent

.8oz Columbus 14.2%

1 1/4 hr boil
Saflager yeast s-23

Yields 5.5-6 gallons. The strange amounts are because this was actually a big batch that I divided by 5 to get a 5.5-6 gallon yield.

S.G. - 1.066
F.G. - kegged before I remembered to take the reading. I start getting anxious to drink beer right about this stage. It's usually been about 4-5 weeks and it smells so good. I promise to take a F.G. next batch...

[BrewDog]

Looks pretty good to me.

[markaberrant]

Looks like a low end Baltic Porter with maybe too much roast, or a Robust Porter with not enough roast. But all that matters is how it tastes.

[OntheLoose]

Looks like a low end Baltic Porter with maybe too much roast, or a Robust Porter with not enough roast. But all that matters is how it tastes.

It's pretty good. And I think you are right about too much roast. I am playing with the recipe a little and cutting down on the roast barley and getting rid of the black patent. Everybody who has tried it likes it alot. Even the ones that say uh-oh a dark beer. It's not my best ever but definitely worth repeating.

[markaberrant]

I would replace the chocolate, black patent and roasted barley with carafa, and maybe some pale chocolate.

[OntheLoose]

I haven't seen Carafa at the HBS. Is there another name for it?

The new recipe has cut out black patent, halved the roasted barley and chocolate and doubled the victory. I'm not sure if this will still be classified as a baltic porter with only .2 lbs roasted barley out of 12+ lbs of grain. Like you said earlier it only matters how it tastes. It is in the fermenter right now so in about 4 weeks I will know.

[beerking]

Carafa is made by Weyermann (Bamburg, DE), and is a trademarked name, so you are pretty much looking for that specific malt, IF your HBS carries Weyermann.
One option is Dingemann's Debittered Black Malt. Pretty much the same stuff, and the only thing like Carafa that I know of.

OBTW, if you get Carafa, make sure it is "Caraga Special." That is the one with the husks removed. Straight Carafa is basically black patent. The number after the name (Carafa Special I, II, or III) simply denotes color, the higher the number, the darker the malt. The bag should also list the Lovibond rating for you.