BeerSmith Forums user recipe collaboration idea.

[bucknut]

I really like the hops.

Funny--what I like least is the hops. In fact, if I brew this (which is looking doubtful since I have some higher priority brews I want to make), I'll keep the grain bill but abandon the hop bill pretty much completely. The malts are something I'd probably pick if I were doing this on my own; the hops, not so much. This recipe is about 85% British--I don't see a reason not to make it 100% for my own personal consumption. I'm sure it'll make a tasty beverage as it stands, though.

I know that I would have not hopped it this way, but that wasn't the point of this exercise.  The point was to let everyone in on each others thought processes.  I brewed a similar grain bill and went with all Centennial Hops.  However, I wasn't trying for an English Porter, I was aiming for an American Porter.

If I were aiming for an English Porter and designing on my own, I probably would have went with Target (Magnum is a German hop) for the 30 minute bittering, Fuggles for the 15 minute (Willamette is a US hop) and EKG at 5 minutes.  I might have also kept the IBU's at about 35 or 40 to keep more sweetness and less bitter in the flavor profile.  But that is what I would have done.  This exercise allowed me to see recipe design from the perspective of other brewers.  Basically to get inside their heads and see what their thoughts about their choices were. 

I was actually expecting people to choose UK hops, since the grain bill is so British in it's make up.

The great thing about brewing beer and designing recipes, is that there really aren't any rules.  I had a British grain bill for a Porter and didn't go British with my hops, so who was I to step in and say, "Why aren't we staying with the British Style?".

I had my choice on a grain and I was allowed to express my opinion on the other choices.  I gave and took, so that I could learn from all of you and hopefully you might have learned something from me as well.

Thanks Scott for putting this together, I enjoyed and learned a few things like…..Baltic porters are usually made with lager yeast,  and the difference between the Kolbach number and the Lintner number when it comes to measuring a malts diastatic power.

I think I’m going to brew this, but just do a 1 gal version of the recipe and see how I like it, then maybe make any changes if needed and then brew a bigger batch.
Cheers,

 

[Brewmex41]

I've used the nottingham dry yeast.  I actually have some of it that I harvested.  It's a nice strain of yeast and I've always had good success with it.  I probably won't use it in this beer though.  I'll use the WLP023.  There are enough people using the WLP023, that I want to brew it identical to them.

Brewmex41 only lives a couple of miles from me and where going to probably brew this side by side at my house.  We'll just get one vial of the yeast and I'll make a huge starter on my stir plate so that we can split it.  We'll save $7 between us that way.

Do you have any idea when youll brew this? I have my 6g carboys planned out for the next 3-4 months. I'm doing an India red ale this weekend and hopefully a bock lager the weekend after. Then ill brew a dopplebock straight on the bock yeast cake to avoid needing a massive starter.

I can scale it down to three gallons, tho. That carboy can be freed up.

 

[Scott Ickes]

I'm not sure.  I need to free up a fermenter myself.  Let's keep in touch.  What day of the week best fits your schedule?

 

[Brewmex41]

I work monday thru Friday 230pm-1am so it would have to be sat or Sunday for me. The next two weekends are pretty packed for me, since my wife just started a new job and has weekend ordeals to attend. Let me know your schedule and i may be able to bring another buddy. He and i just brewed Pliny the Elder. Cost him $80 for a 5.5g all grain batch of the stuff! Almost 250 theoretical ibus.

 

[Roadrocket]

Scott, thanks for setting this up, it's been interesting and I've learned a few things. I will brew this in a few weeks once I've freed up a fermentor and a keg.

I agree with cmbrougham in that it doesn't feel right, however, I've brewed a few beers that feel right but taste wrong so maybe this will taste great.

Once you've all brewed it let us know what it turns out like.

 

[all grain]

well all and all I would say it has been fun. thanks to scott and all for this experience. I myself well brew this later this week and then make some changes to it and use the yeast cake for round two. I'm thinking more chocolate and some vanilla. we well see. 

 

[grathan]

This might seem like a dumb question, but how does one add a downloaded .bsmx file to the My Recipes folder?

 

[OzarkBrewer]

This might seem like a dumb question, but how does one add a downloaded .bsmx file to the My Recipes folder?

Not dumb...i have the same question.  I'm brewing this s.o.b. this friday night!  I've located all the ingredients except the called out yeast.  I have purchased the grains and will purchase everything else tomorrow or Thur.  Hope I can find the called for yeast, if not....Nautingham I believe was mentioned??

 

[brewfun]

This might seem like a dumb question, but how does one add a downloaded .bsmx file to the My Recipes folder?

Click the file to download and open in BeerSmith. Highlight the recipe, then cut/copy and paste it into the recipe folder you desire.

 

[drb1215]

Thanks Scott for putting this together, and keeping it together throughout the process! (Do you do event planning on the side?)

I'll schedule this in and see if I can brew it per the group recipe in the next couple of weeks...

-Dan

 

[Scott Ickes]

Scott, thanks for setting this up, it's been interesting and I've learned a few things. I will brew this in a few weeks once I've freed up a fermentor and a keg.

I agree with cmbrougham in that it doesn't feel right, however, I've brewed a few beers that feel right but taste wrong so maybe this will taste great.

Once you've all brewed it let us know what it turns out like.

You're welcome...

 

[Scott Ickes]

Allgrain and Bucknut...you're also very welcome...

 

[BILLY BREW]

sorry to have jumped in late...been brewing and not foruming lately.
What is the final recipe? If I can get all the ingredients, I will put it together and take it to my club meeting when I am done. There are some good tasters there, so I can report "man off the street" reactions.

 

[Scott Ickes]

sorry to have jumped in late...been brewing and not foruming lately.
What is the final recipe? If I can get all the ingredients, I will put it together and take it to my club meeting when I am done. There are some good tasters there, so I can report "man off the street" reactions.

The recipe is on post #191 of this thread.

 

[grathan]

Brewing this weekend.

Looking forward to using a large quantity of Brown malt for the first time. I'm having a hard time picturing how this will effect flavor.

That pound of pale chocolate is gonna lend quite a bit of flavor.


Also using WLP023 for the first time.

Report back in a month or two.

 

[Scott Ickes]

Fantastic!  I'm looking forward to the results everyone achieves.  My schedule is just plain crazy lately.  I'm traveling during the week for the next month or so, with only weekends to to brew.  It's difficult to monitor fermentation temps when I'm out of town, so I usually hold off on brewing.  Also, I have to go to Indonesia and Singapore on business in early June and will be there at least three weeks. 

I'm not sure when I'll get this brewed, but I'll find a way to slip it into the rotation.

 

[Brewmex41]

Who's brewed this so far?

I wonder what would happen if we retried this experiment on homebrewtalk.com or another forum. Could be fun to get even more brewer's knowledge on something like this.

 

[grathan]

I did brew it. Exact. I think it's a good idea and would do it again. Though perhaps with people who actually plan on brewing it would be 2x the fun. Maybe even a bottle share.

 

[Brewmex41]

I do plan on brewing it, just gotta make the time.

 

[Scott Ickes]

I do plan on brewing it, just gotta make the time.

Same with me, but I have to fit it into the rotation.  I'm brewing a Stout on April 13th.  I'm not brewing on the April the 12th, because my wife and I are going to Gilgamesh Brewing in Salem, Oregon for a brewing competition.  I have two beers entered in it.  Maybe you and I can brew it in May.  What's your best weekend in May to brew this up?