Black Ale input

Beer Recipes
1

I don’t have the recipe with me but it is close to the following:

75% NW pale ale malt
10% crystal 60
5% flaked oats
5% pale chocolate (added at end of mash before collecting first runnings)
5% carafa III/midnight wheat (added at end of mash before collecting first runnings)

Bitter with Magnum to ~30 IBUs
OG ~1.054
SRM ~31
US05 yeast

I call it a “black ale” since I don’t think it accurately fits into other categories although I used Robust Porter style guidelines to build it. I am going for something relatively clean with little roasted qualities for a darker beer. I have done other versions of this beer with a significant portion of special roast. I removed it because it seems to add a tangy character that I don’t care for.

Any thoughts/input?

2

If you’re going for a robust porter with less roastiness, it looks good! Not sure you’ll get much character from 5% oats.

3

Yes you are probably right about the oats. Not sure why but I have got into the habit of adding them into a lot of my recipes. I should probably either increase the amount or remove them.

This recipe has slowly developed from a traditional Schwarzbier that I decided to use ale yeast on…

4

Schwartzporter! Brilliant!

5

Haha nice! Just picked up the grains. The didn’t have Carafa III so I subbed Midnight Wheat. I decided to leave the oats for no real reason. It is closer to 7% of the grist. I have made some considerable changes already. Depending on how this version turns out, I may just remove the oats altogether.

6

I used WY1007 once on a faux-Schwarzbier that came out pretty nice.  But it was definitely no Schwarzporter by any means ;D

7

+1 - I’d either dump the oats and go the faux Schwarzbier route, or up them and go for a low-roast oatmeal stout. I’d also recommend maybe 10-20% Munich to fill out the flavor a bit since the roast isn’t going to be enough to carry it on its own.

If the style works you can call it a “No-bust Porter”, maybe?

8

The wort is currently chilling so too late to make any changes. Brew session went pretty well and it looks like I missed my gravity by 1 point under.

The original “pseudo Schwarz” that I did used pilsner and munich for the base malts. I simplified at some point and just went with pale ale malt though your advice to add munich seems more than appropriate. I will have to see how this batch turns out and adjust accordingly.