I had just printed out a recipe that I was working out on Brewer’s Friend and was in the cellar getting out the malt I needed to mill for an American Porter when I came across some Danko Rye I had from my malt share from Valley Malt and remembered I had wanted to make a rye porter. I totally changed the recipe then and there. totally different beer but I’m excited.
I’m using just about 16% of this Local organically grown Danko Rye Kvass Malt which is a soured malt that is fermented for 5 days. I think it will play well in this porter. its funky and spicy when I chew it. No clue how the fermentation will effect ph and conversion but I’m willing to wing it and adjust. Anyway its fun when homebrewing takes these sudden turns. Kvass is a Russian thing and it just so happens that I spent this afternoon checking out old Russian Icons, so a little serendipity there.
Sounds pretty interesting, Pete. I’ll be curious to see how the porter comes out. Sounds good.
Hopefully not Chinese Proverb style “pretty interesting…” :o
Not at all. I think it’ll be good.
Me too but a sour malt that I have not used before is quite a wild card in a Porter.
BTW the title of the thread isn’t about this particular beer but just that sudden last minute game change.
Sounds really interesting. I made Rye Imperial Stout over the summer that I aged in Woodinville Whiskey Rye barrels that turned out extremely well.
Well the wort tastes good. I also used rye chocolate malt. The rye comes through very nicely and the soured malt, which tasted quite funky when I chewed it is just a subtle twang in the wort.
Cool. That malt might be better as a cool, funky accent than an in-your-face character anyway. I bet it’s good.
Yea I’m hoping for added depth as opposed to a “sour Porter” and now I’m confident it won’t overwhelm. I’m already pushing the limit of what I’m comfortable with as far as number of different malts although each is there for a good reason. Originally, before deciding on the sour rye I had planned on late hops and chocolate nibs. Now I just have the 60 minute bittering charge with no other hops even in the boil and no nibs. I think roast, maltiness, rye, bitter, and subtle funk/sour is plenty going on without adding flavoring/aroma hops and chcolate.
I have never even heard of a “sour” rye malt available. Might go well in heavy amounts for a sour roggenbier. Just a thought.
Indeed. I wonder if there’s any other significant flavor contribution from the souring process other than just a simple lactic tartness. A Roggenbier would be a good way to check, or even a rye Berliner.
There’s a cheesy funk to it that I tasted and smelled when I tasted the malt. I also picked up a whiff of it in the mash. In the finished wort I only got the tartness but that was at 16% in a beer with other assertive flavors. The rye flavor also came through.
Interesting. I wonder what organisms are responsible for the fermentation of the malt. I’m also wondering if any are viable for inoculating a kettle sour…
I’m assuming they ferment then kiln and therefore no organisms. Am I wrong about that?
I was thinking that as well, but you can innoculate a sour using other kilned malts. The question is whether all the bugs are picked up post-kilning, or whether some survive the process and remain viable on the malt.
Shoulda saved a little bit. I get my winter share next month, I’ll see if I can get more, I’m fascinated.
BTW Eric you might consider checking them out, 146 to Mass Pike gets you mostly there and there’s lots to do in the Amherst/Hadley/Northampton area.
I’ve been meaning to. I have friends in the Worcester area, so I need to see if I can kill 2 birds with one stone sometime.
Sometimes I like to think about what it would take to kill two birds with one stone. Its fun to think about.
I suppose you could put poisoned peanut butter on a stone. The trick would be to run out and get it before three birds were killed.
Not knowing anything about how they do it, it sounds like acid malt done spontaneous rather than sprayed. I imagine an acid malt with some extra funkiness. Method is probably pretty simple. I imagine they malt, then halt, then let it sit warm and wet for the souring, then kiln dry.