Specialty Smoked Beer Bacon Smoked Porter

[TheBreweryUnderground]

Recipe Type

All Grain

All Grain - 5 gallon

OG - 1.063
FG - 1.018
~6% ABV

Mash at 156

6# Smoked Malt (they had Briess at the LHBS)
4# Munich
1# Chocolate
1# Special B
4oz Lactose
4oz Malto-dextrine

1oz Brewer's Gold at 60 minutes

US-05

After fermentation was complete I soaked ~6 strips of baked bacon dabbed with paper towels to remove grease in vodka for a few days and put into the freezer overnight. The next morning the bacon grease was mostly solid and was fairly easy to remove, I read about this technique from a homebrew blog I can't remember anymore but he did this for any beer additive that was oily. I then dumped the bacon flavored vodka and some bacon chunks into the fermentor and let sit for a day or two until I bottled.

It pours black with a decent tan head, surprising considering all the oil/grease from the bacon. Maybe the technique really does helps with head retention. The aroma is very subdued, in the fermentor it was all smoke but in the glass there's only a hint of smoke. The taste is where all the bacon is at, smoked maltiness and bacon makes this a very interesting brew. Not as weird as I originally thought it would be. It has a very full body and I'm pretty happy with it overall. Most people who have tried it have liked it but a few people didn't, which is what I expected with such a smokey brew.

I'll post up a picture later tonight when I break another open.

 

[imrook]

I like your style. I have to believe this beer is good because I'm brewing a smoked porter that has an almost identical grain bill this week (sans bacon.) A brewery in town does a smoked lager once a year that is known as the "bacon beer" but you have truly taken this to the pinnacle.

 

[roger617]

This sounds great! I'll have to note both the technique and recipe. Please post a pic I'd love to see how it looks!

 

[Barnesie]

Funny, i just did a porter with 1# of smoked malt and thought it was way too much. Can't imagine how smokey 6# would be.

 

[janson745]

Could any of you spare an extract version of this. I really would like to come up with a Smoked Porter recipe, however I am not good at making up recipes or knowing which extract has what tastes, since I am new to this... Could I use DME with smoked grains in the steep?

All help is appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

[imrook]

This is one of those few cases where you can't do the something in extract that you can all grain. I would say you basically have two options:

1 use a smoke flavoring in the fermenter.

2 steep a smaller amount of rauch malt. It has a much more intense smoked flavor to it although it is also harsher.

Partial mash *could* be an option although if you can mash 6lbs of malt you can probably mash the whole batch.

 

[janson745]

Well, BIaB it is then... No better time than now to learn...

 

[imrook]

Well, BIaB it is then... No better time than now to learn...

I think you'll find that all-grain is a lot easier than you expect. I know it was for me. Watch your water volumes and temperatures closely as they have a much bigger impact on all-grain than extract beers. I had a hard time hitting my O.G. when I first started. Mostly because I was using too much water because I was eyeballing volume in my brew kettle and was likely off by .5~.75 gallons. Also, don't skimp on the mash. I tried to do some 45 minute mashes because I didn't want to wait -- it wasn't worth it.

 

[Justdrumin]

I hate to resurrect an old thread...but what do you guys think this would be like with a bit of maple syrup?!? Smoked Breakfast Porter?!?

 

[appleking88]

How much vodka?