Porter too sweet with brown malt?

[mrphillips]

I'm using Brown Malt for the first time and have recently read that some brown malt act a lot like crystal malt, but again, I have no experience with it. I recently posted a different question regarding diastatic power of brown ale, and I'm continuing my info-search towards a recipe.

The brown ale is "Gold Swaen Brown Malt" listed at 75-90 Lovibond

Recipe - 5 gallons

6.6 lbs. Maris Otter LME
2 lbs. Maris otter grain
2 lbs. Brown Malt grain
1 lb. Midnight Wheat

Will 2 lbs. of brown malt act the same as 2 lbs. crystal 80? If so, I'll change my recipe for the better. Thanks.

 

[meatcleaver]

maybe you're thinking of carabrown? I believe it is a crystal/caramel malt.
the only brown malt I've used is from crisp. it's not sweet. its like very well done (maybe overdone) bread crust. it's toasty, a bit roasty, slightly bitter with just a hint of underlying sweetness. it worked awesome for me in a brown ale @ 1 lb. per 5 gal.
edit- here's what I did
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=573779

 

[mrphillips]

Thanks. The recipe looks nice. How'd the S-04 work out for you? I tried it in an Irish Red years back, and was underwhelmed. I've been considering giving it another go.

 

[meatcleaver]

Thanks. The recipe looks nice. How'd the S-04 work out for you? I tried it in an Irish Red years back, and was underwhelmed. I've been considering giving it another go.

that was my first time using s04 & I thought the beer was great with just the right amount of residual sweetness. since then I've made a few other beers with s04...a Maris otter/EKG smash & a couple of porters. not really impressed. will probably try a better (read liquid) English ale strain once the weather cools off here.

 

[jwalk4]

Brown Malt is like liquid toffee. Simply put, it's delish.

 

[jerbrew]

Brown Malt is like liquid toffee. Simply put, it's delish.

Agreed. I just used 20% brown malt in an english porter with wlp007. Excellent toffee/almost chocolaty taste to it.

 

[mrphillips]

WLP007 was the yeast I was planning on using. I'm glad to hear your success!

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

the only brown malt I've used is from crisp. it's not sweet. its like very well done (maybe overdone) bread crust. it's toasty, a bit roasty, slightly bitter with just a hint of underlying sweetness.

I've only used Thomas Fawcett Brown but it has the exact same character. Burnt toast or crust with some subtle roast. Never had toffee or caramel notes. Though I do think the stuff is sort of a chameleon malt the way it blends in differently with different malts. It doesn't always just hold its character like a lot of other malts.

 

[jerbrew]

WLP007 was the yeast I was planning on using. I'm glad to hear your success!

It finishes a good bit dryer than the other wlp English strains but retains the character. Definitely a good choice with the brown malt.

 

[mrphillips]

Dry is what I'm going for. I used an Irish yeast on my 1st attempt at a porter (can't remember the yeast brand), and it while it was enjoyable, it did leave a little more sweetness/esteriness on the palette than I like.