Greetings & salutations

[Slash]

Well after about 6 months of nosying around here and having gathered lots of useful and priceless information I've decided it might be a good idea to actually register, and I hope to stick around for a while too. I live in Sydney and I've been brewing for around 12 months, started out doing straight K&K with absoltuely no intention to progress but my tastebuds persuaded me after several lifeless brews. Nowadays I still use cans, but I've also discovered the wonders of fresh hops, Safale/lager, honey and other adjuncts and stovetop boils. I'm even growing my own Chinook hops in the backyard (I'm quite partial to LCPA and hope to make a clone when I progress to partials or AG - for now I have no time).
I am planning to make a porter leading up to Christmas in order to bottle condition for the next 6 months, to enjoy on those cold winter nights. I want to experiment a little, so let's hear your thoughts on the following...

- 1 can Cascade Porter
- 1kg dark malt or choclate malt extract
- 500g Brown sugar (or perhaps maple syrup)
- Cascade hops (I have about 50g in the freezer, not sure when/how I should use these in the boil, if at all)
- Safale (not sure which strain would go best with this style)
- Cinnamon and/or Vanilla pods(any ideas how much)


Cheers

[Bizier]

Greetings! Welcome!

I'd question the hop, I know it is used in Wassa's recipe (which I am yet to brew), but I am unsure on spices + cascade. My dubious instinct is to go for an english style hop for a compliment to your spices, maybe bramling X, styrian, target (TL?), or even willamette perhaps. To give more of a orange/lemon/spice rather than the grapefruit/passionfruit zone. But I might well be talking out my ring. + SO4/Nottingham to suit this direction

Maybe up the gravity slightly for ageing?
Maybe a little bit of steeping grains (chocolate / JW Choc Chit ?)

[Slash]

Thanks mate, I'll have to give that a go, but I've never used steeping grains, how do you use them?

[squirt in the turns]

Thanks mate, I'll have to give that a go, but I've never used steeping grains, how do you use them?

I'm seconding that question. I'm not planning a porter (or anything nearly as interesting as Slash's recipe), just a Black Rock East India Pale Ale. I got some cracked crystal grain, but the guy in the home brew shop didn't have any grain bags and recommended sterilising a stocking instead. I figured I'd throw in a couple of hundred grams (?), put it in a pan of water and heat without boiling for 30 mins or so, then remove the bag/hosiery and use the proto-wort for the boil. Is this roughly the process? Should I also then rinse the grains in tepid water and throw the rinse water into the boil too?

[Bizier]

Pretty much, aim for about 65 - so very roughly 2 parts boilling to one part cold and steep for 30 mins or so. Strain, rinse, add liquid to start of boil. Keep the QTY proportionate to the bitterness of your beer - low bitterness + lots of crystal can be too sweet. Search the net for beer recipes involving crystal malt to get an idea of how much to add.