Peated Malt

[Crusader-Rob]

How much heavily peated malt would be suitable for a robust porter?
I've been loking at the Stone Smoked Porter, and it asks for 4 oz of Lightly peated malt which is about 110g-ish if using heavily peated, which seems to be all I can find, how much should I reduce the amount by?

Further-more I toyed with adding oak to the ber as well for maybe 7-10 days, how well would this work? Or would it be too much?

[Hutch]

The answer is very very little. I made a pale with 5% peated malt (200g in a 15L batch), and it tasted overwhelmingly peaty. 

[Des Ross]

Yeasty Boys uses 100% peated malt in their Rex Attitude....a truely great beer. Weyermann state on their website that up to100% can be used. It MIGHT be a case of more being better? Some hops are a little like that in my experience eg Rakau is awesome when heavily used but completely different in smaller additions.

[Barry]

Correct me if I'm wrong the but the Weyermann smoked malt isn't the same thing as the peated whiskey malt Yeasties use 100% of in Rex? Pretty sure Weyermanns is beech smoked.

[Crusader-Rob]

Weyermann and peated are very very different.

[Des Ross]

Yes weyermanns is beech malted, unlike Rex Attitude which uses 100% heavily peated malt. Hard to believe it could taste so sensational but there you have it. I seem to remember reading a comment by Stu McKinlay that he almost threw up when he mashed his first brew of the stuff...

[Hutch]

While I agree that Rex attitude is a good beer, it's not something you can have more than one bottle of. If you're going for a peaty note, I'd say 2-3% if you're after the bottom of the ashtray taste go big.

[Crusader-Rob]

THE PLAN WAS A SMALL AMOUNT IN A PORTER. THE STONE RECIPE SUGGESTS 110G OF LIGHTLY PEATED, BUT I CAN ONLY FIND HEAVILY PEATED.

[Barry]

I wouldn't halve it, I'd maybe go with 80gm. See how that goes and tweak for the next batch maybe?

Though 110gm you might struggle to taste it I reckon, what's that as a percentage of total grist?

I would think you could go fairly safely to 8-10 percent before it got too ashtray. It'll fade over time too, how long are you planning to age it for?

[Des Ross]

Absolutely agree! It's really an all or nothing beer with the smokey aroma and smooth taste of a good single malt Islay whiskey and certainly not to everyone's taste. I got a bit off topic but for a Porter, a small addition will still come though with smokey overtones.

[Crusader-Rob]

Hmmm... I don't know about 80g. seems a bit much, everyone seems to suggest a little goes a long way.

I was thinking I'd halve to start and adjust from there. I'd rather start with too little and adjust on subsequent batches.

[Barry]

Yeah I don't have any experience with peated, but the Weyermann I stuck about 80gm in a beer (years ago) and didn't taste it. I vowed to stick at least 20% in the next attempt. Still yet to happen but I'd be far less timid, especially in a porter.

[Scarrfie]

Rob I used 100g in 20L of Bock and it was nice, but pretty dominant in that one bottle was enough. Then I tried a smaller amount, I think around 30g, and could hardly notice it. Interestingly the smoked flavour in the Bock faded with time.