I don't know how the NZ styrian compares to the imported, but if it was imported I'd probably go with that as the final hop and Pacifica as secondary hop, or all styrian. Riwaka is to fresh for this, imo. The hops are not the main player in this beer, i think?
Hoping to do a smoked porter this weekend, anybody got experience with this? I plan on using all smoked malt (weyermanns) for the base, is that excessive? or maybe not enough, shall I top it up with a pinch of peated?:P I'm not afraid of smokiness but obv I dont want it to be undrinkable either...
Nah mate use all weyermann smoked for the base, I wouldnt top it up with peated cos its a different type of smoke flavour.. Biggest tip I can give is to get rid of all the chlorine in your water before you mash cos it makes an incredible difference!!
yeah, if I do the entire base in smoked, that will probably end up around 70% plan on a fair whack of special malts...:P Did Mike's need a bit of aging? Jamil says he uses 19% in his and sometimes that needs 6 months before it is drinkable. Jamil's a great brewer for sure, but sometime I think he's a bit of a pussy and extreme style nazi:)