Second half of mash, the temps ranged from 154 to 152. Mashed in with 1.3 qts of water per pound of grain 154F and went down to 151F over the course of 30 minutes. 1/2 pound of extra dark Crystal Malt (130L).1/2 pound Chocolate Malt (Thomas Fawcett).1/2 pound of Carafa Special III (Weyermann).The resulting beer was marvelous and one of my favorite beers I have ever made. I then kegged the porter and dry-hopped with another pound of dried coconut shreds in a hop sack. It turns out that while one pound of shredded coconut gave plenty of favor before pitching they yeast, fermentation completely scrubbed the beer of any sign of coconut. For balance, I decided to take a wait and see approach – adding toasted coconut first to the hot wort as it cooled then adding more if needed. I increased the chocolate malt to get a heightened chocolate character and had a successful showing at a homebrew competition with my Chocolate Orange Cardamon Porter.
#BEERSMITH COCONUT FULL#
For the base beer I decided to use my standard porter recipe which utilizes de-bittered carafa malt to keep the roast in check and a healthy dose of rye and oat malt to provide a full palate but dry finish. I had a few homebrew versions with a nice interplay between the roasted malts and sweetness from coconut – this has been on my list of “must try” brews for a long time.Ī successful off-scale beer with weird ingredients should have a solid base beer and balance. I was lucky enough to try this beer years ago by a friend who smuggled a growler on a flight from Minnesota. My favorite coconut porter is Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery’s Three Hour Tour. Coconut and dark beers (porters and stouts) can interact in a harmonious marriage.