Beachwood Brewing Co.’s Wholly Smoke Robust Smoked Porter clone

Beachwood Brewing Co.’s Wholly Smoke Robust Smoked Porter clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.071  FG = 1.016
IBU = 36  SRM = 48  ABV = 7.2%

Wholly Smoke incorporates a blend of smoked malts to create a rich and complex smoky robust porter. Due to the high percentage of smoked malts this beer is not easily replicated using malt extract.

Ingredients
4.8 lbs. (2.2 kg) Weyermann rauchmalt 
4.5 lbs. (2 kg) Maris Otter pale ale malt
1.25 lbs. (0.57 kg) Briess cherrywood smoked malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Weyermann oak smoked wheat malt 
1 lb. (0.45 kg) crystal malt (45 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) crystal malt (77 or 80 °L)
12 oz. (0.34 kg) chocolate malt
12 oz. (0.34 kg) black patent malt
8 AAU Magnum hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 16% alpha acids) 
2.5 AAU East Kent Golding hops (20 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5% alpha acids)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or SafAle US-05 yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by step
Mill the grains and mix with 4.4 gallons (16.6 L) of 165 °F (74 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 153 °F (67 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with 2.9 gallons (10.9 L) and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort. Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list.

After the boil, turn off heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast.

Ferment at 67 °F (19 °C) for 10 days, then raise the temperature to 70 °F (21 °C) for 3–4 days. Crash the beer to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours and then bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.25 volumes.

Tips for success:
Owner and Brewmaster Julian Shrago notes that this beer is the very definition of a “modern” porter, as it owes its signature flavor to cherrywood smoked malt, a product that was largely unavailable ten years ago. Owing to the high proportion of smoked base malt in this beer, extract versions aren’t advisable, but for those who are all-grain brewers there’s not much to get you into trouble here! The grist is doing most of the hard work, and your additions and fermentation are pretty straightforward. 

If you find that the mild roast complexity is getting lost in the smoky background, consider replacing half of the black patent and chocolate malt with the equivalent amount of pale chocolate — you’ll get more flavors out of the more lightly-kilned chocolate malt.