Hey all. Due to my equipment constraints, I plan on mashing enough grain to bring my boil volume up to 3 gallons. I plan to make up the rest of the gravity with LME and some brown sugar. Other than 2 row, I am not sure on what amounts to use for my other grains. I am trying to convert a porter recipe which is my favorite beer that I brew. Any suggestions?

3.00 lb Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 33.33 %
4.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 44.44 %
0.25 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 2.78 %
0.25 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 2.78 %
0.25 lb British Dark Crystal (80.0 SRM) Grain 2.78 %
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 2.78 %
0.25 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 2.78 %
0.75 lb Brown Sugar, Dark (50.0 SRM) Sugar 8.33 %

To keep my volumes right I am thinking about bring down the 2 row and adding some more chocolate and crystal. Many might not consider this a porter with the roasted barley in there but that is definitely staying.

goschman - that's a lot of different grains in small amounts. I would consider simplifying to:

Liquid or DM Extract 6-7#
Roasted Barley 1#
Black Malt - .5#
Chocolate Malt - .5-1#
Sugar (if you must) - ??? never used it.

I like the Roasted Barley in my porter recipe. Remember the Black and Chocolate malt aren't going to give you any more fermentables, so increasing the amount doesn't do much except add a roasted/burned flavor.

I use some type of sugar in all of my recipes now. It helps make the extract more fermentable.

I am trying to convert one of my favorite recipes hence all the different grains. I will probably leave the roasted barley where it is because I just like a touch of the roasted flavor. Any advice on manipulating the amounts but still using all the grains I have?

Also, I am moving toward all-grain so I want to use as much grains as possible and as little extract as possible. I am stuck with this method for now because I don't have a large enough kettle for full volume boils...

goschman - I suggest focusing on the non-base grains (i.e. not 2 row) for right now. So, maybe you brew this batch with some liquid malt extract and all the specialty grains you listed. What does your recipe look like? Are the grain amounts you listed part of your recipe or do you need to determine the proportions? Making them all equal is interesting to me, especially at those small amounts. I think the chocolate and black patent will contribute to the color, but not necessariy the flavor at those amounts. Regardless, I would not go over 1# on the barley (in total), chocolate or black patent malts.

I like to use:

.75# RB
.5# Black
.5# Chocolate

Sometimes I'll weight the black and chocolate differently so I can get a better taste for them.

When I normally do this recipe it is an extract batch with 7 lbs LME so there is not 2 row. I plan on using my mash tun for the first time thus the 2 row will replace the need for extract. I plan on doing a full mash/sparge....

In the past the basic recipe has been:

7 lb LME
1/2 lb dark brown sugar
1/4 lb rb
1/4 lb bp
1/4 british dark crystal
1/4 lb chocolate

plan on adding 1/4 flaked barley but that is really the only change I plan on making

If this was to be converted to an all-grain recipe, would I just replace the 7 lb extract with 2-row? If that's the case, then I guess that would be my answer. Leave the amounts where the are... Sorry for any confusion. This is basically going to be an AG batch with extract to make up for some gravity

I find that a good porter has a healthy dose of black malt. Black malt makes the porter, and I don't ever see myself making one with any less than 3/4 lb.
I find roasted barley to be out of place. And granted, there are really good breweries (like Great Lakes and O'so) that can get me to pour out a beer by putting roast barley in a porter.
If you need roast flavor (which I like as well), you're better of with crystal 120, and I like 3/8 to 1/2 lb.
Crystal 80 is too fruity for my taste. I like crystal 60 much better.
Flaked barley is to add greater mouthfeel to a low OG beer, like a bitter. I don't think you would need it in a porter.

I would increase the amounts of all the dark grains (except the roasted barley) to 3/4 lb.

When I was doing extract, I used the Briess amber as a base, or 4# amber 3# dark.

One of my ex's favorite homebrews was an extract porter that I put rice extract into.
If you're going to add sugar anyway, it's something to consider.

K....so it looks like I will increase the black patent and chocolate to 3/4 lb or so and maybe the crystal up to 1/2 lb. Still going to leave the RB at 1/4 lb because I like a roasted note to this porter.

What can I add to increase creaminess/smoothness? I thought flaked barley would help with that. Should I use oats instead?

The crystal give it enough fullness if you go 1# or more with it.
The black malt will give it the impression of being heavy, even if it's not.

Okay...does this sound better? I don't want the beer to taste too heavy...

3/4# crystal
1/2# chocolate
3/8# black patent
1/4# roasted barley
?# grain to increase creaminess (oats?)

Flaked barley leaves a nice grainy flavor and creaminess or smoothness. It kinda fills out the body, thats how I think of it.

Use flaked barley it smooths out my dry stout real nice. Oats can leave a slickness/smoothness which is nice in oat stouts.

Either grain you are going to need 10-15% of the grain bill

Thanks for everyone's input on my porterish beer. Looks like I will just have to go for it and tweak it as needed. I am hoping to get it very close to my extract version with a touch more smoothness. I think this will be the final recipe

3# light LME
4# two row
1# flaked barley
3/4# british dark crystal
1/2# british chocolate
1/2# black patent
1/4# roasted barley
3/4# dark brown sugar

At this point, this isn't probably considered a porter but I wouldn't necessarily call it a stout with such a small amount of RB.

Once I get a bigger kettle, burner, and wort chiller I can just add in enough 2 row to make up for the LME and make it AG with a full volume boil. Getting close...

I think you're better off at 3/4# with those dark grains. It's not too heavy at that level, more full-bodied.

great...thanks rex

gosch, don't worry about porter or stout, doesn't matter unless you are trying to win awards. If thats the case put it in porter and stout categorys and let the judges decide.