Molasses additions

[TJC]

Hi all,

About to brew a sweet potato Porter, and would like to add molasses to give it a little more character and get the OG up as I have a severely undersized MLT. I haven't been able to find much info regarding which type of molasses and a good but safe % to add. I've never used any type before but I think I've narrowed it down to the sweet/medium/bakers grade, but know I'm looking for amount per bbl. Brewing on a 7 bbl system. Any recommendations or experiences greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[Todd Hicks]

I've used it in Porters, Amber ale, and even in an APA. For porter, I used about 7.5# per bbl and wished I had bumped it up to 10#/bbl, Amber used about 5#/bbl and liked the rum-like subtle character, APA was about 1#/bbl and added a slight mineral character and dryness with a little bit of vanilla. I have also used dark brown sugar in Porter and Saison in about the same rates as above.

[TJC]

Thanks for the reply Todd,

Which grades have you used? I've heard of mineraly/metallic issues when using blackstrap.

[wailingguitar]

Some years ago when brewing in a brew pub, I used 6 gallons of blackstrap in a 10bbl batch of brown ale (grains were 400# pale ale malt, 20# chocolate). It had a notable molasses/irony flavor, but very pleasant... you could compare it to the effect you get from a good Irish dry stout. It was a very popular beer in the pub and I am considering making it again at my current brewery.