Rye Smoked Porter du Détour has a black color with coppery highlights. On the palate, moderate carbonation gives way to aromas of chocolate and coffee. Smoked malt adds a smoky touch, supported by the spicy notes of rye malt. The whole is enhanced by a gentle bitterness and discreet woody, slightly spicy hop aromas.

One word on "LE DÉTOUR!"

Among the first arrivals in the Montpellier "Craft Beer" scene, Le Détour has been offering authentic, local beers since 2015. Eclectic and passionate to the core, the team explores a multitude of classic and modern styles. Bitter, IPA, sour, fruit beers or barrel-aged... It's easy to find what you're looking for.

Don't hesitate to pay them a visit, as they always offer a warm welcome: Brasserie Le Détour - Beer brewed in Montpellier! Faites le Détour (ledetour.beer)

Recipe:

• Color: copper-black
• Alcohol: 5.6% proof
• Quantity: 20L
• Bitterness: Mild
• Brewing time: 5h
• Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 3.3kg Malt Pale Ale
• 1.1kg Smoked Malt
• 550g Rye Malt
• 550g Carafa I Malt
• 25g Target hops
• 2 sachets of Safale US-05

Note: to use crushed malt, use the corresponding declination

Tips from Romain, brewer at Le Détour :

"Mash at 65°, we're looking for a fairly low final attenuation of around 2° plato (1.008).

We have very hard water in Montpellier, so we don't make any PH corrections at either the steeping or boiling stages. The addition of roasted beans is sufficient for correction.

The target PH at bottling is 5.3. We want a PH between 5.3 and 5.1 after boiling. Depending on the water profile, a correction with calcium carbonate will be necessary to prevent the ph from dropping too much.

This is one of the few recipes where we don't add minerals: we've opted for a more "rustic" brew, and adding minerals lowers the PH, which we don't want here.

We're aiming for an initial specific gravity of 1.052.

For hops, we're looking for 30 IBU in First Wort (before the start of boiling, for softer bitterness and better extraction of essential oils).

We aim to ferment at 20°C for a clean profile, putting malts to the fore in this recipe. Halfway through fermentation, the temperature can be raised to 22°.

Once fermentation is complete - which is important, as we're aiming for a fairly dry result - we keep the wine at -1°C for at least 2 weeks. At home, you can count on 3 weeks at a temperature below 10°C. This is a style of beer that appreciates a good cold ageing to allow the malts to shine.

For packaging, I recommend 4g/L of sugar. It's not much, but it's a porter, and we're looking for an English-style sparkle (the virtual bubble). For the more adventurous, you can try a less refined sugar that will give interesting licorice notes.

To serve, it's a good idea to take the beer out of the fridge half an hour before opening the bottle. Enjoy it by the fireplace with a good Neil Young album, or with friends to accompany a good winter barbecue (on pulled pork, yum yum)."

Ultimate advice:
"Plus one point of class if it's brewed on the day of the winter solstice."

BREW THE RECIPE STEP BY STEP

(the recipe is in French only)