perfidy

Brew #6

Hey, Porter! Porter

I loved the porter I made the last time, but it could be improved upon. For that one, I used Hallertau Mittelfreuh hops (the same as used in Sam Adams lager) and kept the profile very dry. That was really nice, but the hop nose actually only emerged after three months in the bottle after I had drunk all but two bottles.

So for this one I set out with the intention of making a slightly sweeter porter with a warmer hop profile. Then.

2 cans (6.6 lbs) John Bull pale liquid malt extract
3/4 lb 40L crystal malt
1/4 lb 60L crystal malt
1/4 lb chocolate malt
1/4 lb black patent malt
1 smack pack Wyeast 1028, British Ale yeast
1 oz Perle hops (6.7% AAU), bittering
1 oz Fuggles hops (4.2%), aroma

Made my starter wort for the smack pack on Wednesday, using a small jar of sterilized wort from EasyYeast. It was completely done fermenting and fully settled out in 18 hours flat, which was bad because I wasn't brewing until Saturday. So, we'll see from the start if this works.

Steeped grains for 1 hour at 160 degrees in 3/4 gallons water. Boiled 2.75 gallons water and sparged specialty grain bag in the larger volume of water. Added malt syurp. Added bittering hops.

At 50 minutes, added aroma hops.

Cooled the wort in ice bath plus a frozen soda bottle right in the wort. Took 15 minutes from 212 to 85 degrees. Sweet!

Pitched yeast at 67 degrees. The starter wort was a little warmer than that, since the room was so warm. They say ("they" say) that starter worts can sit for 1 or 2 days after fermentation. I'm pushing it on two fronts. Again, I hope I didn't shock or kill my yeast. If I did, I don't have a backup except for a pack of Windsor, which is really not appropriate for this beer. So, fingers crossed. I hope this will be a little maltier, just a tad heavier, and with the 1028 yeast and Fuggles, a little more warmth in the flavor and aroma. If it works; nummies.

[wik] Hey! It lives! I had to leave my fermenting bucket in the warm apartment overnight, but this afternoon it began bubbling. So that's nice. Looks like I'll be sharing the dining room with five gallons of nascent beer for the next week or so. I'll get the air mattress.

[alsø wik] ....aaand we're delicious! As of March 10, I've got a very nice and complex porter with a faint roasted edge, plenty of body and moderate sweetness, and the complicated spiciness of just enough Fuggles. I really like the Perle hops on the back end, too. They are sort of light and spicy, not at all cloying. Nice! Next time I could probably stand to add even more caramel malt, maybe something in the 90-120L range, and a pound of dry extract in order to make a bigger beer. What would be totally boss would be to use a few ounces of biscuit or Victory malt, if I can get away with steeping them. The bready flavor seems to be in vogue, and I do dig it. I love the London Ale Yeast with this one too. Adding more stuff to this beer will also differentiate this porter from my other one, which is drier, lighter, and uses Hallertau Mittelfreuh for flavor and aroma.

[alsø alsø wik] One thing that has emerged over time (now after about 4 months in the bottle) is a slightly too-strong burned flavor. If I back off next time on the black malt, back to 2 ounces, I think I could keep everything else pretty much the same and hit the mark perfectly. That's the ticket.