Just finished brewing the second Porter experiment. I had to boil a little longer to get down to a gallon, which was a little weird, because I was right on with the pre-boil gravity. I probably have to turn up the heat during the boil. It is cooling in the bathtub as I write this.
The recipe was:
-2lbs Maris Otter
-0.1Lb Flaked Barley
-0.05Lb Black Patent
-0.1Lb Chocolate
-0.1Lb Crystal 120L
MASHED AT 152F FOR 60 MIN
-0.3oz Fuggles hops @ 70 min (should have been 60)
-0.2oz Fuggles hops @ 30 min (should have been 20)
0.1Lb Dark Brown Sugar @ 20 min (should have been 10)
I'm using the Safale US-05 yeast to ferment this one, 5 grams to be exact.
I bottled the Wheat as well, and it had not fermented down as far as I wanted, even though it got an extra week. This is the second, separate beer this has happened with, so I have to look at my fermentation process. I am going to try a warmer place first, trying to stay at or above 65 degrees F, or 19 C. The overpitching with a very attenuative yeast should help as well.
I also bought the barleywine ingredients, and I'm brewing that ASAP, so I can set aside some bottles to age.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
The Porter
I get a chance to taste the porter tonight...FINALLY! After opening three of them, all with different carbonation levels, I've decided the one with the five tabs has the most appropriate level of carbonation. I'll use this in each one from here on out.
The porter pours a deep black with a thick, tan head. The hops are present in the nose, as are the dark malts. No sourness or alcohols are present in the aroma. The flavor is clean, with a slightly burnt aftertaste. There is a definite alcoholic warmth to the beer, bordering on downright heat. The head dissipates quickly.
I like the subtle aroma, so the late hop addition seems to work well. The bitterness level is spot on, and I'm not changing that either for the next iteration. What I will try to work on for that one is the flavor. While the beer is good, I feel some dark fruit notes may help combat the harshness of the black patent, which seems to dominate.
To accomplish this, I will take some of the black patent out, and add in some dark Crystal 120 malt. I'm also switching yeasts to the Safeale US-05, both to attenuate further, and to create a more American style ale.
The porter pours a deep black with a thick, tan head. The hops are present in the nose, as are the dark malts. No sourness or alcohols are present in the aroma. The flavor is clean, with a slightly burnt aftertaste. There is a definite alcoholic warmth to the beer, bordering on downright heat. The head dissipates quickly.
I like the subtle aroma, so the late hop addition seems to work well. The bitterness level is spot on, and I'm not changing that either for the next iteration. What I will try to work on for that one is the flavor. While the beer is good, I feel some dark fruit notes may help combat the harshness of the black patent, which seems to dominate.
To accomplish this, I will take some of the black patent out, and add in some dark Crystal 120 malt. I'm also switching yeasts to the Safeale US-05, both to attenuate further, and to create a more American style ale.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Tons of Ideas in My Downtime
In the past few weeks as I wait to taste the Porter (Saturday) and bottle the Wheat (Friday), I've had a some time to think up a few more experiments, and an overall theme for my resulting beers.
I intend on going for a collection of American-style ales based on the seasons in which they are served. So far, I've designed a Double IPA, a Stout, a Pale Ale, a Brown, and a Barleywine in addition to the Porter, Wheat, and of course my IPA. They are all made according to their respective style profiles on the BJCP website. Obviously, as the experiments progress, they all have the potential to deviate from the standards, but I think they provide a good starting point.
This means, however, that the yeasts I have to use will change for the porter and wheat to reflect the clean character of American beer styles, but its something I'm willing to try in order to keep with the theme...at least to start with.
I have ideas for the individual beers as well, such as using spruce tips in the Brown, and cherries in the Barleywine (a la Mad Elf). I am also looking at specific hop profiles for some of them, designing the Pale with 100% Willamette hops.
I will probably be making one gallon batches for at least the next 2 years before I finish all of these, running multiple experiments at a time as I am now. I will also have to do a lot of research on these styles to see what those who have brewed them before have learned from their experiences.
Most likely, since barleywines take a year or more to age properly, I will make a batch of that soon. I don't have anything to brew this week, so I could do it this weekend, but I may not have enough time to get to the store for ingredients by then...work, school, and responsibilities in general kind of suck.
I intend on going for a collection of American-style ales based on the seasons in which they are served. So far, I've designed a Double IPA, a Stout, a Pale Ale, a Brown, and a Barleywine in addition to the Porter, Wheat, and of course my IPA. They are all made according to their respective style profiles on the BJCP website. Obviously, as the experiments progress, they all have the potential to deviate from the standards, but I think they provide a good starting point.
This means, however, that the yeasts I have to use will change for the porter and wheat to reflect the clean character of American beer styles, but its something I'm willing to try in order to keep with the theme...at least to start with.
I have ideas for the individual beers as well, such as using spruce tips in the Brown, and cherries in the Barleywine (a la Mad Elf). I am also looking at specific hop profiles for some of them, designing the Pale with 100% Willamette hops.
I will probably be making one gallon batches for at least the next 2 years before I finish all of these, running multiple experiments at a time as I am now. I will also have to do a lot of research on these styles to see what those who have brewed them before have learned from their experiences.
Most likely, since barleywines take a year or more to age properly, I will make a batch of that soon. I don't have anything to brew this week, so I could do it this weekend, but I may not have enough time to get to the store for ingredients by then...work, school, and responsibilities in general kind of suck.
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