Batch #4 - Attempt at a Porter
For my next foray into the world of home brewing I chose to try a Porter which is not a beer that I've had much experience with other than drinking the odd Guiness; which was originally named Guiness Extra Superior Porter it's name only later changed from that to Guiness Extra Stout. In some ways the name Porter and Stout are interchangeable as both represent dark beers with strong malt flavours and a rich thick head.
Incidentally it's name was first used in the 18th century due to it's popularity with the street and river porters of London.
The recipe I used was once again one that I got from Dan's Homebrewing Supplies and their handy binder full of recipes. The one I chose was called Strathcona Porter #1 and unfortunately I've misplaced the exact ingredient list but I hope to have that available soon.
Results
This porter recipe used hops only in the boil with no finishing hops which should result in a beer where the flavours of the dark roasted malt are more pronounced than the flavours of the hops.
The first day of fermentation showed lots of bubbling in the fermentation lock.
After 7 days in the primary when most signs of fermentation had ended I racked the beer into to the secondary fermenter. The beer remained in the secondary fermenter for just under two weeks and then it was ready to bottle. My yield was 20 litres of a dark rich porter.
If my readings were correct the alcohol content is around 3.3% by weight, about 4.1% by volume.
First tried the beer after 8 days in the bottle and it had a good rich malt flavour but very little head. I continued to sample the beer and with each sample the beer had improved and the head had grown.
About 3 weeks after bottling the beer had developed a nice rich flavour, and a decent head. With head retention much better now than after the first sample.
This beer has followed the same pattern of all the others I've done...starts out missing something and then over the next couple of weeks it has gotten better and better.
So I think that the Porter was a success and further confirmation of that came when I found a bottle that I missed and so I was able to sample the beer almost 2 months after bottle date. (Most of my beers don't last that long). By that time the beer had a nice thick head both effervescent and creamy at the same time, and a distinctive malty flavour with notes of chocolate and a slightly burnt aftertaste.
Yummy beer but I prefer beers with a good hop bite and this one favours the malt.
Incidentally it's name was first used in the 18th century due to it's popularity with the street and river porters of London.
The recipe I used was once again one that I got from Dan's Homebrewing Supplies and their handy binder full of recipes. The one I chose was called Strathcona Porter #1 and unfortunately I've misplaced the exact ingredient list but I hope to have that available soon.
Results
This porter recipe used hops only in the boil with no finishing hops which should result in a beer where the flavours of the dark roasted malt are more pronounced than the flavours of the hops.
The first day of fermentation showed lots of bubbling in the fermentation lock.
After 7 days in the primary when most signs of fermentation had ended I racked the beer into to the secondary fermenter. The beer remained in the secondary fermenter for just under two weeks and then it was ready to bottle. My yield was 20 litres of a dark rich porter.
If my readings were correct the alcohol content is around 3.3% by weight, about 4.1% by volume.
First tried the beer after 8 days in the bottle and it had a good rich malt flavour but very little head. I continued to sample the beer and with each sample the beer had improved and the head had grown.
About 3 weeks after bottling the beer had developed a nice rich flavour, and a decent head. With head retention much better now than after the first sample.
This beer has followed the same pattern of all the others I've done...starts out missing something and then over the next couple of weeks it has gotten better and better.
So I think that the Porter was a success and further confirmation of that came when I found a bottle that I missed and so I was able to sample the beer almost 2 months after bottle date. (Most of my beers don't last that long). By that time the beer had a nice thick head both effervescent and creamy at the same time, and a distinctive malty flavour with notes of chocolate and a slightly burnt aftertaste.
Yummy beer but I prefer beers with a good hop bite and this one favours the malt.
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