Homebrew Review - Porter

Several of my friends were surprised when they found out I was brewing a porter. As a relatively new convert to proper beer, my preference had always been for the pale ales over the dark ones and if that's what I enjoy drinking, that's what I tended to brew.

But, over the last year or so, I've not had such an aversion to the dark malts. I've enjoyed the odd commercial porter here and there, not to mention a friend's Imperial Russian Stout which I've really taken a liking too. So, the time was definitely right for me to have a crack at a porter and this was brewed last November.

This wasn't a strong, historical, porter mind, but more like the Fuller's version. The original recipe is here and the original gravity came in at 1.048

Porter

So what was it like? Not bad. I've enjoyed drinking it and it was well received at my local homebrewing group and some of them know a thing or two about brewing dark beers.

With an inviting scent of coffee and chocolate, the aroma was good, the colour was maybe slightly lighter than expected, but the off-white head laced the glass and didn't dissipate until half-way through.

The dark malts didn't produce the intense acrid taste I tend to dislike, but formed a light mellow flavour, which made for an easy-drinking pint. In all honesty, it was probably a bit lightweight for the style, but as my first porter attempt I was happy enough. Next time, I might increase the brown malt go for something a bit more intense.

Once I've finished this post, I'm off to crush malt for another brew tomorrow.

Brewday - R.I.P. 28/02/2013

It seems like an age since I last brewed.

I can't believe that February almost passed by without a brewday, so on Thursday I'll be braving the cold and having another crack at R.I.P., a beer I brewed last October.

The main reason for revisiting this recipe is that I didn't mash the dark grains last time, I simply added them to the mash tun prior to sparging. I'd heard on some American podcast that this was a better way to extract the sugar from darker malts, without getting any acrid roastiness. The process was likened to a coffee pot, where the first cup of fresh coffee is better than one from a pot which has stood on the heat for an hour.

I had no trouble extracting the sugars, but the process meant the dark malts didn't add much in the way of colour. So, the upshot is that I want to brew this again to compare the beers side by side. Exactly the same recipe, but the chocolate and roasted barley will be added at the start of the mash this time.

Original recipe here.

Homebrew Review - Homegrown IPA

Due to adverse weather, that Deuchers I was planning to brew this week will have to wait. Half a foot of snow and a frozen water supply have closed off that little avenue of pleasure.

As I've got behind with some of the tastings, perhaps it's a good time to review some of last year's brews. I'll kick off with the IPA I threw together with my homegrown Bramling Cross hops.

I have to confess, that despite not knowing the alpha content of the hops, this beer has turned out remarkably well.

As usual, I bottled half the batch and kegged the other. The picture is from the keg.

The 10% of Carahell I added to the Pale Malt made the beer a tad darker than I originally envisaged, but on the plus side, it does help to provide a decent malt backbone against the hops.

That's not to say this is a malty beer, far from it. But the balance is good, with the hops dominating as they rightly should. And the Bramling Cross are superb. My concerns that amateur drying techniques and storage would ruin them, failed to materialise. Perhaps it's because I used them relatively quickly after drying. But, surprisingly, I don't get the 'blackcurrant' that is often attributed to this variety. I'm getting fruity, spicy hop notes with a decent edge of bitterness, plus a hint of lemon.

Head retention is good and it laced the glass to the end. To be quite honest, I'm not sure I could have crafted a better beer, had I known the acid contents of the hop. If I'm being fussy (which I usually am) I'd prefer the colour to be slightly paler, but changing the malt would change the beer and I wouldn't want that. It's not completely clear, either, but that may be down to a hop haze.

Frankly, this is a lovely beer and I'd brew it again, just as it is. Granted a decent hop harvest in 2013, that's exactly what I'll be doing come September. It's a belter.

Brewday - Deuchars 18/01/2013

Having sorted through the hops in the freezer and having looked at what I’ve got sitting in kegs and bottles, I’ve decided my next brew is going to be something akin to a Deuchars IPA.

After a porter and a few strong beers, a light, easy-drinking, yet hoppy beer seems the perfect call.

British drinkers will no doubt be familiar with a pint of Deuchars, having won plenty of awards including the Champion Beer Of Britain. It’s also a favourite of Rebus, the fictional detective created by Ian Rankin.

Pale, fruity, with a citrusy nose and very sessionable at 3.8% abv

From the gravity, it’s not an IPA in the traditional sense, but a decent enough pale ale when it’s on song. 

My recipe is not intended to be a clone. Using grist made up simply of Pale Malt and a touch of wheat, I’m upping the gravity to about 1.046, but using what I believe is a similar combination of hops (although substituting Fuggles for Progress, as it’s what I have in stock).

Providing outside temperatures don't drop too low, I've pencilled in Friday as the brewday.

Deuchars 10G

Special/Best/Premium Bitter

Type: All Grain	Date: 18/01/2013
Batch Size (fermenter): 50.00 l	Brewer: Mark
Boil Size: 61.39 l	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 75 min	Equipment: Elite Brewery
End of Boil Volume 55.12 l	Brewhouse Efficiency: 73.00 %
Final Bottling Volume: 50.00 l	Est Mash Efficiency 77.4 %
Fermentation: My Aging Profile	Taste Rating(out of 50):
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Ingredients Amt Name Type # %/IBU 9500.00 g Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 1 95.0 % 500.00 g Wheat Malt, Bel (3.9 EBC) Grain 2 5.0 % 28.00 g Aurora [4.90 %] - Boil 75.0 min Hop 3 6.8 IBUs 18.00 g Progress [6.00 %] - Boil 75.0 min Hop 4 5.4 IBUs 145.00 g Celeia [2.60 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 5 9.8 IBUs 50.00 g Williamette [5.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 6 7.1 IBUs 0.50 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 7 - 2.0 pkg Nottingham Yeast (Lallemand #-) Yeast 8 -
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.046 SG	Measured Original Gravity:
Est Final Gravity: 1.010 SG	Measured Final Gravity:
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.7 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol:
Bitterness: 29.1 IBUs
Est Color: 8.4 EBC