After noticing the black fuzzy mold in the plastic primary fermenter, we decided we can never use that again for fermenting. So I picked up a 6.5 gallon carboy. We are also assembling our immersion wort chiller, per our notes from the ESB.
Now. Onward!
Ingredients
As with the ESB, the store had most everything we needed, but some had to be substituted. Looky here:
| Requested | Purchased |
| ½ lb. roasted barley | " |
| ¾ lb. crystal malt 50-60oL | " |
| 10 oz. chocolate malt | " |
| ¼ black patent | " |
| 6.6 lbs. Light LME | " |
| 2 lbs. Light DME | " |
| 1.5 oz Northern Brewer 8.7% AA | 1.95 oz Norther Brewer 6.7% AA |
| British Whitbread yeast | Pacific Ale yeast |
| 16oz Maple Syrup | " |
Brew Method
September 21, 2007
Boiled 6 Gal of water while steeping grains. When it came to a boil we removed the 3 mueslin bags and added our LME / DME. We let it come to a boil (and sustained a small boilover) but continued.
T=60min
Added Whole Hops and boiled uncovered for 1 hour.
T=40min
Started the ice bath with 20lbs of ice at (should have been T=30)
T=15min
Add 1 tsp of Irish Moss, also drop in wort chiller (see Light Bulb! and (I think) It Actually Works!!)
T=5min
Added the maple Syrup (100% pure Maple Syrup)
T=0min
Pulled off the boil and set it next to ice bath. Hooked up and turned on wort chiller. Water was HOT coming out for the first few minutes. It's been in ~20 minutes and the temp is 83F. Next time, less water We ran out of ice (dammit!!) so it took us close to an hour to cool to pitching temperature.
The recipe predicted an original gravity of 1.078, which we got on our reading, but temperature corrections yield 1.080 instead. Mmm heavy beer.
Fermentation
September 21, 2007
Racked to the primary fermenter. The siphon got clogged a couple times with the whole hops, so we strained the remainder into a smaller santized pot and racked from there. We aerated the wort with a fishtank airpump & airstone, submerged into the carboy from the start of racking. LOTS of head on this in the fermenter, good aeration.
Pitched the yeast, shook it around, and put in the basement, covered up in a cardboard box to stay out of the light.
September 22, 2007
22 hours later, no activity in the carboy. No bubbling off the blowoff hose, no krausen in the carboy, nothing. Eek.
Septemer 23, 2007
33 hours after pitching, the beer finally seems to have started fermenting.
September 26, 2007
The beer is still fermenting violently. Very thick krausen on it, all the way up to the neck of the carboy! Good thing we got a 6.5 gallon one instead of just 6! This has got to be our most vigorous ferment yet, which isn't surprising given that it's our highest gravity wort so far! It's still bubbling out the blowoff hose ever 2 seconds or so. Can't wait to taste this beer. Mmmmm.
October 5, 2007
Racked to secondary fermenter, closed up with just a three-piece airlock.
Bottling
October 19, 2007
Bottled the porter! We took the rubber stopper out and took a whiff off the carboy... and maaaaan it smelled good. We drew a little out, took a gravity reading. 1.028 yielding 6.7% ABV. But predicted final gravity on the recipe is 1.016. Hmm. We did use a different yeast, maybe it has lower attenuation.
Primed with the leftover DME from when we bottled the ESB. For the ESB we used 10oz (of 1lb.) and it is a very noticeable taste in the ESBs, so we figured 6oz would be just fine for the porter. Stirred it up in a cup of water, heated, added to the bottling bucket. Racked the porter. Bottled. 23x22oz bottles. Hooray!
We'll let these sit in the bottles for 4-6 weeks before cracking one and seeing how it goes. That or first snowfall. Whichever comes first.
Tasting
October 19, 2007
During bottling, we racked off a couple glasses prior to mixing with the priming solution and tried it. And holy moly it was delicious. Coffee, sweet, and a bit alcoholic. Tastes just absolutely delicious. This will be a very dangerous beer once you start having a couple. Mmmm can't wait!!
October 29th, 2007
Got home from work after the Sox won it all (again) and decided "Yes, it is time. Screw waiting." So I popped one, poured it into my 22oz hefeweizen glass (that I don't use for hefeweizens because they give me terrible heartburn) and thus began the journey into bliss.
Upon pouring, I noticed there was absolutely zero carbonation. Maybe this was because it had only been a week in the bottle, but I dun think so. I think maybe all the yeast died, or at least, all the healthy yeast got left in the secondary fermenter when we racked to the bottling bucket. Maybe there was no more suspended? Maybe all the yeast died and that's why our final gravity ended up being so high (1.028)? Who knows. Regardless, it tasted sublime and I can't wait to have the next one next week. Gonna be awesome. Again. Just like the Sox.
November 5, 2007
We've been talking it over and we think that 6oz of DME for priming was too little. But the 10oz for the ESB seemed too much. So we're gonna try 8oz for the next brew. The porter does seem to be carbonating more with time though. So much for letting it sit for four weeks. Hrmm, impatient we are!
Notes
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