First AG - Porter Recipe

[calluma11]

Hi all,

I've done a BIAB Witbier, but that was a pre-made recipe that came in a big bag. Now i'm wanting to up my brew game and do full all grain from scratch.

I'm sort of following the idea from Greg Hughes' Smoked Porter recipe (pg. 170):

60 min mash at 65C, then batch sparge:
Pale malt - 4.5kg
Smoked malt - 500g
Midnight malt - 300g
Crystal malt - 200g
Caramunich Malt - 200g

75min boil:
Challenger - 35g - 75min
Willamette - 20g - 10 mins
Willamette - 20g - 0 mins

I'm also wanting to 'dry hop' in secondary vanilla beans and coffee beans.

Hopefully the recipe won't be too complex? I've run it through brewtarget and it matches the style, so i'm happy with that. I'm just wanting to make sure that my minor changes and flavour additions will work?

Thanks!
Callum :smile:

 

[clibit]

The basic recipe looks fine. I've not used vanilla, but how do you propose to add the coffee? I've done this by making coffee in a cafetiere and adding it to the beer at bottling time. There are different ways of doing it. You can add ground coffee very late in the boil, for example. Not sure about adding coffee beans in the FV.

 

[calluma11]

Good to know, thanks

I've been having a look into that and my options are:
- Cold steep over night
- Crush and soak in vodka
- Crush and 'dry hop' in muslin bag
- Cafetiere

Havent yet decided how, nor what quantity to use. How did yours turn out?

 

[clibit]

It went well. It was a coffee stout. Seemed to make sense to make some coffee and add it just before bottling and then let it condition for a while.

 

[calluma11]

Hmm that's a point. I might dry hop the vanilla and add the coffee to bottling. Good idea

 

[calluma11]

Brewday went well.

Not adding vanilla now, just coffee at bottling

Brewhouse efficiency was 69.08%. I expected 70%, and would've probably gotten it if not for (at least) 2 things:
1 - I dropped some of my mash on the floor (0.5-1ltr)
2 - My manifold wasnt built properly, though i knew that. My dremel bits had all worn out this morning so i wasn't able to put slits in all of my copper piping (perhaps about 80% of it)

Final Recipe:
Marris Otter 5kg
Smoked (Rauch) Malt 300g
Caramunich Type 1 Malt 200g
Caramel/Crystal Malt 200g
Black (Patent) Malt 200g

Challenger 35g 75min
Willamette 20g 10min
Willamette 20g 0min

Nottingham Yeast (i made a very active starter for it)

Hydrometer test sample was particularly nice, so hoping for great things from this brew for Xmas


Thanks all so much who've helped me with the design and making of my equipment and also for the tips on the recipe.

 

[clibit]

Great beer coming your way. :thumb:

 

[calluma11]

Lets hope so, it's gone off like a steam train!!

 

[calluma11]

Couldn't resist sampling last night, 1 week into fermentation. Cannot believe the taste! It's incredible already

The main bulk of fermentation finished pretty quickly. I'm going to let it sit for at least another week, then bottle ready for Christmas. Will add further tasting notes to this thread :thumb:

 

[calluma11]

Also, i've been thinking a lot recently about naming it.
All brewday I had a song stuck in my head, 'Go West - King of Wishful Thinking'

Was thinking of putting a twist of that on, something like 'Go West Coffee Porter', and think I've settled on 'Wishful Thinking Porter' - referencing that fact that it was my first 'proper' AG brew

Unless anyone has any good ideas? King of Wishful Thinking Coffee Porter was a bit wordy :-P

 

[Joeyriles]

Wishful t̶h̶i̶n̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ drinking Porter

 

[calluma11]

Wishful t̶h̶i̶n̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ drinking Porter

Oh nice!! :

 

[calluma11]

Bottled tonight. Damn, i need to get a corny set up. I forgot what a pain it is just cleaning and tidying away!
Anyway, all conditioning away. Will try one next week and then probably leave until December.

I didnt bother with the coffee in the end as the cold brewed stuff i made was very weak. Besides, being my first 'proper' AG, it'll be nice to taste the raw product.

Not as overwhelmed with the sample as i was a week ago, but i'm sure that'll change in a months time