This is a very good winter beer, it has a nice malted flavor thats predominately "roasty" with an undercurrent of caramel sweetness in the finish. Colorwise, the beer is at the darker end of the style guidelines, very dark with a ruby-red hugh that comes through if you hold the glass up to the light. The beer ends up around 7% ABV, and has a little bit of an alcohol taste and a nice kick. The Galena hops bitter the beer and make a nice compliment to the roasty winter flavors. It will definitely warm you up on a cold winter's day.
This is an excellent beer on its own if you like darker stronger flavors, and it also pours one hell of a black and tan.
I named the beer Pascha's Robust Porter after my German Sheppard because the black and red color of the beer matches the color of my dog, and Pascha is her name. I was surprised by the beautiful red color of this beer because I expected something more along the lines of black.
Single Infusion Mash at 153F for 80 minutes. Sparged with 170F water to collect 7.5 gallons of wort.
60 Minute Boil, with one 1/2 ounce of Galena at 60 minutes, 1/2 ounce of Willamettes at 30 minutes.
Pitched 1 packet of rehydrated Nottinghams at 70F, and fermented for 7-8 days in the low 60s. Racked to secondary for another 7-8 days at the same temperature before bottling.
Last edited by Mutilated1; 12-20-2007 at 03:38 PM.
I served this beer at a Christmas party tonight, and it was a hit. My brother and my brother in-law both liked it, and my wife and my mother both said it tasted good.
I'm really pleased with how well this beer turned out, everyone seems to like it.