Porter question.

Have a porter sitting in secondary. It's going to sit for another week. I tasted and took a reading today and it's at 1.014. Starting was 1.065 or so. It tasted green and a bit bitter but smelled good. I was wondering what should I add to make it more full. I was thinking coffee or some maple sugar. If I add say 8 fluid ounces of maple syrup when I bottle. Do I still add the priming sugar? Or if I add both will it be over carbed. If I add coffee would 8 fl oz be enough to flavor 5 gal. I heard coffee can make it bitter will adding say a cup of maple syrup help?? If This is a BB kit that I tinkered with. Added a booster of light dry malt. And some other things to make it my own. Sorry if this sounds confusing hopefully someone can help. Thank you

you don't want to prime with maple syrup, too difficult to calculate the sugar.

I would leave it as is.

Changes now will make it harder to pinpoint what went wrong if it isn't good.

cheezydemon3 said:

you don't want to prime with maple syrup, too difficult to calculate the sugar.

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I don't want to either but say I added 1 cup to a 5 gallon batch. Do i still add the 4 ounces of priming sugar for carb or will the combo of the syrup and priming sugar be too much.?

right, anything you add at bottling is priming, whether it is table sugar or hershey bars, you will overcarbonate, and there is no way to reasonably calculate the fermentables in maple syrup or hershey bars.

Hershey bars are terrible anyway.
Cadbury's is a better way to go

Alternately, try this.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/priming-sugar-calculator/

cheezydemon3 said:

right, anything you add at bottling is priming, whether it is table sugar or hershey bars, you will overcarbonate, and there is no way to reasonably calculate the fermentables in maple syrup or hershey bars.

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Understood. I just looked up NB calculator. Hmmm. I'm thinking a slight coffee flavor might be the way to go. I will cold brew to get about 1.5 to 2 cups of coffee. Set up my 4 plus solution of priming sugar. Mix the coffee and sugar water together then add to bottling bucket.

jonnyp1980 said:

It tasted green and a bit bitter but smelled good.

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I don't think coffee will make it taste less bitter.
I'd give it some time to let it finish doing whatever it's doing.

What yeast did you use?

That should be OK, but again, if it ends up too bitter, or too roasty, you won't know if it already was that way or if it was the coffee.

Tasting it from secondary and adding things sounds like a horrible practice.

I can relate a bunch of times that what came out of the fermenter tasted like crapola, and the beer ended up fantastic.

ao125 said:

I don't think coffee will make it taste less bitter.
I'd give it some time to let it finish doing whatever it's doing.

What yeast did you use?

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Nottingham

cheezydemon3 said:

That should be OK, but again, if it ends up too bitter, or too roasty, you won't know if it already was that way or if it was the coffee.

Tasting it from secondary and adding things sounds like a horrible practice.

I can relate a bunch of times that what came out of the fermenter tasted like crapola, and the beer ended up fantastic.

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Ok. Ill let it ride then and see what happens

Good man!

The best thing you will get from this beer is experience. If there are too many variables, there is no way to know what went right or wrong, so you either guess or gain no experience whatsoever.

I was wondering what should I add to make it more full.

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What you should add to a porter to make it more full is time. It takes more time for a dark beer to mature no matter what else you do to it. When you are certain it is done fermenting, bottle it and forget it for a month or more.

RM-MN said:

What you should add to a porter to make it more full is time. It takes more time for a dark beer to mature no matter what else you do to it. When you are certain it is done fermenting, bottle it and forget it for a month or more.

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That's my game plan at this point and I'll hope for the best.

I agree with more time on your porter. My first batch was a porter and it was great after two weeks in bottles, but the longer I left it, the better it got. Two months in bottles and it was incredible.

wilsojos said:

I agree with more time on your porter. My first batch was a porter and it was great after two weeks in bottles, but the longer I left it, the better it got. Two months in bottles and it was incredible.

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Very encouraging. I will post with an update in a few months.

Hey, here's something else...waiting is so stinking hard, use the time to learn. You have a bunch of beers so try one every week to see how it progresses. Also, try different chill times. Try just enough time to chill the beer vs a couple days in the fridge. Ok, one more thing, go get yourself a couple different six packs of other porters...its fun to do side-by-side comparisons to your own beer when its ready.

Cheers!!!
JW

jonnyp1980 said:

Ok. Ill let it ride then and see what happens

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Yea, like 6-12 months

greenthumbed said:

Yea, like 6-12 months

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A year?? It's only about 7% ABV.

i'm drinking a porter at the moment. it's about 6 weeks old and a hell of a lot better than it was three weeks ago, but i'm sure it's only going to improve with age

Krazykripple said:

i'm drinking a porter at the moment. it's about 6 weeks old and a hell of a lot better than it was three weeks ago, but i'm sure it's only going to improve with age

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May I ask when you went to bottle. At that point can you describe the taste. Just want to see if we're in the same ball park

jonnyp1980 said:

A year?? It's only about 7% ABV.

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Hi Jonny,

I really think that Stouts & Porters benefit from this much time in the bottle. 7%ABV is rather high and definitly could be considered a candidate for long term cellaring.

Put away a few bottles for a year. You won't be disappointed!

greenthumbed said:

Hi Jonny,

I really think that Stouts & Porters benefit from this much time in the bottle. 7%ABV is rather high and definitly could be considered a candidate for long term cellaring.

Put away a few bottles for a year. You won't be disappointed!

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I'll take up on that. I hope I can last that long but I'll but a sixer away and see what happens

jonnyp1980 said:

May I ask when you went to bottle. At that point can you describe the taste. Just want to see if we're in the same ball park

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it tasted really sweet and kind of bland. now the roastyness and hop character is starting to come through and it tastes more balanced. i hope that makes sense

jonnyp1980 said:

I'll take up on that. I hope I can last that long but I'll but a sixer away and see what happens

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Good call and good luck!:fro:

Krazykripple said:

it tasted really sweet and kind of bland. now the roastyness and hop character is starting to come through and it tastes more balanced. i hope that makes sense

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Ok good. Mine tasted a little sweet then following with a bitter feel from the hops. Not tasty as my Double IPA out of the secondary.. I'm glad this will greatly get better with age. Ty