Bandgeek11420

Recipes 

So I recently cooked up my first batch Saturday (1/26) night, the True Brew Porter kit, and I'm looking for some pointers. All seems well to me other than the temp has been around 62-66, and recently studying, found out the temp should be a little higher. Would it be a better idea to keep it at this temp?? Or maybe would it be possible to put some sort of additive in the wort and bring the temperature up??

LandoLincoln

Recipes 

Cooler is better, unless you're doing a Farmhouse Ale or some such thing.

Are you measuring the ambient air temp or the actual beer temp?

masterfool101

Recipes 

I think you're going to be just fine on this beer. Test your gravity after a few weeks . .. the only reason I would consider getting the beer a bit warmer would be if you didn't hit your expected FG by more than 5 points . . . THEN I would consider gently swirling the beer to get some yeast back into suspension and warming the beer to around 70*.

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Bandgeek11420

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That is the hydrometer reading

Bandgeek11420

Recipes 

That was kind of the idea I had from what I've read, but is there any flavor additives I could put in or is it best to leave alone since it's a kit??

masterfool101

Recipes 

Given that it's your first time brewing, I wouldn't mess with the kit. Learn a bit about the process, and about different flavor profiles first, THEN start to experiment with additions.

I love experimentation .. . but it is not something you'll want to do much until you learn to get your process under control.

Also, if you've not done so already, I HIGHLY recommend reading Palmer's How to Brew.

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WoodlandBrew

Recipes 

That temperature sounds fine for a porter. You don't want a lot of yeast esters or phenols in that style. Let the yeast stand aside so the malts can shine. You might consider a water bath with an aquarium heater if you want to ferment your next batch warmer.

http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2012/12/fermentation-temperature-control.html

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Bandgeek11420

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I will definitely check that out. What I'm looking to focus a lot on is the stout and porter style brews.

masterfool101

Recipes 

Palmer's book is more of a vast overview of brewing than a treatise on a specific style. But it will provide a good solid knowledge base on where to begin.

Keep in mind that as Revvy has posted on a few threads, books are like a snapshot in time . . . and that brewing techniques are likely to be adjusted as we learn more about the science (read a few threads on autolysis if you want to learn what I'm talking about). What this means is that not EVERYTHING in Palmer's book is always going to be applicable, but it will provide a great overview of techniques and the reason behind them.

I'm not too familiar with any books that focus solely on porters and stouts . . . but that doesn't mean there aren't good books out there. Still, my FIRST resource for looking up specific styles is usually the BJCP style guide. It will tell you what the common basis is for these styles . . . and the flavor notes you'll be looking for. After that, I like to come here and search the recipe's section . . . or talk to the owner of my LHBS and pick his brain.

Finally, I'm a member of my local AHA brew club . . . and they have a great number of people I've found to be vastly helpful in getting me to where I want to be.

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Bandgeek11420

Recipes 

Also in the recipie it said to ferment for a week, should it be longer??