Classic Style Smoked Beer All-Grain - Fireside Porter

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JLem

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2009
Messages
3,643
Reaction score
191
Location
Attleboro
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
US-05
Batch Size (Gallons)
3.5
Original Gravity
1.060
Final Gravity
1014
Boiling Time (Minutes)
70
IBU
50
Color
30 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
7 days @ 63°F
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
14 days @ 68°F
Tasting Notes
compared to Alaskan\\'s Smoked Porter!
** note this if for an unconventional 3.5 gallon batch size **

OG: ~1.060
FG: ~1.014
IBUs: ~50

Grist
4 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt - 57.62 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Smoked Malt (Rauchmalt - Weyermann) - 19.21 %
1 lbs Munich I - 12.80 %
8.0 oz Chocolate Wheat - 6.40 %
4.0 oz Honey Malt - 3.20 %
1.0 oz Black Malt - 0.77 %

Hops
5 g Columbus [14.50 %] (60 min)
14 g Columbus [14.50 %] (30 min)
14 g Williamette [4.80 %] (15 min)
14 g Williamette [4.80 %] (1 min)

Misc
0.5 oz Oak Cubes, Hungarian, Med Toast (in primary)

Yeast
SafAle (Fermentis US-05)

Mash Schedule
Single Infusion, 152°F, Batch Sparge
 
johnpcook1 said:
How has this turned out?

I loved this beer. Honestly I could find nothing wrong with it and wouldn't change a thing. At this risk of sounding immodest, it also got rave reviews from a smoked porter aficionado at my LHBS - he made a direct comparison to Alaskan Brewing Company's Smoked Porter.

I should make this again soon :)
 
I am finishing up a batch of Loon Lake Smoke porter which is very heavy on smoke and I was looking for a recipe that is smoky, but not as much, and I want to add bacon too it. This may be the perfect recipe for that
 
Thanks for the recipe OP, I also like the batch size. I'll put this on the list, hopefully sooner rather than later!
 
I am finishing up a batch of Loon Lake Smoke porter which is very heavy on smoke and I was looking for a recipe that is smoky, but not as much, and I want to add bacon too it. This may be the perfect recipe for that

Did you try it? I'd love to know how using bacon turned out!

Thanks for the recipe OP, I also like the batch size. I'll put this on the list, hopefully sooner rather than later!

I think I've decided to brew this up next - will make for a wonderful winter beer. Let me know how yours turns out if/when you decide to brew it.
 
Question on the oak cubes. Having never used them, should I soak them for a few days in vodka? I see me brewing this no later than mid-November. I totally agree about this as a winter beer. Kicking back by an outdoor fire with a brew like this - sounds pretty heavenly.
 
Question on the oak cubes. Having never used them, should I soak them for a few days in vodka? I see me brewing this no later than mid-November. I totally agree about this as a winter beer. Kicking back by an outdoor fire with a brew like this - sounds pretty heavenly.

Here's what I did with the oak - put the cubes in a glass jar, just cover with water, put in the microwave and give it a whirl for a minute...then another minute....(just make sure that it has boiled during that time - if not, go another minute or two)...carefully take the jar out (it will be hot) and decant the now brown water and dump the cubes into the fermenter.

This is a technique I learned from one of the Brewing Network podcasts with oak (and wine yeast) expert Shea Comfort. That's also where I learned about using the oak in the primary - the idea is that it doesn't lend too much oak flavor, but the tannins add to the mouthfeel.
 
Sounds like a nice recipe!

What was the OG/FG?
And that smoked malt, is that like a Rauch or is it more peaty?
 
If everything goes to plan, and I don't know why it shouldn't, I'll be mashing in Friday morning :) . This should be a nice beer to have in January, especially if I get a riproaring fire going in the outdoor fireplace.
 
Pitched on the low side at 58 (its cold this time of year). It will come up to about 62-64. Oak cubes went in just before yeast. Hit the numbers pretty well (OG 1.062). Really lookin forward to this one. :mug:
 
I just drank my first pint of a smoked porter which i oak chipped. It has some serious character and i think it is pretty well balanced.

I've never tried a smoked beer and have no idea y i made this one. Probably just for trying something new. I like when whisky tastes like a camp fire but when it is in my beer i can only drink a pint an hour.

I don't even know why i am adding to This thread. Did i make a mistake. Will I get used to my beer. How am i gonna drink 5 gallons of it. Bottle, keep half and gift the rest?
 
How am i gonna drink 5 gallons of it. Bottle, keep half and gift the rest?
Send it to me - I'll bite the bullet and "dispose" of it for you :D .

Do you like porters? Never had a smoked beer? I suppose like everything it comes down to personal preference. You might also want to give it a little time to round further into shape flavor-wise. A beer like this should do well over time I would think...no rush to finish it off.
 
TimelessCynic said:
I just drank my first pint of a smoked porter which i oak chipped. It has some serious character and i think it is pretty well balanced.

I've never tried a smoked beer and have no idea y i made this one. Probably just for trying something new. I like when whisky tastes like a camp fire but when it is in my beer i can only drink a pint an hour.

I don't even know why i am adding to This thread. Did i make a mistake. Will I get used to my beer. How am i gonna drink 5 gallons of it. Bottle, keep half and gift the rest?

I wanted to brew this, but havnt got around to it. I brewed the Loon Lake Porter last fall and lived it!! really smoky! Id love a 6 pack of it, and cud trade a variety pack of home brews. Lemme know if youre interested.
 
Pitched on the low side at 58 (its cold this time of year). It will come up to about 62-64. Oak cubes went in just before yeast. Hit the numbers pretty well (OG 1.062). Really lookin forward to this one. :mug:

Excellent! Let me know how it turns out and how you like it. I think your fermentation temp is probably perfect.


I just drank my first pint of a smoked porter which i oak chipped. It has some serious character and i think it is pretty well balanced.

I've never tried a smoked beer and have no idea y i made this one. Probably just for trying something new. I like when whisky tastes like a camp fire but when it is in my beer i can only drink a pint an hour.

I don't even know why i am adding to This thread. Did i make a mistake. Will I get used to my beer. How am i gonna drink 5 gallons of it. Bottle, keep half and gift the rest?

The beer will mellow over time somewhat. I'd give it more time in the bottle and see how you like it down the road. Did you make this specific recipe?
 
US 05 is having a nice party right now :) . JLem - i know you'd like this moved to a secondary after primary ferm is done. Is this to get it away from the oak? Guess what I'm saying is - do you think a secondary is necessary? No problem for me to transfer although my choice of vessels is a 3 gal BB or a 6.5 gal BB. In the case of the first I lose about 5 beers (God forbid), and in the case of the second I just have a ton of unwanted headspace. Man that airlock smells sweet!
 
US 05 is having a nice party right now :) . JLem - i know you'd like this moved to a secondary after primary ferm is done. Is this to get it away from the oak? Guess what I'm saying is - do you think a secondary is necessary? No problem for me to transfer although my choice of vessels is a 3 gal BB or a 6.5 gal BB. In the case of the first I lose about 5 beers (God forbid), and in the case of the second I just have a ton of unwanted headspace. Man that airlock smells sweet!

I just looked through my notes and I did NOT transfer this to secondary. Here is some of what I wrote in my notes:

"Brewed on 1/12/11
placed in cellar on table - ambient temp ~63°F
pitched 1 pack of reydrated US-05
1/19/11 - moved to pantry closet - ambient temp 66-68°F
1/24/11 - SG = 1.014
bottled on 2/2/10 with 74 grams of sucrose - target carbonation = 2.3 volumes (30 12 oz bottles + 2 22 oz bombers)
FG = 1.014"

So, I kept it in the primary vessel, but moved that vessel to a warmer place to help finish up fermentation.

:mug:
 
bottled on 2/2/10 with 74 grams of sucrose - target carbonation = 2.3 volumes (30 12 oz bottles + 2 22 oz bombers)
Aaaaaand you've anticipated my final question already, LOL.

Thanks and hallelujah for note taking! In the primary it stays then. Should everything go as well as I fully expect it to I'll post back sometime in January with a pic/description of the final product. :mug:
 
Checked in at about 1.013 at bottling. Hydro sample smooth and smokey. Pretty sure this will be fantastic, as I couldn't get enough of the hydro sample. Cold crashed x2 days before bottling. Will follow up in a few weeks.
 
Ok, this is one for the short list. Not the best photographer, but here's a pic. Its on my outdoor fireplace at 19 degrees, lol. A wonderful beer in every respect. At just a little over 5 weeks of age I expect it to only get better (lucky me!). Nose is alluring, medium smokey. Deliciously smooth...oak, smoke, light coffee, maybe the faintest touch of chocolate, but in no way a "sweet" beer. Man this is good. Continues to evolve in the glass as it warms. Not overly smokey (your mileage may vary), but right down the middle. I think those oak cubes in primary are a secret ingredient of sorts here. They are imparting some flavor - I'm sure of that. Biggest problem I'm having with this beer is drinking it too quickly. Thanks so much JLem!!
:mug:

FiresidePorter_cropped.jpg
 
Ok, this is one for the short list. Not the best photographer, but here's a pic. Its on my outdoor fireplace at 19 degrees, lol. A wonderful beer in every respect. At just a little over 5 weeks of age I expect it to only get better (lucky me!). Nose is alluring, medium smokey. Deliciously smooth...oak, smoke, light coffee, maybe the faintest touch of chocolate, but in no way a "sweet" beer. Man this is good. Continues to evolve in the glass as it warms. Not overly smokey (your mileage may vary), but right down the middle. I think those oak cubes in primary are a secret ingredient of sorts here. They are imparting some flavor - I'm sure of that. Biggest problem I'm having with this beer is drinking it too quickly. Thanks so much JLem!!
:mug:

NICE!!! Glad it turned out well. Reading your description prompted me to get to my LHBS and pick up ingredients to brew this again. I upped the smoked malt a little and subbed Chinook hops for the Columbus. I'm hoping to get to it late next week or next weekend. Can't wait! :ban:

This is the only beer I ever used that oak cubes in the primary "trick"...maybe I should try it some of my other brews...I'm planning on a big RIS in the next month or three, might try it there.

:mug:
 
Glad to hear it - I'm a fan of chinook too. I believe that's used in Alaskan smoked porter (I've never had the pleasure of trying that though). Those oak cubes...I think they're contributing to a pretty silky mouthfeel. I'll use that technique again for sure. Have yet to do a RIS but I'll keep an eye out for your posts if you decide to do it!
 
This is a delicious smoked porter. I will brew again, a full batch next time. After scaling up in Beersmith I came up with the following:

Batch size: 5.25 gal
OG:1.067
FG: 1.015
Yeast: US-05

7.5 lb Maris Otter
3.0 lbs Smoked malt
1.5 lbs Munich
0.75 lbs Chocolate wheat malt
6 oz Honey malt
2 oz Black patent

0.5 oz Columbus (FWH)
0.5 oz Columbus 30 min.
0.75 oz Willamette 15 min.
0.75 oz Willamette 1 min.

0.75 oz oak cubes in primary (not sure if upping this from 0.5 oz will matter quite as much)

I moved the 60 min addition to first wort to get where I wanted with IBUs and because I'm into FWH lately, lol. Hopefully this looks good, JLem.
 
This is a delicious smoked porter. I will brew again, a full batch next time. After scaling up in Beersmith I came up with the following:

Batch size: 5.25 gal
OG:1.067
FG: 1.015
Yeast: US-05

7.5 lb Maris Otter
3.0 lbs Smoked malt
1.5 lbs Munich
0.75 lbs Chocolate wheat malt
6 oz Honey malt
2 oz Black patent

0.5 oz Columbus (FWH)
0.5 oz Columbus 30 min.
0.75 oz Willamette 15 min.
0.75 oz Willamette 1 min.

0.75 oz oak cubes in primary (not sure if upping this from 0.5 oz will matter quite as much)

I moved the 60 min addition to first wort to get where I wanted with IBUs and because I'm into FWH lately, lol. Hopefully this looks good, JLem.

Looks good.

I finally got around to brewing up a version of this today - home with the kids for a snow day. I brewed my original 3.5 gallon version, but upped the smoked malt to 2 lbs and the black malt up to 2 oz (no idea how much impact that will make, but I wanted it a tad darker). I also subbed Chinook hops for the Columbus. Chinook was what I wanted originally, but had to "settle" for Columbus last time. My OG was lower - only somewhere in the 1.052-1.055 area...not sure why.

Wish I had brewed this a month or two ago! Would be nice to be drinking one today (currently 12 degrees F outside).

:mug:
 
nice hop choices! flavorful and not overbearing. I'll definitely give this a run. thanks for posting!
 
Wish I had brewed this a month or two ago! Would be nice to be drinking one today (currently 12 degrees F outside).
Man, do I hear that. I am trying to ration the last 2 six-packs out as long as possible. I love it and so do my buddies. The Chinook sounds like a great variation, and also who wouldn't mind a little more smoke? Would love to know how it turns out. As far as the gravity - bad crush maybe?
 
nice hop choices! flavorful and not overbearing. I'll definitely give this a run. thanks for posting!

Let me know how it goes if you do decide to give it a try.

Man, do I hear that. I am trying to ration the last 2 six-packs out as long as possible. I love it and so do my buddies. The Chinook sounds like a great variation, and also who wouldn't mind a little more smoke? Would love to know how it turns out. As far as the gravity - bad crush maybe?

I suppose it could be the crush, though I use the same LHBS for all my ingredients. I suppose they could have changed their mill settings. I noticed that my mash pH was lower than I was expecting and I've read that that could impact efficiency. Regardless, it's in the fermenter!
 
Thinking about this beer again, wanted to give it a shout out. There's somethin about those oak cubes in primary... :)
 
want to make this beer soon.
but I am concerned about these 50 IBU even with a 1.060 OG, bitterness almost goes off the scale.
I'm planning to keep the IBU near 30. (more comfortable for me)
can anyone give me some advice here? thank you
 
I have soft water in my area with a ph of about 8.5 and about 45 ppm of Carbonates. Should I add Calcium Carbonate to the mash to get the right target ph? I don't use any buffer, and I would like to use as little additives as possible. Thanks!
 
I have soft water in my area with a ph of about 8.5 and about 45 ppm of Carbonates. Should I add Calcium Carbonate to the mash to get the right target ph? I don't use any buffer, and I would like to use as little additives as possible. Thanks!

Mash pH is critical (not just for this beer, but all beers), so you should do what you need to do to get the mash pH in line. I cannot offer any specific advice, but I like to use EZ Water Calculator (http://www.ezwatercalculator.com/) to figure out what to do for my mash. The specifics of your water profile will determine what to do.
 
want to make this beer soon.
but I am concerned about these 50 IBU even with a 1.060 OG, bitterness almost goes off the scale.
I'm planning to keep the IBU near 30. (more comfortable for me)
can anyone give me some advice here? thank you

Did you end up lowering the IBUs? Sorry about missing this question - my brewing has taken a back seat these days so I am not on HBT as much as I once was and somehow I never saw this :eek:

Hopefully you brewed something to your liking.
 
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