American Porter Imperial Honey Porter

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I chose this as my first big beer to tackle. Was wondering if I could get some thoughts on pitching a second yeast and also carbonating. I know there's a lot of posts in here about it but they are pretty scattered.

I have packet of champagne yeast I was thinking about throwing in as a second yeast in secondary. Thoughts? Also I've read mixed reviews on how much priming sugar to use. I've heard use less around 3.5-4 oz. and I've heard to use more 6-7 oz. Which way should I be leaning?
 
Maple syrup would be nice. I used clover honey the first time, wildflower the second, the wildflower was "funky", better to stick with something more neutral, I think.

Bottle conditioning big beers is tricky, I have used Montrachet added to the bottling bucket, works great, carbs up and clears much faster. I don't like this beer overcarbonated so I'd stick with 5oz or less of priming sugar.
 
What do you think about a month in primary and a second month in secondary with toasted oak cubes (soaked in whiskey) for a wood barrel hint to the overall profile of this beer?

i'm thinking of re-brewing this this weekend, but not confident with decoction.. will single mash fusion at 154F suffice for an hour?

thanks in advance!
 
brewed this up this up 4 months ago. sat in the primary 3.5 weeks, then went straight to bottle for conditioning. just cracked one open after sitting in the bottle for 3 months. very tasty, but didn't carbonate completely. think i may have to give coopers carb drops a shot at this to save it. thoughts?
 
How much sugar did you use? What was your final volume? What temp are the bottles at? You might try taking them all and rolling them around on the floor to get the yeast back into suspension (assuming you used the correct amount of sugar) and then trying another in a month or so. This beer will drink better under-carbed than over.
 
brewed this beer up back in november and everything reading was on the dot. the only difference is that I pitched in the irish yeast 1048 because i couldn't find american or london ale yeasts. rumors say this irish yeast doesn't ferment well for high gravity ales and gets tired quite easily.. the outcome was that it fermented completely to 1.030 instead of 1.015. i tried stirring a bit of the yeast and elevating the temperature but that only bought me a few points. i am tempted to pitch in a dry yeast to ferment this to its final destination and give hope of carbonating it. what do you guys think??
the thing is that it is super tasty and i don't won't to blow it!!
 
brewed this beer up back in november and every reading was on the dot. the only difference is that I pitched in the irish yeast 1048 because i couldn't find american or london ale yeasts. rumors say this irish yeast doesn't ferment well for high gravity ales and gets tired quite easily.. the outcome was that it fermented completely to 1.030 instead of 1.015. i tried stirring a bit of the yeast and elevating the temperature but that only bought me a few points. i am tempted to pitch in a dry yeast to ferment this to its final destination and give hope of carbonating it. what do you guys think??
the thing is that it is super tasty and i don't won't to blow it!!
 
^^ I'd probably throw something like a nottingham in and see if you could jump start the fermentation.

On a side note, I'm about to do this beer again, but I plan on using my beergun to bottle with and carbonate using co2. I haven't done a big beer with co2 before. Anything I should be looking out for. I would love to not avoid pitching more yeast and carbing with sugar since it has caused me some issues with big beers in the past.
 
I posted some some questions about scaling this down and fermenting in the
recipes section--and the crickets chirping was I heard in response : (

I know its frowned upon here to repost the same questions in different sections, but I'd like to brew this so its ready to bottle when I get back. Is 4 months in the primary going to be too long? I have a 3 gallon glass carboy to keep this in and my crawl space doesn't change temps much. It may top out at 68-70 come August then taper back off. I figure a month in the primary then rack to the carboy (my secondary) and forget it until I return. (I have two kegs of a Elliot Ness clone lagering that I will be able to drink immediately upon my return:D) I plan to bottle this batch since I normally keg, I have a bunch of flippies to put this in, so this should be ready by Christmas.

Here is my 3 gallon version:

Grain:
6lbs Maris Otter
2 lbs Munich (10L)
.5 lb Crystal 60
.38 lb Carafa II (~450L) I have chocolate I could use here too
.44 lb special B
.1 lb Black barley (not malted)

1 lb honey at flameout (maybe 2?)

Hops: (It’s what I have)
1oz northern brewer @60 min
1oz cascade @ 30min
1oz Willamette @15min
1oz cascade @10min
1oz Willamette @ flameout

Yeast: Wyeast 1728 Belgian Abbey II (or Wyeast mead yeast) at least two packs and maybe in a 1 Ltr starter. I have an O2 setup to use for this too.

Brew Pal says:
40L
OG 1.102
FG 1.025 (seems high)

I know the weight of the grains are weird, I used grams to get the percentages close then went back to pounds and rounded things some. I hope to have some smoke/roast flavor like the Edmund Fitz porter fm Great Lakes.

Any help is appreciated thanks!
 
Seems fine. As long as you add some fresh yeast at bottling you should be fine.

SO i quoted you because i wanted to get your advice, I want to make this beer BAD, but i have a question about the honey. I didnt read anywhere on here wether the honey came through or not, you did mention not to use wildflower honey cuz it was funky. I read or heard some where thet you could add honey at high Krausen to preserve some of the flavor and aroma as well as make it a starged addition so the yeast will work on that harder to break down maltose. Do you have any advice for me. THank you and cheers!!:rockin:
 
Well after no answer i went ahead and brewed this beer yersterday, over shot the og it came out 1.100 on the nose, made this for a event here in memphis called the cooper young regional beer fest. I went with the wyeast 1028 london ale. I've had luck with this in the past attenuating big beers so i hope i have luck again!! cant wait to drink this bad boy, saac how long did it sit before you kegged it! Either way i got two months
 
I made 5 gallons of this on Sunday. I haven't read all the posts but is any one aging this at all?
 
Start the #1 recipe today with Soper. 1095 with camelthorn honey. I'll post again once we taste it..
Thank you sir!
Cheers,
John
 
Brewed this as my first brew ever back in October. Followed the initial recipe on here to the letter with the lone exception being the honey at about 40oz (which was an accident). I gave it three weeks primary with no secondary and pitched with 1 1/2 pkg US-05. OG 1.082 and FG 1.018 (a bit off but I never brewed a thing before going all grain so I hear that's pretty solid). I kegged it and boy do I wish I had given it just a few extra weeks to condition before cosumption. After about 2 weeks it tasted so amazing and was unfortunately at the bottom of the barrel. Will make this again for sure.
 
I brewed this today. OG was 1.090. It was also my first time using pellet hops. I must say I did not get the hop aroma that I usually notice when I brew with whole hops. This makes me a little nervous, but it was a lot easier. It looks so good! Waiting will be hard with this one.
 
Planning on making this (pretty much the original recipe, with the added SpecialB) with two medium toast American oak spirals I soaked in a batch of traditional mead for six weeks. I'm going to add the mead infused spirals to the secondary to soak for six weeks in this honey porter. Can't wait, but I'm going to have!
 
Definitely a rookie question... How do I go from converting the recipe from % into lbs so I can get the correct OG for a 5.5G batch?
 
I brewed this back in february and just opened my first bottle. my final gravity was a bit high so the ABV is 9%. It is full of flavor and easy to drink. by far the best porter I have had. Thanks for the recipe! This is a dangerous beer.
 
How well does this age? I am looking to bottle condition a beer and brew yearly for annual vertical tastings. This be a good fit for 5+ years in the bottle?
 
Brewed this back on the 9th, checked gravity today to see about bottling. I started at 1.096, but right now my SG is 1.021. Is my fermentation likely stuck? Thinking about moving it upstairs where it's a little warmer, giving it a gentle stir and giving it another week or 2.

If my math is correct though, I got 78% attenuation, which seems about right, but I'm way higher than the recipe in the OP and Beersmith predict.
 
And the thread lives on.....
First of all, thank you for the great recipe and all the usefull info thats followed. Im following the original recipe except, im subbing 2lbs of the Maris Otter with 2-row that will be home smoked with Macadamia Nut Shells and a little Kiawe wood. I will back off the Special B or completly remove it, what do you think? And of course I will use Mac Nut Honey. Any other suggestions with regards to the smoked malt would be appreciated.

Aloha.
 
Just had to wake this old thread.
Brewed to 1.086 og a few weeks back.
After 2 weeks in the primary FG was 1.012 .
That's 9.9 abv. Already taste amazing.
Taking this one to the Charlotte Oktoberfest.
See you there. Prost.
 
My first high ABV beer. Brewed this around the first of August. Primary for 2 weeks then secondary for 3 weeks. Being my first kegging experience and a Porter I was a bit worried about over carbing. All went well. Ended up taking it to the Charlotte Oktoberfest.
Everyone gave it wonderful reviews.
Will definitely brew again, very soon. Thanks for sharing.

:mug::mug:
 
I just brewed a version of this -- came in a bit low on the gravity with 1.068 with the following recipe. My thought was to go a bit lower on the mash temp due to the all of the unfermentables in the honey, and the fact that I'm using Wyeast 1968 London ESB which is slightly less attenuative than 007.
10# maris otter
1# munich
1# crystal 80
0.5# special B
0.25# black patent
0.25# chocolate
1# flaked wheat
1.5 oz Northern Brewer
1.5 oz Willamette
mash @151 at 1.5 qt/#, boil 90 mins

I used 2nd gen 1968 freshly bottom-cropped from a batch of actual ESB and 8 hours later bubbling like mad. Can't wait to try it a few months from now. If anyone has any ideas about my low conversion at 1.068, I'd love your thoughts!
 
Brewing the following 10 gal batch on Black Friday (I always make something dark on Black Friday.... get it??):

Inebriation Ale 2015 - 10 gal - OG 1.094
============
20# Maris Otter
8# Munich
2# Chocolate
2# Flaked Barley
1# Special Roast
1# C60
1# Special B
4oz Black Patent
4oz Smoked Malt
4# clover honey
WLP007
 
Has anyone tried aging this in a whiskey barrel? I've got one coming my way and I'm considering brewing this up and tossing it in. I think the honey/oak/whiskey might be a really nice combination.
 
Just stole a sample out of my barrel... WOW!!! 10 days in primary and less than a week in the barrel, but I felt like having an entire glass. This is going to be dangerous.

Did you ever try making a less potent version? I really like this, but would also like something I can drink 3-4 of in a night without waking up in a bathtub or something!
 
I pulled 5 gal of the second runnings off of this year's, boiled with a third ounce of magnum and an ounce of willamette hops at flameout, came out great, it's about 5% ABV. If you try scaling down the recipe I would keep the percentage of specialty malts higher so the honey doesn't dominate the flavor/body too much.
 
Brewing the following 10 gal batch on Black Friday (I always make something dark on Black Friday.... get it??):

Inebriation Ale 2015 - 10 gal - OG 1.094
============
20# Maris Otter
8# Munich
2# Chocolate
2# Flaked Barley
1# Special Roast
1# C60
1# Special B
4oz Black Patent
4oz Smoked Malt
4# clover honey
WLP007
How did it turn out? How much time do you let it age or mature.. I am about to brew your first version next week, I am trying to decide how long to let it sit before I bottle it. I hope it is ready for thanksgiving!:mug:
 
I'm gonna brew this up either next weekend or the one after that, except with lager yeast wlp 820 octoberfest! I've got the 5 gallon yeast starter going right now aka "festbier". Anyone else use a lager yeast?
 
I will brew that beer soon, but I took your inebriation #3 to do it and i will do an 11 Gallons batch.

HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: Imperial Honey Porter

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: Baltic Porter
Boil Time: 90 min
Batch Size: 11 gallons (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 15 gallons
Boil Gravity: 1.062
Efficiency: 75% (brew house)


STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.088
Final Gravity: 1.021
ABV (standard): 8.73%
IBU (tinseth): 74.03
SRM (morey): 27.67

FERMENTABLES:
19 lb - United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale (54%)
8 lb - Belgian - Munich (23.4%)
2 lb - Flaked Wheat (5.8%)
2 lb - United Kingdom - Crystal 70L (5.8%)
1.1 lb - Belgian - Special B (3.2%)
1.1 lb - American - Chocolate (3.2%)
0.55 lb - Black Patent (1,6%)
1 lb - Honey - (late addition) (2.9%)

HOPS:
4 oz - Horizon, Type: Pellet, AA: 10.1, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 62.91
3 oz - Willamette, Type: Pellet, AA: 4.8, Use: Boil for 15 min, IBU: 11.13

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Temp: 154 F, Time: 60 min, Amount: 15 gal, Mash
2) Fly Sparge, Temp: 168 F, Time: 10 min, Amount: 15 gal, Hybrid Fly-Sparge
Starting Mash Thickness: 1.5 qt/lb

YEAST:
White Labs - Dry English Ale Yeast WLP007
Starter: No

This recipe has been published online at:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/516583/imperial-honey-porter

Generated by Brewer's Friend - https://www.brewersfriend.com/
Date: 2017-07-18 17:49 UTC
Recipe Last Updated: 2017-07-17 17:39 UTC
 
Sorry for bumping an old post but I am going to brewing this in the next few weeks and I like the idea of subbing dark candi sugar for the honey. Would it simply be a 1:1 replacement? What about using the dark candi syrups?
 
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