Baltic Porter

Just began the mash on my first Baltic Porter using German or German style (well I tried) ingredients. My "biggest" beer yet. BeerSmith is calling for an OG of 1.090. It's a 1.9 gallon batch should give me approx 3 six packs.

Thinking of calling is something like Hamburg Porter.

Amt Name %/IBU
3 lbs Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) 47.0 %
2 lbs 12.0 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) 43.1 %
3.2 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) 3.1 %
3.2 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) 3.1 %
2.4 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) 2.4 %
1.3 oz Carafa II (412.0 SRM) 1.3 %
0.30 oz Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min 33.4 IBUs
0.25 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Aroma Steep 5 min 0.0 IBUs
0.25 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle German Ale (DCL/Fermentis #K-97)

Took about 5 1/4 hours start to finish of clean up. Hit 1.091 as SG when BeerSmith called for 1.090. I'm happy. It's all safely in the fermenter chillin' down to approx 60* for the next few weeks. Man did it smell GREAT while boiling. I can't imagine a SWMBO anywhere complaining about the smell of a mash in the boiler.

What do you ferment a batch that size in, 3 gallon carboy? I've been interested in brewing smaller batches. Thanks.

RITiger41 said:

What do you ferment a batch that size in, 3 gallon carboy? I've been interested in brewing smaller batches. Thanks.

Click to expand...

Home Depot sell 2 gallon white paint buckets. Same plastic as the 5 gallon ones. I take them to the LHBS and he drills the air lock hole for me in the lid. I have one drilled for a bottling bucket as well.

I love the number of different brews in my refer, see below.

Checked this morning. A remote thermometer placed in the freezer was reading 59* in the morning. I lifted the bucket and the "tape thermometer" on the bucket said 58. Air lock was bubbling like crazy. I"m a happy camper right now.

5 days at 58* and I'm still getting bubbles in the air lock. Makes me happy.

Question, since this may come out over 8% ABV should it be treated at all like a Barley Wine? Meaning let it sit around for maybe a year before drinking?

You should be able to drink it now... well once it carbs up. Fermentation temperatures are low to promote clean fermentation and hides any fusel alcohols as well as the sweet malty flavor profile. But save a bottle, two or three and age for 6, 9 and 12 months.

I bought my grain today. I'm gonna give your recipe a try this weekend.

Remember this is an UNTESTED recipe. Hope all went well for you.

If it ends up at 8%abv, it should be mellow enough to not need much aging. Try one after it's carbed and see if it tastes hot, probably ready.

RITiger41 said:

You should be able to drink it now... well once it carbs up. Fermentation temperatures are low to promote clean fermentation and hides any fusel alcohols as well as the sweet malty flavor profile. But save a bottle, two or three and age for 6, 9 and 12 months.

I bought my grain today. I'm gonna give your recipe a try this weekend.

Click to expand...

Well is should be done fermenting by now. How does it look?

BTW my wife grew up in Lyons on "the" canal, that's about 1/2 way tween Rochester and Syracuse.

Fermented in the high 50's for 3 weeks and cold crashed at about 33* for another week. Bottled 17 today. FG down to 20 and BeerSmith tells me it's 9.4%. Has a nice mellow taste. Decided to call it my Hanseatic Porter.

Like a dummy I tried one yesterday. No time to carbonate but man that 9.4% ABV kicked my butt. Tasted kinda sweet maybe it didn't finish fermenting? Well anyway not gonna touch it for at least 3 weeks. Only 16 left can't waste them.

So I bottled mine last week after 3-4 weeks of lagering at 32'F. I added a 1/4 tsp of Nottingham dry yeast during bottling. Assuming all yeast has settled out. I have the bottles sitting in water bath with an aquarium heat stick set at 70-72'F to help carb these brews up! I'm patiently waiting another few days before I crack one open. Hopefully, the carb level will be spot on. I look to enter this beer in two weeks in a local competition (fingers crossed).