NorthernBrewer Bourbon Barrel Porter

I just did this kit with no secondary. I soaked the cubes in bourbon for 2 weeks, transferred just the cubes to primary and let age for 2 weeks, then added the bourbon in at bottling. Tasted good when I bottled it up, we'll see how it all blends together.

I added the bourbon and oak in the secondary and racked on top of the bourbon / oak for 2 weeks

I made this on Thursday night, this is only my 2nd brew and I NAILED the volume and OG right on the money. I'm really looking forward to this one.

So yesterday I brewed 10 gallons of this "nectar of the gods".I am going to divide it 4 ways and make some comparisons 1- makers mark 2-cheap bourbon 3-captain morgan 4-???????.
So I am looking for ideas.
Coffee?
Kahula?
Ideas...

BeerBrods22 said:

So I am looking for ideas.
Coffee?
Kahula?
Ideas...

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Islay Single Malt Scotch

Try coffee and makers mark in 4th

Maybe try a different roast of oak cubes, or a different country, like French or American or Hungarian Cubes? Maybe try with some spices in it, like cinnamon sticks, cloves, etc and age until christmas for a festive beer.

That is a good idea... I have French oak chips. Would it bee too much to soak cloves and cinnamon in the bourbon...and oak chips?

BeerBrods22 said:

So yesterday I brewed 10 gallons of this "nectar of the gods".I am going to divide it 4 ways and make some comparisons 1- makers mark 2-cheap bourbon 3-captain morgan 4-???????.
So I am looking for ideas.
Coffee?
Kahula?
Ideas...

Click to expand...

My vote is a Rye Whiskey. I love using Rye Malt in beers, and I always wonder if a Rye Whiskey would provide some similar flavors.

Plus, I also like Rye Whiskey by itself :rockin:

Sadly, my batch didn't turn out so well. Soapy off-flavor. I'm sure it is ruined. I'll be bottling it from my keg at some point. Maybe it'll improve. From what I've read, that's doubtful.

So sad. lol

quick question

getting ready to bottle and the instructions have 2 different ways depending on what type of sugar you are using.

the only thing they sent me is just labeled 'Priming Sugar', so how do I know how much to use?

went back to their site, and apparently I upgraded at checkout, which they state is Corn Sugar.

hopefully that's correct

Hey guys, I'm ready to move this to secondary I think. I had an OG of 1.065 and now it is at 1.021. I keep hearing about this dreaded stuck fermentation at 1.021 (this is only my second batch). Is this ok to move to secondary now? I have had no activity in the carboy for over a week now. I tasted the beer after I measured the gravity and it tastes great as is!

Mine was down to 1.020 with steady gravity readings so I racked to secondary.

gigantor said:

went back to their site, and apparently I upgraded at checkout, which they state is Corn Sugar.

hopefully that's correct

Click to expand...

their priming sugar is corn sugar - I think a 5 oz package. you should be fine if you use that

For the style I backed down from the full 5 oz of corn sugar by a fair bit. I used 3.2 oz of corn sugar and feel like that the carbonation came out exactly what I'd expect for the style. No issues with how well the beer heads at that amount.

That's an interesting post above. I assume you did that because this beer tends to stop at a higher FG, retaining some fermentables.

Has anyone else backed off on the amount of priming sugar they used for this beer?

Has anyone used the full amount and had issues with bottle bombs?

My choice of 3.2 oz had nothing to do with the finishing gravity, it was purely because I wanted a carbonation consistent with the style of beer.

There are calculators available like this one that will help figure out how much sugar to use to get a carbonation level that is in accordance with the style of the beer. For some styles I'll adjust a bit up or down based on my own preference.

MDRex said:

That's an interesting post above. I assume you did that because this beer tends to stop at a higher FG, retaining some fermentables.

Has anyone else backed off on the amount of priming sugar they used for this beer?

Has anyone used the full amount and had issues with bottle bombs?

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mine finished out at a high 1028 or so, and I used the 2/3rds cup corn sugar as recommended in the NB kit directions, which turned out to be less than the 5 oz. package included in the kit, probably closer to 3.5-4oz or so. I was so freaked out about bottle bombs that I wrapped the bottles in contractor grade plastic bottles while the conditioned.... and sure enough, what I got was a killer, perfectly carbonated, head retaining rich flavor full first brew.... so I wouldn't sweat it.

Great info, thanks. Carbing to style based on the calculators is still something I need to learn more about.

I just brewed this recipe on Tuesday (2/15)...and it's officially the first beer I've ever brewed at home. It took nearly 48-hours before I saw any bubbling in the airlock. It still doesn't appear to be bubbling very rapidly...I'd say maybe once every 3-4 seconds or so. I'll cross my fingers and assume everything is okay! Here's my question: I'm leaving for a vacation on 2/26, and won't be back until 3/7. My original plan was to give primary 10-days and then rack to secondary the day before I leave for my trip (the NB recipe kit says to give primary 1-2 weeks, so I figured 10-days was just about right). Would it be best just to let it sit in primary until I get back (approximately 3-weeks total), and then rack to secondary? Are there pros & cons to both? Being that I'm a total rookie, AND over-the-top about following instructions, I feel like I shouldn't deviate from the NB instruction sheet. Thanks in advance for any input...this is my first post after stalking the forum for a few months. I'm just glad to finally be brewing!!

MoeFoties said:

Would it be best just to let it sit in primary until I get back (approximately 3-weeks total), and then rack to secondary? Are there pros & cons to both?

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Yeah I'd leave it be for the 3 weeks, then rack onto the bourbon / oak when you get back. It should be done fermenting completely and will give the yeast some time to clean up any off flavors present.

There are pros and cons to every facet of brewing (so I am finding out

Good choice on your first batch, still one of my favorite homebrews!

Blake

bp262 said:

Yeah I'd leave it be for the 3 weeks, then rack onto the bourbon / oak when you get back. It should be done fermenting completely and will give the yeast some time to clean up any off flavors present.

There are pros and cons to every facet of brewing (so I am finding out

Good choice on your first batch, still one of my favorite homebrews!

Blake

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Thanks Blake...I appreciate the quick reply.

Bottled Tuesday and cracked one open today. Yes I know it's early but I couldn't wait. Brewed in November and this beer is fantastic. Still needs a little more carbonation but I could drink it as it is no problem. I will be making this one again for sure

Hey guys I want this to be one of next winters beer and was thinking about brewing this weekend, probably give it one month primary, 6 weeks secondary, and bottle condition until at least october and drink through the winter next year. Any issues with that long of an aging, conditioning time? I searched the thread and saw some mention of 6 months in the secondary so i assume not.

Thanks!

I've had mine in a keg for a week and can tell i'm going to have to let it mellow out for quite a while. The taste is excellent but I don't personally like this strong of a bourbon flavor. I brewed 12/27/10 and followed the directions to the letter.

I've wanted to do this one since I tried Goose Island's Bourbon County but would need another keg for the aging. Seems like a good excuse to get another keg but my options for aging temp are a hot apt with no a/c for the summer (80-100F) or in the kegerator (40-45F). The kegerator has room for it but will the cold affect the aging process?

I started this recipe on tuesday. Bubbling away in the carboy as we speak.

See the most recent BYO, aging cold is definitely preferrable if you don't have cellar temps available (60 F or so).

Concerning this recipe, if I do something similar again I will use less bourbon, maybe 10 oz or so.

Has anyone used Jack in this recipe?

I made this in January 10, and it's still drinking decently. I did have a high final gravity though- I think because dark LME has some unfermentables in it.

I don't get much head at all but tastes pretty good

gigantor said:

I don't get much head at all but tastes pretty good

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Give it time... How long have you had it bottled?

Mine went from no head, to super foamy after a drink or two , then with enough time it has a perfect carmel-ie head

Not long. A few days shy of two weeks. I just haven't been able to let it sit without trying one every week.

@ 2 months on bourbon, with 2 weeks oaked and only 6 days on the gas, it still has a strong bourbon taste that I hope will mellow. Used 16oz Makers. Maybe another week or two on the gas and she will start to meld nicely. Most expensive 10Gal batch I have made yet.

Did anyone else have an issue with this beer being undercarbed? I bottled it on March 8 and pulled one from the closet and put it into the fridge on March 24 and drank it last night, March 29. It gave the slightest hint of a pop when I opened the bottle, but had absolutely no head.

I'm not too worried about it since it is early and I plan on saving the bulk of this beer for the fall, but I really just wanted to take an early sample to see where it was in the process.

As far as tasting notes, at this point you really get hit with the bourbon and toasted oak right off the bat. After the first couple drinks, my taste buds got over the shock of the bourbon, you can tell there is a really great porter hiding under there. Should be really great in a couple months when it mellows.

I took a few of my batch to a BBQ last Memorial Day, had been in the bottle for a bit longer then yours, but I had the same results..... Allot of Bourbon up front, very little head....but very tasty!!

The batch has been aging for over a year, I haven't touched another bottle. I plan on taking a few to the same BBQ this year and having everyone who tasted it last year taste again. Looking forward to tasting it and hearing what others think after a year of bottle time.

Thanks. Good to hear someone else got the same thing. Luckily I bottled a british mild on the same day so I have something to distract me while I wait for this to mature. I would like to have at least a case left for the holiday season. This will be a real test of patience.

Oh, and let me know how yours turns out after it's had a year to age. Might need a little inspiration to keep me from raiding the pipeline.

Anyone oaked in the keg? Was thinking about either dropping the cubes in loose, then re-rack in a few weeks or tossing them in a paint strainer and fishing it out later. Any thoughts? Can't wait to taste this baby during the transfer out of the carboy this weekend.