First all grain brew: Brown Porter

Just using this thread to document stuff because I'm horrible at journaling and if I have a thread I can post in it. Also looking for any tips because this is my first AG brew.

Started about 11pm last night after waiting for a friend who bailed on me.

8# 2-row
1# brown
.5# chocolate
.13# black patent
1 oz palisades for bittering
.5 oz northdown flavor
.5 oz northdown aroma


so everything went smoothly, the mash tasted freaking amazing. Almost didn't want to turn it into beer. Then I realized I was an idiot.

Sparged with no problems, then finally got to the boil at 3am. This was my first time even using a propane burner so I took it slow, I realize now I could've turned it all the way up and probably expedited the process.

So the boils starts at 3, palisades in at 3:05, then at 3:45, then flameout at 4 and cooling the wort.

I didn't have anything to chill with and I was reaaaaaallly tired so I pulled the keggle inside and let it cool while It was covered and I slept.

Got it in the carboy around 2pm today and pitched yeast.

forgot to check gravity, realized after an hour or so. Checked gravity and it's at 1.050. Considering I forgot to check until after pitching the yeast, and I used an extra quarter pound of chocolate, and the original recipe called for 1.046, so I think I hit it pretty well.


Really excited about this first brew. That's why I didn't have a problem being up until nearly 5 in the morning making it. It should be a good porter with a bit of a chocolate aroma and some spicy flavors from the northdown.

Congratulations!!! Now, go get a wort chiller!

I have done about 6-7 all grains recently where I have left the keggle outside, recently temps have been getting down to 30 degrees around 6 am, so far so good, tho this weekend I will be making a immersion cooling coil, have the copper, just need to hook it up.

Cheers from another Texas brewer!

And congrats on your first AG.

Say hello to infinitely more tweakability!

TomOliver said:

Say hello to infinitely more tweakability!

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I know, right?

I couldn't even go one batch without tweaking. the original recipe called for 4# each of munton maris otter and amber, and only .25# of chocolate.

he said it was styled to be a more english porter, because the munton's is an english malt, so I just went with 2-row instead.


Also we just got back from dinner and I've already got a bit of krausen. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

Wow! That pretty close to my Porter recipe. I use Fuggles for the whole thing though and 9lbs of maris otter for the base. Let us know how it tastes when it's done. I just brewed my version two weeks ago, can't wait.

jafo28 said:

Wow! That pretty close to my Porter recipe. I use Fuggles for the whole thing though and 9lbs of maris otter for the base. Let us know how it tastes when it's done. I just brewed my version two weeks ago, can't wait.

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I'm pretty sure the recipe the LHBS had called for maris otter to make it more "English", but I decided to go with 2-row, and upped the chocolate to .5# from .25#

Bottled this yesterday.

Hit my gravity spot on. 1.011.
Brings me to about 5.1% abv.
Had half a bottle that didn't fill up all the way so took a few swigs to taste it and man it's good.

Blows my mind that I took grains, hops, water, and some yeast and made something this good.

Wait until it gets carbed up and has a couple of weeks to mature a little.

Cheers to late night/early morning all grain brewing!

Just did a recipe similar to this as my first all grain as well. Im doing a Bourbon Barrel Porter. Calls for oak cubes and makers mark to be added in the secondary.

Wasnt my first choice for my first AG because the bourbon and oak part might hide some off flavors that I might get. But I wasnt funding this batch so I went with it. Hopefully it turns out good.

Hope you enjoy it!

Curious to find out how this one tasted. I about to go all grain and wanted to start with a similar porter.

MattyIceGfunk said:

Curious to find out how this one tasted. I about to go all grain and wanted to start with a similar porter.

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I tasted it on Monday when I bottled, tasted like a Porter with a fair bit of chocolate, nothing crazy though.

Hops weren't overpowering, didn't get too much out of them I think. Might add a bit more palisades next time.

A buddy and I may use this recipe for a vanilla Porter over the winter break, we'll see.

funkapottomous said:

I tasted it on Monday when I bottled, tasted like a Porter with a fair bit of chocolate, nothing crazy though.

Hops weren't overpowering, didn't get too much out of them I think. Might add a bit more palisades next time.

A buddy and I may use this recipe for a vanilla Porter over the winter break, we'll see.

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Cracked one open last night just to see if it was carbonated, because I couldn't wait any longer.

Very lightly carbed and still really green, obviously because it's only been in the bottle a week.

Tasted a lot more hops than the sample had. That's kinda weird, but whatever.

Most of all, IT'S GOOD!
Got a good spiciness to it, good flavor from the hops and the extra chocolate malt. Gonna make an awesome christmas time beer.