Anyone made a True Brew Porter WITHOUT absurdly high FG?

[TarVolon]

I just bottled my True Brew Porter (extract kit) with a gravity of 1.021 (also my first attempt at brewing). It was supposed to settle out at 1.012-1.014 after seven days. I waited seventeen days before bottling. The fermentation was vigorous. Krausen on the ceiling (and walls, and floor. . . ). I screwed up with my own reading (took the OG reading of the wort before adding the extra two gallons of water. Reading was 1.085. Oops), but I estimate OG near the expected OG of 1.045 or slightly higher.

Did a site search for "True Brew Porter." Every single hit I've found was a thread complaining about how they tried a True Brew Porter and couldn't get the FG below 1.020. Sadly, most people fretted about a high FG and then never told us whether it tasted good after bottle conditioning.

So my questions: has anyone ever brewed one of these and NOT had a FG of 1.020 or higher? If any of the people who have dealt with a high FG on this beer are still around, does it end up tasting good? The suspense is killing me!

 

[DoctorMemory]

Well, that's disturbing. The TB Porter was one of two kits I bought when I got started. The first was their pilsner, which turned out really well. I haven't gotten around to making the porter yet (I opted to do a partial mash for my second batch), but I definitely intend to. Thanks for the heads-up, and I'll definitely post my results when I'm done.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

did the kit have some dark extract? or a lot of liquid extract? those can cause a beer to peter out around 1.02. check this thread out... this one and this one too.

 

[TarVolon]

DM, I'll log back on in three weeks and update with whether it ended up tasting overpoweringly sweet or whether it was still pretty drinkable. Should give you an idea of how pressing it is to troubleshoot.

NB, thanks for the links. Here is the recipe:

3.3 lbs unhopped dark LME
2.0 lbs dark DME
6 oz chocolate grain malts
Malto-Dextrin (the recipe is actually conflicting here. In one spot it says to use 4 ounces, in another it says to use 8. It comes with 8. I used 6.)
1 packet Munton's ale yeast
1 oz hop pellets (bittering). Don't have the brand in front of me, but remember it was British and that the alpha% was roughly 7.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

yep, the dark extract and the maltodex will leave you with a higher FG. it happens a lot, even when you take measures like late or flameout extract additions. nothing you can really do with the kits that use dark or amber extract except add some of it at flameout. if you brew the kit again, or one like it, just put the DME in the boil, and then right at flameout add the LME, let steep for ~5 mins then chill as usual. or when making up extract recipes, stick with light or extra light DME, use it as an AG brewer would use base malt, and get color and flavor from the steeping grains. also, when using LME, try to use the lightest and freshest LME available (the big 3 all have fresh LME that ferments well, IME). in the beginning of the book 'Brewing Classic Styles', JZ talks about how to brew amazing beer with extract, gives some good tips on getting the most from your extract, and the rest of the book is ~80 extract with grains recipes! definitely worth a look.

 

[TarVolon]

Thanks, Nordeast! I knew this place would be helpful. I'm tentatively planning on one more extract batch, trying to get a wit made for my Dad's birthday in mid-May--he loves that stuff. Was hoping to see what AG is all about once final paper season is over (also May). If that actually goes as planned, I wouldn't imagine I'd have much dark extract ahead of me, but that's definitely great info to file away.

 

[TarVolon]

As promised, an update on how it actually turns out, in case any future True Brew Porter folks have the same problem, freak out, and find this thread:

I was expecting the high FG to mean the beer would be way too sweet, given that it meant fewer sugars than intended had fermented and that it was very, very sweet when I bottled. But after three weeks of carbing, it's really not. It actually kinda tastes like a porter. I did notice that the carbonation is a little more forward than I'd like. I don't know how to describe this--I don't think it's overcarbonation, just more pronounced in some way. I assume from what I've read here that this will decrease with time.

Last night, I did a side-by-side taste test with the Duck-Rabbit Porter. This kit wasn't particularly trying to imitate it, but it's what I had on hand, and I thought side-by-side comparisons would help develop the palette and pick out distinctives of what I made. Neither of them had any head to speak of, which may be a function of my glasses (washed regularly in the dishwasher). The color was identical. Duck-Rabbit's had a nice roasty smell, whereas mine didn't smell like much of anything. The initial taste was similar beyond the carbonation thing. Duck-Rabbit's again had a roasty finish, whereas my finish was a little more bland with a hint of sweetness.

 

[DoctorMemory]

Another follow-up from a fellow TB Porter brewer. I was hoping that making a starter for the yeast would help in the search for the elusive 1.014 FG, but no joy. My OG was a little high at 1.048, and after three weeks I was only down to 1.022. I went ahead and bottled, using the 5oz of priming sugar that came in the kit. After a week's conditioning I opened one and was surprised at how good it was. Still a little green around the edges, and certainly sweet, but overall it was pretty good. I'm curious to see how the taste changes as it matures, but overall I'm quite pleased with the results.

 

[TarVolon]

I can speak from experience that it's much better at four weeks than it is at three. I just polished off my last one this week, and it was quite tasty. Mine seemed unevenly carbed at the beginning (I also used 5 oz priming sugar), but at four weeks, that problem was gone. And the flavor in general just seemed better, although I can't put my finger on a specific. I definitely recommend this as a starter kit (or for any kit extract brewers, for that matter).

 

[JeepDiver]

But after three weeks of carbing, it's really not. It actually kinda tastes like a porter. I did notice that the carbonation is a little more forward than I'd like. I don't know how to describe this--I don't think it's overcarbonation, just more pronounced in some way. I

If you used the sugar pack that came with the kit you probalby over-carbed for style. They usually put a standard 4oz (or is it 5, been a while) in all kits, while styles like porter or stout need less, and a Wizen needs more.

 

[TarVolon]

If you used the sugar pack that came with the kit you probalby over-carbed for style. They usually put a standard 4oz (or is it 5, been a while) in all kits, while styles like porter or stout need less, and a Wizen needs more.

That's exactly what happened. But it still smoothed out at 4 weeks, at least to my taste.