English Porter Atonement Brown Porter (2011 HBT Gold Category 12)

[Airborneguy]

Mashing higher will give it more body, but it won't make it sweeter. There's nothing in the malt bill to give this beer any sweetness (purposefully for my tastes ). If you want it to have some sweetness, add a little crystal malt, maybe around 1/2 lb of whichever one you typically use.

 

[JasontheBeaver]

From what you've described regarding the flavor, it sounds like this would be in the subcategory of 12B:Robust Porter rather than 12A:Brown Porter, correct?

 

[Airborneguy]

I had this discussion with a friend recently. I said that the hint of roast is enough to keep it in the brown porter category. This beer leans more towards chocolate than roast/burnt flavors. The line between the two is fine in my opinion, and I've always felt this one fits more with the brown porters. He was conflicted and thinks it really straddles the line.

That said, I have four bottles left over from my last batch, and barring any change in the rules from last year, I decided after my conversation with my friend to enter both categories in an upcoming local competition to see in which one the beer scores higher. I'm hoping to get the same judges for both beers so that I can consider the sheets consistent.

 

[Airborneguy]

The IBU's are also too low for the Robust Category. I supposed bumping up the IBU's and raising the OG a little would place it squarely in the Robust category.

 

[JasontheBeaver]

Great feedback, thanks! That's why I asked because it seemed to be close to both styles.
The 4.3% ABV seems a little low for me so I might tweak it a bit via Beersmith. Probably making this this weekend.

 

[JLem]

The IBU's are also too low for the Robust Category. I supposed bumping up the IBU's and raising the OG a little would place it squarely in the Robust category.

My impression of this beer as currently designed is that it is a Brown Porter. It just isn't "robust" enough to be a Robust Porter. I think it may fall on the edges of the BP category because it lacks the crystal/caramel malt flavors. I think to get it into the RP category i agree that you'll need to up the OG and the IBUs, but probably also throw in some more darker grains - maybe some additional black malt or some roasted barley and/or some chocolate malt. I don't know that there is enough roast in it to carry just a "bigger" version of this into the RP category.

 

[Airborneguy]

Agreed.

I'll post the score sheets when I get them back. I think it will be interesting to enter a beer like this into two categories to see what happens.

 

[JasontheBeaver]

Ok, making this this weekend! I tweaked the hops (because I have more Columbus that I need to use) and added some caramel malt for sweetness.
Feedback?

Recipe: Atonement Porter
Brewer: Jason
Asst Brewer:
Style: Brown Porter
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.7 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.2 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.5 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.0 gal
Estimated OG: 1.047 SG
Estimated Color: 28.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 21.8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 68.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 74.2 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
7 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 68.2 %
2 lbs 8.0 oz Brown Malt (65.0 SRM) Grain 22.7 %
8.0 oz Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 4.5 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 4.5 %
1.50 oz Fuggles [3.90 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 18.9 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining -
0.25 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [17.70 %] - Boil 5.0 Hop 2.9 IBUs
2.0 pkg London Ale Yeast (Wyeast Labs #1028) Yeast


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 11 lbs
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 15.75 qt of water at 167 F Target=156 F 45 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (1.5gal, 4.1gal) of 168 F water

 

[Airborneguy]

The only suggestion I would make is to finish with the fuggles and use the Columbus to bitter.

 

[JasontheBeaver]

The only suggestion I would make is to finish with the fuggles and use the Columbus to bitter.

I can easily do that, I have enough of each. Now tell me why you recommend that?

 

[Airborneguy]

The fuggles will be more authentic to the style. For bittering, you can really use anything so the columbus will be fine for the early addition. There are American IPAs made using columbus for later additions, but I don't feel that would be appropriate for a porter.

 

[JasontheBeaver]

The brewing went well yesterday for this batch. I used the columbus hops early for bittering and the fuggles late for aroma like you suggested. As of this morning is it bubbling away nicely!

 

[Airborneguy]

Awesome! Let me know how it turns out.

 

[Airborneguy]

I went ahead and entered this beer into the Homebrew Alley 6 competition in both the Robust and Brown porter categories. All 4 bottles are from the same batch. I'm very interested to see how this plays out. The batch was brewed a few months ago also, so there's a little age on these bottles.

New York City Homebrewers Guild Presents Homebrew Alley 6

 

[Rolly]

Does anyone think this would make a good base beer for a coconut porter?

 

[Airborneguy]

Maybe cut the black malt down a little. Other than that, it would be a perfect base.

 

[Rolly]

Maybe cut the black malt down a little. Other than that, it would be a perfect base.

Is this because you think there's too much roast flavor? How much would you cut it back?

 

[Airborneguy]

Maybe to .25lb? I'm just guessing as I've never worked with coconut. I'd imagine you'd want it to shine over other aspects of the beer, no? This recipe is only subtly roasty, but I'd still cut it down to avoid overpowering the coconut.

 

[Rolly]

maybe I'll sub half the black for chocolate. So .3lb black and .3lb chocolate. Should swap some of the "burnt" flavors for some chocolate/nutty flavors.

 

[seven_37]

I just bottled this last night - thanks for the great recipe. My gravity only came to 1.045, but that was because I didn't calculate my wort volume correctly (I had something under 6 gallons at the end of the boil). I used White Labs 002 since I had a fresh yeast cake from a mild recipe. Also, I racked it onto some whiskey soaked oak cubes for five days (for just a very slight hint of oak). The sample I had at bottling tasted great and I can't wait for it to get carbed.

 

[JasontheBeaver]

...I racked it onto some whiskey soaked oak cubes for five days (for just a very slight hint of oak). The sample I had at bottling tasted great and I can't wait for it to get carbed.

This brings up something I'm going to try someday. Whiskey-barrel aged porters are getting more popular and I have had some awesome ones and some that were dreadful recently.
I'd like to know how yours ages. Will the oak and whiskey flavors mellow and blend, complimenting each other over time? Please keep us up to date.

 

[Airborneguy]

I've aged this recipe in my barrel twice: once before and once after the barrel had been innoculated with brett. I have one of the Brett bottles in my fridge still. Both times the recipe held up well to the barrel's flavors.

 

[EternalHoppiness]

I've been enjoying this for about a month now. I accidentally subbed debittered black malt (Castle) for the US black malt, but it turned out great. Despite being right around 152-153 with my mash temps, pitching a high-krausen starter, and 60 seconds of 02, it only went from 1.050 to 1.020. The result is a super-tasty full-bodied session porter, and SWMBO and I both really like it.

This will definitely be a regular in the rotation! Thanks for the recipe!

 

[JasontheBeaver]

I racked this to keg this weekend. Grav reading is right on, tastes good!
Did you warm age it in keg at all or just start carbing?

 

[Airborneguy]

I'm usually backed up about 1-2 batches so I hit it with 30psi and let it sit at room temperature until its turn comes up.

 

[stevedasleeve]

I'm not one for copying someone elses recipe but this seems pretty good and I have not brewed this style before! I have a slightly different roasted malt combination, and I'm using Goldings for flavor hops, but otherwise it is the same recipe, just milled my grains for tomorrow - my day off.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Airborneguy]

Thanks, good luck. I'm sure you'll like it.

This beer is being judged in the Robust Porter and Brown Porter categories on Sunday in the Homebrew Alley 6 contest. The bottles I entered have a little age on them, but I don't see why a porter wouldn't hold up for roughly 6 months, so I'm excited to see the results. I'll post them when I get them back.

 

[stevedasleeve]

I should know this by now but every time I brew a low gravity beer with not so much hops my efficiency is much higher! I ended up at 1.054 - shooting for 1.048ish - so I guess this is a robust porter. I fiddled with the hops some more - northern brewer (which I like in dark beers) + goldings. I hope this ends up dry, I am not a big fan of deserty tasting beers. Mashed at 152 f.

Cheers!
Steve da sleeve

 

[JasontheBeaver]

Ok my batch has been on the gas for a week and I pulled a sample and it tastes green, or watery. More like a lighter tasting brown ale, though the color and aroma are perfect.

Major difference between the OP recipe and mine were that mine was in primary for 36 days. Other than that the numbers were really close.

I'll let it sit in the fridge to continue carbing and see what happens.

 

[Airborneguy]

I don't know what my longest primary was with this beer, but I usually do around 21 days. I'm sure I've brewed a batch that went a little longer. I usually give it around 2-3 weeks in the keg before tapping, but one batch which was bottled I started drinking within two weeks and it was awesome.