English Porter Colonial Porter

[Weezy]

Recipe Type

All Grain

Yeast

S-23

Batch Size (Gallons)

3

Original Gravity

1.045

Final Gravity

1.012

Boiling Time (Minutes)

60

IBU

25

Color

26

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

5days@54F, ramp to 60F over next 9 days

Tasting Notes

Flavor is a rush of molasses, smoothed over by corn sweetness, surrounded by a rich b

SOME HISTORY

I had done a fair bit of digging into historic brewing and distilling in western Pennsylvania, at Pitt's Hillman library and at the Carnegie library. I've learned as lit and still have a lot to learn (I'm not done searching ance reading).

In colonial times, through to the early 1800s, the Pittsburgh area was the gateway to the frontier west. Lewis and Clark set out from here.

This painting from 1804 was dove by an artist who was coming through, heading west for his fortune and adventure. This picture shows streets and a church that are still here. The hills are still there behind modern development as well. First Avenue is the street along the right river. It was the street with all of the supply stores and Inns. Inns brewed their own beer for in-house consumption. One was named "Spread Eagle"; apparently having been an establish of enough rapor to be named in history books.

At the time, the liquor business was 5x that of beer. Liquor was durable and easy to make with the grains at hand, which was mostly corn which the Indians (Monongahela for half a millennia, then later the Iroquois tribes and the Delaware). Malt was imported from England and expensive.

We also know that all manor of adjuncts were used at the time; bran, molasses, oats, spices, etc.

All of this guided my recipe development.

"SPREAD EAGLE" COLONIAL PORTER

Batch size 3 gal
OG 1.045
FG 1.012
ABC 4.3%

Pale malt - 2.5 lbs (50%)
Brown malt - 0.5 lbs (10%)
Blackprintz - 2 oz
Flaked Corn - 1.5 lbs (30%)
Blackstrap Mclasses - 1/4 lb (5%)

The barley selection, as a group, were selected to try to mimic the limited melting skill of the time. Percentages are just rough numbers to show that malt is no more then 1/2 the bill.

Mash 150F

Cluster hops - 25 IBUs@60 min

Ferment with one pack Saflager S-23 at 54F for the first 5 days, then u ramp temps up to 60 over the next 9 days. Diacytl rest at room temp for two days, then cold crash. S-23 isn't as crisp as other lager yeasts but I like what it does with a wort that was mashed low.

You don't need any crystal malt. 30% corn plus the sweet S-23 yeast is all you need.

You have to watch how much molasses you use. It really wants to take over.

Flavor is a rush of molasses, smoothed over by corn sweetness, surrounded by a rich but not rough dark malt base.

 

[Pappers_]

Very interesting, Weezy, thanks! This strikes me as similar to the George Washington Porter that you'll find floating about the brewing interwebz. I'm curious why you choose a lager yeast, when I assume that the mostly English brewers in the colonies at that time were using ale yeast? I think the German immigrant brewers and the lager yeast they brought with them didn't begin to dislodge the English and their ale yeasts in North America until post-colonial days, in the mid 1800s?

Also, would you like me to me move this so its in the Historical Beers category, for anyone who is searching for a Historical Beer recipe?

 

[Weezy]

This is the 4th iteration of this recipe. I had used British yeast on the first two (and too much molasses); West York then scottish. the Scottish was ok; low ester and not too sweet. But not great with 30% corn imho.
I went with S-23 because i knew it would give me the effect i wanted; no sulphur, not so crisp and moderate attenuation on a small beer, and I didn't want British fruity esters. Historically accurate? Probably not. I'd expect small batch brewing back then saw quite wild fermentation profiles. What I did lets the malt, corn and molasses show through without complication. After all it still needs to be an enjoyable beer. I didn't mean for it to be historically accurate but historically inspired.

And please do move the thread. I didn't notice the historic category. Apologies.