Fermentation + Conditioning time for Porter

[mhsisk]

I've brewed a couple extract batches and am now considering moving on to something more complex... planning on doing a porter for my next one. Before I've just fermented in primary for 2 weeks, then bottled and let it sit for 2 more weeks before drinking. Both batches turned out great, but I've heard dark beers can benefit from a longer process. I've heard people talk about leaving it in primary for as long as 4-6 weeks which seems weird because I've heard leaving it longer than 3 weeks or so makes it taste yeasty. Is there any truth to that? What about bottle conditioning? Is 2 weeks long enough or should it sit longer in the bottles?

 

[dwhite60]

I bottle after two weeks in fermenter. No secondary.

I find my stouts and porters are getting good after at least four weeks in the bottle. They really get good at six to eight. Stash a few away and try one or two a week over a couple months. You'll probably be surprised.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[billl]

A porter isn't going to take appreciably longer to ferment than any other "normal" ale. All beers do change over time though and that can be desirable or not depending on the style. As a general rule, the flavors all mellow over time and blend a bit. With darker beers, the sharp edge to the roasted flavors will round out a bit and some of the more subtle flavors will start to come through. A good experiment for new brewers it to drink some of the beer fresh. Take notes. Set a six pack aside for several months or more. Compare your impressions to the fresh version.

 

[Calder]

A standard gravity Porter can be done as quick as any beer. I think leaving it a few extra weeks either in the fermenter or the bottle takes a 'rough' edge of beers which use roasted grains. The only explanation I have come across that seems to make sense to me is that the roasted grains produce a lot of fine dust particles that stay in suspension a long time, and when drinking it young, you actually get a taste of the grain. After several weeks this drops out, leaving a much smoother beer.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

A standard gravity Porter can be done as quick as any beer. I think leaving it a few extra weeks either in the fermenter or the bottle takes a 'rough' edge of beers which use roasted grains. The only explanation I have come across that seems to make sense to me is that the roasted grains produce a lot of fine dust particles that stay in suspension a long time, and when drinking it young, you actually get a taste of the grain. After several weeks this drops out, leaving a much smoother beer.

Wouldn't a good long cold crash drop those particles out?

 

[obsessedbrewing]

I've heard leaving it longer than 3 weeks or so makes it taste yeasty. Is there any truth to that? What about bottle conditioning? Is 2 weeks long enough or should it sit longer in the bottles?

In short, no, don't worry about leaving it in primary for 6 weeks. I have left beers in primary on the yeast cake for up to 6 months without developing a "yeasty" flavor or any kind of autolysis. Most of that is old-school internet myths, or derived from the commercial brewers who have huge 30 barrel conical fermenters which exert a ton of pressure on the yeast cake causing a large percentage of the yeast cells to explode and contribute a "meaty" flavor to the beer.

You want to start with healthy yeast and have a strong ferment. After two weeks in primary, the beer should be done fermenting and you really don't need to leave it on the yeast after that for a porter. However, if you are able to crash cool the fermenter down to 35°F and leave it in there for 6 weeks, then it will give it time to drop more of the yeast and fine grain dust out of suspension before you bottle it. The same settling can just as easily occur on a smaller scale in each bottle, it'll just make more of a sediment layer on the bottom. I don't know the pros/cons of bulk aging vs. in the bottle, but I imagine there are some differences.

With my stouts and porters, I've found that they taste pretty good after 2 weeks in the keg, really good after 4 weeks, but they really hit their prime after 5 months in the keg. As others have mentioned, I'd recommend putting a 6-pack away for at least 5 months to revisit to see how the flavors have developed, as well as test your sanitation practices.

 

[worlddivides]

I make stouts, porters, and brown ales pretty often. They don't take any longer to ferment or condition than any other ale.

Whether they taste better young or old is partially a matter of taste and it does depend on the style. For example, I've found that the flavor of milk stouts are very different depending on whether they're young or old. Young milk stouts are sweeter and creamier, while old milk stouts lose much of that creaminess and sweetness. Some would prefer the more aged character of a milk stout, but it loses a lot of the character of the lactose. On the other hand, more traditional Irish-style stouts, I think taste best when they're a couple months old. I mean, they still taste good even at a year after they've been brewed (assuming you've taken care to prevent them from oxidizing), but I find they usually taste best at around 3-6 months. It really depends on the individual beer. I've got a few bottles left of a porter I brewed 8 months ago left that still taste awesome.

But, yeah, I've had stouts tasting great 4 weeks after the brew day. And, for a lot of them, they'll taste a lot better as time goes on (up to a point, of course. After that point, they start to deteriorate).

 

[crusader1612]

I make stouts, porters, and brown ales pretty often. They don't take any longer to ferment or condition than any other ale.

Whether they taste better young or old is partially a matter of taste and it does depend on the style. For example, I've found that the flavor of milk stouts are very different depending on whether they're young or old. Young milk stouts are sweeter and creamier, while old milk stouts lose much of that creaminess and sweetness. Some would prefer the more aged character of a milk stout, but it loses a lot of the character of the lactose. On the other hand, more traditional Irish-style stouts, I think taste best when they're a couple months old. I mean, they still taste good even at a year after they've been brewed (assuming you've taken care to prevent them from oxidizing), but I find they usually taste best at around 3-6 months. It really depends on the individual beer. I've got a few bottles left of a porter I brewed 8 months ago left that still taste awesome.

But, yeah, I've had stouts tasting great 4 weeks after the brew day. And, for a lot of them, they'll taste a lot better as time goes on (up to a point, of course. After that point, they start to deteriorate).

^^^^THIS^^^^^

I've found that the sweet spot for me personally is around 5-6 weeks in the bottle.
Even with hoppier porters. those chocolatey roasty malts comeforward ,and smooth out a bit.
and with the hoppier ones, the hops drop away just enough to make it more enjoyable.