American Porter Hickory Bourbon Porter

[Kais]

Recipe Type

Extract

Yeast

Omega Yeast British Ale III

Yeast Starter

No

Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter

No

Batch Size (Gallons)

5

Original Gravity

1.050

Final Gravity

1.013

Boiling Time (Minutes)

60

IBU

29 (calculated)

Color

42 SRM (calculated)

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

14 @ 70-72\\'C

Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

14 @ ~50\\'C

Tasting Notes

toasty, chocolaty, bourbon and hickory both present but subtle

1.0lbs Briess Chocolate Malt crushed, 350L
0.5lb Flaked Barley
0.5lb Breiss Black Malt crushed, 500L
6.3lbs Maillard Malts Maris Otter Malt Extract Syrup
1.1lb Muntons DME Dark
2oz UK Fuggle Hop Pellets
1oz UK Kent Goldings Hop Pellets
1/2 tsp. Irish moss
4oz Bourbon Soaked Hickory wood Chips
10oz bourbon (I used Knob Creek, 100 proof)
Omega Yeast British Ale III
3/4cup corn sugar (priming for bottling)

Grains Steeped in 2.5gal water 155'C 30min (save for spent grain bread, yum!)
remove grains, bring to boil
Add liquid malt extract and dried malt extract, stir well
1oz Fuggle and 1oz kent Goldings hops (60min)
1/2 tsp. Irish moss (20min)
1oz Fuggle hops (10min)
in fermenter with added water to 5gal
Primary fermenter 2 weeks
Transfer to secondary fermenter, 2 weeks
Toast 4oz hickory chips and cover in 10oz bourbon in a small container, keep submerged for a week in fridge
Add bourbon and chips to the secondary fermenter for final 1 week in secondary
Bottled and enjoyed

 

[JDWebb]

Taste the bourbon in the oak chips before you add it, you may not like the taste. I usually toss the soaking bourbon and put fresh bourbon in with the wood. You also might want to consider aging this for a few months. Oaked bourbon stouts do better with lots of time behind it. Just my thoughts...

 

[Kais]

Right on. The bourbon came through well, perhaps next time i'll try with fresh bourbon. Perhaps it matter on the bourbon you use with different inherent flavor profiles, from different compositions, reacting differently with the wood? I did this brew in January, and opened it in late February/early March. It definitely got better over time, and changed quite a bit. The bourbon probably peaked around early April, and it started to loose its freshness in May (done with it by then luckily haha), so i wouldn't probably age it too long (but i think that's generally decent advice on porters). I'd love your thoughts on a braggot sometime (looks like you have a ton in the works/going). I've been thinking of making a like gruit/braggot some time soon.

 

[JDWebb]

I keep 21 labels of bourbon on my shelf at all times. I have used two that I really like, Evan Williams Single Barrel, and Buffalo Trace Eagle Rare. Neither will break the bank. Anything you're doing with wood, especially bourbon soaked, time is the best flavor enhancer there is. I have waited patiently for months on end before I kegged for consumption. My favorite was one I dumped 4 pounds of wildflower honey into, 4 oz Eagle Rare soaked Hungarian Oak cubes, and 14oz of Eagle rare Bourbon. It was fermented with Nottingham, and made it to 13% ABV with no problems. This is one of those after dinner, cold winter night, sit by the fire beers.