American Porter Imperial Honey Porter

[Saccharomyces]

That's what I did the first time. I did a secondary this time but it really wasn't necessary, I barely got any sediment in the carboy.

 

[AnonyBrew]

I'm really wanting to bulk age this in a secondary for a couple months, but I also want to drink it as soon as I can.

Since I did 10g I think I might bottle 5g & secondary 5g.

 

[celestialparsnip]

This one's currently boiling away happily. I'm only making a 2.5 gallon batch... it'll be more than enough for Christmas. Speaking of which, gonna add some nutmeg and cinnamon to give it that xmas cheer and whatnot. Really should have made this weeks ago, to give it some proper aging, but finances didn't permit. Bugger.

First time I've used Special B, and my god, the smell of the crushed grains was fantastic. Looking forward to this one a whole lot.

 

[Saccharomyces]

This one's currently boiling away happily. I'm only making a 2.5 gallon batch... it'll be more than enough for Christmas. Speaking of which, gonna add some nutmeg and cinnamon to give it that xmas cheer and whatnot. Really should have made this weeks ago, to give it some proper aging, but finances didn't permit. Bugger.

First time I've used Special B, and my god, the smell of the crushed grains was fantastic. Looking forward to this one a whole lot.

I spiced the batch last year, it was fantastic although the spices wore off pretty quickly. As I recall I used a teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and fresh nutmeg at flameout. This year I left the spices out of this brew and did a spiced cider instead.

Special B is a wonderful dark malt for porters, imperial stout, and dark Belgian ales, I think it provides a nicer depth of flavor than Crystal 120.

 

[celestialparsnip]

Naturally, I forgot the spices. Thinking of adding them when I bottle. Just popping them into the sugar solution when boiling it up.

Pre-pitch hydro sample tasted amazing, which is nice, since it usually tastes like gunk. I have a good feeling about this one.

 

[zplug123]

I'm going to try this recipe, though as a novice all-grain brewer. Could someone explain the mash schedule to me? I'm working with a 10 gal Rubbermaid with a false bottom, and have only done batch sparges.

 

[Saccharomyces]

I'm going to try this recipe, though as a novice all-grain brewer. Could someone explain the mash schedule to me? I'm working with a 10 gal Rubbermaid with a false bottom, and have only done batch sparges.

You don't need to do a step mash if you aren't comfortable with it. It doesn't make much of a difference.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Soper used WLP007 and it came out great. Wyeast 1028 underattenuated this years for me, next year I will use the WLP007 when I brew it again.

Undecided on the grain bill since I haven't tapped the keg but I will be sure to add the 2009 and 2010 versions to the OP.

 

[celestialparsnip]

Bottling today. Added the cinnamon and nutmeg to the sugar solution.

Took a sample. Final gravity was 1.022, down from 1.082 (Efficiency was a little low) for around 7.9 percent ABV.

Sample again tasted awesome: smooth, velvety chocolate, hint of dried fruits. Slight bitterness from the choc malt, which is how I like it. This is sure to be a hit when I serve it up for christmas (Naturally, I'll be taking 'test' samples before then. No-one else is touching it before christmas eve, though. Scoundrels)

 

[Wild Duk]

I brewed this up on 8/24. Its been sitting in secondary since 9/10. I usually keg beer, only bottled once, but I'm thinking of bottling this batch....Last time I had a high test beer on tap the night didn't go so well.....
So the SG started at 1.083 and ended at 1.020. Not having much experience with bottling, should I use priming sugar, or can I add a bit more yeast and use that to carb. it...

Thanks

 

[Saccharomyces]

Not having much experience with bottling, should I use priming sugar, or can I add a bit more yeast and use that to carb. it...

You'll want to add your corn sugar to prime and also add some bottling yeast. Sitting that long in secondary it may never carb, or would at the very least take forever, adding some bottling yeast it will be carbed in a couple of days.

 

[AnonyBrew]

Yesterday I bottled 5g that's been sitting on 2 sticks of cinnamon & 1 tsp. of nutmeg for about 3 weeks. I added a pack of rehydrated nottingham yeast to the priming sugar when I bottled it. This batch's FG was 1.013 and it tasted very hot at bottling.

I also had a non-spiced small experimental 1/2g batch that I fermented with belgian 3787 yeast that was bottled. This was extra wort from the brew day.

Hope these are drinkable by xmas.

 

[zplug123]

After two weeks in primary and a week in secondary, there's still signs of activity (i.e bubble from airlock every 4 minutes), but otherwise the gravity seems to have settled around 1.021, I guess Scotch ale yeast doesn't want to attentuate to levels of 1.012 (O.G was 1.100, so ABV is somewhere around 10.5%.

Tried the sample, nice roasted/malt/coffee complexity with refreshing amount of bitterness. Clean finish with minimal alcohol, will probably minimally carbonate and list it under a Baltic Porter for any upcoming events.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Soper definitely outdid mine this year with the dark candi sugar. Mine with doubling the chocolate and dropping some of the C60 out came out wayyyy too roasty, yet I like roasty so I think I'll bump up the crystal next year to compensate. On the yeast, I think WLP007 (or S-04) may be the ideal yeast for this beer so that's what I'm going to use from now on when I re-brew, the esters it kicks off definitely work better than the London Ale which is more suited for an Imperial Stout since it's rather earthy.

 

[Wild Duk]

Well I'm just now just getting around to bottling. Do you add the same amount of corn sugar, or scale it down since I'll also be adding the yeast?

 

[celestialparsnip]

Letting y'all know that this was a huge success. I feared that since I'd mashed a little high, that it'd be a bit sweet, but I got an allround thumbs up from friends and family. The Mother-In-Law™ especially was guzzling them down like nothing else.

Great recipe, Sacc!

 

[Saccharomyces]

Well I'm just now just getting around to bottling. Do you add the same amount of corn sugar, or scale it down since I'll also be adding the yeast?

You will need the usual amount. I recommend 4 oz.

 

[Vaughn]

Brewed this up in Janurary, opened the first test bottle today. Mine is definitely closer to a barley wine. I upped the honey on this one. It came in at 11.53%

Original Gravity: 1.120 (1.075 - 1.115)
Terminal Gravity: 1.033 (1.018 - 1.030)
Color: 27.09 (30.0 - 40.0)
Alcohol: 11.53% (8.0% - 12.0%)
Bitterness: 87.2 (50.0 - 90.0)

Ingredients:
10 lb Maris Otter
4 lb Munich Malt
.75 lb Crystal Malt 20°L
1 lb Special B - Caramel malt
.5 lb Chocolate Malt
88.0 oz Honey
1 oz Horizon (12.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
1.5 oz Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 45 min
.5 oz Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 20 min
1 oz Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
2 ea Fermentis US-05 Safale US-05

Plan on letting this one sit for a while to see if it actually carbs up.

 

[Vaughn]

Anyone else brew this lately? I am thinking about brewing it again and adding less honey and throwing in some maple syrup.

 

[cheesecake]

Looks like i found the big beer i want to brew. not sure which version to follow though. also what kind of honey was used and what do you think sacc about adding 8oz of flaked wheat to your original recipe?

 

[matalec1984]

I chose this as my first big beer to tackle. Was wondering if I could get some thoughts on pitching a second yeast and also carbonating. I know there's a lot of posts in here about it but they are pretty scattered.

I have packet of champagne yeast I was thinking about throwing in as a second yeast in secondary. Thoughts? Also I've read mixed reviews on how much priming sugar to use. I've heard use less around 3.5-4 oz. and I've heard to use more 6-7 oz. Which way should I be leaning?

 

[CPADRE]

Anyone else brew this lately? I am thinking about brewing it again and adding less honey and throwing in some maple syrup.

I was thinking the same thing. Did you brew it? how did it turn out?

 

[Saccharomyces]

Maple syrup would be nice. I used clover honey the first time, wildflower the second, the wildflower was "funky", better to stick with something more neutral, I think.

Bottle conditioning big beers is tricky, I have used Montrachet added to the bottling bucket, works great, carbs up and clears much faster. I don't like this beer overcarbonated so I'd stick with 5oz or less of priming sugar.

 

[akardam]

What do you think about a month in primary and a second month in secondary with toasted oak cubes (soaked in whiskey) for a wood barrel hint to the overall profile of this beer?

i'm thinking of re-brewing this this weekend, but not confident with decoction.. will single mash fusion at 154F suffice for an hour?

thanks in advance!

 

[vichmania]

brewed this up this up 4 months ago. sat in the primary 3.5 weeks, then went straight to bottle for conditioning. just cracked one open after sitting in the bottle for 3 months. very tasty, but didn't carbonate completely. think i may have to give coopers carb drops a shot at this to save it. thoughts?

 

[ashplub]

How much sugar did you use? What was your final volume? What temp are the bottles at? You might try taking them all and rolling them around on the floor to get the yeast back into suspension (assuming you used the correct amount of sugar) and then trying another in a month or so. This beer will drink better under-carbed than over.

 

[akardam]

brewed this beer up back in november and everything reading was on the dot. the only difference is that I pitched in the irish yeast 1048 because i couldn't find american or london ale yeasts. rumors say this irish yeast doesn't ferment well for high gravity ales and gets tired quite easily.. the outcome was that it fermented completely to 1.030 instead of 1.015. i tried stirring a bit of the yeast and elevating the temperature but that only bought me a few points. i am tempted to pitch in a dry yeast to ferment this to its final destination and give hope of carbonating it. what do you guys think??
the thing is that it is super tasty and i don't won't to blow it!!

 

[akardam]

brewed this beer up back in november and every reading was on the dot. the only difference is that I pitched in the irish yeast 1048 because i couldn't find american or london ale yeasts. rumors say this irish yeast doesn't ferment well for high gravity ales and gets tired quite easily.. the outcome was that it fermented completely to 1.030 instead of 1.015. i tried stirring a bit of the yeast and elevating the temperature but that only bought me a few points. i am tempted to pitch in a dry yeast to ferment this to its final destination and give hope of carbonating it. what do you guys think??
the thing is that it is super tasty and i don't won't to blow it!!

 

[matalec1984]

^^ I'd probably throw something like a nottingham in and see if you could jump start the fermentation.

On a side note, I'm about to do this beer again, but I plan on using my beergun to bottle with and carbonate using co2. I haven't done a big beer with co2 before. Anything I should be looking out for. I would love to not avoid pitching more yeast and carbing with sugar since it has caused me some issues with big beers in the past.

 

[66Fox]

I posted some some questions about scaling this down and fermenting in the
recipes section--and the crickets chirping was I heard in response : (

I know its frowned upon here to repost the same questions in different sections, but I'd like to brew this so its ready to bottle when I get back. Is 4 months in the primary going to be too long? I have a 3 gallon glass carboy to keep this in and my crawl space doesn't change temps much. It may top out at 68-70 come August then taper back off. I figure a month in the primary then rack to the carboy (my secondary) and forget it until I return. (I have two kegs of a Elliot Ness clone lagering that I will be able to drink immediately upon my return) I plan to bottle this batch since I normally keg, I have a bunch of flippies to put this in, so this should be ready by Christmas.

Here is my 3 gallon version:

Grain:
6lbs Maris Otter
2 lbs Munich (10L)
.5 lb Crystal 60
.38 lb Carafa II (~450L) I have chocolate I could use here too
.44 lb special B
.1 lb Black barley (not malted)

1 lb honey at flameout (maybe 2?)

Hops: (It’s what I have)
1oz northern brewer @60 min
1oz cascade @ 30min
1oz Willamette @15min
1oz cascade @10min
1oz Willamette @ flameout

Yeast: Wyeast 1728 Belgian Abbey II (or Wyeast mead yeast) at least two packs and maybe in a 1 Ltr starter. I have an O2 setup to use for this too.

Brew Pal says:
40L
OG 1.102
FG 1.025 (seems high)

I know the weight of the grains are weird, I used grams to get the percentages close then went back to pounds and rounded things some. I hope to have some smoke/roast flavor like the Edmund Fitz porter fm Great Lakes.

Any help is appreciated thanks!