Brewday 23st Feb - Porter

Get advice on making beer from raw ingredients (malt, hops, water and yeast)
Post Reply
User avatar
Andy
Virtually comatose but still standing
Posts: 8716
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2005 1:00 pm
Location: Ash, Surrey
Contact:
Contact Andy

Post by Andy » Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:27 am

Steve - did you brew today then ?
Dan!
Top
SteveD

Post by SteveD » Sat Feb 24, 2007 2:18 am

Well, yes. A somewhat colourful experience. I'll edit the original post to fill in the detail.
Top
User avatar
Andy
Virtually comatose but still standing
Posts: 8716
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2005 1:00 pm
Location: Ash, Surrey
Contact:
Contact Andy

Post by Andy » Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:02 am

Ah yes, so I see 8)

The old "hop strainer on the kitchen table" gag! :lol:
Dan!
Top
SteveD

Post by SteveD » Sun Feb 25, 2007 2:08 pm

Piccies posted.
:D
Top
maxashton

Post by maxashton » Sun Feb 25, 2007 2:18 pm

Bloody brilliant. THat's the most insane head of Krausen i've ever seen.
That brew is going to taste superb.

Compliments to the braumeister!
Top
SteveD

Post by SteveD » Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:07 am

Thanks gents. 1am Monday, still going but quieting right down now. I'd changed 10L of water in the jacket twice on Sunday as the ferment got to 19-20c, bringing the jacket down to 16c each time. It seems a nice easy way of controlling the fermentation temp at least to the extent of preventing it going over 20c. To me the fermentation has seemed steadier and less runaway than last time, mind you it's hard to be categoric as it's a high gravity wort and a different yeast!

Image
Ferment at 54hrs 20c. Jacket cooled to 16c again, and lid put on boiler.
Top
Western Brewer

Post by Western Brewer » Mon Feb 26, 2007 4:40 pm

Nice one Steve, just once i'd like to get a head like that during fermentation. Great pics as well. Sorry to see you had one minor c*** up.
Top
SteveD

Post by SteveD » Tue Feb 27, 2007 10:49 pm

Western Brewer wrote:Nice one Steve, just once i'd like to get a head like that during fermentation. Great pics as well. Sorry to see you had one minor c*** up.
Thanks WB, but don't get too excited. It's bleedin' virtually stopped at G28. (more detail on yeast forum). I have no problem getting a yeast to start well and develop a healthy krausen but the last three brews have all stopped short of what I'd thought would be a resonable level of attenuation. I'm puzzled.
Top
SteveD

Post by SteveD » Fri Mar 09, 2007 11:49 pm

With the porter at G24 and ignoring my efforts to get it to ferment down some more, the conclusion is that it's gone as far as it wants to possibly becasue of a high level of unfermentable sugar, so today it was barreled in an old brown boots pressure barrel, and bottled into 3 screw stopper quarts.

It's 6.2%ABV at the moment, tastes bloomin marvellous out of the secondary, and is clearing down. As long as there's enough activity in it to condition, I'll be very pleased. There's a very smooth roastiness, some sweetness, full body, with a smoky bitter finish and a warming whack of alcohol. No harshness from the roast at all. Now I've just got to leave it alone for a few months ](*,)
Top
SteveD

Post by SteveD » Fri Mar 16, 2007 12:40 am

I thought I'd try out my new toy, a refractometer. The Porter has been brooding in the barrel a week or so now, and is clearing down nicely. I took a sample for sensory evaluation :wink: and to use the refractometer to see what's going on. According to the results put through promash:-

(OG was 1070)

9.4 brix
G1017 (pretty much quarter gravity)
7.05% ABV

It seems it has given up being an awkward sod, and just quietly got on with it.

'Sensory evaluation' reveals what should become a lovely beer and should be just right for the autumn as it gets cooler again. It's a bit weighty for summer drinking.

I gently unscrewed one of the quarts and there is pressure building, so all appears normal :)
Top
Post Reply

Return to “Grain Brewing”