AG#5 Narnia Porter [pics]

[monkeyboy]

Did this on monday, but only just got around to grabbing the photos off the camera.
Recipe is Caledonian Porter from GW's BYOBRA. For the first time ever, i'm using a liquid yeast - WLP002. I didn't make a starter (i can already see the heads shaking in dismay) so the vial was simply pitched into the FV and stirred up. Took a while to get going, but it's fermenting away nicely now. If i like the results, then next time i'll take the time to split the vial. This was really just an experiment.

The whole thing was made entertaining by the fact that on saturday we got quite a bit of snow, and it's really not stopped since. Where i live looks like Narnia - there's nearly two feet of snow in the garden, and only 4wds can get down our road.



So, mandatory grain shot:


Mash & Hops



Nearly boiling:


First runnings. Very dark


The muck at the end.


Got 23 litres at 1043, which i was pretty pleased with.
Once it's all done, i'll report back with my impressions of using a liquid yeast.

[Naich]

Nice one and nice piccies too. Let us know how it turns out. I fancy a go at this one myself some time.

Impressive snow too. We've got bugger all down here.

[Gricey]

Looks chocolatey and delicious. Not used 002 before (used 001 in a porter though), excellent winter warmer you'll have there

im wondering if its worth using the snow somehow to speed up cooling - I brewed on Sunday and my chill time was halved, but I bet if I'd have scooped up snow and used that somehow it'd have come down even more.

[monkeyboy]

i normally brew in the kitchen, mainly cos it's got easy water access. Moving to the garage would be good, but i'll need to think about the plumbing. I wondered about using the snow somehow but in the end the water coming through the cold tap into the IC felt like it was nearly freezing anyway! Fastest chill i've had, and the wort looked lovely and clear. I forgot to take piccies of that 'cos everything was running late (when doesn't it?)

[monkeyboy]

just moving the barrel out to the walk-in fridge (otherwise known as the garage) after a week in the warm and couldn't resist a little test. Wow. That recipe is great. That's the best any of my beers have tasted this soon after bottling/barrelling. I'm gonna credit the recipe and yeast choice. Smooth, almost creamy, well balanced with a really lovely malty, chocolately taste. Clear as a bell already. Hopefully we'll get snowed in and have to survive on beer

[monkeyboy]

As i reach the very end of the barrel, i thought i'd post some more on this one. First, it's a cracking recipe, for which i cannot claim any credit Using a liquid yeast was fun, although i'm not sure i can really tell the difference in the end product. What i will say is that it was good quicker - by that i mean that it went into the barrel it tasted great. My other beers have needed a little time in the cask or bottle to get that 'rounded' flavour. I suspect that it's not the kind of beer where the yeast makes an enormous difference - too many other malty flavours in there, overpowering the subtle nuances that the yeast might bring.
I have five bottles squirrelled away at the bottom of my crate stack. will be interesting to see how it is after a few more months.