Batch 33: Robust Porter
     
 
 
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Original
Gravity
Final
Gravity
Alcohol
By Volume
Mash
Efficiency
Primary Secondary Keg
1.056 1.010 6.0 % 73 % 21 days 34 days 7 days

 

rewed on Monday, July 3rd, 2006
A yeast starter was made on Thursday, June 25, 2006 for the Wyeast Scottish Ale yeast with 550 mL of water, 3 oz of Light LME, and 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient. The same 48qt cooler mash tun was used with a stainless steel braid and universal sabco boil kettle. Only thing different in the process this time was to use the 7.5 gal HLT to heat the sparge water directly on the burner, which was much easier. I used boiling water again to sanitize the heat exchanger. The ambient temperature for fermentation is 70 F in the basement and the fermenter is in a cold water bath with some ice bottles to bring the temperature down to the lower 60's. The primary fermeter is a plastic bucket and I'll rack to glass in a couple weeks because this one may be maturing for a while due to the other two batches I've done recently.

All Grain
5.00 gal Batch Size
6.41 gal Boil Size

 

Amount Item Price
10.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2 L) $12.50
0.75 lb Barley, Flaked (2 L) $1.12
0.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60 L) $1.16
0.75 lb Chocolate Malt (350 L) $1.12
0.50 lb Biscuit Malt (23 L) $1.05
0.50 lb Special B Malt (180 L) $1.05
0.75 oz Centennial Hops (8.50 %) at 60 min $0.86
1.25 oz Williamette Hops (4.90 %) at 60 min $2.11
1.00 tsp Irish Moss at 30.0 min $0.10
1 pkgs Wyeast Labs Scottish Ale (1728) $5.99
    $27.06

 

Time Step
1:00 PM Sanitized equipment
  Heated 4.5 gal strike water to 185 F, preheated mash tun
2:15 PM Doughed in at 167 F, mashed at 153 F for 60 min, 152 F for 30 min, 151 F for 0 min
  Heated 4 gal sparge water to 186 F, preheated hot liquor tank
3:15 PM Lautered 7 gal of wort, 1.040 @ 113 F = 1.049 SG, 73% Mash Efficiency
4:10 PM Boiled, added hops on schedule
5:15 PM Heat exchanger and wort wizard, cooled to 70 F
5:30 PM Pitched yeast, 1.054 @ 75 F = 1.056 OG (Estimate: 1.061 OG)
6:00 PM Cleaned equipment

 

acked to Secondary on Monday, July 24th, 2006
After three weeks in the plastic bucket primary fermenter the Robust Porter was racked into a 5-gallon secondary fermenter. I had about a quarter gallon extra that wouldn't fit in the secondary so I sampled it and took a gravity reading. It tastes good at this point and should really benefit with some extra conditioning.

Measurements:
1.010 @ 70 F = 1.010 SG
6.0% ABV

 

egged on Sunday, August 27th, 2006
After a little over a month in the secondary fermenter the Robust Porter was racked into a 5-gallon keg. This batch was a little short of a full 5 gallons and more like 4 and a half. It's going straight into the kegerator at 40 F to carbonate at 12 PSI. The SG measurements didn't change from above.

Measurements:
1.010 @ 70 F = 1.010 FG
6.0% ABV

 

asted on Sunday, September 3rd, 2006
This batch of Robust Porter is one of the best that I've ever made. I think it has a more smokey flavor than ever before and not too sweet at the finish but still creamy and smooth. It seems like this beer has a stong coffee flavor too or maybe that's because I put in on tap right after the espresso oatmeal stout. Of course, the kegerator lines are always cleaned when new kegs are put on tap.