Robustish Porter

Brewer:	Dan McMichael		Email:	dan_mcm@hotmail.com
Beer:	Robustish Porter		Style:	Robust Porter
Type:	All grain		Size:	6 gallons
Color:	114 HCU (~38 SRM)		Bitterness:	50 IBU
OG:	1.055		FG:	1.012
Alcohol:	5.6% v/v (4.4% w/w)
Grain:	9 lb. British pale 1 lb. Weyermann Dark Wheat malt 1.25 lb. British chocolate 2 oz. Roasted barley
Mash:	78% efficiency
	Single infusion mash of 153 degrees at 1qt/lb. I had been having trouble with astrigency, so I mashed in with the Pale and Chocolate malts to 154, then mixed in the dark wheat and the roasted barley and it settled down to 153. Held for 95 mins. Mash out at 162+ and sparge until the runnings were at 1.010, which was at 7 gallons of total wort.
Boil:	120 minutes	SG 1.047	7 gallons
	I started to add irish moss and probably only put in 1/4tsp before remembering this was a very dark beer.
Hops:	1 oz. Perle (8% AA, 105 min.) 1 oz. Kent Goldings (5% AA, 60 min.) 1 oz. Kent Goldings (5% AA, 10 min.)
Yeast:	White Labs CA Ale yeast in 1/2 gallon starter.
Log:	Fermented at 68-70 degrees beer/wort temp, 62-64 ambient. Primary until most activity done, probably 1.5 weeks. Aged at 45 degrees for 6 weeks. A must!
Carbonation:	2.2 volumes	Keg: 11.4 psi @ 45°F Corn Sugar: 1.99 oz. for 5 gallons @ 40°F
	I am in the camp of "hook it up and forget it for a week." I add, purge, add, purge, add and then let it sit. I'm not in to shaking. The carbonation is a bit much, perhaps, but man that head is amazing.
Tasting:	I would consider this to be nearly perfect for my tastes. I prefer a more robust robust porter, hence the name. My notes say to substitue twice as much black malt for the roasted barley to see how that works and to lower the bitterness. Otherwise the nose is nicely coffee/roasty and the flavor and mouthfeel are excellent. The bulk aging made a great difference (done based on reading Classic Beer Series, etc). The taste, now a month or so after kegging, is excellent. The head is mostly white, thick and sticks to the glass the whole way through. I am always working toward a "final recipe" when I am brewing. One that I think I can repeat over and over and be happy with. With a minor tweak I think this will be my standard porter recipe.

Recipe posted 01/29/02.