If you're wondering what I've been up to lately....

[TasunkaWitko]

This is it:



More to come, later....

[gmotoman]

I know I am intrigued.

[HawgHeaven]

I suddenly felt a tingle in me man parts...

[Richtee]

Mmm... a delicious, nutritious, multi-grain cereal beverage!

[devo]

A man and his beer, great project

[barkonbutts]

I am not sure that is safe... Better send me a sample so I can verify it is not toxic...

[THE ICEMAN]

I am not sure that is safe... Better send me a sample so I can verify it is not toxic...

As an authority on the subject, I can say without a doubt it is not safe. Please forward the entire batch to my address for proper disposal.

[TasunkaWitko]

G'morning, gents, and thanks for the replies.

Well, for a first brew, I'd call it a success. I'll post more photos at a later date when I can get a full report written up; but at this time, here are some notes. (Rich, you may want to move this thread over to the "Barstool" forum!

Note: Please forgive my getting some of the jargon wrong!

After refrigerating for over 24 hours, I was finally able to sample my first brew. I opened it very slowly, because I wasn't sure what to expect where carbonation was concerned. I thought that I had only primed with two tablespoons of maple syrup (versus the three called for in the instructions); however, I must have used three after all. When I cracked the seal on the cap, a thin but persistent trail of foam slowly but steadily came out. I gave it a few minutes, letting it drain off into a mug - It didn't amount to much beer, but I didn't want to lose it!

Anyway, the flow of foam eventually slowed to the point where I felt it was alright to finish bringing the cap off. When I poured the beer, it gave a pretty tall, dark head, but it seemed a little thin. I assume that the head will thicken up (and the carbonation might possibly tone down) with a few weeks of conditioning. In any case, here's how it looked:



Don't judge the A&W mug! It's all I have! LOL....

After waiting a few minutes for the head to settle down, I gave it a try.

Impressions:

The aroma seemed great - rich and complex, with a very definite essence of dark chocolate and a noticible hint of the maple syrup. As I was tipping the mug back to drink, these aromas did pronounce themselves a little more, especially the maple, which was still subtle, yet definitely there.

The mouthfeel was good, as far as I can tell. In spite of the obvious over-carbonation, the feel of the carbonation as I drank the porter seemed just about right, and what I expect from a beer. This is a minor success for me, as I got no carbonation when I tried to make root beer last year. The look of the beer as I poured it seemed rich and almost thick due to the nature of the porter, but at the same time, it had a bit of a thin quality to it that implies to me that it would benefit from a little more conditioning.

As for the flavour, I was quite impressed. I've seen a lot of discussion here and on FaceBook pages about using cocoa nibs in "chocolate" beers, but to be honest, I don't think they are necessary at all, when dark, chocolate-roasted grains/malts are used. There was a definite dark-chocolate flavour and finish, with a nice, warm, slight bitterness that was saved from being too much by the subtle maple sweetness. The porter is advertised as 6.5% ABV, and this seems about right, judging by the alcohol "warmth" that I detected - definitely more than most beers I drink, but less than wine or other higher-ABV beverages. There was none of the "hoppy" bitterness that I was worried about; in fact, the fuggle hops worked their way right into the flavour profile beautifully in order to give me a really nice mouthful of autumn day. All of the flavours seemed great, but it was like they all stood apart from each other to an extent. Once again, this leads me to think that the beer is still a little "young."

When brewing this beer, I only had one "SNAFU" that caused me to worry: during the mash, my temperatures got pretty high for just a moment or two - over 180 degrees - and even though I quickly brought the temperature back down, I was worried that this might adversely affect the finished product. As far as I can tell, this did not happen, and it is possible that I simply got the thermometer too close to the bottom of the pot (and thus the burner).

All together, I count it as a pretty dang good success, especially for a first-ever brew with no experience and only the most basic of equipment. As I said, I've only had one or two other porters, and this was easily as good as those; in fact, in some ways, it even was a little better. It simply seemed a little "un-finished" - as I understand, this can be the case with the darker beers, which can benefit greatly from some conditioning time. As someone with experience with sauces and soups, I can easily imagine how great this will be once the flavours and other components have a few weeks to meld and mingle.

Questions for those with any experience:

a) To anyone who has brewed this or similar porters, do these descriptions dovetail with your observations? Did the passage of time result in any noticible changes in the characteristics, mouthfeel or flavour of the beer?

b) In order to allow the beer to continue to condition, would it be better off in the refrigerator, on a shelf, or does it matter?

c) where the slight over-carbonation is concerned, are there any remedies at this point? I've heard that time in the refrigerator eventually allows the beer to absorb some of the excess carbonation, but I do not know.

d) Does anyone see where I may have screwed up in a meaningful way? In your opinion, how did I do? Any advice for the future?

Thanks to all for the advice, assistance and encouragement. I'll be brewing my second beer on Tuesday (oatmeal cookie stout) and hope to continue the learning as well as the success.

Ron

[TasunkaWitko]

I forgot to mention, for anyone interested:

This "kit" comes from Brooklyn Brew Shop at www.brooklynbrewshop.com. They offer several varieties, including Chocolate Paple Porter, which is what I made:

http://vimeo.com/31426235

The kits are quite affordable and are a perfect gateway into this type of endeavour. Once you buy the kit, you can buy over a dozen refill "mixes" that are pre-assembled with all of the grains, yeast and hops that you will need. By the time you try a few of those, you should be ready to start trying recipes for different beers. They offer over 80 recipes through their two books, or you can try other recipes that you find out there - or create one of your own!

Not to shabby, I'd say.....

[curious aardvark]

Ah right you're making home brew - initially thought you might have written the book :-)

[THUMPERRRR]

very cool man,,,
glad you had good results!!!

[HawgHeaven]

Way to go Ron! It sounds like it was a great success!

I have never home brewed, but would like to try it. Thanks for the report and the link!

[Bearcarver]

Awesome, Ron!!!

I hope you aren't going to make "too many Beers"------Don't want to see your threads get incoherent !!!

Bear

[DangerDan]

Nice! Cant wait to get mine going. It'll be a while yet. Seems like everything is more important this time of the year.

[gmotoman]

Looks great Ron. Glad the first batch worked for you. Now this is just me, but next time ya take a pic, put it that A&W mug but put a light behind it. I want to see your clarity.