Robust Porter
Porter was designed with economy in mind. In 1722 brewer Ralph Harwood created a brew he called “entire” to replace the three-beer blend that dominated London pubs. Publicans who once poured a mixture from three casks could now serve the entire beer from one cask.
The name entire eventually became synonymous with porter, a title taken from the beer’s favorite tipplers. Much to the chagrin of brewers who wish to imitate Harwood’s brew, the details of his recipe are unknown.
The original porter may have been a blend of three worts or a mixture of three beers. Brown malt, the dominant malt of the day, accounted for the bulk of the extract. As the result of high kiln temperatures, brown malt was probably medium to dark in color, highly flavorful, and low in enzymes.
Reflecting this, early porters would have been a deep ruby color, with the possibility of malty, toasty, and even smoky flavors from the malt.
Hops were most likely added at the start of the boil, leaving little hop character and a notable residual bitterness. A certain degree of souring by bacteria or wild yeast was no doubt a perceptible component of these brews, which were often aged in wooden vats for several months.
Porter marked the beginning of the demise of British pub brewing 250 years ago. As the official beer of the British industrial revolution, porter became popular at a time when cities were bursting with people and large breweries were learning the financial advantages of brewing in bulk.
The small-pub brewers could not keep up, and many were forced out of business. To meet demand in the early 1800s, large brewers began mass producing porter at rates as high as 300,000 barrels a year. With far too much beer to handle in barrels, brewers built wooden vats to store their beer. This resulted in cask warfare.
Porter brewers competed to make the largest beer vat. In 1795 one brewer built a vat that held 20,000 barrels. In 1814 a vat owned by the same brewer broke open, sending a flood of frothy porter throughout the surrounding buildings and killing eight people.
Meanwhile, advances in malting technology resulted in the production of a paler malt. Pale malt had a better extract yield than brown malt and so was more cost effective. With the invention of the roasting machine in 1817, brewers could make dark beers for less money by using a small portion of roasted malt along with a base of pale malt. This produced a version of porter much different than Harwood’s but probably closer to the modern style. Porter’s popularity continued to spread, expanding into Scotland, Ireland, and even the new world.
At the turn of the century, porter eventually fell out of favor in England as drinkers opened their palates and their pocket books to gin and pale ale. In Ireland dry stout became the mainstay of pubs. In the United States the influence of German brewers shifted beer drinkers’ interests to lager. In modern times, however, the American craft beer movement and the British Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) have restored porter to its most-favored-beverage status among drinkers.
Modern versions of classic porter tend to rely on roasted malts to give them a color ranging from reddish-brown to black, usually falling near 30° Lovibond. Porters from Anchor, Sierra Nevada, Redhook, Boulder, and England’s Samuel Smith are some of the important modern versions that define the style. However, variation within the style remains.
Sierra Nevada’s porter displays the distinctive hoppiness associated with its beers. Anchor’s porter is a rich, black beer with a notable roasted character.
It is not particularly encouraging to consider that 18th century porter also had many interpretations. On the other hand to say the style leaves some room for interpretation sounds like a homebrewing challenge. Still, some parameters should be observed to brew within the style. The original gravity should fall between 1.045 and 1.060 and drop to 1.010 to 1.015 by the end of fermentation. Porter tends to have enough bitterness to balance the roasted note. An IBU in the realm of 25 to 45 is appropriate.
The percentage of alcohol in porter ranges from 4.8 to 6.1 by volume. British pale is the malt of choice for the bulk of the grist. Crystal, chocolate, and black malts add complexity, flavor, and color. An infusion mash at 150° to 155° F is a simple and effective way to make porter. Most hop varieties work well in porter, especially for bittering.
Aromatic hop varieties such as Golding, Cascade, Fuggle, and Willamette are excellent choices for finishing. Several types of British-style yeast are available, and most should suit porter brewing. Wyeast 1098, British ale yeast, is a popular choice. If you prefer dried yeast, try Lallemand Nottingham yeast. Either way, only ale yeast contributes the estery profile desired in porter. The fermentation should be conducted at 60° to 65° F.
Blue Last Porter
(5 gallons, all-grain)
This brew takes its name from the first English pub to serve porter. The beer is dark and delicious with a touch of citrusy flavor from the Cascade hops. Raise your glass to the Blue Last.
Ingredients:
- 8 lbs. British pale ale malt
- 12 oz. crystal malt
- 12 oz. chocolate malt
- 2 oz. black patent malt
- 0.8 oz. Northern Brewer hops
- (10% alpha acid), for 60 min.
- 1 oz. Cascade hops (5% alpha acid), at end of boil
- Ale yeast (such as Wyeast 1098)
Step by Step:
Mash grains into 3.5 gal. of water to reach a conversion temperature of 153° F for 90 min. Sparge with water at 168° F until a volume of 6 gal. is collected. Boil for a total of 90 min. The first hop addition should be made 60 min. before the end of the boil.
Add the second addition as soon as the boil ends. Cool and aerate. Pitch yeast at 75° F. Ferment at 60° to 65° F. Rack off of yeast after fermentation and age for two weeks before bottling or kegging.
OG = 1.055
FG = 1.013
Blue Last Porter
(5 gallons, partial mash)
This is the Blue Last at half mast for those who prefer a partial mash.
Ingredients:
- 4.5 lbs. pale liquid malt extract
- 3 lbs. British pale ale malt
- 12 oz. crystal malt
- 12 oz. chocolate malt
- 2 oz. black malt
- 0.8 oz. Northern Brewer hops
- (10% alpha acid), for 60 min.
- 1 oz. Cascade hops (5% alpha acid), at end of boil
- Ale yeast (such as Wyeast 1098)
Step-By-Step:
Mash grains into 1.5 gal. of water to hit the conversion temperature at 155° F for 60 min. Sparge grains with 168° F water to collect 4 gal. of wort. Add 2 gal. of water to the wort,
making a total of 6 gal.
Heat to boil while stirring in malt extract. Boil for a total of 90 min. The first hop addition should be made 60 min. before the end of the boil. Make the second addition as soon as the boil ends. Cool and aerate. Pitch yeast at 75° F. Ferment at 60° to 65° F. Rack off of yeast after fermentation and age for two weeks before bottling or kegging.
OG = 1.055
FG = 1.013
Blue Last Porter
(5 gallons, extract with specialty grains)
Enjoy a brew that’s good to the last without the bother of the mash.
Ingredients:
- 3.5 lbs. pale liquid malt extract
- 3 lbs. dried light malt extract
- 1 lb. crystal malt
- 12 oz. chocolate malt
- 2 oz. black malt
- 0.8 oz. Northern Brewer hops
- (10% alpha acid), for 60 min.
- 1 oz. Cascade hops (5% alpha acid), for end of boil
- Ale yeast (such as Wyeast 1098)
Step by step:
Immerse crushed grains in 2 gal. of water at 155° F for 30 minutes. Strain out grains and rinse with 2 gal. of 165° F water to make a total
volume of 4 gal. As the wort approaches boil, add malt extracts while stirring to dissolve. Boil for 60 min. Add first hop addition as soon as boil starts. Add last hop addition when the boil ends. Cool and aerate wort. Add 1.5 to 2 gal. of cool water to bring the volume to 5 gal. Once the wort has cooled to 75° F, add yeast. Ferment at 60° to 65° F until finished. Age for two weeks in the secondary before bottling or kegging.
OG = 1.055
FG = 1.010-1.015
