“The Bellhop” (Raspberry Porter)

“The Bellhop” (Raspberry Porter)

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.048 FG = 1.012
IBU = 34 SRM = 31 ABV = 4.6%

A middle-of-the-road porter, with raspberries. The flavor and aroma of porter dominate this brew, but both are rounded out with raspberry notes. A fruit beer that even a guy can enjoy, but one that also says, “Hey Ladies!”

Ingredients
6.25 lbs. (2.8 kg) US 2-row pale malt
2.0 lbs. (0.91 kg) Munich malt (10 °L)
1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) crystal malt (30 °L)
9.0 oz. (0.26 kg) chocolate malt
5.0 oz. (0.14 g) black patent malt
4.5 lbs. (2.0 kg) raspberries
9 AAU Magnum hops (60 min.) (0.56 oz./16 g of 16% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1272 (American II Ale) or White Labs WLP051 (California V Ale) yeast (1.5 quart/~1.5 L yeast starter)
1 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Mash at 152 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes in 13 quarts (12 L) of brewing liquor. Boil for 75 minutes, adding hops at times indicated in the ingredient list. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). After primary fermentation has finished, add raspberries to a sanitized bucket and rack beer on top of them. (You do not need to do anything to attempt to sanitize the fruit.) Let beer condition, in contact with the fruit, for about a week. (You will see a bit of a renewed fermentation from the sugars in the raspberries. This should only last a day or two.)

Extract with grains option:
Omit pale malt and reduce amount of Munich malt to 2.0 oz. (57 g). Add 2.0 lbs. (0.91 kg) Briess Light dried malt extract and 3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) of Briess Light liquid malt extract. Steep grains at 152 °F (67 °C) for 50 minutes in 3.0 quarts (2.8 kg) of water. Rinse grains with 1.5 quarts (1.5 L) of hot water (170 °F/77 °C). Add water to make 3.0 gallons (11 L), add dried malt extract and bring to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at times indicated in the ingredient list. Add liquid malt extract with 15 minutes left in boil. Cool wort, then transfer to fermenter. Top up with cool water to 5.0 gallons (19 L), aerate and pitch yeast. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). After primary fermentation has finished, add raspberries to a sanitizd bucket and rack beer on top of them. Let beer condition, in contact with the fruit, for about a week. (You will see a bit of a renewed fermentation from the sugars in the raspberries. This should only last a day or two.)