Blueberry Porter

Blueberry Porter

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.051  FG = 1.013
IBU = 26  SRM = 30  ABV = 5.1%

Ingredients
0.25 lb. (113 g) chocolate malt
0.25 lb. (113 g) black patent malt
0.5 lb. (113 g) crystal malt (60 °L)
5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) dark dried malt extract
4 lbs. (1.8 kg) whole frozen blueberries
4 AAU Challenger hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 8% alpha acid)
2.5 AAU Fuggle hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5% alpha acid)
2.75 AAU Mt. Hood hops (10 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5.5% alpha acid)
Lallemand Nottingham or Wyeast 1728 (Scottish Ale) or White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale) yeast
2/3 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
In 2.5 gals. (9.5 L) cold water, steep chocolate, black patent, and crystal malts. Heat water slowly, remove grains near 160 °F (71 °C), and wash grains with a quart (1 L) of hot tap water. While off heat, add to kettle the dark dried malt extract. Stir carefully until fully dissolved, then bring to a boil. Add Challenger hops and boil 30 minutes. Add Fuggle hops and boil 20 minutes more. Add Mt. Hood hops and boil 10 minutes more. Cool and top off to 5.25 gals. (20 L) with pre-boiled, chilled water. At 68 °F (20 °C), pitch yeast. Ferment six to 10 days at about 65 °F (18 °C). Rack into secondary onto blueberries. Condition at about 55 to 60 °F (13 to 16 °C) for 10 to 14 days, then rack into a keg or bottling bucket. Bottle or keg as usual.

All-grain brewers:
Replace dried malt extract with 8 lbs. (3.6 kg) two-row pale malt, 0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) wheat malt, 0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Munich malt and 0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) brown malt. Also increase the chocolate malt to 0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) and the crystal malt to 1 lb. (0.45 kg). Mash in 15 qts. (14.2 L) water at 149 °F (65 °C) for 60 minutes. Sparge grains as normal and continue with boil and fermentation schedule as above.

Yeast:
I really like a clean and neutral yeast strain for this porter, one that seems to reinforce the dark malts without making them seem harsh. There should be virtually no diacetyl and no other noticeable esters produced. Other yeast strains such as Wyeast 1968 or WLP002 will do.

Fruit:
Obviously, this brew is a seasonal one for me. Those of you not within fresh blueberry territory will have to make do with frozen blueberries from your grocery store. Four pounds of our local berries (the size of chick peas, roughly) give a noticeable blueberry flavor and aroma, even in a porter. I know of a Maine brewer who has used my recipe and only needed three pounds of the famous wild Maine berries (smaller than elderberries but oh so sweet and flavorful) to achieve the same degree of “blue.” If you do get fresh berries, my advice is to freeze them in bags for the length of the primary fermentation and then microwave them to thaw and partially sanitize them. The skins will break open and the juice will flow. Blueberry aroma will dissipate quickly if the berries are in the active fermentation, so you will always get a more aromatic brew by putting them into the secondary fermenter. Blueberry essences and blueberry juice concentrate could be used in a pinch, but they’re not the same.