Recipe

Paranthropus Porter

Paranthropus Porter

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.054 FG = 1.014
IBU = 46 SRM = 34 ABV = 5.2%

A robust porter with a nice balance between the sharp bite of black patent malt and hop bitterness. Chocolate notes mingle with English hops in the nose. This won first place in the dark beer category of the Austin ZEALOTS 2004 Homebrew Inquisition. Do not skip making the yeast starter as the beer will not attenuate properly without it.

Ingredients
7.75 lbs. (3.5 kg) English 2-row pale ale malt
2.0 lbs. (0.91 kg) Munich malt (10 °L)
8.0 oz. (0.23 kg) crystal malt (40 °L)
5.0 oz. (0.14 kg) crystal malt (60 °L)
7.0 oz. (0.20 kg) chocolate malt
5.0 oz. (0.14 kg) black patent malt
3.0 oz. (85 g) roast barley (500 °L)
11.3 AAU Northern Brewer hops (60 min.) (1.3 oz./35 g of 9.0% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) First Gold hops (15 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) First Gold hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1968 (London ESB) or White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast (1.5 quart starter/~1.5 L starter)
7/8 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step
Mash at 154 °F (68 °C) for 50 minutes in 15 quarts (14 L) of brewing water (liquor). Mash out to 168 °F (76 °C). Boil wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at times indicated in the ingredient list. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C).

Partial mash option:
Omit pale ale malt, reduce amount of Munich malt to 2.5 oz. (71 g) and add 2 lb. 11 oz. (1.2 kg) Muntons Light dried malt extract and 3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) Muntons Light liquid malt extract to the ingredient list. Steep crushed grains at 154 °F (68 °C) in 2.5 quarts (2.3 L) of water for 45 minutes. Rinse grains with 1 quart (~1 L) of water at 170 °F (77 °C). Add water to make 3.5 gallons (13 L), stir in dried malt extract and bring to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at times indicated in the ingredient list. (Do not let boil volume drop below 3.0 gallons/11 L; add boiling water to top up if this occurs.) 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). One beer falls clear, rack directly to keg or bottling bucket. (In other words, skip your secondary fermenter.)

Molasses and licorice option:
Add one 12-oz. (355-mL) bottle of Granny’s unsulphured molasses and 2.0 in. (5.1 cm) of brewers licorice for last 15 minutes of boil.

Issue: December 2007

A robust porter with a nice balance between the sharp bite of black patent malt and hop bitterness. Chocolate notes mingle with English hops in the nose. This won first place in the dark beer category of the Austin ZEALOTS 2004 Homebrew Inquisition. Do not skip making the yeast starter as the beer will not attenuate properly without it.