Blackberry Baltic Porter, All-Grain

Based on an idea from Curt Stock, this beer is created by blending a sweet blackberry mead with a Baltic porter. This version uses a canned fruit wine base for the fruit. The mead and beer are fermented and aged separately, then blended to taste. A fruit wine can be used instead of the mead, but it should be similar in sweetness to the base beer in order to keep the balance consistent.

– Recipe courtesy of Gordon Strong, Beavercreek, Ohio

Blackberry Mead

96 oz. (2.8 L) blackberry fruit wine base
12 lbs. (5.4 kg) light-colored and flavored honey
Lalvin 71B wine yeast

Combine fruit and honey, adding enough water to make 3 gallons (11.4) volume. Pitch yeast and ferment at 68 °F (20 °C) until complete. Backsweeten if necessary to be subjectively sweet, perhaps FG 1.032. Use this mead to add blackberry character to beer. Conduct a test with a small amount using 20% mead and 80% beer, then adjust to taste. Scale up for the full batch.

Baltic Porter

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.083  FG = 1.024
IBU = 30  SRM = 54  ABV = 7.8%*
* All numbers prior to blending

Ingredients

7.25 lbs. (3.3 kg) pale ale malt
3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) dark Munich malt
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) brown malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) wheat malt
1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) CaraMunich® Type II
1.25 lbs. (0.6 kg) crystal malt (90 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) Special B malt
12 oz. (567 g) chocolate malt
6 oz. (170 g) Carafa® Special Type III malt
9 AAU Fuggle hops (60 min.) (2 oz./57 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Hallertauer hops (10 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Hallertauer hops (2 min.)
Wyeast 2112 (California Lager), White Labs WLP810 (San Francisco Lager), or Mangrove Jack’s M54 (Californian Lager) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

This recipe uses a single-infusion mash. Mash in the malt at 151 °F (66 °C) in 17 qts. (16 L) of water. Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise mash temperature to 170 °F (77 °C), hold for 5 minutes then recirculate. Run off wort and sparge with water hot enough to keep the grain bed around 170 °F (77 °C). Collect 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort. (Check that final runnings do not drop below SG 1.010, even if this means collecting slightly less wort.) Boil wort for 60 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. 

If using liquid yeast, build a 2-qt./2-L yeast starter a day before pitching. Aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 62 °F (17 °C). Lager at 34 °F (1 °C) for 12 weeks. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.

Baltic Porter, Extract with Grains

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.083  FG = 1.024
IBU = 30  SRM = 54  ABV = 7.8%*
* All numbers prior to blending

Ingredients

6.6 lbs. (3 kg) light liquid malt extract
11 oz. (312 g) light dried malt extract
1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) brown malt
1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) CaraMunich® Type II
1.25 lbs. (0.6 kg) crystal malt (90 °L)
8 oz. (227 g) Special B malt
12 oz. (567 g) chocolate malt
6 oz. (170 g) Carafa® Special Type III malt
9 AAU Fuggle hops (60 min.) (2 oz./57 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Hallertauer hops (10 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Hallertauer hops (2 min.)
Wyeast 2112 (California Lager), White Labs WLP810 (San Francisco Lager), or Mangrove Jack’s M54 (Californian Lager) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step

Steep grains in 3 gallons (11.4 L) of 158 °F (70 °C) water for 30 minutes. Remove grain, add dried malt extract and enough water to make at least 3 gallons (11 L) of wort.

Boil wort for 60 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Keep some boiling water handy and do not let boil volume dip below 3 gallons (11 L). With 15 minutes remaining in the boil, turn off the heat and add liquid malt extract, carefully stirring it until dissolved. Continue boiling for last 15 minutes. Chill wort, transfer to fermenter and top up to 5 gallons (19 L). 

If using liquid yeast build a 2-qt./2-L yeast starter a day before pitching. Aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 62 °F (17 °C). Lager at 34 °F (1 °C) for 12 weeks. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.