Another beer from Mike this week. Summer is just getting into the swing so its time for.. Summertime Porter Tasting? Check it out.

It wasn’t my intention to brew a Porter for the warm summer months, trust me. But we inspiration hits and curiosity lurks sometimes you just have to brew what you have to brew. I’ve been interesting a good mellow porter for quite awhile now and I think this one is a good start.

Recipe basics:
Maris Otter 83%
Black Patent 5.7%
Brown Malt 5.7%
Medium Crystal (55L) 5.7%
25IBU OG EKG 60min
WY1028 London Ale

This beer has an exceptionally smooth mouth feel (Mash 154F). There is a nice dark fruit/berry thing on the nose backed by toasty malt and chocolate notes. The flavor is equally smooth with a subtle brown sugar/molasses taste to it. The OG of this beer was 1.047 but it finished high for the style at 1.016. I think the low attenuation on this one is contributing to the mouthfeel and the “sweet” fruit character.

Not knowing what to do with this one I decided to package half for immediate consumption (hopefully before the summer heat actually starts) and the other half went for a little nap with some Brett Claussenii. I was hoping to mix some of that chocolate and dark fruit character with some of the tropical and fruit esters that Claussenii is known for. Hopefully, little horse blanket/leather strap… and certainly no acetic acid.

Time will tell. I hope its an interesting beer in a few more months. Something to dip into once the summer heat backs down in late September. I’ll probably brew the next iteration if this porter recipe prior to that for a side by side. However, I am likely to tweak the ingredients a bit. Shoot for more roast character, less fruit and a strong drier finish in the FG. Something closer to 1.009 for sure.

Keep this one in your back pocket and we’ll see you again when the Brett version is ready.