In the Fermentor: The Great Porter Experiment

Awhile back, I attempted to clone Taddy Porter and came up short. Initially, this beer was to be round two in that quest. Then I had an even weirder idea.

The Porter below was meant to be a variation on my original beer. Unfortunately, my local store was out of Maris Otter (a frustrating ongoing theme), so I used Crisp Pale Ale instead. They were also out of the English yeast strain I intended to use, so I went with Wyeast's London Ale.

I'm not using large quantities of grain, because I don't want a very strong beer. This one should land in the low to mid 5.0% ABV range.

Whether I miraculously clone Taddy in round two, or simply make a nice Porter, what's going to happen to part of this beer once it's done fermenting is the real unique bit. While I could tell you up front what I'm planning, that would be boring. For now, here's the recipe for five gallons:

Grains:
7 lbs Crisp Pale Ale
1.5 lbs Hugh Baird Brown Malt
1 lb Crisp Crystal 77
12 oz Crisp Chocolate Malt

Hops:
0.5 oz Galena (13.4% a.a.): 60 min
1 oz Fuggles (4.8% a.a.): 15 min

Total Boil Time:
60 min

Yeast:
Wyeast 1028 - London Ale

Mash Schedule:
Saccharification Rest: 156F for 60 min
Mashout: 168F for 15 min

Efficiency: 80%

Original Gravity:
1.056
Estimated Final Gravity:
1.014

IBU: 32
SRM Color: 31

Fermentation Schedule:
1 Week Primary
2 Weeks Secondary
2 Weeks Bottle Conditioning

Cost: $14 per case
Commercial Equivalent: Boulder Beer Planet Porter: $32
Savings: $18

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