Beer Recipe : Black Pearl Porter

Posted on April 30, 2014 · 6 mins read

homebrewtalk.com

This was a very good, very rich Porter. Nice sweetness and great mouthfeel. Friends who shy away from Stout loved this milder dark beer.

Specifications

  • Target OG 1.063 (75% eff)
  • Target FG 1.015 (75% att)
  • Target ABV 6.3%

Ingredients (5 gallon)

  • 4 gallons strike water, plus 4 gallons + 4 cups for sparging
  • 8 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
  • 2 lb Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM)
  • 1 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 30L (30.0 SRM)
  • 1 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)
  • 1 lb Oats, Quaker Instant (no salt!)
  • 1 oz Fuggle hops
  • 1 packet London Ale Yeast (Safale S-04)
  • 3.5 oz Raw Cane Sugar (2.25 vols)

###Mash Mash for 60 minutes. Keep mash as close to 156 °F as possible, keeping the grains between 150 °F and 158 °F.

16 quarts / 13 lbs = 1.23 thickness; strike at 173 °F

###Boil Boil for 60 minutes, skimming early and often to prevent boil-over.

  • 60 minutes - 0.5 oz Fuggle hops
  • 15 minutes - 1 Whirlfloc tab
  • 2 minutes - 0.5 oz Fuggle hops

Ferment

Leave in a cooler-than-room-temperature location (60 °F to 65 °F). Two (2) weeks in primary and three (3) weeks in secondary..

Bottle

Boil the raw cane sugar in one cup of filtered water. Rack from secondary into cooled (70-80 °F) mixture. Bottle condition minimum four (4) weeks near room temperature (68 °F to 70 °F). After conditioning, store cooler if possible. Refrigerate at least 48 hours before drinking, preferably one week.

Goal is “low volumes” or 2.0 vols of carbination, but this seems like a lot less than the typical book recipe. For my first 5-gallon batch I used 3.5oz of raw cane sugar and the beer had perfect low carbonation. Using the Northern Brewer Priming Sugar Calculator with 5 gallons of beer with a pre-cold-crash temperature of 68 °F and 3.5oz (99g) of raw cane sugar (Turbinado) would give us 2.285 vols.

Log

  • 2014-APR-30: Partially updated to 5-gallon
  • 2014-JUN-24: Updated to 5-gallon; updated sugar values
  • 2016-APR-09: Possible name change? Porters use Barley; this is built just like a Stout, but with fewer hops (like a Porter)

Batch #037

  • 2017-JAN-28: Used up some extra Pilsner and 6-Row malts; used some Black Patent to make up for limited Chocolate malt; used some extra Crystal 10, 20 instead of Crystal 30. Double-crushed through Whitten’s Barley Crusher. Strike water was too cold resulting in mash temperature around 149F; directly heated mash to 157 with heat stick. Sparged with an extra gallon of water because kettle volume looked low (wrong). Ended up with about seven (7) gallons at 1.053 (corrected) O.G. Pitched S-04.
  • 2017-FEB-12: Racked to secondary (5 gallon plastic Big-Mouth Bubbler)

Batch #031

  • 2016-APR-15: Used filtered Stilwell well water; used a pound of Simpsons Crystal Light (30-37L) instead of Crystal 30L; ambient temperature 70F; strike water to 179.7F; into tun, 171.1F after 10 minutes; mash-in 153.1F; 153.6F (peak) after 60 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes during each sparge batch (2 batches). 4 gallons strike then 4 gallons + 4 cups sparge water worked out to about 7.5 gallons and 1.0477 (corrected) pre-boil gravity. Boiled down to about 5.5 gallons and 1.065 (corrected) O.G. Pitched S-04.
  • 2016-MAY-03: Racked to secondary (Pyrex)
  • 2016-JUN-04: Bottled

Batch #026

  • 2015-APR-19: Strike water to 180.5F; into tun, 170.4F after 10 minutes; mash-in didn’t check temp; 156F after 60 minutes! Rest for 5 minutes during each sparge batch (2 batches). Whirlfloc at 10 minutes; did not whirlpool during chill (due to thermometer).
  • 2015-APR-20: Wort smelled sort of… burned? And now fermenter is putting off a similar odor. Used about half English Chocolate Malt combined with the last of the stuff I used before. Gravity and volume are otherwise perfect so far.
  • 2015-MAY-09: Racked to secondary
  • 2015-MAY-23: Bottled with 3.5oz of Turbinado and 1 cup filtered water; F.G. was really quite high (1.023 corrected) probably due to high mash temp (156F) or perhaps did not leave in primary for long enough. We’ll see how it tastes (Update: tasted awesome!)

Batch #014

  • 2014-APR-25: Mashed at 154 °F
  • 2014-MAY-23: Bottled - Goal for this batch is medium-low carbonation; target 3.5oz (actual 3.6oz) sugar for a goal of 2.25 vols; boil briefly with 1 cup filtered water. This is about 1/2 the sugar called for by the “low-carbonated” Chocolate Maple in the Brooklyn Brew Shop book. Used black bottle caps and Sierra Nevada bottles (a few Red Hook bottles for gifts)
  • 2014-MAY-23: Batch #014.5: Last 3 quarts of beer ended up with all the cold-crash (siphon setup sucked); placed in 1-gallon carboy and airlock; will let ferment the little bit of primer sugar for 2 weeks then cold-crash for a few days.
  • 2014-JUN-21: First two bottles consumed after 32 hours in fridge; very good! Mike Whitten approved; good clarity and flavor. Carbonation is low, probably correct for the style. Not sure if used 3.6 or 4 oz sugar based on notes.
  • 2014-JUN-24: Batch #014.5: Probably cold-crashed the 3 quarts way too long (2+ weeks); will bottle with 0.6oz brown sugar, boiled briefly with 1/4 cup filtered water. Will bottle in Mexican Coke bottles with red caps.

Batch #005

  • 2013-DEC-22: Bottled - 3 tbsp raw cane sugar; carbonated fine (probably high for the style); probably near 3 vols (maybe higher). Removed all animal products from recipe
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