Batch #18 - Power Pack Porter (All-Grain)

With the weather turning colder I am going to try my hand at a porter.  I'm using a recipe from Midwest Supplies.

Ingredients:
12 lbs. 2-Row Pale Malt
10 oz. Black Patent Malt
12 oz. Chocolate Malt
8 oz. Caramel Malt (120L)
1.5 oz. Tettnang (60 minutes)
1 oz. Willamette (2 minutes)
1/2 tsp. Yeast Nutrient
1 Whirfloc tablet
1 tbsp 5.2 pH mash stabilizer
1 pkg. Safale S-04 dry yeast
9.5 gallons of drinking water
20 lbs. ice (for chilling wort)

 Process:

1. Clean and sanitize all equipment that will come in contact with your beer.
2. Prepare your strike water by heating about 17.5 quarts of water or roughly 4.5 gallons (about 1.25 quarts of water per pound of grain) to a temperature of 162-170 degrees.  Aim for 169 degrees.
3. Add about 4 quarts (1 gallon) of your strike water to the mash tun to heat it up and begin adding your crushed grains and the remaining strike water.  Stir thoroughly to avoid dry pockets (dough balls).
4. Once the mixture is thoroughly combined check the temperature to ensure it is approximately 152-154 degrees.  If not, adjust by adding hot or cold water.
5. Once your mash is at the proper temperature add 1 tablespoon of pH stabilizer, stir and close the mash tun and let steep for 60 minutes.
6. Prepare your sparge water by heating 5 gallons of water to a temperature of 170 degrees.
7. Optional - check for starch conversion by performing an iodine test by removing a small sample of wort from your mash tun and adding a drop or two of iodine.  If the iodine turns black or purple you starch conversion has not fully taken place and you need to mash a little longer.  If the iodine color remains unchanged conversion has completed.  Alternatively, you can simply taste the mixture.  If conversion has taken place the mixture will taste sweet.
8. Perform vorlauf (recirculation) by slowly collecting the first runnings of your wort and adding them back to mash tun.  Take care to not let grain bed collapse by draining too quickly or dumping first runnings back in the mash tun with too much force.  Repeat this step 5 or more times until the runnings are free of grain debris and running relatively clear.
9. Collect your first runnings into your brew pot by allowing all of the wort in your mash tun to slowly drain out.  Take your time and be careful to not let your grain bed collapse.
10. After your mash tun has drained close the valve and add all of your sparge water to the tun and stir.  Do not worry about disturbing the grain bed as you are going to create a whole new grain bed for the second runnings.
11. Repeat Step 9 above (vorlauf) and collect enough wort until you have about 6.5 to 7 gallons of beer. The reason for this amount is that boil-off will account for approximately 1.5 gallons of liquid per hour.
12. Return your brew kettle to burner and bring wort to a vigorous boil.
13. As soon as the beer begins to boil add 1.5 oz. of Tettnang hops for bittering and boil for 60 minutes.
14. With 15 minutes left in the boil add: Whirfloc tablet & wort chiller to the boil to sterilize.
15. During last 10 minutes of boil add 1/2 tsp. of yeast nutrient dissolved in small amount of warm water.
16. During the last 2 minutes of the boil add 1 oz. of Willamette hops.
17. Terminate boil and chill to fermentation temperature of approximately 70 degrees.
18. Take a specific gravity reading and record.  Target SG is approximately 1.067.
19. Estimated post-boil volume is 6 gallons.
20. Transfer to fermentation carboy.  Strain if desired.
21. Optional - add boiled water to achieve desired volume.
22. Pitch yeast and aerate well using pure oxygen.
23. Attach blow-off tube and ferment until complete according to hydrometer readings (at least 3 weeks).
24. Optional - Cold crash beer for 1 week to further clarify.
25. Keg or bottle by preparing priming sugar by boiling 2 cups of drinking water and add 4 oz. of priming sugar.  Be careful not to scorch (remove from heat).  Boil for 5 minutes and add to bottling bucket.  Add wort, stir gently for 1 minute and bottle.

Fermentation going crazy!

Schedule:

• Brew Day - November 18, 2013
• Cold Crash Day - Omitted.
• Kegging Day - December 25, 2013
• Tasting Day - TBD
• Original Gravity - 1.071 (1.067 was target)
• Final Gravity - 1.020
• Alcohol by Volume (ABV) - 6.9%

Notes:

• Had to use a smaller carboy for this since my 6.5 gallon one was in use for batch #17.  This surely contributes to overflow during fermentation.

The Verdict:

• I was super pleased with this one.  Porters are not normally my favorite style but this one turned out really nice.  It had lots of coffee and chocolate notes - a definite repeat when the weather turns cold again.

It passed the Gina test... :-)