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Blackacre Brown Porter


Vital Statistics:

Batch Number:65
Style:Porter
Brew Date:6 October 2012
Original Gravity:1.050 (12.39 °Plato)
Final Gravity:1.006 (1.54 °Plato)
ABV:5.8%
ABW:4.5%
Calories per pint:213
Estimated IBU (Rager):28.3
Estimated IBU (Tinseth):22.7
Mash Temperature:154°
Mash Efficiency:85%
Days in Primary:124  
Days in Secondary:0 (kegged on 7 February 2013)
Ferm. Temp. Notes:66-70°
Yeast Used:1335 British Ale II
Apparent Attenuation:88%
Real Attenuation:72%
Rating:3.65
Entirely Consumed:Yes (finished 23 April 2013)
Availability:75 days
 Recipe:

8 lb 2-row pale malt
8 oz crystal 60°
6 oz chocolate malt
3 oz roasted barley

4 AAU (10g @ 11% AA) Galena @ 60
4 AAU (10g @ 11% AA) Galena @ 20
4 AAU (10g @ 11% AA) Galena @ 5

Wyeast 1335 - British Ale II
General Notes:

 
Tasting Notes:

Tasting notes taken 25 February 2013, 18 days after kegging. Dispensed from tap into a glass mug.

Appearance: medium-dark brown hue with a very light haze and two fingers of creamy tan foam when dispensed. Retention seems to be decent, but not perfect. Color is a bit light for a porter in my opinion, but it falls squarely into the BJCP Brown Porter guidelines. Overall, I'd say pretty decent. (3.75)

Smell: sweet and very toffee-like aroma. There's a nutty undertone as well as a little bit of vegetal funk, most likely from the hops. I really like the toffee, but the vegetal hit just isn't my bag. (3.75)

Taste: a little bit disappointing. Not bad, but it just isn't where I wanted it to be. Right off is a slightly sweet, slightly nutty flavor with this watery, perhaps astringent character that I just don't like. It's not terrible or anything, but it really detracts from this beer's appeal. It kind of tastes like a brown ale gone ever-so-slightly off. Maybe that's oxidation; next time, don't ferment it for 124 days! (3.5)

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a surprisingly well-integrated carbonation and satisfying creaminess. Not much more to say about this one. (4)

Drinkability: the weird, watery-astringent middle flavor is just not that appealing. Other than that, this beer is decently quaffable. I found that mixing a little bit of Chernobyl Stout with this brew gives it a better flavor profile, but you keep the nice aroma and texture of the base brew. (3.5)

Overall score 3.65 (B). Not bad, but with a little bit more care this could be a decent recipe. I will try it with a different hop component and with a better (shorter, maybe even temp-controlled) fermentation. I'd love to duplicate the toffee aroma I got here.
Hops Table
Hop Variety Addition Time AAU AA% Quantity (g) Type IBU (Rager) IBU (Tinseth) Notes
Galena 60 4.00 11.0 10 Pellet 16.7 12.6  
Galena 20 4.00 11.0 10 Pellet 8.5 7.6  
Galena 5 4.00 11.0 10 Pellet 3.1 2.5