This evening I bottled
the porter and it just so happens to be 5 weeks since brew day. It took about an hour to bottle which was much better timing them my last attempt. I have still not got the hang of not spilling all over the kitchen though.
The porter finished off at 1.022 which was higher then I wanted. The original recipe projects a FG of 1.018 so it is pretty close I guess. Alcohol content is around about 6.3% at the moment. The priming sugar & bourbon will raise it a bit more but I have no idea how to calculate that.
After the gravity sample I prepared all the additives in my bottling bucket. First in the bucket was 2oz by weight of sugar dissolved in water for carbonation. I then added 2.5oz of pure vanilla extract & 8oz of bourbon, both by liquid measure. The porter was then raked into the bucket, lightly stirred and then siphoned into bottles.
This 11.5L(3gal) batch produced 15 750ml(25oz) bottles and one glass worth for tasting. It is a deep brown colour and the gelatin fining has made it crystal clear. Taste at the moment is very reminiscent of dark chocolate which must be helped by the vanilla. It is also nicely bitter from the bourbon and dark malts. It is very viscous in the mouth and leaves a creamy after taste. With the high alcohol content it laces on the glass but it does not taste overly boozy. I look forward to trying this porter when it is carbonated and ages in the bottle for about a month.
The porter finished off at 1.022 which was higher then I wanted. The original recipe projects a FG of 1.018 so it is pretty close I guess. Alcohol content is around about 6.3% at the moment. The priming sugar & bourbon will raise it a bit more but I have no idea how to calculate that.
After the gravity sample I prepared all the additives in my bottling bucket. First in the bucket was 2oz by weight of sugar dissolved in water for carbonation. I then added 2.5oz of pure vanilla extract & 8oz of bourbon, both by liquid measure. The porter was then raked into the bucket, lightly stirred and then siphoned into bottles.
This 11.5L(3gal) batch produced 15 750ml(25oz) bottles and one glass worth for tasting. It is a deep brown colour and the gelatin fining has made it crystal clear. Taste at the moment is very reminiscent of dark chocolate which must be helped by the vanilla. It is also nicely bitter from the bourbon and dark malts. It is very viscous in the mouth and leaves a creamy after taste. With the high alcohol content it laces on the glass but it does not taste overly boozy. I look forward to trying this porter when it is carbonated and ages in the bottle for about a month.
Very nice, Dan! So are you overall pleased with your efforts so far? Are you happy you got into all this?
ReplyDeleteLooks great Dan. Love the photo of all the bottles.
ReplyDeleteRibbit - I am quite happy with the results so far. It has been pretty fun to do and watch. I think in the future I will probably slow down to 4-5 brews a year and probably bigger batches. It is alot of work to do so bigger batches would be ideal. Certainly is worth the effort and the savings are huge.
ReplyDeleteMatt - Thanks!
Hi Dan, been meaning to check out your beer blog--quite impressive. Takes me back to my home brewing days. My friends and I never made anything as exotic as vanilla bourbon porter, but some brown ales, a more traditional porter, pale ales and a pilsner. Still have the carboys, tubes, stoppers etc. in the basement but too busy with other hobbies, so I'll brew vicariously through you.
ReplyDeleteSally - I may just tempt you into brewing again :-)
ReplyDelete