Jan 2011 Brew: Baltic Porter

[Drtanglebones]

I'm going to get this one started early, as it needs to lager a while. I'm using the recipe from Brewing Classic styles with a few substitutions due to grain differences at Midwest. I'm doing a stepped yeast starter for final of 4 L. With a lager and high gravity beer, more yeast is better! I'll be brewing this Sunday if anyone wants to come hang out and have some beer!

[Drtanglebones]

Looks like I'm going to brew now! Should be over the next 4-5 hours if anyone is bored!

[Sixpack]

Great. And I was all set to come over today, Sunday, to enjoy some brews and watch the paddle wannabe brew..........

[Drtanglebones]

This didn't quite go as planned...

Half way through the mash I realized that my recirculating wort was amber in color instead of black. Hmmm, either I forgot to add the chocolate malt when mixing up my grains at Midwest, or the recipe doesn't have enough Chocolate malt in it. So I ground up 0.25# dark chocolate malt and threw it in...making my mash 90 minutes instead of 60. That helped with color, but who knows what it will do to taste. Fermenting now in the lager fridge at 51 degrees.

[Dave M.]

You could have used some of that coloring agent JD brought to the last meeting.

[Drtanglebones]

Took this out of the fridge for 2 days to do a diacetyl rest and it started fermenting again. Gravity at that time was 1.018, but I haven't checked a final now that it stopped. Tasted pretty good, but I'm worried it might end up dryer than I wanted.

[Dave M.]

Sampled mine the other night and was very pleased. What yeast did you use? I used White Labs California Lager, didn't do a diacetyl rest, and doesn't seem to need one at this point.

[Drtanglebones]

I think I used the WL german lager. I fermented at 50. Now I'm lagering at 35 for a few weeks to a month. Not really sure if I have to do that, but it still had some sulfury lager notes that I want to get rid of.