I popped a test bottle to see what I have, and the results were rather disappointing. I pretty much expected that, though, because of the problems I had with my processes.
Very little carbonation-
This may be due to opening at 11 days, but it's been warm so I expect it would have fermented up pretty much all the priming sugar by now. I'll see if it gets better with time. I used 1/2 tsp per 20 oz of beer DME for priming. After fining with gelatin before bottling, I added 1 tsp of liquid lager yeast out of concern that I may have removed too much yeast with the finings. I should think that would be enough sugar and yeast for a decent head. Any comments would be appreciated.
Good color, slightly cloudy-
Perhaps a bit darker than I was expecting for a Porter, and the cloudiness might be due to the fact that I used a whole packet of gelatin for finings (should have been just 1/2 tsp), and a brulosophy.com xBeerment shows that too much gelatin actually clouds a brew rather than clearing it. This is part of why I was concerned about how much yeast was left for conditioning.
Rich, roasty aroma with good chocolate notes-
This was the best attribute of this batch. To the nose, it really comes up as a nice, round Porter. No hop aroma that I could detect which is OK, since most of the Northern Brewer I used was well boiled in.
Thin bodied, dry, distinct tartness, pronounced bitterness-
This is where it truly fails. Totally lacking in the body and sweetness I was aiming for, and the tartness is completely out of character for a Porter, pretty much ruining the intended effect. I expect that the lack of body was mostly due to my problems in the mash (temp too low, thin watery consistency, 60 minutes+). The distasteful tang is probably an off-flavor caused by the racing, high temperature fermentation. WLP023 is rated for up to 73 °F, but is definitely over-wrought at 83 °F and higher. There was also more bitterness than I was looking for, and it occurs to me that the cocoa I used may have added to the bitterness above and beyond the relatively light hopping I used - or maybe it just seemed too bitter because there was no body to balance it. I don't think recipe calculators add to the IBU value with the inclusion of cocoa, so I may have to compensate for it in the future. Come to think of it, the cocoa may have contributed to the tartness, too. Thoughts?
CONCLUSION-
As a Porter, the most accurate description is nasty. Totally outside of style, and not very pleasant. I normally drink Porters and Stouts at room temperature, but due to the dryness and tang I think this may be more palatable chilled. I really want to get this right and I might need to adjust the recipe, but since I buggered up the process so much I think the best strategy would be to brew the exact same recipe again but do it right. Until then I don't really know what this recipe will give me.
Possible recipe adjustments might be to reduce the hops (to ease the bitterness), or to move more of the hops to late in the boil. That would reduce bitterness and bring them forward into the nose as well. Also, I need to think about adding more lactose, since I got no sweetness at all from the amount I used. Finally, if the mash adjustments don't provide the body I'm looking for I might consider swapping out some malt for some brown sugar.
Not what I was hoping for in my first brew back from the wilderness, but I will learn all I can from it and use it to make me a better brewer!
Cheers!
