Fuller's London Porter BIAB

[rodabod]

Here's my version of the recipe, which is based on existing clones and information gleaned from various sources:

Brew Method: BIAB
Style Name: Robust Porter
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 23 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 27 liters
Boil Gravity: 1.050
Efficiency: 70% (brew house)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.059
Final Gravity: 1.017
ABV (standard): 5.5%
IBU (tinseth): 33.22
SRM (morey): 24.07

FERMENTABLES:
4.8 kg - United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale (75.9%)
0.75 kg - United Kingdom - Brown (11.9%)
0.65 kg - United Kingdom - Crystal 60L (10.3%)
0.125 kg - United Kingdom - Chocolate (2%)

HOPS:
60 g - Fuggles, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 4.9, Use: Boil for 90 min, IBU: 31.44
10 g - Fuggles, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 4.9, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 1.78

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Temp: 66 C, Time: 60 min, Amount: 17 L

YEAST:
Wyeast - London ESB Ale 1968
Starter: No
Form: Liquid
Attenuation (avg): 69%
Flocculation: Very High
Optimum Temp: 17.78 - 22.22 C
Fermentation Temp: 18 C
Pitch Rate: 0.35 (M cells / ml / deg P)

________________________________

All targets hit, and original gravity overshot by one point. Chilled to 16c using a plate chiller, and allowed to rise. should be holding the fermentation at around 17-18c and then will bring up to around 20c towards the end. The yeast was a Wyeast smack pack which ballooned within an hour of smacking.

Trial jar tasting good so far.

 

[clibit]

Quite a low chocolate malt proportion. Focus on the brown malt?

 

[rodabod]

Quite a low chocolate malt proportion. Focus on the brown malt?

Well, in all honesty, I'm not quite sure yet. It's purely based around speculation of the actual recipe by looking at others and listening to interviews with the head brewer. Also, I did a taste test of each of the speciality malts used as an ingredient to get a feel of what they bring to the party while comparing to an actual bottle of London Porter.

I ended up using ~40L crystal as I felt it tasted closer than the ~90L which I had available. The 90L just didn't taste right, so didn't add any.

 

[clibit]

Well, in all honesty, I'm not quite sure yet. It's purely based around speculation of the actual recipe by looking at others and listening to interviews with the head brewer. Also, I did a taste test of each of the speciality malts used as an ingredient to get a feel of what they bring to the party while comparing to an actual bottle of London Porter.

I ended up using ~40L crystal as I felt it tasted closer than the ~90L which I had available. The 90L just didn't taste right, so didn't add any.

http://byo.com/aging/item/2318-fuller’s-the-pride-of-london

Keeling reviewed our clone recipes for London Pride, ESB and London Porter and you can find this collection of recipes below.


Fuller’s London Porter clone
(5 gallons/ 19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.054 FG = 1.014
IBU = 30 SRM = 46 ABV = 5.4%

Ingredients
3.75 kg Muntons pale ale malt
0.45 kg crystal malt (75 °L)
0.68 kg brown malt
0.34 kg chocolate malt
37g Fuggle hops 4.7% AA (60 min)
19g Fuggle hops 4.7% AA (15 min)
Wyeast 1968 (London ESB) or White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast

Step by Step
Mash at 153 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes at mash thickness of 1.3 qt./lb. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops at times indicated. Cool wort, transfer to fermenter and pitch yeast. Ferment at 62 °F (17 °C).

 

[rodabod]

I guess I must have seen that one at some point, as it looks pretty close to mine. I guessed the fermentation temp, but it looks about right. My boil was 90 mins, but shouldn't make much difference.

One thing I'm not sure about it is how much attenuation I'll get from the yeast. Basing it purely on Brewer's Friend prediction. I could have also measured the FG from the real bottle which I was drinking last night!

Forgot to add that I also added salts as per Murphy's recommendations.

 

[clibit]

The main difference is the choc malt, you have a much lower %, I think the byo recipe comes out at 6% choc. You also have more crystal, but lower colour.

 

[rodabod]

Oh yeah! When I scanned through it, I thought the numbers looked about right, but you're correct: they have listed three times the quantity of chocolate malt.

Well, that's clearly going to make a big difference. I will post a colour comparison and also tasting results when it is ready. Colour looks a good match so far, so hoping the taste will be similar.

 

[clibit]

Brown malt is a big factor in this recipe, it's a strong flavour. Chocolate is also a big flavour of course, so I think the brown malt will take a big lead role - but you do have extra crystal that will probably round out the brown quite nicely. Be interesting to hear how it goes.

 

[rodabod]

I did mean to post a photo and tasting notes of each of the steeped malts.

The brown malt was odd in a way. I expected it to taste sweet like crystal, but it didn't. It just had a woody flavour which tasted like it would add body. The chocolate is quite intense. It has that instant coffee flavour, but also has noticeable roastiness. The difference in flavours between the two darknesses of crystal I had was massive. The darker crystal wasn't sweet, and was noticeably astringent.

 

[clibit]

I did mean to post a photo and tasting notes of each of the steeped malts.

The brown malt was odd in a way. I expected it to taste sweet like crystal, but it didn't. It just had a woody flavour which tasted like it would add body. The chocolate is quite intense. It has that instant coffee flavour, but also has noticeable roastiness. The difference in flavours between the two darknesses of crystal I had was massive. The darker crystal wasn't sweet, and was noticeably astringent.

Yes good descriptions. But Brown has a powerful flavour which can take a few weeks of conditioning to mellow. You've shifted the balance by reducing the choc malt, but that isn't a bad thing or a mistake, just different.

 

[rodabod]

I have a feeling (I'll have to check) that the reduced chocolate malt may be Graham Wheeler's interpretation of the recipe which is very similar. I can only assume that he must have asked the brewery at some point as the ingredients were broadly the same.

 

[clibit]

You're right, GW's recipe has 110g chocolate in a 23 litre batch.

 

[rodabod]

Thanks for checking. I'm not sure for the reason for the reduced chocolate malt, but I guess I'll have to taste it and see.

I'm already having thoughts about having an imperial-strength porter, but better get this one correct before I jump to making variants.

 

[rodabod]

Brought this down to 16.5c and the Wyeast 1968 slowed down to around half the speed it was working at for 17.5c. So, I've brought the temp up to 17.5c and will hold it at that now, just to make sure I have a solid fermentation.

For the first time, the krausen has also pushed all the way into my airlock too.

 

[clibit]

I think slower is better with this yeast, it can hit the funk big time with warm rapid fermentation. I also had a lot of diacetyl with it once. But if the wort inside the FV is 17.5C, it's fine. It's all about what you are measuring the temperature of, it seems.

 

[TartanSpecial]

I did a Porter based around GW's recipe with 0.16kg chocolate for 22.7ltrs and it came out fine..you could still taste the roastiness in it but it was quite balanced with the other flavours from the brown malt and crystal.

 

[rodabod]

For all we know, the chocolate malt could be a late addition in the mash, so I guess it's probably easiest to adjust to taste. I'll get some other seasoned drinker ps to do an A/B and report back here on how the balance is.

 

[clibit]

Making this recipe with different proportions of brown, chocolate and crystal is a great thing to do.

 

[TartanSpecial]

when I taste the commercial version of this I don't taste any harsh roastiness at all so they must be doing something different....separate steeping? ..that why I was going to experiment with carafa special next time. Having said that, the chocolate malt I recently got from The Malt Miller is much more mellow than the stuff I used last year which seemed a bit harsh. Also got some chateau cafe light from the HBC...its sweet but very coffee flavoured so going to use that too.

 

[clibit]

Maybe try pale chocolate malt.