Batch 24

I redid the same recipe Imperiets Vinterporter from Batch 2 but didn’t reach high enough OG making it a much lower alcohol beer. My next attempt was in Batch 10 and even though I managed to reach desired OG I wandered off and made changes to the original recipe creating a different beer so this time I’ll stay true to the original recipe and hopefully be successful with the end result! A testament to this is that I’ve also used the original recipes style, imperial porter, instead of imperial stout. I covered why I changed it in Batch 2 but the short version is that there’s no differences between a porter and stout according to me, (and many others).

I came in short of targeted OG this time but I was close so a bit of table sugar did the trick. With high gravity beers I just have to face reality that the brewhouse efficiency will be lower, or continue using table sugar/malt extract. I prefer going with the first option because adding sugar or extract will change how the beer taste.

Alright, to the beer itself. It was good, very clean and uncomplicated with nice chocolate flavor and a bit boozy which was pleasant. I was surprised by the intense chocolate flavor because the malts used have tasted a lot more roasted and coffee before but I’m guessing there’s a good balance between the different grains, alcohol and esters from the yeast. The yeast used in the batch was Wyeast 1318 which is supposed to create a lot of esters, it also caused a lot of activity (see pictures and video down below) so perhaps I need bigger headspace next time.. I also switched to a different kind of airlock with a glass of water and hose because the regular airlock couldn’t handle the pressure and the lid blow open! What a mess.

This was the second time (third time if you count my cacao nibs experiment) I tried this recipe and even though I didn’t reach desired OG it was close enough to being saved, something I wasn’t even close of doing in Batch 2. The beer turned out tasty yet again so to me it’s obvious that the recipe is good. When I did my second attempt Batch 10 I didn’t force carbonate my beers yet and still bottle conditioned and I think because of the higher ABV it turned out low carbonated and a bit flat. With force carbonation I can make sure that I get the correct amount every time and I think that’s what made this batch so special compared to the previous attempt.

Imperial porters/stouts are very fun to brew and I’m looking forward brewing many more!