My journey of trying to make a decent porter has been long and fraught with way too many mistakes, notably the last time I tried making a porter and used a stout grain profile! The idea of making a chocolate porter came from my desire to have a dessert beer - how many times have you gotten to the end of a meal and just wanted a finishing beer: heavier, darker, roasted, … [Read more...]
Black Ale BIAB – Almost there!
I have a thing about Black Ales - no idea why, I just love how the brain registers a roasted, burnt, heavy beer aroma and then you taste a light, refreshing, hoppy beer. My original Black Ale was based on an LME (Liquid Malt Extract) and mainly British hops (and yeast). Since moving to BIAB, I've been trying to recreate the finish I got from the LME without success, getting one … [Read more...]
Black Ale BIAB Brewing day
It has been a while since I tried brewing my black ale using the BIAB method due to the constant failure I have been experiencing: first it was totally undrinkable and went down the drain, and the second time I ended up with a mild. I took the plunge and tried again and I think I'm finally making some progress: a good porter that disguises itself as a black ale - not the best, … [Read more...]
Black Ale Brewing Day – playing with the recipe
04/08/2015: This brewing day was first published on the 06/07/2015 but it is now updated with the tasting notes you will find at the end. It has been a while since I made a black ale, but I'm pretty happy with the way I'm making it lately, so I decided to just repeat the same process, but with a few minor changes to keep on trying on improving the flavours. My process … [Read more...]
Black Ale attempt using BIAB and spraymalt
02/08/2015: This brewing day was first published on the 01/06/2015 but it is now updated with the tasting notes you will find at the end. As my beer making skills improve, I'm trying to find new alternatives to using liquid malt extract (LME) as it is expensive for longer term making and if I try and make a bigger batch it will make it very, very expensive. My Black Ale … [Read more...]