American Porter Recipe and Brewing Instructions

Here’s a detailed American Porter recipe, along with step by step brewing instructions and tasting notes. This guide is designed for novice brewers but includes enough detail for more advanced brewers to tweak as needed.

Batch Size: 5 gallons (19 liters)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.056 – 1.060
Final Gravity (FG): 1.012 – 1.016
ABV: 5.5% – 6.2%
IBU: 30 – 40
SRM (Color): 30 – 40 (Dark Brown to Black)

Ingredients

Grains
8 lbs (3.63 kg) Pale 2-Row Malt
1 lb (0.45 kg) Munich Malt
12 oz (340 g) Crystal 60L Malt
8 oz (227 g) Chocolate Malt
8 oz (227 g) Black Patent Malt

Hops
1 oz (28 g) Cascade (6% AA) – 60 minutes
1 oz (28 g) Willamette (5% AA) – 10 minutes https://amzn.to/4iaU432

Yeast
American Ale Yeast (e.g. Safale US-05 or Wyeast 1056)

Other
1 tsp Irish Moss (optional, for clarity) – 15 minutes
5 oz (142 g) Priming Sugar (for bottling)

Water
Use filtered water. Adjust water chemistry if desired: aim for a balanced profile with 50-100 ppm calcium and a chloride to sulfate ratio of 1:1.

Brewing Instructions

Mashing (60 minutes)

1. Heat 3.5 gallons (13.25 liters) of water to 165°F (74°C) in your mash tun.
2. Add all the grains to the mash tun and stir thoroughly to avoid clumps. The temperature should stabilize at 152°F (67°C).
3. Cover the mash tun and let it rest for 60 minutes. This allows the enzymes to convert starches into fermentable sugars.
4. After 60 minutes, check the temperature. If it’s below 150°F (65°C), gently heat the mash to bring it back up.

Sparging (60 minutes)

1. Heat 4.5 gallons (17 liters) of water to 170°F (77°C) in a separate pot.
2. Slowly drain the sweet wort from the mash tun into your boil kettle.
3. As the wort drains, gently pour the 170°F (77°C) water over the grain bed to rinse out remaining sugars. This is called sparging.
4. Collect about 6.5 gallons (24.6 liters) of wort in your boil kettle.

Boiling (60 minutes)

1. Bring the wort to a rolling boil.
2. Once boiling, add 1 oz (28 g) of Cascade hops. Start a 60-minute timer.
3. At 15 minutes left in the boil, add 1 tsp of Irish Moss (if using) to help clarify the beer.
4. At 10 minutes left, add 1 oz (28 g) of Willamette hops.
5. After 60 minutes, turn off the heat and cool the wort as quickly as possible to 70°F (21°C) using an immersion chiller or ice bath.

Fermenting (2 weeks)

1. Transfer the cooled wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving behind any sediment in the boil kettle.
2. Aerate the wort by shaking or splashing it for a few minutes.
3. Pitch the yeast into the fermenter and seal it with an airlock.
4. Ferment at 68°F (20°C) for 2 weeks.

Bottling (2 weeks)

1. Dissolve 5 oz (142 g) of priming sugar in 1 cup of boiling water.
2. Add the sugar solution to your bottling bucket.
3. Transfer the beer from the fermenter to the bottling bucket, leaving behind any sediment.
4. Fill sanitized bottles and cap them.
5. Store the bottles at room temperature for 2 weeks to carbonate.

Tasting Notes

• Appearance – Deep brown to black with ruby highlights. A thick, tan head forms and lingers.
• Aroma – Roasty and malty with notes of coffee, dark chocolate, and a hint of caramel. Subtle floral and earthy hop aromas from the Willamette hops.
• Flavor – Rich maltiness with flavors of toasted bread, dark chocolate, and coffee. The roastiness is balanced by a moderate hop bitterness and a touch of sweetness from the Crystal malt.
• Mouthfeel – Medium-bodied with a smooth, creamy texture. Moderate carbonation enhances drinkability.
• Finish – Dry and slightly roasty with a lingering bitterness and a touch of caramel sweetness.

Final Notes & Tips

• Use high quality malt and fresh hops for the best flavor.
• Maintain good sanitation throughout the process.
• Monitor fermentation temperature to prevent off flavors.
• Consider experimenting with vanilla beans or bourbon soaked oak chips for extra complexity.

This American Porter is an excellent introduction to darker beers while still being approachable for those new to the style. Enjoy brewing, savoring, and sharing this delicious dark ale!

If you brewed this recipe, please let us know how it was in the comments below!