Porter. Stout. Brown. Which is it? Its one of those “I know one when I taste one” Be beer snobby all you want, I don’t care. I know better.

 

If you wanna call it a Porter go ahead, it will fit into that category somewhere. One of the descriptions says it basically lets the brewer decide the characteristics.

I really do like the “know one when I taste one” line because I think in every Porter drinkers mind, they have a certain taste that makes a Porter stand out.

 

Recently the kind of Porter I came to know and love has been scarce, maybe even extinct. Today the Porter is more or less regulated to a base beer for spicing or fruiting. It seems every style is heading down that path now that Craft Beer is on every corner. Can’t be happy with a good solid beer any more, its gotta stand out.

 

All right enough of the blabbering.. What I wanna do here is make that good solid Porter that I cannot find any more. In my head, a Porter is roasty, but not like your modern dry stout. More like black patenty roasty but less ashtray. Sweet, but not like a Brown sweet. Enough to cut the roasty. Hopping is where I think most Porters of today fail. They either are so low hopped that they feel sweet, or shoot up over the top into American Dark Ale territory. A body thats there, but not distractingly full. Medium/rare like.

 

Here is what I came up with:

 

Iron Porter – 5 Gallon  To be bottled

6%

47 IBU

 

9 lbs 2 row

12 oz choc malt

4 oz black patent

1 oz roast barley  (really, I dont know why I leave this in)

8 oz 80L crystal

1 oz centennial @60

1 oz Williamette @10

 

mash 152 and 05 yeast

 

I have gotten away from bottling my Stouts and I feel I’ve lost part of an experience. This, particular recipe shall always be bottled.