Historical "Porter" - some recipes

[Bob]

In another thread, an HBT member asked for some ideas for historical Porter recipes. Here follow some recipes from my historical sources. Some have been reduced to homebrew brew lengths, some are still in the original for you to have fun redacting.

NB: Often, historical Porter doesn't even come close to resembling what we consider Porter (Robust or Brown) in 2010. When I list it here, it's because the original document called it Porter. So don't come crying to me!

1. Coppinger's Porter Process No. II

from the 1815 book The American Practical Brewer & Tanner, by Joseph Coppinger.

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 17.50
Anticipated OG: 1.096 Plato: 22.96
Anticipated SRM: 39.3
Anticipated IBU: 60.6
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
57.1 10.00 lbs. Pale Malt (Maris Otter) UK 1.038 4
42.9 7.50 lbs. Brown Malt UK 1.035 74

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.00 oz. Willamette Whole 5.00 54.5 60 min.
2.00 oz. Willamette Whole 5.00 6.1 5 min.


Yeast
-----

DCL Yeast S-04 SafAle English Ale

The above numbers suggest modern batch-sparging. Should you wish to follow the historical method, do the following (and be prepared for a LONG day):

Heat of the first mashing liquor one hundred and seventy-two, mash one hour, stand one hour, run down smartly; second mashing liquor one hundred and eighty, mash one hour, stand two hours, run down as before; third mash one hundred and sixty-four, mash half an hour, stand half an hour, run down smartly; boil the extract of the first, with half the extract of the second mash; boil as hard as you can for one hour and a quarter, then strike off, retaining your hops in the copper for your second boil, which includes half your second wort, and the whole of your third; these should be boiled for four hours as hard as you can make them.

2. Coppinger's Porter Process No. III

from the same source.

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 15.00 Wort Size (Gal): 15.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 37.25
Anticipated OG: 1.067 Plato: 16.39
Anticipated SRM: 24.8
Anticipated IBU: 45.4
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
26.8 10.00 lbs. Brown Malt Great Britain 1.032 70
69.8 26.00 lbs. Maris Otter Great Britain 1.037 4
3.4 1.25 lbs. Molasses Generic 1.036 80

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.00 oz. Willamette Pellet 5.00 45.4 60 min.


Yeast
-----

DCL Yeast S-04 SafAle English Ale


Again, the numbers are for modern batch-sparging. The historical process:

First mashing liquor one hundred and sixty, mash one hour, stand one hour; second mashing liquor one hundred and seventy, mash one hour, stand one hour and three quarters; third mashing liquor one hundred and seventy-five, mash half an hour, stand one hour; divide these three runs into two equal parts, boil the first one hour, the second two hours and a half, as hard as you can in both instances

NB: Temperatures mentioned in both No II and No III Processes are not mash temperatures; that's the temperature of the mash liquor at dough-in.

3. Griffin Brewery 1839 Porter

from notes in the City of Westminster archive.

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 10.88
Anticipated OG: 1.060 Plato: 14.84
Anticipated SRM: 30.8
Anticipated IBU: 55.3
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
80.5 8.75 lbs. Pale Malt (Maris Otter) UK 1.038 4
14.9 1.63 lbs. Brown Malt UK 1.035 74
4.6 0.50 lbs. Black Patent Malt UK 1.027 525

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.00 oz. Willamette Whole 4.00 51.1 60 min.
1.50 oz. Willamette Whole 4.00 4.3 5 min.


Yeast
-----

DCL Yeast S-04 SafAle English Ale


4. Barclay Perkins Anchor Brewery TT Porter, ca. 1805

from the London Metropolitan Archive.

Barclay Perkins 1805 TT Porter

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 9.50
Anticipated OG: 1.052 Plato: 12.92
Anticipated SRM: 26.6
Anticipated IBU: 48.7
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
55.3 5.25 lbs. Pale Malt (Maris Otter) UK 1.038 4
44.7 4.25 lbs. Brown Malt UK 1.035 74

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.50 oz. Willamette Whole 4.00 44.3 60 min.
1.50 oz. Willamette Whole 4.00 4.4 5 min.


Yeast
-----

DCL Yeast S-04 SafAle English Ale


5. Barclay Perkins TT Porter 1936

from notes in the London Metropolitan Archive.

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 6.00
Anticipated OG: 1.033 Plato: 8.28
Anticipated SRM: 27.6
Anticipated IBU: 28.4
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
75.0 4.50 lbs. Pale Malt (Maris Otter) UK 1.038 4
16.7 1.00 lbs. Brown Malt UK 1.035 74
8.3 0.50 lbs. Black Patent Malt UK 1.027 525

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.50 oz. Fuggle Whole 4.00 26.9 60 min.
0.50 oz. Fuggle Whole 4.00 1.5 5 min.


Yeast
-----

DCL Yeast S-04 SafAle English Ale


Have fun!

Bob

Edited to add: I find it interesting to contrast the gravities and hopping rates between the early C19 and 1936 recipes. My, how taxes can impact beer!

 

[Airborneguy]

Thanks for the recipes!

I just brewed one which was extremely close to #3, but with Fuggles hops and Wyeast Thames Valley yeast. It's still fermenting, but it had a very roasty aroma going into the fermentor. I actually plan on splitting this batch and putting half over some chili peppers in a secondary.

I'm very interested to see how this comes out, both halves. I wanted to get as close to an original porter as possible, so I took the recipe out of the Classic Beer Styles Porter book by Terry Foster.

I'll be sure to update once this one is drinkable. In the future, I would like to age a porter in my barrel for over a year, then blend it with a new one. Apparently, this was common practice for porter brewers in the 1800's.

 

[Bob]

Sure was. It was also common for the aged ("stock") porter to develop a certain bite from Brettanomyces "infection" during the long storage in the wood. That's something I might try one day, when I can afford to buy a cask I'm willing to deliberately infect with something I will never, ever be able to remove.

Foster's book is a really good introduction, if a bit dated. That's the book that got me hooked on the style, and made me keep searching back in time!

Cheers,

Bob

 

[jfr1111]

The first one is way too over the top for me to consider, even a 2.5 gallon batch would have huge grain bill, but the others seem to be more manageable. I'll probably try my hand at #5 first since it'll probably dirt cheap to make. Plus, I feel it's the closest of them all to our "modern sensibilities".

Would you recommend getting the English variety of Brown malt or is domestic good enough ? The English variety is a lot pricier at my LHBS (like twice as expensive) but since it calls for such a small amount, I'm probably better off getting 2 kilos of the real stuff for a potential repeat.

What temp would you recommend mashing for the 1936 recipe.

 

[Bob]

I've always used UK brown malt. I prefer it. Yeah, it's more expensive, but...

Mash in relatively high, say 154-6F. You're going to want some dextrins in that beer for body to balance that relatively high hop rate.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[patto1ro]

You've missed out half the ingredients from the 1936 Barclay Perkins TT.

This is the real grist (for 5 UK gallons):

malt
type

pounds​

%​

pale malt
MA Dereham

2.5​

42.59%​

pale malt
MA Gilstrap

0.5​

8.52%​

brown malt

0.25​

4.26%​

amber malt

0.67​

11.41%​

maize

0.33​

5.62%​

roasted barley

0.5​

8.52%​

oats

0.02​

0.34%​

crystal malt

0.33​

5.62%​

sugar

0.67​

11.41%​

sugar
caramel

0.1​

1.70%​

total

5.87​

100.00%​

The base malt in the original was mild ale malt.

Without the sugar, you'll have a completely different beer.

There are too many hops as well. I make it 1.66 oz for 5 UK gallons. Two thirds Fuggles, one third Goldings. And there wasn't a late addition. The latest addition Barclay perkins ever made was 15 minutes before the end of the boil, but their Porter usually had all the hops added at the start of the boil.

 

[Bob]

Awesome! I didn't know that, and for the data! Obviously I was working from a less-than-accurate source. If you don't mind, would you share your source with me?

Cheers,

Bob

 

[patto1ro]

My source is the brewing records of Barclay Perkins at the London Metropolitan Archives.

What was your source?

 

[Bob]

Mine was from the Courage records, via http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/beerale.htm - for gravity, color and hopping rate data. As that source lacked the exact grist, I went with a grist which provided an approximation of the color by using ingredients in proportion to other known grists.

Do you have a citation by which I might access the records? If so, please share it.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[Bob]

By way of apology for screwing up so badly, here's another historical porter recipe from 1903:

Pale malt 48%
Crystal malt 11%
Maize 14%
Black malt 5.2%
Glucose 2.4%
Invert sugar 19.4%

OG: 1.055
FG: 1.019

IBU: 56

I suspect the IBU is artificially high, based on quantity alone, not taking into consideration whole flowers stored loosely and open to atmosphere at room temperature.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[patto1ro]

Mine was from the Courage records, via http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/beerale.htm - for gravity, color and hopping rate data. As that source lacked the exact grist, I went with a grist which provided an approximation of the color by using ingredients in proportion to other known grists.

Do you have a citation by which I might access the records? If so, please share it.

That's my website. I thought the years looked familiar.

The records aren't available on the web, I'm afraid. You have to go to the archive in person.

I usually publish one historic recipe a week on my blog:

http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/search/label/Let's Brew

 

[patto1ro]

I suspect the IBU is artificially high, based on quantity alone, not taking into consideration whole flowers stored loosely and open to atmosphere at room temperature.

By this period the hops would have been stored compressed in a cold store. What you do have to worry about is their age. It was common to use some hops that were two or three years old.

 

[Bob]

I wondered if maybe you weren't that fellow. Thanks for weighing in! Your information is invaluable.

Is there an accession system at the Archive (like the V&A or BM)?

I also didn't know that about hops storage. Does that come from the Archive as well? Was that the standard practice across Britain? If so, about when did that become the standard?

Cheers,

Bob

 

[patto1ro]

Is there an accession system at the Archive (like the V&A or BM)?

I also didn't know that about hops storage. Does that come from the Archive as well? Was that the standard practice across Britain? If so, about when did that become the standard?

What do you mean by an accession system?

The stuff about hop storage comes from old brewing manuals and brewing records. Hops that have been kept in cold storage usually have C.S. written next to them in the logs.

This explains something about hop storage and deterioration over time:

http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2008/12/storage-of-hops-1920-1939.html

I'm not sure of the exact date they began storing hops cold, but it was definitely well before 1900.

 

[Bob]

An accession system is the system by which an archive or museum archives its documents and/or artifacts. It can be called an "accession number" or "Ms number" or "control number" or something like that. For example, it's easier to call "The Brewing Log of Young's Wandsworth Brewery from 17th June 1867 to 28th October 1867" "Ms 49278" than it is to call it "The Brewing Log of Young's Wandsworth Brewery from 17th June 1867 to 28th October 1867".

Scholars access other scholars' sources through citation of sources, which include the source's archive as well as that archive's organization number/code for the source material. The idea is to get a title, if any, accession number and archive information into the citation.

For example, the Guildhall Manuscript Library has in its possession the "Felix Calvert and Co. Accounts of beer supplied to customers. 1780-1795." The archivists there have assigned the document the identifiers Ms 05126 (Bib ID 305265). A proper citation of that work would be something like:

Felix Calvert and Co. Accounts of beer supplied to customers, 1780-1795, Ms 05126, p. 23, Guildhall Library Manuscript Room (London).

With a citation like that, any scholar can confirm your conclusions through examination of your source material (or explore further, should they wish).

Cheers,

Bob

 

[patto1ro]

An accession system is the system by which an archive or museum archives its documents and/or artifacts. It can be called an "accession number" or "Ms number" or "control number" or something like that. For example, it's easier to call "The Brewing Log of Young's Wandsworth Brewery from 17th June 1867 to 28th October 1867" "Ms 49278" than it is to call it "The Brewing Log of Young's Wandsworth Brewery from 17th June 1867 to 28th October 1867".

Scholars access other scholars' sources through citation of sources, which include the source's archive as well as that archive's organization number/code for the source material. The idea is to get a title, if any, accession number and archive information into the citation.

For example, the Guildhall Manuscript Library has in its possession the "Felix Calvert and Co. Accounts of beer supplied to customers. 1780-1795." The archivists there have assigned the document the identifiers Ms 05126 (Bib ID 305265). A proper citation of that work would be something like:

[/SIZE]

With a citation like that, any scholar can confirm your conclusions through examination of your source material (or explore further, should they wish).

Yes, they do have reference numbers assigned to each document.

The Barclay Perkins 1936 TT is in document ACC/2305/1/621 of the Courage Archive held at the London Metropolitan Archives and it's gyle number 64.

You're welcome to take a look at my photo of the page, if you want.

 

[Revvy]

*subscribes*

 

[patto1ro]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CHrKKDU92...U/n0XNPd_Y7Tk/s1600/BP_1936_BS_OMS_TT_log.jpg

 

[Bob]

Wow! I've got to get over there again soon.

Thanks for that!

Bob

 

[patto1ro]

Just ask if you have any questions about the details in the brewing record.

 

[Revvy]

Ok gang, I got one for you. I'm doing research into trying to find a lion stout clone, (which I've seen either referred to as a Tropical Stout, or the more common, foreign export stout.) But I just stumbled upon this blurb in a piece of Foreign Export Stout.

West Indies Porter was brewed occasionally during the early 1800's. It later became known as triple stout.

(From here http://www.winning-homebrew.com/Foreign-Extra-Stout.html)

Now I'm intrigued to find any reference and recipes for a "west Indies Porter" since I've never heard of it before.

Either of you two have any info/references? I'm thinking I'd love to brew a true one of that.

 

[Revvy]

And can we do anything about the warpage on this thread? Between patto1ro's first recipe which is spread out across the screen pretty wide, and the page picture, you have to scroll left to right to read the info. Can the picture and the recipe please be shrunk so that the v-bulletin doesn't have to extend so far to cope. This is a thread to be read slow and savored and it is really hard to do. The percentages in the recipe need to be brought in closer to the ingredients and the pic should be re-sized smaller.

The red shaded area on this screen capture shows you how far to the right from "full screen" this thread is distorted. That's how much one has to scroll to read a sentence.

It's quite a headache even to post in here.

Thanks

 

[smokinghole]

Question for those posting in this thread. I am looking to make some stout/porter using brown malt and everywhere says max 10%. If it is used to replace the higher kilned malts like chocolate and such then it makes perfect sense to me to use 30% and 40-50% of the grist as brown malt. I see that a few of these recipes have damn near half and half pale to brown. What type of flavor does that give vs like 80% pale, 10% crystal, and maybe 10% highly roasted?

My proposed recipe for a beer I'd like to brew for a buddy is roughly as follows. I am trying to figure out where I want to go. I want to incorporate the brown malt and make a roasty smokey beer that will be reminiscent of bacon.

6lbs MO
5lbs Brown malt
4lbs Cherry smoked malt

Also I'm working a recipe for my annual over the top RIS next year already. It's a family oriented brewday. I was proposing this:

10lbs MO
10lbs Brown
3lbs Amber
2lbs American 6row
2lbs Oats
1ishlbs Roasted Rye
1lb Roast Barley

I'm just sort of throwing ideas around right now and I am fine with experimentation. If anything seems extremely out of place and might make a superbly crappy beer warn me using these history style malts.

 

[Ichthy]

Take this for what it's worth. I home toasted some malt that was brown or amberish for use in an ordinary bitter. I used 1 lb of malt for about 15% of recipe (I don't have the exact numbers with me). The beer is good but is definetly remniscent of toasty, bready flavors and does not have the roasted character of chocolate or roasted barley.

However, I'm by no means and expert on the subject and am very interested in what other have to stay.

 

[smokinghole]

I'm thinking about like a half pound of roasted barley for the beer with the smoked malt but I don't know.

My only experience with brown malt was the 11/11/11 old ale recipe which is far from ready to drink, and a did some home toasted malt for an IPA.

 

[zuesy]

First, thanks for posting these Bob.

I made one of the recipes from the Barclay Perkins blog, the 1804 Table Beer We had it at Thanksgiving (out of a bucket!).

However, that was carbonated with a keg (and a lot of adjustment). I didn't keep very good track of what volume I ended up with (too much RDWHAHB). My guess is about 1.5 volumes?

Anyway, I'm making more and I'd like to bottle this time. What is recommended in terms of historical priming? I've seen suggestions for everything from table sugar to molasses, and of course the amounts per 5 gallons are all over the place.

The recipe for reference was:

2# 5 oz 2-Row
1# 7 oz Brown Malt
1# 4 oz Amber Malt
.5 oz EKG @ 90
Notty yeast

Mashed 1.5 qt/# at 150* for 90 min. 90 min boil

 

[14thstreet]

One method that does not involve any sugar at all, if you know where your FG will be, you can rack to bottles when the beer is a few points above the expected terminal gravity. Yeast will then churn the remaining sugars into CO2 inside the bottle, providing carbonation.

 

[Malticulous]

from the 1815 book The American Practical Brewer & Tanner, by Joseph Coppinger.

This book is available for free download on Amazon along with other old brewing books.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RKRI24/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Obliviousbrew]

This is an old thread but anyway here is my question: I believed that the "historical" brown malt from the UK was very different of what we have today, I don´t remember where but I have read about the traditional brown malt was smoked. So if I´m planning to brew an historic porter wont I need some of that smokyness? I was think to add some rauchmalt or something like that any ideas about this? I´m going the rigth direction here or there is something wrong with this aproach?

 

[patto1ro]

This is an old thread but anyway here is my question: I believed that the "historical" brown malt from the UK was very different of what we have today, I don´t remember where but I have read about the traditional brown malt was smoked. So if I´m planning to brew an historic porter wont I need some of that smokyness? I was think to add some rauchmalt or something like that any ideas about this? I´m going the rigth direction here or there is something wrong with this aproach?

There have been many different types of brown malt.

The evidence is against the London Porter of the 18th century being smoked. Sources of the time say that they didn't like a smoky taste. The way they malted in Hertfordshire, using mostly straw as fuel, didn't add a smoke flavour. Plus, even if the malt were a bit smoky, aging would remove it.

 

[Obliviousbrew]

That's some great info thanks

 

[Krazykripple]

interesting thread. i'll look here next time i do a porter thanks