Ingredients For A Porter

[HeavyNova]

Hi,

The next brew I'm going to tackle is a Porter. I've decided on the malts but have a couple of questions on the hops and yeast.

Hops
I'm looking at using some EKG - how old is too old? I'm aware that how well the hops are kept can influence how long they will keep for, but assuming the hops are kept properly would you buy and use something from a 2007 crop. Does it matter less in a Porter? Can you add more to make up for the old age? Is it worth spending money on shipping some 2010 hops from the eastern states?

Yeast
I would like to have a go at trying a liquid yeast. This'll be my first time and I see many posts saying things like;

"Wyeast XXXX is fantasic for *insert beer style here*"

Each of the Wyeasts have their own descriptions, but there are still so many! Does anyone have a particular yeast in mind that works really well with Porters?

 

[Pennywise]

I like wyeast 1084 or 1968 in my Porters, but you can use something like 1056 no worries, really depends what you want out of it, these are my 3 main liquid yeasts I'd use for my Porters. Hops wise, I'd have no issue using 07 hops if they were stored properly, keep in mind though that the AA might be a little lower than what it was when the were first picked, but Beersmith can figure that out with the hops age function

 

[argon]

The last 2 porters i did (2 halves of a double batch) i used US05 @18C for 1 and repitched the slurry of WY2633 @ 10C in the other... much preferred the Porter as a lager, just alot cleaner and crisper, but still very malty.

 

[manticle]

Hi,

The next brew I'm going to tackle is a Porter. I've decided on the malts but have a couple of questions on the hops and yeast.

Hops
I'm looking at using some EKG - how old is too old? I'm aware that how well the hops are kept can influence how long they will keep for, but assuming the hops are kept properly would you buy and use something from a 2007 crop. Does it matter less in a Porter? Can you add more to make up for the old age? Is it worth spending money on shipping some 2010 hops from the eastern states?

Yeast
I would like to have a go at trying a liquid yeast. This'll be my first time and I see many posts saying things like;

"Wyeast XXXX is fantasic for *insert beer style here*"

Each of the Wyeasts have their own descriptions, but there are still so many! Does anyone have a particular yeast in mind that works really well with Porters?

1099 is my favourite. It has character but not so much that it will get overshadowed by the dark malts.
1084 would also be a good choice.

As far as the hops goes - how they have been stored will have a big influence too. I'd rather brew with 2007 crop, properly stored in oxygen free, light resistant cold storage than badly stored 2010 hops.

 

[HeavyNova]

Thanks guys. I can't spot any local stores (Perth) that stock the 1084. I think I'll give 1099 a go since it's labelled as being similar to 1098 and give the '07 hops a go.

Cheers!

 

[mika]

Who's got the old hops ? From your locale, I'm thinking Brewmart ?

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I freeze my hops in sealer bags when I only use half a packet, and they are pretty good on the reuse. I generally don't keep too much lying around in the freezer, even then.

Goomba

 

[HeavyNova]

Who's got the old hops ? From your locale, I'm thinking Brewmart ?

I didn't check Brewmart. I was mainly looking atthe TWOC website. I haven't actually called to check if the site's info is up to date yet, just building a shopping list at the moment.

 

[felten]

If the hops smell fine then they're fine to use. If they smell cheesy then they're past their used by date. If you're using them for bittering then you might have to make some adjustments, Beersmith has a nice calculator that you can input the hop storage index (HSI) for that particular hop and how it was stored and it can guesstimate the alpha.

 

[Shine]

I'm so jealous of people that can just run down to the corner store and pick up a smack pack. I have to mail them in....

Anyone got a clone for Breckenridge Vanilla Porter? Sometimes I lay awake at night dreaming of Breckenridge Vanilla Porter...

 

[rude]

Hey HN ring up Roy at TWOC he will put you straight on the porter issue.

Allso there is a new store in Yangebup

Good luck