Great Tasting Brown Porter

I have a lot of family and friends that are not really into craft beers becuase they think they all are the Pale Ales or IPAs.  The bitterness of these beers scare them away.  What I have found is that someone that drinks one of the big three commercial beers can also handle a roasty brown porter.  Also if you have someone that likes coffee this is also a great craft beer to get them started on.  They take a drink of this and say "hey how great is this that I am drinking and enjoying a craft beer."  It makes them feel like they are in the "in" crowd like the rest of us craft beer brewers and drinkers.  So below is a simple recipe for an all-grain brown porter.  Brew and enjoy!

5 Gallon Batch

Grain Bill

8 lbs. Maris Otter Malt

0.5 lbs. Chocolate Malt

0.3 lbs. Crystal 60L

0.3 lbs. Crystal 80L

0.25 lbs. CaraPils

0.25 lbs. Brown Malt

Hops

1 oz UK Kent Golding 5.1% Alpha (60 mins)

0.5 oz UK Kent Golding 5.1% Alpha (30 mins)

Yeast
White Labs British Ale Yeast WLP 005

Temps
Mash at 154 degrees for 60 mins
Sparge at 170 degrees for 15 mins

Stats
OG: 1.050
FG: 1.012
IBU: 24.5
SRM: 22.8
ABV:4.9%

Beer Judge Certification Program

I wanted to make everyone aware of the resources available to aspiring home brewers and future beer judges through the BJCP website.  BJCP is the Beer Judge Certification Program.  This organization has been put together by volunteers that have a love for craft beer.  They offer resources to help describe and judge the many different styles of beers that are available today.  Here is a little blurb from their website:

“The BJCP was founded in 1985 and has administered the Beer Judge Examination to 6,959 individuals worldwide. 4,189 are currently active judges in the program, with 641 holding the rank of National or higher. Since we started keeping detailed records, our members have judged over 768,810 beers and we have sanctioned over 5,065 competitions.”

This organization, through its commitment to educating brewers and judges alike, has help move the industry to an increase output of quality made beer.  The judging of home brewer’s beer has help improve the beers people are making at home and gives guidance on how to keep improving their home recipes. 

Personally I will be starting to study for the BJCP exam that I plan to take next winter.  I am looking forward to the challenge that this presents.  This will help span my knowledge of beer and make me an better brewer and judge.  Definitely check them out if you are looking to expand on your understanding of beer!