Molassunami Brown Porter (Easy, Surefire Recipe #4)

Boston_post-January_16,_1919,

Boston newspaper from the day after the tragedy. The death and injury toll was later revised upwards.

This is a dark beer and the name is somewhat dark as well. It is named for the Boston Molasses Disaster of 1919, when a tank holding 2,300,000 gallons (8,700,000 L) of molasses burst, releasing a wave of molasses 25-ft. (7.6 m) high and traveling at 35 mph (56 kph). Twenty one people died (along with numerous horses) and 150 were injured. In addition, nearby buildings were pushed off their foundations and crumbled. A Boston Elevated Railway line was also damaged. For years, Boston would smell like molasses in the early spring, when temperatures rose after winter. The cause of the tank rupturing may have been fermentation — the temperature had risen dramatically is the days leading up to the accident. When the tank did fail, witnesses described hearing the rivets of the tank pop off in quick succession. Some claimed it sounded like a machine gun. 

This is part of our Easy, Surefire Recipe series, which also includes an amber ale, a mild ale and a Scottish ale.

 

Molassunami Brown Porter

Brown porter, with molasses

by Chris Colby

Extract; English units

 

DESCRIPTION

A brown porter with a malty and roast-y aroma and a hint of molasses. It is well-balanced and well-attenuated, not overly sweet.

INGREDIENTS (for 5 gallons)

 

Water

carbon-filtered tap water

Malts and Malt Extract (for an OG of 1.049 and 30 SRM)

12 oz. English pale ale malt

1.0 lb. brown malt

12 oz. crystal malt (60 °L)

8.0 oz. chocolate malt

12 fl. oz. molasses

3.5 lb. light dried malt extract

Hops (for 28 IBUs total)

Kent Golding hops (28 IBUs)

1.5 oz. (of 5% alpha acids), boiled for 60 minutes

Fuggles hops (0 IBUs)

0.33 oz. (of 5% alpha acids), boiled for 0 minutes

Yeast (for an FG of 1.009 and 5.2% alcohol)

11 g Danstar Nottingham dried ale yeast

Other 

1/2 tsp. Irish moss

4.5 oz. corn sugar (for priming to 2.3 volumes of CO2)

 

PROCEDURES 

In your brewpot, begin heating 2.0 gallons of water to a boil. Aim to reach boiling when small mash is done. In a separate, large (8 qts. or larger) pot, heat 1.0 gallon of water to 163 °F. Place crushed grains in a steeping bag and submerge in second pot. Hold temperature around 152 °F for 60 minutes. This is a small mash. In a third pot, heat 0.50 gallons of water to 170 °F to use as sparge water. After the grains have mashed, place a colander over your brewpot, set the grain bag in it and pour the wort through it (to filter out solid pieces of grain); then, rinse it with the sparge water. Stir in half of the malt extract and bring to a boil. You should have about 3.0 gallons of wort. Do not let wort volume drop below 2.5 gallons during boil. (Top up with boiling water, if needed.) Once boil starts and the first bits of hot break show, add your hops and boil for 60 minutes. Add Irish moss with 15 minutes left in boil. Stir in remaining malt extract and molasses in the last 10 minutes. (Dissolve sugars a small amount of wort first to make it easier to stir in.) Chill wort to 68 °F and transfer to fermenter. Add water to make 5.0 gallons and aerate thoroughly. Pitch yeast and let ferment at 70 °F. Keg or bottle and carbonate to 2.3 volumes of CO2.

IMG_2212

Molassunami Brown Porter

Brown porter, with molasses

by Chris Colby

Extract; metric units

 

DESCRIPTION 

A brown porter with a a malty and roast-y aroma and a hint of molasses. It is well-balanced and well-attenuated, not overly sweet.

 

INGREDIENTS (for 19 L)

 

Water

carbon-filtered tap water

Malts and Malt Extract (for an OG of 1.049 and 30 SRM)

340 g English pale ale malt

450 g brown malt

340 g crystal malt (60 °L)

230 g chocolate malt

350 mL molasses

1.6 kg light dried malt extract

Hops (for 28 IBUs total)

Kent Golding hops (28 IBUs)

43 g (of 5% alpha acids), boiled for 60 minutes

Fuggles hops (0 IBUs)

9.4 g (of 5% alpha acids), boiled for 0 minutes

Yeast (for an FG of 1.009 and 5.2% alcohol)

11 g Danstar Nottingham dried ale yeast

Other

1/2 tsp. Irish moss

130 g corn sugar (for priming to 2.3 volumes of CO2)

 

PROCEDURES

In your brewpot, begin heating 7.6 L of water to a boil. Aim to reach boiling when small mash is done. In a separate, large (8 L or larger) pot, heat 3.8 L of water to 73 °C. Place crushed grains in a steeping bag and submerge in second pot. Hold temperature around 67 °C for 60 minutes. This is a small mash. In a third pot, heat 2 L of water to 77 °C to use as sparge water. After the grains have mashed, place a colander over your brewpot, set the grain bag in it and pour the wort through it (to filter out solid pieces of grain); then, rinse it with the sparge water. Stir in half of the malt extract and bring to a boil. You should have about 11 L of wort. Do not let wort volume drop below 9.5 L during boil. (Top up with boiling water, if needed.) Once boil starts and the first bits of hot break show, add your hops and boil for 60 minutes. Add Irish moss with 15 minutes left in boil. Stir in remaining malt extract and molasses in the last 10 minutes. (Dissolve sugars a small amount of wort first to make it easier to stir in.) Chill wort to 20 °C and transfer to fermenter. Add water to make 19 L and aerate thoroughly. Pitch yeast and let ferment at 21 °C. Keg or bottle and carbonate to 2.3 volumes of CO2.

Comments

  1. Surely this is a partial mash, rather than an extract recipe? Can you recommend an extract porter recipe that only uses grains that don’t need to be mashed?

  2. Is there a reason why Fuggle hops are listed on the recipe? You say that we should boil them for 0 minutes. If that’s the case then when do we add them to the wort? Do we not use them at all or was this just a typo? Any clarification would help.

    • To clarify, I’m referring to what is stated in the Ingredients section of the recipe. Under the Fuggle Hops section.

      • Software Mangler says

        Sounds like the Fuggles are being used for flavor/aroma, and added right at flame out on the boil. Further evidence for this is the note that they are adding 0 IBU.

        Since the wort will take at least 10-30 minutes to cool (longer without a wort chiller), there is ample time for the Fuggles to leave their character in your brew when added right as you’re turning off your heat source.

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