Robust Porter — Home Brew Recipe

Style: Robust Porter | ABV: ~5.2% | Volume: 23 litres | Difficulty: Intermediate

About This Recipe

A robust porter with layers of dark chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt complexity. Fuller-bodied than a stout but less dry, this is a deeply satisfying cold-weather brew. The Bullion hops add an earthy bitterness that balances the rich malt perfectly.

Ingredients

• 3.0kg dark malt extract
• 250g Dark Crystal Malt (Thomas Fawcett)
• 200g Crystal Malt (Thomas Fawcett)
• 35g Bullion hops (T90 Pellet) — 60 min
• 15g Willamette hops (T90 Pellet) — 10 min
• 1 packet Gervin GV12 Ale Yeast
• ½ Protafloc tablet — 15 min

Method

1. Sterilise all equipment.
2. Steep both crushed crystal malts together in 3.5L at 67°C for 30 min in a muslin bag.
3. Remove grains, bring to boil, dissolve malt extract.
4. 60-minute boil: Bullion at 60 min, Protafloc at 15 min, Willamette at 10 min.
5. Cool to 22°C, top up to 23L and pitch yeast. Ferment at 18–20°C for 7 days.
6. Add beer finings 24 hours before bottling.
7. Bottle with carbonation drops. Condition 3 weeks before drinking.

Brewer's Notes

Porter improves significantly with age. Try to resist drinking it for a full 3–4 weeks after bottling — the flavours mellow and integrate beautifully. Serve at around 12°C in a tulip glass.