Wassa's Honey Porter

[warra48]

Yellowbox is a variety of Australian Gum Tree.
The honey is obviously derived from an area where the trees are in flower.
It's in regular supply at most supermarkets.

[Wassa]

Smabb,

Go for it.

The recipe is only my interpretation. The Black malt will add character and your own touch to it.

Brendo,

I usually use hop pellets and dry hop, that is throw the hops pellets in just before you pitch the yeast. For my latest brew of this I used 500gm of KLeatherwood honey and used 2 x 12gm hop teabags in place of the hop pellets.

Brewing isn't an exact science and you try different things and see what yoy get for the results.

Mind you my original recipe takes soem beating!!!!!

Wassa

[Throsby]

I'm gonna have to back you on this Wassa.

Even though I've resolved to doing my best to waiting the 3-6 months this brew deserves, I must admit trying JUST ONE on the weekend (after only 3 weeks in the bottle).

Dear Lord - what an AMAZING beer it already is. And you can tell just how beautiful it will become.

It will take an awful lot of willpower to keep the rest of the batch hidden until it has finished maturing.

Great work mate.

Cheers,
Throsby

[chadjaja]

I did a diff version of this from this forum with
Liquid amber malt
yellowbox
cascade.

But I'd had a sample of it and its a bit lacking for me. I've already got another cascade can ready and waiting to try this version with the dark malt instead.

Is everyone making up 23L's or are you getting a bit more flavour and alch with smaller batches?

[Wassa]

Chad,

Maximum I make is 22 litres and most times make just 20 litres.

Made my last one, which I hope is not a cock up on Sunday arvo, Pitched yeast and it didn't take so had to open fermenter and pitch a second sachet of Safale. Hoping I don't get oxidation.

Anyway apart from that I made it up to 22 litres and added 2 Cascade teabags as I didn't have any pellets left.

[chadjaja]

yeah I made the other one up to 22l by mistake and found it a bit lacking. 20Ls it is. Thanks mate.

[dregs]

Chad,

Maximum I make is 22 litres and most times make just 20 litres.

Made my last one, which I hope is not a cock up on Sunday arvo, Pitched yeast and it didn't take so had to open fermenter and pitch a second sachet of Safale. Hoping I don't get oxidation.

Anyway apart from that I made it up to 22 litres and added 2 Cascade teabags as I didn't have any pellets left.

Hey Wassa,

Do you do a small boil, for your legend brew?

Cheers

[Wassa]

Dregs,

No, I just dissolve the malt in boiling water, add the can and then dry hop after I have made up to desired level and before pitching yeast.

Regards,

Wassa

[dregs]

Dregs,

No, I just dissolve the malt in boiling water, add the can and then dry hop after I have made up to desired level and before pitching yeast.

Regards,

Wassa

thanks Wassa, your brew is next on the list.

cheers

[Emo]

I made a couple of batches of this last year and both turned out great. It's a real nice drop.

[chadjaja]

This brew is giving me a bit of trouble. As I've said in previous posts/threads I used the brew cellar equivalent or at least what I'm told is of safale s04.

This brew is sitting at 18-20 degrees. All fine there.

But its been pretty much sitting at 1020 for the last 3-4 days. I would expect it using Wassa's recipe with only a small addition of 100grms of choc grains steeped to finish at around the 1014-1015 mark. Now the brew cellar guide says this yeast gives a slightly higher FG but that much off?

I'd hate to bottle this thinking its done but its really the yeast has konked out early and I create bottle bombs and sweeter not fully fermented beer.

So far I've tried giving it a bit of a careful tilting to try to get the yeast up and going but careful not to splash it about.

I've tried warming it up a degree or two to no avail as well.

Thoughts guys?

[chadjaja]

Anyone??

[Smabb]

Mine was on 1017 last weekend, it and the beer before it are taking forever. The answer's simple for mine though, the temperatures here in Melbourne. its (the beer) been sitting around the 16-18 degree mark. I moved the other beer out into the sun (looking at bottling) and it started bubbling at me, so I quickly gave that away. I'll try again this weekend.

I found it hard to believe yours is finished, what temp is it and how would you know if it had started up again or not (i.e. does your fermentor normally bubble?)?

Cheers

[chadjaja]

yeah I've had this brew back up to the 18-21 degree mark. Brewcellar say the yeast range should be 18-22. It got bubbling again but REAL slowly. So I've left it for a few days happily knowing that its not konked out.

Well its been in two weeks today but what seemed in a stuck ferment for 4 of those days. It did start real quickly after pitching.

I took a reading this morning just now and its STILL at the 1020 mark! I'm testing it at a decent temp and my hydrometer is spot on when tested at room temp and this brew is close enough. But not enough to give the range from the 1020 its sitting at. And not enough for the claim that this yeast gives a relatively high FG. Got nothing to lose to keeping it in a bit longer but I can't see it dropping without taking some form of action I haven't already. Its been rocked, swirled and temp raised. I also doubt the alc % is too strong for the ale yeast in a 20L porter with only Wassa's ingredients. I would think that it would tolerate 9% or so.

Anyone else give me their FG's for this brew?

[Smabb]

Chad,

Bottled Saturday. FG of 1014 (S-04), 22 days in the fermentor.

[Throsby]

Mine (23 litres) started at 1052 and worked its way down to 1010 after 21 days in the fermenter.

We had some very hot days so mine tickled 25 or 26 degrees there for a while (when I was unable to clear enough space in the fridge to stick the whole thing in) but spent plenty of time at about 20 or 21 degrees.

I had a very active airlock and fairly aggressive krausen activity.

As stated earlier - I've only tried one and it was fabulous. Can't wait for the rest of them!

[Jacko_NZ]

I'm going to be giving this one a go once I have bottled my super stout that is almost done.

Just one question about the honey, haven't seen Yellow box honey in the shops here, is it just a runny style? We do get an big selection of honey's, thinking of trying a manuka honey, tends to be quite runny. i.e you can get it to stick to a spoon but does run off not like a firmer honey. Does this sound like it would do the job? Also is it added to the boil with the malt or just poured into the fermenter?

Cheers

[Wassa]

Sorry Jacko, I only just saw your post.

Yellowbox is a type of tree over here in Oz and therefore Yellowbox honey is made from the the Yellowbox flowers.

Manuka honey or any type of honey that is not from a Eucalypt tree will make this brew. Eucalypts (ie most gum trees) leave you with a brew that tastes like eucalyptus.

Regards,

Wassa

[chadjaja]

Just a tasting note Wassa. This at a little over a month old looks the goods and should improve a stack still in the next few months. By the colder months it'll be 6 months in the bottle and great!

[Jacko_NZ]

Cheers Wassa, I went with a Manuka honey in the end, just added it at the end of my mini boil. It's been in the fermenter for over a week now and looks almost done, will be bottling it up at the weekend. Will let you know how the first tasting goes!