The Brewing Event - Edited for Marty!

Porter on the Way in About a Month -(I will make another Batch! in '25)

A friend from work days past came by and we brewed some porter this weekend using the ingredients and equipment I think I’ve already provided images. I’ll share a few more pictures here, but it felt good brewing another batch after so many years…..

There are bottles (as well as other “tools”) that will be used when the porter is ready to be bottled.

Here the batch is as it “stews” presently in the primary fermenter and the yeast was active and the “burping” commenced in earnest within 12-hours which is pretty good sign. The specific gravity, measured using the device in the picture was “just where you want it for this batch” - so the sugar must of dissolved into the wort.

Here are some of the “grains” from which the sugar was extracted that are “left-over”. Rumor I heard is chickens will eat this stuff up - but please….I suspect moderation is called for cause too much sugar and grain residual is probably not good for even a chicken, but still - this stuff ought not go to waste. Incidentally - that one larger bag with grains needs to be washed for re-use to fulfill its purpose.

My brewing pal elected to cool his wort using a copper heat exchanger with water running through it to bring the wort down to temperature prior to yeast addition.

This is just me, but I prefer the “ice-bath” approach for temperature reduction at the end after all the hops and other ingredients have been added, held at around 150 degrees F for a bit, then bought to boil, 1st round of hops added, boil for awhile, add the 2nd round of hops, let them get boiled in quick and then time for temperature reduction before the addition of the select-yeast for this purpose.

Here is a little more showing the “setup” and yes that is a Bocchi ball kit there in the image. I play a mean game of bocci.

These were the chairs we sat upon during the fine wonderful day for brewing some porter with a pal.

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Together we are better and peace is easy!

A personal note to end this:

It was a busy and eventful weekend no doubt with much social activity and sadly an injury occurred as well and please send warm thoughts for my father-in-law who had a fall and just like that he needed medical assistance above and beyond what we could provide, so please….send warm thoughts to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EDIT - follow up image - tis 101523 1709 as I type ~~~~~

Porter bottled.

BK

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It is January 20, 2025 and I’m thinking about my good neighbor friend in Fries, VA named Marty - she posted on this article below - and Marty is coming to the end of the rainbow - and I want you to know Marty - I love you….and so - in memory of our friendship - I want to share this song:

Go Irish - Go Marty - let the wind be at your back….