Brew Day: Porter

Well it is almost time for the cold weather here in AZ again and to me that means making sure that I have a nice dark beer for the winter.  I can't drink dark beers in the hot summer out because they just seem too much when it is 115 degrees out.  The very first homebrew I ever had was a Porter a friend made and it not only opened me up to the world of brewing but also beers other than Budweiser and the like.  It has become one of my favorite styles.


Here I am preheating the mash tun.  Next to it I have all my grains.  I read in the most recent BYO that you can actually get a better flavor profile if you don't do a sparge.  I figured I would try that so I just put in all my water minus what I calculated I needed for a mash out. 

I hit my mash temp right on target at 152.  That always makes things much easier.

I have several new toys since the last time I brewed.  Most are more for lagers but I couldn't help using them this time.  This is my stirplate that I build for $15 and some spare parts.

And this is my new refractometer. I found myself using this much more than I planned and was able to make adjustments as I went.  For example, after my mash my gravity was a little low so I just increased the boil time. 

 

 Here it is boiling away...

Here is my other new toy that is mostly for lagers.  I purchased an O2 system.  I think not being able to get enough oxygen in the wort affected my flavor a bit and cost me a few points when I entered my beer.  Hopefully I can avoid that with my next lager and in the mean time it will help with ales but not having to shake the bucket for 5 min. 

Once the beer is finished I will post a picture!