snakeplissken

I'm thinking of brewing a Robust Porter.. A nice dark beer for the coming cold weather. I'll be doing a full grain mash this time instead of adding any extract. Due to my low boil capacity I'll be using an old English method known as a reiterating mash. A larger than average grain bill is created, then split into two separate mashes. The first half is mashed as normal, then drawn off. This sweet wort is then taken and heated to the appropriate temperature and then used as the liquid for mashing the second batch of grain. This leads to a smaller amount of more sugar-filled wort that can be boiled up on a stove-top and watered down in the fermenter. While this technique requires far less equipment than normal full-grain mashing it does have drawbacks. The primary problem is the loss of efficency. Normal mashing can be up to 80% efficient, but this style is only in the mid 60's. But grain is fairly cheap, so a few pounds more or less doesn't matter. The bigger problem is the much higher requirement for hops. A concentrated boil has more sugar, so less bitterness can be extracted from the hops. Thus more hops are needed.

Drawbacks aside, I think I'll be using the reiterating mash a lot more. Historically it's known for making better beer despite the flaws, and that's always a good thing. So here's my recipe. Should be a good one I hope.

Robust Porter
12.8 lb. British pale
0.83 lb. German Munich
0.83 lb. Dark Munich
0.83 lb. British crystal 50-60L
0.55 lb. British crystal 70-80L
0.83 lb. American chocolate
0.55 lb. British black patent

2.5 oz. Nugget (10% AA, 60 min.)
1 oz. Kent Goldings (aroma)
Irish Ale yeast