Goat Scrotum Ale - Tasting

A porter from The Complete Joy of Homebrewing
ABV: Unknown
IBU: Unknown

At long last, a review of the Primal Porter!

The beer has a rich, dark brown color with a tan head and a light aroma that reflects the dark malts and spruce essence that shaped it. After tasting, the spruce and black patent are immediately detected, though their profile is complicated and intertwined enough that several of my friends have only detected one or the other. The Primal finishes with a bit of toasted maltiness and sweetness that is much more distinct than the initial flavor profile. This is one of the more light-bodied porters that I've had, though it is very pleasing in this respect.

The Primal Porter on a
gloomy fall day

I have passed this around several groups of friends as I was interested at what their reactions would be to a brew that is so strangely unique - recall that I threw a bunch of essentially random ingredients into a boiling pot, let it sit for a while, then bottled it. The great consensus is that the Primal is much more drinkable than a typical porter - I can't tell you how many people were reluctant to try it due to their (misplaced) belief that it would be a very heavy beer or have a flavor profile that was too much like other dark beers (i.e., dominated by a dark or toasted malt). It seems that most people, including myself at one point, are under the impression that porters don't have any kind of sweetness or overall complexity to them. Upon tasting the Primal, most people expressed their genuine enjoyment of the beer, noting its lightness and drinkability. Of course, there were still a few individuals who did not enjoy it due to the fact that they either (1) don't enjoy darker beers - which Tegan sadly fits into - or (2) just don't enjoy beer as a whole. That said, I'm truly pleased that I was able to share this well respected, yet very misunderstood, style of beer.

We're in the Garden - Part 2

Well, it has been a month since Hilary and I started this Belgian White. Fermentation continues, though it is slowing to some extent. I'm not sure how much longer it will take, having never used 2lbs. of honey in a brew before. Gotta wonder what the alcohol content will be as well.

I'm about out of the Primal Porter that Tegan and I brewed, so will probably use the second carboy I have to brew something in the mean time. I've been toying with the idea of a Weizenbier, but am not sure yet.

Also, here is a cool change in the make-up of the fermenting beer:

Fermenting Beer on Day 2

Fermenting Beer on Day 9

Goat Scrotum Ale - Part 1

A porter from The Complete Joy of Homebrewing
ABV: Unknown
IBU: Unknown

Ingredients:

• 5.0 pounds Monsons Dark Malt Extract
• 16 oz Medium Crystal Malt
• 4 oz Roasted Barley
• 4 oz Black Patent Malt
• 2 oz Saaz Czech Pellet Hops
• 1.5 oz for boiling
• 0.5 oz for finishing
• 1.0 cup Brown Sugar
• 1.0 cup Brer Rabbit Molasses
• 2.0 tsp gypsum
• 1.0 inch brewing licorice stick
• 2.0 tsp spruce essence, or new spruce growth
• Yeast: WYEAST 1098
• 0.75 cup corn sugar
• for bottling

Single-Stage Fermentation

The Primal fermenting in front of the Irish Red

Ramius and I were joined by our old friend Tegan for the brewing of this iconic porter. Based on Charlie's description of this porter, it seems to be a great unknown - that is, it is what you make it. Thus, we set out to create our own version of this primal beer. I must note here that Tegan hates dark beers... hopefully this Primal Porter helps her change her mind!

This batch went much more smoothly compared to the Irish Red. The boiling seemed to take less time to occur and we were able to use the wort chiller, which brought the temperature to below 75 degrees Fahrenheit within about 10 minutes. Further, we activated the yeast packet at the beginning of the brewing process, so there were no worries about the yeast being fully activated after heating, chilling, and placing the wort into our 5 gallon glass carboy. Setting up the fermentation cap and hose was initially no problem, but after fermentation activities really picked up on Day 2 I had to attach a rubber-band around the base of the fermentation cap so the liquid being ejected didn't escape the fermentation hose. On the Day 4, I replaced the fermentation cap 'n' hose with a stopper and 3-piece airlock.