We’ve brewed variations on the Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter clone from Beer Captured a few times. For this iteration, we’re using a Blue Corn Whiskey Barrel from Balcones!

Brewer’s Notes

I’ve never used a whiskey barrel before, so we went with a tried recipe at 1.5x strength. The goal was a porter at about 9%, hoping the high alcohol content would balance the whiskey flavor a bit.  Brew day was unenventful, with mash temps between 150F and 165F on the stovetop.  Mash was mostly higher than planned.  Spent less time chilling than normal as the yeast was cultivated in a half gallon starter at 1.030.  Beer is very dark with hints of brown / amber on the very edge.  Heavy malt smell, some patent malt.  Tastes terrible, thick and syrupy with sharp bitterness. Ends with bitter in back of throat and mild fruit, cherry aftertaste.

OG: 1.120 @ 78F, target 1.085
FG: 1.026 @ 62F, target 1.021

Fermenting Notes

Primary

5/10/2013 1.106 @ 67F

Added yeast starter, 1/2 gallon.  Starter was 2oz of light DME, 4oz wheat DME. Sat for 48h at room temperature before pitching.

5/14/2013

Added 4g FermAid K in about 1c boiled water as fermentation slowed significantly.

5/18/2013 1.034 @ 65F  Racking to secondary.

Dark, thick color with some legs, but not a lot. Smoky, roasted barley aroma, heavy smoke flavor, with some off characteristics.  Musty, just a little bit.  Bitterness is overwhelmed by flavors, but it hits a little at the end

Secondary

6/8/2013 1.032 @ 69F

Quite a bit of roast, mostly at middle and end of taste. Watery, moreso than 1.032 would expect. Aroma hints at hops, but none in taste.  Racked into Balcones Blue Corn Whiskey barrel, which had been soaked with sanitized water for 24h

Tasting Notes

7/2/2013 1.032@71F

Light whiskey aroma, fading quickly to roast/malt. Some sweetness added to flavor with whiskey overtone on finish.

11/6/2013 1.026@62F

Forgot about this beer for a while.  Recently went to a bar in town that served Balcones Blue Corn Whiskey, so tried a glass.  It was ~42% ABV, and was extremely hot – not a smooth drink.  When opened up the barrel, the bung came out with a resounding pop.  Beer has an alcohol smell, but not heavy. No hop or roast aroma.  Get some whiskey at start of taste, but fades into a very complex and layered flavor.  Finishes very similar to the Anniversary stout we brewed, but not as sweet.  I wonder if we left it in the barrel too long, and some of the heat that I expected aged out.  Beer is very dark, moderately thick.  Will shoot for low carbonation, about 1.8Vols (7PSI), and see what happens.

12/14/2013
Pulled a half-growler off of the keg for a holiday party, and it was very good. There is some whiskey flavor, but it’s not overpowering and there is not any added heat from the alcohol. We served it alongside the Anniversary stout, and this beer is much drier, with a lighter body. I expect this to age fairly well. We got 18 22oz bottles out of the keg, so I don’t expect this beer to last too long. Will make this again.

Recipe