Santa's Death Fortress X-Mas Cranberry Porter

Here’s another in my series of porter recipes. This one is for the holidays - hence all the spices and cranberries and the higher ABV. A note of caution on the cranberries: First, don’t add them to a little-necked carboy because it’ll be a pain to get them back out again. Use a bucket. Second, the cranberries may cause a secondary fermentation due to sugars in them, so plan for that. Third, it’s really easy to overdo it on the cranberry flavor. Check the flavor often. That goes for aging, too. This beer definitely has an expiration date.

Actually, it might just be easier to use a cranberry extract but that seems like cheating.

Goals

• 5 gallons
• Starting specific gravity: 1.060
• Finishing specific gravity: 1.010 - 1.015
• ABV: 6%
• Bitterness: 40 - 45 IBU
• Color: 28 - 34 SRM

Extract recipe

Ingredients

• 3.5 lb. light malt extract syrup
• 3.25 lb. dark malt extract syrup
• 0.33 lb. (5 oz) black malt (crushed)
• 0.5 lb. (8 oz) chocolate malt (crushed)
• 1.25 lb. (20 oz) 40 L crystal malt (crushed)
• 4 lb. fresh cranberries
• 1 oz. grated orange peel
• 1.5 tsp. allspice
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 oz. Challenger (60 minutes)
• 1 oz. Goldings (60 minutes)
• 1 oz. Goldings (40 minutes)
• 1 oz. Fuggles (10 minutes)
• Wyeast #1028 (English Ale)

Procedure

• Place crushed grains in two muslin bags and add to 1.5 gallons of water.
• Heat water to 150-170° F and hold for 30 minutes.
• Remove grains and discard.
• Add malt extracts. Bring to boil.
• Add 1 oz. Challenger hops and 1 oz. Goldings hops. Boil 60 minutes.
• With 40 minutes remaining, add 1 oz. Goldings hops.
• With 10 minutes remaining, add spices and 1 oz. Fuggle hops.
• Cool with wort chiller to ~ 75° F and add to 3 gallons of water in carboy. Top up to 5 gallons.
• Pitch yeast.
• After initial fermentation has slowed: boil cranberries for 10 minutes, drain, and add to secondary fermenter (bucket). Rack beer to secondary.
• Age on cranberries for several days before racking to another container. Check flavor every few days to make sure you’re not getting too much cranberry.
• If another fermentation starts because of the sugars in the cranberries, allow this fermentation to complete before bottling or kegging.
• Age approximately two weeks, though cranberry flavor will become more prominant as the beer ages.