A New Batch of Honey Porter

A pint of the honey porter.

Last night I bottled the new honey porter.  Like the last batch of the porter, it is made with honey from my friends Jay and Ryanne out in Luray.

Last time I made it, I had 2 oz. of US Fuggle leaf hops from another friend that I used in the brew.  I have another pack of those hops but they are in the freezer out at Hawksbill Cabin, so I used a combination of 1 ounce of leaf hops (US Fuggle, bought from Northern Brewer) and the Hallertau pellets that comes in the kit.

Here's the little write-up about the honey porter that is included in the kit from Northern Brewer:

I've got quite the store room going - batches of the
honey porter, vagabond ale, and cranberry dubbel are all
bottle conditioning just now!

This original recipe brewed by White House staff is both a callback to the favored beverage of our Founding Fathers as well as an opportunity to come together and share pints across the aisle.  More than just simply black and roasty, this porter builds consensus with generous applications of sweet caramel and toasty Munich malts, while moderate bitterness and a pound of honey lets us all find common ground.  In a year of divisive politics, we think it's especially common to remember what we have in common:  homebrewing!

The first batch of this porter I made got good marks from everybody who had a sample - the balance of the honey and hops was what they frequently mentioned.  Although the new batch will have a little variation from that, hopefully the balance is still there.

I really do have to keep notes on the batches going forward, so as these recipes evolve I will be able to repeat what worked and what didn't.  In any case, we'll know how it came out in about three weeks, after it has had adequate time in the bottle to condition!