Here is one of Kevin’s early homebrew recipes, inspired by the London porters of the 1800s—Dark Castle Porter. This recipe later evolved into Black Forest Porter, one of my first commercial beers released in 2012, which went on to win several awards.
This is one of my early homebrew recipes, one that inspired by the London porters of the 1800s—Dark Castle Porter.
At the time, I didn’t use any water treatment, as my brewing water and the dark malts naturally hit the ideal mash pH of 5.4.
Aim for a mash temperature between 65°C and 67°C. I always loved brewing this on a cold winter’s day—the rich aroma of roasted grains filling the air was divine.
For hops, I’d use traditional English varieties like Challenger and Goldings, adjusting the quantity based on alpha acid percentage since this beer isn’t about bold hop aromas. A good English ale yeast, such as SO4 or Nottingham, works perfectly.
This is a great example of a full-bodied, roasty English porter—one of my favourite beers when served from cask at 12°C.
Dark Castle Porter – All-Grain Recipe
- Batch Size: 23L
- Original Gravity: 1.057
- Final Gravity: 1.015
- ABV: 5.5%
- Bitterness: 35 EBU
- Colour: 153 EBC
- Mash Temp: 65–67°C
Malts:
- Pale Malt (77.5%)
- Brown Malt (10%)
- Crystal Malt (9.8%)
- Chocolate Malt (2.6%)
Hops:
- Goldings (60 min, 30 EBU)
- Goldings (10 min, 5 EBU)
Yeast:
- 1 packet of Safale SO4
Fermentation:
- 19–20°C for 5–7 days
- Cold crash to 2–4°C for 7 days
- Carbonate to 2.0–2.1 vol CO2
