I am thinking about brewing a porter recipe this weekend and I am wondering how long until the average porter peaks, as well as what the shelf life usually is. I love to come home from a day of skiing and relax with a nice porter. If I brew it this weekend would it be good from Dec-Jan? Here is the recipe I am thinking about:
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. black patent malt crushed
1/2 lb. chocolate malt crushed
1 lb. medium crystal malt crushed
6 lbs. amber malt syrup
3 lbs. light honey
1 oz. Perles - boiling (60 minutes)
1/2 oz. Fuggles - boiling (30 minutes)
1/2 oz. Fuggles - finishing (5 minutes)
Wyeast 1084 “Irish Ale”
Should be great during the skiing months as long as your process & sanitation are sound… Cheers!!!
I think so. My bet is that it would be at it’s prime in 6 months, but 4 months will be fine.
a better question is has anyone ever been able to hold on to a porter long enough for it expire?
no matter the season, when i have a good porter on hand i can’t help guzzling it down and doling it out.
I agree with the others, assuming that you are bottle conditioning. Beer in a keg or especially bottled from a keg might not last as long. It can be more susceptible to oxidation, whereas bottle conditioning is actually protective against oxidation.
That said, dark beers are in general more resistant to oxidation.
I’ve kept porters for years. No problems. Live yeast is a great preservative. So are hops.
The antioxidants from roasted malts help tremendously in keeping oxidation at bay. Due to this, porters have an incredibly long shelf life.