. . . . Baltic Hound is now available . . . .

This is a 6.2% ABV Baltic Porter.

Baltic Porters are typically stronger, fermented cold with lager yeast and feature intense roasted flavours. The lager yeast and cold fermentation prevent fruity esters developing and allow the roast malts to take centre stage. There is a touch of Black Malt in the recipe but it majors on the mid-range coloured malts. Brown, Red Crystal Rye, Double Roast Crystal and Carafa(I). The result is a clean, smooth, thick, roasty and chocolatey porter.

If you read my earlier blog post about brewing Lagers you might recall that I wrote about decoction mashes and how they were too much trouble for my process. Well, I decided that this Baltic Porter would benefit from the decoction process to emphasise the roast malts further. It took a bit longer on brew day but went quite smoothly. I’m very happy with the outcome.

The picture below is of a filled can of Baltic Hound in the can seamer ready for sealing. The foam is intentional (possibly a little bit excessive for effect in this picture) – by sealing onto a foaming head of CO2 (carbon dioxide gas) you ensure minimal entrapment of oxygen in the can. Oxygen can lead to deterioration of flavours, particularly hoppy flavours. Darker beers tend to be more resistant to oxygenation effects. The can is flushed with CO2 before filling. CO2 gas is heavier than air so you should get a protective blanket over the beer with minimal oxygen.