Honey Porter Recipe: How to Brew a Honey Porter

Honey Porter is a porter that homebrewers reach for when they want a project worth the extra attention. This version keeps the grain bill built around Pale Malt, and leans on Fuggle 4.5% to shape the finish.

Recipe at a Glance

Brew Day, Step by Step

That’s the shape of brew day and the weeks after it. For the exact grain bill, hop schedule, and full step-by-step instructions with amounts, use the recipe card below.

Serve It Right

A Honey Porter is best served in a pint or nonic, it fits the body and carbonation of this style better than a straight pint glass. Here is one from our shop: LUXU 20oz Pint Glass Set of 4

Ingredients & Gear for This Batch

Grain / Adjuncts Briess 2-Row Brewers Malt – 10 LB, Crushed

Hops Chinook Hop Pellets 8 oz

Yeast Fermentis S-04×3 Safale S-04 Multicolor (3 ct.11.5 g Packs)

Fermenter Inkbird ITC-308 Digital Temperature Controller Thermostat

Priming Sugar Bulk Dextrose Powder 5 lbs – Pure Carbs Unflavored

Equipment Five Star – Star San – 16 Ounce

Full Recipe: Grain Bill, Hops, and Instructions

Print Recipe

Honey Porter

This is a dark, complex, and full-bodied ale with a dry finish. It is similar in style to Brown Porter (see p169) but has a unique character thanks to the addition of honey.

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

To Ferment25 days d

Course: Beer

Cuisine: Ale

Keyword: Honey Porter

Servings: 40 Pints

Calories: 180kcal

Author: Dan Smullen

Equipment

• 1 Large pot or kettle (at least 10-15 gallon capacity)
• 1 Fermenting vessel (6-7 gallon capacity)
• 1 Secondary fermenter (optional)
• 1 Airlock and stopper
• 1 Mesh strainer or bag for steeping grains
• 1 Thermometer
• 1 Hydrometer
• 1 Mash paddle or spoon
• 1 Heat source (stove, burner, etc.)
• 1 Bottles or kegging equipment for storing and serving the beer
• 1 Sanitizer (such as StarSan) for cleaning and sanitizing equipment

Ingredients

For the Mash – Liquor 10.5 Litres (18½ Pints) – Mash Time 1 hr – Temperature 65°c/149 °F

• 6.10 lb Pale Malt Quantity 4.5kg
• 1.2 lb Light Crystal Malt Quantity 700g
• 14 oz Vienna Malt Quantity 300g
• 7 oz Carafa Special III Quantity 200g
• 3½ oz Chocolate Malt Quantity 200g

For the Boil – 27 Litres (47½ Pints) – Boil Time 1 hr – 10 mins

• ¾ oz (Hops) Fuggle 4.5% When to add – At start of boil (IBU 10.8)
• ½ oz (Hops) Challenger 7% When to add – For last 10 mins of boil (IBU 4.3)
• ½ oz (Hops) Wakatu 6.6% When to add – At turn off (IBU 0.0)
• 1  tsp Protofloc Other – When to add – For last 15 mins of boil
• 1.2 lb Honey Other – When to add – For last 5 mins of boil

To Ferment – 18°C (64°F) – Conditioning 5 weeks at 12°C (54°F)

• 1 Wyeast 1272 American Ale II

Instructions

• Heat 10.5 Litres (18½ Pints) of water to 65°C (149°F) in a large pot, then add the grains (Pale Malt, Light Crystal Malt, Vienna Malt, Carafa Special III, and Chocolate Malt) and stir to combine. Let the mixture sit for 1 hour to allow the grains to steep and release their flavors.
• After 1 hour, strain the liquid (also known as wort) from the grain solids using a strainer or mesh bag, and discard the solids. Transfer the wort back to the pot.
• Add ¾ oz of Fuggle Hops at the start of the boil and let the mixture boil for 1 hour. After 1 hour, add ½ oz of Challenger Hops and let it boil for 10 minutes. Then, add ½ oz of Wakatu Hops and 1 tsp of Protofloc and let the mixture boil for another 5 minutes.
• In the final 5 minutes of the boil, add 1.2 lb of honey and stir to combine.
• After the boil, cool the mixture quickly to 18°C (64°F) and transfer it to a fermenting vessel. Add the yeast (1 Wyeast 1272 American Ale II), stir gently to combine, and cover the vessel. Allow the mixture to ferment for 25 days at 18°C (64°F).
• After 25 days, transfer the beer to a secondary fermenter and let it condition for 5 weeks at 12°C (54°F). This conditioning process will allow the flavors to develop further and make the beer smoother and more enjoyable.
• Once the conditioning process is complete, the beer is ready to drink. Pour it into a glass, admire the beautiful color, and enjoy the complex, full-bodied flavors of your Honey Porter beer.

Get the fermentation temperature right on Honey Porter and most of the rest of the process takes care of itself.

What Makes Honey Porter the Style It Is

Like most classic beer styles, Honey Porter has a long, slightly tangled history behind it, shaped as much by regional brewing traditions as by any single inventor.

The character of this beer comes down to a beer that leans on pale malt and fuggle 4.5%, and Wyeast 1272 American Ale II is doing more of that work than the grain bill gets credit for.

Style Characteristics at a Glance

• ABV: 4.8-6.5%
• Bitterness: 20-35 IBU
• Color: 20-30 (dark brown)
• Serving temp: 50-55F (10-13C)
• Glassware: a pint or nonic
• Food pairings: smoked meats, roasted vegetables, caramel desserts

Common Questions

Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes, the grain bill and hop schedule scale linearly with batch size. Just make sure your equipment, mash tun and boil kettle both, can actually handle the volume you are scaling to.

What is the biggest mistake homebrewers make with this style?
Rushing the schedule. Pulling a beer off yeast too early or skipping conditioning time is the most common way to shortchange a recipe like this one.

Can I substitute a different yeast strain?
You can, but expect the flavor profile to shift. Stick close to the same yeast family (English ale, American ale, Belgian, lager, etc.) if you want a result close to what this recipe is aiming for.

Keep Exploring

Once you have this one down, here are a few more homebrew recipes worth trying next:

• Baltic Porter Recipe
• Smoked Porter Recipe
• Brown Porter Recipe

Browse the full homebrew recipe collection for more styles, or if you are just getting into the hobby, start with one of our homebrewing starter kits for new brewers.

This recipe is for adults of legal drinking age. Please brew and drink responsibly, and always sanitize your equipment thoroughly to avoid infection.