Take one quarter of high-dried malt, with one or two pecks of patent
malt; mash in the same manner as directed for beer. Add the following
ingredients: eight pounds of good hops, one pound of liquorice root, two
pounds of Spanish juice, half a pound of ground ginger, one pound of
salt, eight ounces of hartshorn shavings, and four ounces of porter
extract.
Separate the hops, and run the wort on them; when placed in the copper,
and in a state of ebullition, infuse the whole of the other ingredients.
Let it boil about one hour, or till you discover the surface of the
liquor to become flaky, and the wort broken; then take it from the
copper and strain it into the coolers. Now proceed in the usual way till
it be fit to rack, which will be in about a fortnight; draw it off into
another vat, in which let it remain three hours to settle, and in the
mean time wash the cask quite clean; draw from the vat the contents, and
return them to the cask, leaving the sediment that has lodged during the
three hours. If the colour be not full enough, add, when racking, some
brandy colouring, which soon gives to it that pleasing appearance
peculiar to good porter. Do not fill the cask quite full; bung it close
the following day, but leave the peg-hole open for a few days, or a
week, according to the state of the atmosphere; peg it when you think it
is fine; and if it appear to be fast approaching to clearness, and has
stood long enough for the attainment of maturity, tap it, and draw it
quickly; for porter, in cask, always requires a quick draught, and when
it gets flat bottle it off as soon as possible.
It will improve greatly by standing a few months in the bottle.--_The
Vintner's Guide_.