A taste made just right

CONNOR'S Stout Porter is a recipe inspired by the original Stout Porter, which possessed the perfect balance of bitterness and robustness that made it a popular choice among the British in the 1700s.
Relaunched in 2015 and locally brewed to preserve its freshness, Connor’s Stout Porter is carefully concocted to deliver a crisp texture, creamy head and gentle roasted undertones.
But not many people know that Connor’s Stout Porter is specially developed for Malaysians and it is only available here in Malaysia.
So what goes into Carlsberg Malaysia’s only stout that is ‘Just Made Right’?
“When you develop a new recipe, it’s like cooking, you select the ingredients that you want to work with,” said David Bidau, supply chain director of Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd.
Bidau recently led a group of journalists through the brewing process, as well as on a small tour through Carlsberg Malaysia’s brew house where the Connor’s Stout Porter is brewed.
The process begins with the selection of premium ingredients such as lager malt, caramel malt, brown malt, and finally, roasted barley.
According to Bidau, the lager malt provides malty characteristics and enhances the body, while the caramel malt gives the stout its signature bittersweet aftertaste and gentle notes of caramel.
Brown malt, on the other hand, contributes to the brew’s intense dark colour and its dark chocolate flavour, whereas the roasted barley sets the gentle roasty undertones.
The process of brewing Connor’s Stout Porter starts with blending all four of the main ingredients in a ‘milling’ process, where the malt kernels are crushed into smaller particles in preparation for mashing.
This process takes about 90 minutes before the produce is sent to the mashing processor.
There, water is added to the crushed malt for the starch to develop and break down to simple sugars that give the stout its natural sweetness.
Next, the final mash is filtered to produce a clear wort (liquid) which is then transferred to a boiler to remove any microbes. Hops are also added at the later boiling stage for a slight bitterness and flavour to develop.
Then, the clear wort is taken through a cooler to be chilled to the right fermentation temperature before yeast is added for the fermentation and maturation stage which lasts for about five days to produce alcohol.
After another 10 days of maturation, the stout will develop its perfectly balanced profile and enriched malt flavour.
The matured stout is then transferred and filtered under close monitoring before being released for packaging after quality and tasting evaluation has been conducted.
The stout’s journey, however, is only complete upon serving and it takes a perfect pint to truly give justice to the brew.
Unlike most beers, a perfect pint of Connor’s Stout Porter starts with a room temperature glass held at 45° and an inch under the tap.
When the glass is in position, pull the draught handle towards you and slowly straighten the glass as it fills halfway. Then, let the stout run straight down into the middle of the glass while maintaining the distance of two to 2.5in between the surface of the stout and the tap.
Finally, let the glass fill to the brim and leave the surge to settle, allowing the creamy head to foam.
According to Bidau, beer drinkers in Malaysia are a discerning bunch. There is also a large population of stout lovers here, as well.
Connor’s Stout Porter is available in selected on-trade outlets such as bars and pubs.
It is currently only available in draught but Bidau does not rule out eventually having the stouts be available in bottles as well.