Independence Porter

Description:

This beer won first place in the Porter category in last month’s AHA-sanctioned competetion held by the Upstate New York Homebrewers Association (Rochester, New York).

Ingredients:

• 6.6 lbs Munton & Fison amber malt extract
• 0.5 lbs Munton & Fison light dry malt extract
• 0.5 lbs chocolate malt, crushed
• 2.5 oz Cascade hops pellets, boiling (55 min) (note: for 2 oz, alpha =

Procedure:

The chocolate malt grains were crushed and added to approximately one gallon of water and slowly heated. Before a boil was reached, grains were removed and sparged through two strainers, (one coarse and one medium). The malt extract, gypsum, and boiling hops were added and boiled for 55 minutes. About 15 minutes from end of boil, yeast was rehydrated by standard method [note: standard method consists of removing 1 ladleful (approx. 1/4 cup) of boiling wort and diluting to 1 cup with cold water in a sanitized 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. It is then cool enough to add the yeast immediately. The Pyrex cup is covered with plastic wrap, sealed with a rubber band.] At end of boil, immersion wort chiller was placed into brewpot, the finishing hops was added, and the brewpot was removed from the heat. The pot was immediately transferred to the sink and the chilling begun. The brewpot lid was placed over the chiller and the gap between pot and lid was sealed with plastic wrap. After chilling for approximately ten minutes, the wort was transferred to the primary, straining out the hops pulp in the process. Wort was diluted to five gallons with jug-aerated water. [Note: jug-aerated water refers to the following: cold tap water is added to the fermenter 1/2 gallon at a time to make 5 gallons. Each 1/2 gallon is shaken vigorously for 30 – 60 seconds in a sanitized plastic gallon jug to aerate. This may also help dechlorinate the tap water.] Some cold tap water was blended with warm to produce a final temperature between 65 and 70 degrees in the fermenter. The yeast was pitched immediately. The original gravity was measured to be 1.060 at approx. 67 degrees –> 1.061 corrected. Fermentation was carried out at approximately 62 degrees. Primary fermentation continued to 18-Nov-92, when beer was racked to the secondary fermenter. Batch was kegged on 7-Dec-92; final gravity: 1.015 @ 60 degrees –> 1.015 corrected. Alcohol content was computed to be 6.0375% by volume, 4.83% by weight.