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Our latest batch of brew is a little late for Christmas but we'll crack one open for New Years. I went with a more seasonal recipe,  dark chocolate Porter and like my cooking, I tend to make the concoction up while browsing the local brew store for ingredients, haven't had a bad batch yet! Cost wise it's a little cheaper than buying craft brews at the liquor store but the real benefit is knowing what goes into your beer. Unfortunately none of the ingredients are grown by our selves, one day hopefully, I'm thinking about planting some hops in the spring. If anyone knows of a variety or if it's even possible to grow them in cold climates, please drop me a line :)

 

If we can't provide our own ingredients we at least make use of all the spent grains, some is dried out to go as chicken feed and the rest we put into homemade bread, maybe I'll print the recipe for that another day.

 

• 1lb Crystal 40L
• 1lb Roast Barley
• 1lb Belgium Chocolate Malt
• 1/2lb Special B
• 6lb Pale Malt Extract
• 3 1/2oz bar Dark chocolate (the good stuff!)
• 1oz Dried Orange Peel
• Belgium Abbey Ale Yeast

The Hops

• 1 1/2oz Fuggle Hops@ 4.2% alpha acid
• 1oz Cascade @ 6.5% Alpha acid
• 1oz Amarillo

The Process
Makes 5 gallon batch.

Boil up 2.5gallons and set aside in the primary fermenter to cool to room temp.

Boil your other 2.5 gallon in the brew pot, once at boil remove from heat. Steep all grains in grain bag for 45 min to make grain tea. Return to boil and add extra water to make up the 2 1/2g if required. Add malt extract and crumbled chocolate bar. Bring back to boil and add 1oz Fuggle hops, stir and watch for boil over.

-@ 15min add 1oz Cascade 

-@ 30min add 1/2oz Fuggle

-@45min, flame out, add orange peel and 1oz Amarillo 

 

Cool as quickly as possible to reduce cloudiness in final beer. Once you've reached about 75f mix with water in primary fermentor, pour the must back and forward a few times between the pot and fermentor to airate the beer. Finally add yeast and seal with airlock. Leave for at least 1 week before bottling. The OG for this beer should be about 1.052.

I think I covered all the aspects of this brew, if I'm missing anything or anyone has any questions please email :)