Dark Horse Porter

A Sierra Nevade Porter clone with a twist, brewed to commemorate the birthday of James K. Polk (and, incidentally, myself).

Brewer:	River Bend Brewpub		Email:	-
Beer:	Dark Horse Porter		Style:	Robust Porter
Type:	Extract w/grain		Size:	5.5 gallons
Color:	84 HCU (~31 SRM)		Bitterness:	29 IBU
OG:	1.062		FG:	1.015
Alcohol:	6.1% v/v (4.8% w/w)
Water:	Use tap water filtered with a commercial activated-carbon system. If you have good tap water you can probably skip this step, but mine is terrible.
Grain:	1 lb. American crystal 60L 1 lb. American chocolate
Steep:	Steep grains in water at 150°F for 45 minutes, then sparge with 170°F water.
Boil:	60 minutes	SG 1.085	4 gallons
	8 lb. 8 oz. Light malt extract
	Add liquid malt extract, fill to 4 gallons, and boil for 60 minutes. Toast 1 lb of dry hickory shavings at 350°F for 30 minutes, and add to primary.
Hops:	.5 oz. Centennial (7.4% AA, 60 min.) .5 oz. Centennial (7.4% AA, 45 min.) .5 oz. Centennial (7.4% AA, 30 min.) .5 oz. Cascade (5.6% AA, 15 min.) .5 oz. Cascade (aroma)
Yeast:	Wyeast 1056 American Ale, XL Smack Pack
Log:	Brewed 15 September 2006 Primary: 3 days at ~70°F, hickory shavings added in primary Secondary: 17 days at ~70°F, dry hopped in secondary Cold conditioned in keg: 27 days at 38°F
Carbonation:	2.2 volumes	Keg: 8.1 psi @ 38°F
Tasting:	Flavor is right on the money but the hickory character can be sharp at first. Aging is a necessity. I can't think of anything I'd change for next time; this is one of the better porters I've ever tasted. I used some leftover hickory shavings from a wood shop; if using store bought chips 1.5-2 lb might be needed to get the same surface area. Final volume was about 4.5 gallons due to the wort soaked up by the wood. Next time I'll shoot for 6 gallons to compensate.

Recipe posted 10/10/06.