Stovepipe Porter by Otter Creek Brewing, Middlebury, VT

Now this sounds like my kinda porter! Recently, we've experimented with three different recipes. A vanilla porter that we picked up in Lincoln, Ne at Kirk's (excellent), a vanilla porter we picked up in Napa (terrible), and a chocolate porter we picked up at the Beverage People in Santa Rosa (the verdict is still out).
The description of this porter makes me want to try this one next. We generally add a little vanilla to our porters, it makes them oh! so yummy. We boil two vanilla beans in the boiling pot for the last 20 minutes. Then add about 2 oz of pure vanilla extract to the keg. Mmmm...

Okay, so here's the recipe from the book:


From Beer Captured by Tess and Mark Szamatulski:

SRM = Standard Research Method scale of color.
HBU = Home Bittering Units = (oz) x (% alpha acid of hop) (Hmm, yeah, whatever....)


"Stovepipe Porter pours with a medium tan dense creamy head that rests on an ebony beer with red highlights. The nose fills rapidly with a well orchestrated blend of floral hops, chocolate and roasted malts. Roasted malts meet hop bitterness in the flavor to present a well-balanced taste leading to the ending that is dry and overflowing with roasted grains. This is a big, thick chewy porter, blessed with hops, that you can really sink your teeth into."


Yield: 5 gallons
Starting Specific Gravity: 1.058-1.059
Final SG : 1.015-1.017
SRM: 84 (Black color)
IBU: 41
Alcohol by Volume= 5.4%
Heat 1 gallon of water to 160 degrees F.

Add:
12 oz. British Chocolate Malt
8 oz. Belgian Cara-Munich Malt
8 oz. US 60 degrees L Crystal Malt
4 oz. Roasted Barley

Remove the pot form the heat and steep at 150 degrees F for 30 minutes.
Strain the grain water into the brew pot.
Sparge the grains with 1 gallon of 150 degrees F water.
Bring the water to a boil, remove from heat.

Add:
4 lb. Alexander's Pale Malt Extract Syrup
3.25 lb M&F Light Dry Malt Extract
6 oz. Malto Dextrin
1 oz. Chinook @ 11.6% AA (11.6HBU) (bittering hop)

Add water until the total volume in the brew pot is 2.5 gallons.
Boil for 45 minutes, then add:
1/4 oz. Cascade (flavor hop)
1/4 oz. Willamette (flavor hop)
1 tsp Irish Moss

Boil for 15 minutes.
Remove the pot from the stove and chill the wort for 20 minutes.
Strain the cooled wort into the primary fermenter and add cold water to obtain 5-1/8 gallons.

When the wort temperature is below 80 degrees F, pitch the yeast.
1st choice: Wyeast 1098 British Ale
Ferment at 68-72 degrees F
2nd choice: Wyeast 1028 London Ale
Ferment at 68-72 degrees F

Ferment in primary fermenter for 7 days or until fermentation slows, then siphon into the secondary fermenter (5 gallon glass carboy).
Bottle when fermentation is complete, target gravity is reached and beer has cleared (approximately 3 weeks) with:
1-1/4 cup M&F Extra Ligth Dry Malt Extract
that has been boiled for 10 minutes in 2 cups of water.

Let prime at 70 degrees F for approximately 4 weeks until carbonated, then store at cellar temperature.

Mini-Mash Method:
Mash 1.5 lb British 2-row Pale Malt and the specialty grains at 150 degrees F for 90 minutes. Then follow the extract recipe omitting 2 lb. M&F Light Dry Malt Extract at the beginning of the boil.

All-Grain Method:
Mash 9.5 lb British 2-row Pale Malt and the specialty grains at 154 degrees F for 90 minutes. Add 8.7 HBU (25% less than the extract recipe) of bittering hops for 90 minutes of the boil. Add the Flavor Hops and Irish Moss as indicated by the extract recipe.

Helpful Hints:
This robust porter is ready to drink 1 month after it is carbonated. It will peak between 2 and 4 months and will last for up to 7 months at cellar temerature.

Serving Suggestions:
Serve at 50 degrees F in a pint glass with venison chili, piled high with red onions, sour cream, Vermont cheddar cheese, olives and warm, homemade tortilla chips.