Batch 10: Papa Bear Porter: Brewing Day

Today is a first for me; I'm introducing a friend to the joys of brewing. Clint H., welcome to the fold!

1. Boil 4 gallons of water, and set aside to cool over night.
2. Steep 1/2 lb. crystal 60L malt, 1/2 lb. chocolate malt, and 1/4 lb. black malt in 3 gallons of water at 160º ±10º for 30 minutes.
3. Add 3.3 lb. of pale LME, and stir till dissolved.
4. Bring to boil until break (approx. 20 minutes).
5. Hop.
1. 0.5 oz. Magnum hops T-60 minutes.
2. 0.8 oz. Willamette hops T-40 minutes.
3. 0.5 oz. Willamette hops T-20 minutes.
6. Add half a tab of Whirlfloc T-10 min.
7. Add 6.6 lb. of pale LME at knockout, and let stand for 10 minutes.
8. Chill wort with ice bath and frozen water in soda bottles to below 70º.
9. Siphon wort to to pail, leaving behind as much sediment as possible[1], and add cooled boiled water to just over 5 gallon-mark (or approx. 3 inches from top of pail).
10. Measure original gravity.
11. Pitch White Labs California Ale Yeast (WLP001).
12. Aerate the wort by pouring back and forth between sanitized pails.
13. Siphon into 6.5 gallon carboy primary fermenter, and affix airlock.
14. Ferment in swamp cooler at 70º ±2º.

The original gravity was 1.074. I expect the final gravity to be around 1.017, which should put the ABV a little above 7%.

Our friends, Becky and Clint, and my wife. #NoFilter

Becky and Clint's daughter (above) with our daughter (below).

#NoFilter

My daughter and I at the brew supply shop.

[1] - Turns out, there's just not much sediment to leave behind at this stage. It's not worth siphoning.