Preparation
Crush barley steep with coffee grounds in nylon bag. Add to 3.5 gallons cold water, bring to 170 degrees and hold for 30 minutes. Remove grain and add malt extracts and bring to boil. Add 2 oz Cascade pellets and 1/2 oz Tettenanger pellets in nylon bag boil 60 minutes. After 45 minutes add Irish Moss. Add 1 oz Saaz and 1/2 oz Tettenanger in nylon bag for final 5 minutes of boil. Remove from heat, cool wort, top with water to 5 1/2 gallons, pitch hydrated yeast @ 80 degrees.
Specifics
| Style | Porter |
| Recipe Type | Partial Mash |
| Batch Size | 5 Gallons |
| Original Gravity | 1.057 |
| Final Gravity | 1.008 |
| Boiling Time | 60 minutes |
| Primary Fermentation | Plastic 5 days |
| Secondary Fermentation | Glass 13 days |
| Other Specifics | Alcohol 6.1% v/v Color 136 HCU Bitterness 37 IBU |
Comments
I wanted to make a full bodied porter without the heavy chocolate and licorice tones found in some commercial brands and would not have to condition for several months before it smoothed out. I am extremely pleased with this beer. It has a deep black color and a thick, creamy head that lasts the entire pint. The rich roasted flavor is nicely offset by the bitterness in the finish and was a great beer after only 3 weeks in bottle. On the morning that I bottled it I awoke to fresh bear tracks in the snow across the bottom pasture hence the name. Hopheads will enjoy the complexness of the bitterness even though it is not as high as some beers, and the roastiness compliments the finish wonderfully.