Lake Time Brewery’s Park Bench Porter: Replicator
Dear Replicator,
We live in Wyoming but were recently in Clear Lake, Iowa and stopped at Lake Time Brewery. All of their beers were good but their Park Bench Porter really stood out. I rarely use delicious to describe beer but the term really applies to this one. They are only open three days a week and brew on a one-barrel system, twice a day, four days a week to meet their demand. I sure would like to replicate the Park Bench Porter!
Thomas Ellis
Sheridan, Wyoming
Good news, Thomas! Now the good people of Wyoming (and elsewhere) will be able to brew their own Park Bench Porter clone and temper some of the demand Lake Time Brewery owners Bob & Suzy Rolling have been up against for their beer. I’m sure the craft beer lovers of Clear Lake, Iowa will also appreciate this!
Brewing on a one-barrel system in an idyllic early-1900s farmhouse, Bob is the very epitome of a modern craft brewer. After two moves in ten months and a lost job, Bob and Suzy decided to
open a brewery just a short walk from the lake, where the campfires and beaches encourage a more laid-back and simple lifestyle. Swapping the clock-punching sales career for a no-watch (well, maybe a timer for the brewery) brewing gig is a leap of faith that many would think twice about – but it’s hard to argue with the results!
Lake Time Brewery opened in June 2013, just two weeks before the hectic Independence Day holiday (then, and now, their busiest day of the year!). The setting could hardly be more “American Craft” style: Plush chairs and couches, a fireplace, and boating gear on the walls give an impression
of drinking beer in a friend’s lake house – albeit a friend with ten taps to choose from!
Bob started brewing as many professional brewers do, with a small extract kit, received as a gift from his brother, Ed. Ordinarily this is the part where I tell you that so much has changed, and now the Rollings host hundreds at their brewpub, but Lake Time doesn’t follow the script. Instead of the big beer hall or the industrial loft space, Bob pours his beer in a 35-seat tap house that’s actually . . . a house. And a beautiful house, at that, painted a rich blue that mirrors the waters of Clear Lake just steps away. A collection of tables and chairs out front welcomes guests when the sun shines, and the brewery also makes good use of its location. This year marked the inaugural Brews of the Beach beer festival, where Lake Time joined with almost two dozen other breweries to celebrate craft beer as part of the annual three-day Bicycle, Blues and BBQ Festival. No stuffy convention halls for these folks — it’s open air, blue water, and great beer!
Lake Time’s beer (as I can personally attest) is excellent across a wide range of styles, which is not surprising when you consider their rather small brewhouse. One single barrel: Which means lots of opportunities to both experiment with new recipes and perfect their regular beers. It’s an impressive array of beers, too — everything from traditional styles to seasonals to a rotating IPA series.
Bob was kind enough to send me a “care package” of their beers, and each one showed great technical skills. The flavors were clear and bright, they weren’t just differently-colored variants of one flagship beer, and they had a cared-for flavor that you get from the best small breweries. In fact, given that Lake Time only brews about 250 barrels a year, I was impressed that they were kind enough to part with some so I could weigh in!
The Park Bench Porter in particular is a stunner: It’s essentially a classic English porter, but brewed to American-style IBUs and gravity. The grist is a blend of American and British malts, and the late hops and English yeast strain bring out the traditional earthy, floral, and light fruit flavors that are typical of British beers. But there’s also a healthy dose of coffee and dark chocolate thanks to solid additions of chocolate malt and black patent. This was a beer that Bob brewed as a homebrewer, and he’s had lots of time to tweak and fine-tune it!
But don’t obsess over it. “Lake Time” as Bob & Suzy proclaim, isn’t a time, but a state of mind. Eat when you’re hungry; drink when you’re dry. Brew this one for you, Thomas!
Lake Time Brewery’s Park Bench Porter clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.064 FG = 1.016
IBU = 58 SRM = 43 ABV = 6.6%
Ingredients
6.5 lbs. (3 kg) Maris Otter pale malt
4.5 lbs. (2 kg) Rahr 2-row malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) chocolate malt (350 °L)
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) crystal malt (80 °L)
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Special B malt (180 °L)
0.25 lb. (0.11 kg) black patent malt
12.75 AAU Northern Brewer hops
(60 min.) (1.5 oz./43 g at 8.5% alpha acids)
4.5 AAU Fuggle hops (20 min.)
(1 oz./28 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) or White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale) yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Mill the grains and mix with 4.2 gallons (16 L) of 167 °F (75 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 154 °F (68 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear, and lauter. Sparge the grains with 2.7 gallons (10.2 L) and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 L) of wort. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list and kettle fining agent if desired.
After the boil, chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 63 °F (17 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast.
Ferment at 64 °F (18 °C) until fermentation is complete (about 1.016 specific gravity). Once the beer completes fermentation, bottle or keg and carbonate to approximately 2.25 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve clarity. Store carbonated beer at near-freezing temperatures for at least two weeks before drinking.
Lake Time Brewery’s Park Bench Porter clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.068 FG = 1.017
IBU = 58 SRM = 41 ABV = 7%
Ingredients
8 lbs. (3.6 kg) pale liquid malt extract
1 lb. (0.45 kg) chocolate malt (350 °L)
0.75 lb. (0.34 kg) crystal malt (80 °L)
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Special B malt (180 °L)
0.25 lb. (0.11 kg) black patent malt
12.75 AAU Northern Brewer hops
(60 min.) (1.5 oz./43 g at 8.5% alpha acids)
4.5 AAU Fuggle hops (20 min.)
(1 oz./28 g at 4.5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1098 (British Ale) or White Labs WLP007 (Dry English Ale) yeast
2⁄3 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Bring 5.4 gallons (20.4 L) of water to approximately 162 °F (72 °C) and steep specialty malts in grain bags for 15 minutes. Remove the grain bags and let drain fully. Add malt extract while stirring, and stir until completely dissolved. Bring the wort to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to
the ingredient list and Irish moss as desired.
After the boil, chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 63 °F (17 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast.
Ferment at 64 °F (18 °C) until fermentation is complete (about 1.017 specific gravity). Once the beer completes fermentation, bottle or keg and carbonate to approximately 2.25 volumes. You may want to cold-crash the beer prior to packaging to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours to improve clarity. Store carbonated beer at near-freezing temperatures for at least two weeks before drinking.
Tips for Success
Brewer and Owner Bob Rolling notes that this is a pretty straightforward beer to brew, but strongly urges you to use the recommended combination of Rahr 2-row and Maris Otter. The blend encourages a light bready background note while still preserving the relatively clean slate for the hops and character malts to contrast with. Take a seat by the lake and enjoy – Bob tells me that it gets even better as it warms!
