Recipe

Flying Dog Brewery’s Gonzo Porter (Imperial Porter) clone

Flying Dog Brewery: Gonzo Imperial Porter clone

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.088   FG = 1.025
IBU = 75   SRM = 57   ABV = 9%

Brewed in honor of Hunter S. Thomson, this beer is “big, bold, and beautiful.” It features notes of roasted chocolate, coffee, and vanilla malt flavors.

Ingredients
15 lbs. (6.8 kg) 2-row pale malt
2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg) crystal malt (120 °L)
1 lb. (0.45 kg) black malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) chocolate malt
5.5 AAU Warrior hops (90 min.) (0.34 oz./9.7 g of 16% alpha acids)
9.4 AAU Northern Brewer hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g of 9% alpha acids)
9.4 AAU Northern Brewer hops (30 min.) (1 oz./28 g of 9% alpha acids)
3 oz. (85 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
4 oz. (114 g) Cascade hops (dry hop)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast (3 qt./~3 L yeast starter)
3⁄4 cups (150 g) dextrose (for priming)

Step by Step
Crush the grains and mash at 152 °F (67 °C) for 60 minutes. Mash out, vorlauf, and then sparge at 170 °F (77 °C) to collect enough wort to result in 5 gallons (19 L) after a two-hour boil. Boil two hours, adding the hops as directed. Cool, aerate, and pitch yeast. Ferment at 70 °F (21 °C). After fermentation is complete, bottle or keg as usual.

Partial mash option:
Substitute the 2-row pale malt in the all-grain recipe with 3 lbs. (1.4 kg) Briess light dried malt extract and 6.75 lbs. (3.1 kg) Alexander’s pale liquid malt extract. Heat 5.5 quarts (5.2 L) of water to 166 °F (74 °C) and pour into 2-gallon (7.6-L) beverage cooler. Place crushed specialty grains in a nylon steeping bag and submerge. Stir grains well, tie off bag lightly and seal cooler. Let grains steep, starting at 155 °F (68 °C), for 30 minutes. While grains are steeping, heat 2 gallons (7.6 L) of water to a boil in your brewpot and 2.5 qts. (2.4 L) of water to 180 °F (82 °C) in a large kitchen pot. Run off “grain tea” and add to boiling water in brewpot. Add the 2.5 qts. (2.4 L) of 180 °F (82 °C) water to the cooler, untie bag, stir grains and let sit for 5 minutes. Run off remaining “grain tea” and add to brewpot. Add dried malt extract and bring to a boil. Add first charge of hops and boil for 60 minutes, adding other hops at times indicated in the ingredient list. With 15 minutes left in boil, stir in half of the liquid malt extract; add the remaining half at the end of the boil. Let wort sit 15 minutes before cooling. Cool wort and transfer to fermenter. Add water to make 5 gallons (19 L). Follow the remaining portion of the all-grain recipe.

Issue: December 2006

Brewed in honor of Hunter S. Thomson, this beer is “big, bold, and beautiful.” It features notes of roasted chocolate, coffee, and vanilla malt flavors.