IMPRINT BEER CO.'S IMPERIAL MILK PORTER CLONE (modified)

STEP BY STEP

Mill the grains and mix with 6 gallons (23 L) of 165 °F (74 °C) strike water to reach a mash temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear. Sparge the grains with enough water to collect 7 gallons (26.5 L) of wort, add lactose and stir to dissolve. At this point, check the gravity of the wort in the kettle. With that volume, the SG should be 1.073. Add sugar or dried malt extract if your gravity is too low (I had to add 1 cup corn sugar to hit target SG). Boil for 120 minutes, adding hops according to the ingredient list.

After the boil, turn off heat and chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 65 °F (18 °C). Aerate the wort with pure oxygen or filtered air and pitch yeast.

Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) for 10 days, then raise the temperature to 70 °F (21 °C) for 3-4 days. Upon completion of fermentation (check your gravity being such a "big" beer this may take longer than expected), crash the beer to 35 °F (2 °C) for 48 hours, and bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.25 volumes.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS:

Imprint Brewer and Co-Founder Ryan Diehl notes that in the interest of palate "mellowness," you should target about 200 ppm of chloride, adjusting as necessary with calcium chloride. Between the water chemistry and the use of lactose, this recipe allows for a chocolate-forward expression without being overly roasty. Ryan also says that this recipe sells well on its own, but also serves as a fantastic base for their coconut porter (pictured), maple porter, and coffee porters. If pursuing those options, he advises leaving out the lactose.