Smoking was a habit I gave up in graduate school, but on some days, I find the smell oddly pleasant. It signals nice weather, camp fires and drinking beer in the Adirondack chair.

Smoked malt, similar to hops, is one of those ingredients that so many brewers misuse.

Smuttynose Robust Porter is a quality representation of the style and downright tasty beer.

It’s not often that, at the end of a sweaty 92-degree afternoon, I head straight to the refrigerated cases at a convenience store and pull out a porter.

Somewhere, there is a list of actions — sometimes brave, sometimes stupid, often criminal, but always industrious — that people have performed for free beer.

Alaska — never been there, but now I want to go soooooo bad. No, not for its lovely winters, but to sample some of the state’s outstanding beers.

Raspberries are powerful fruit.
I checked on the raspberry basil porter yesterday, just to see how it was shaping up. I’d originally planned to wait another week before bottling, but when I tasted it, I thought it had enough time.

Two weeks in the secondary with just over a pound of raspberries proved to be PLENTY of time. The aroma is pretty strong and the flavor overpowers the malt body in the porter — something I didn’t think possible. The other thing I discovered is that raspberries can be tart. The original …

It won’t be ready for Valentine’s Day, but the porter I made yesterday is going to be well worth the wait, and tasty even in Spring.
It’s based on a recipe that appeared in the November/December issue of Zymurgy. That called for aging with Palo Santo wood, but I’m good without it. I don’t want anything to get in the way of the sweet raspberry and basil combination, which I hope will be distinct.

10 lbs. pale malt
1 lb. chocolate malt
.5 lb. black patent malt
.6 lb. crystal malt 60 L
.25 lb. wheat …

Bryan broke out the chili pepper porter we brewed with his brother back in August. The results, I think we all agreed, were “interesting.”
It was a little hot for my taste, but the base was solid. Just as your tongue is getting the hint of chocolate, the pepper hits the back of your throat and is kind of distracting. Val said she loved it, and would be happy with it if she bought one at the pub. Bryan dry hopped it with cocoa beans, which helped, but I agree with …

My boy, Bryan, lika tha spice.
Yesterday, we made a chili pepper porter. We based it on a recipe we saw in Zymurgy, made a few substitutions and threw in some hot peppers. It could be brilliant. Here’s the recipe:
10 lb. pale malt
.75 lb. crystal malt (60L)
.5 lb. roasted barley
1 oz. whole Perle hops (60 min.)
.25 Willamette hop pellets (60 min.)
.25 oz. Willamette hop pellets (35 min.)
1 oz. dried cayanne/marble chili peppers (35 min.)
.5 oz. Willamette hop pellets (10 min.)
American ale yeast.
Mash grains with 15 quarts of 170-degree water. Stabilize at …