Sept 2003 Replicator
Dear Replicator,
We recently tried Total Disorder Porter from Big Horn Brewery in Tacoma, Washington. We brought home two growlers and am hooked enough to make the 2 hour drive if we need... but We’d love to try our own. How can we find out the recipe? (as I drive a Suburban it will be better for the environment if I can brew my own rather than drive to Tacoma).
Thanks for the help,
Jim Jeffers & Ken Winkley
Felida, Washington
Jim & Ken,
I talked to Head brewer Larry Cash at Big Horn Brewing (a Ram International Pub) to get the low-down on this awesome beer. Larry is a member of the American Brewers Guild, and has been brewing for over 10 years. I have had the chance to drink some of Larry’s beers in the past, and highly recommend them!
Total Disorder Porter was the silver medal winner at the 1996 Great American Beer Festival, and continues to be a favorite at Big Horn Brewing, and all of the other Ram International pubs, where this is one of the “regular taps”.
Larry said this beer has distinct roasted flavors of chocolate malt, and some caramel malt flavor (from the crystal malt). Total Disorder Porter is a dry, yet sweet beer, with a low level of hop bitterness, and slightly malty flavor. The dryness and roasted flavors comes from the generous use of Chocolate malt, while the sweetness comes from the low attenuation rate that the yeast gives it.
Larry highly recommends that you use the White Labs WLP002 English Ale yeast. Big Horn has tried many other types of yeast over the years, but none of the others give them the flavors they were looking for.
For more information you can visit the Big Horn Brewing web site at: http://www.theram.com/ or by calling 253-756-7886.
Enjoy!
(5 gallon, extract with grains)
Steep the 3 crushed grains in 3 gallons of water at 152º for 30 minutes. Remove grains from wort, add malt syrup and bring to a boil. Add Cascade (bittering) hops, Irish moss and boil for 60 minutes. Add Willamette hops for the last 15 minutes of the boil. Add the Cascade hops for the last 3 minutes of the boil.
When done boiling, add wort to 2 gallons cool water in a sanitary fermenter, and top off with cool water to 5.5 gallons. Cool the wort to 80º, aerate the beer and pitch your yeast. Allow the beer to cool over the next few hours to 68º-70°, and hold at these cooler temperatures until the yeast has fermented completely. Bottle your beer, age for 2-3 weeks and Enjoy!