Ignorant Freestyle Baltic Porter

Probably our most successful brew to date, with one of the most interesting back stories in Parkside Brewing history--this beer was born from rebellion! In the early days of our brewing, after a handful of successful malt extract batches, we decided we wanted to take the leap to all grain. When the planned day came around, I headed to SF Brewcraft to pick up ingredients, hoping the shop owner Griz could offer some guidance. Griz is famous for his encyclopedic knowledge of homebrewing, but he's equally famous for being a grumpy old man. "Oh no no no," he said, "all grain isn't just something you can jump into, or learn from a book. You'll fuck it up! First thing you need to do is sign up for our all-grain class." I wasn't willing to postpone my plans, so I forged ahead on my own, improvising a recipe from vague notions gathered from what I'd read. The result was a decent beer, certainly not the disaster Griz had foretold, but nothing to write home about either. Scott took that freestyled recipe and refined it, through the course of four additional batches, tweaking things here and there each time, until we arrived at the current glass of bliss: rich, caramel-hinted sweetness balanced with intriguing smoke, and a hop presence you note with your throat more than your nose. It's got mystery, it's got depth, it's got euphoria inducing black magic intoxicants (e.g. a high alcohol content). It's tao-like in it's approach to perfection through simplicity. It's the best fucking beer you've never had, and it's brought to you by Parkside Brewing!

12 lbs Maris Otter
1 lb 120L Domestic Crystal
.5 lb Chocolate malt
2 tsps gypsum (1 with mash, 1 with sparge)
1 oz Fuggles (75 min)
1 oz Fuggles (20 min)
1 oz Fuggles (flame off)
English Ale Yeast

OG 1.076
FG 1.02*

Mash at 152 F in 3.5 gallons water treated with one teaspoon gypsum.
Sparge with 5 gallons water treated with one teaspoon gypsum, at 170 F.
Boil 75 minutes.

*FG is estimated, accidentally dropped hydrometer prior to measuring