Today is the 227th anniversary of the founding of the United States Marine Corps. To commemorate the occasion, I am brewing beer. Actually, the beer serves another purpose: my brother graduates from college next month, and I said I would brew some beer for his graduation party. Since he’s getting a degree in Public Relations, I’m calling it “PR Porter.” A Porter is a British dark ale, medium bodied with moderate (4.5 to 6%) alcoholic strength. It was the common man’s drink, and widely consumed in the United States during colonial times. Because it took my brother five and a half years to finish school, I’m making the beer 5.5% alcohol.
The picture above shows the ingredients that go into the beer, and the picture to the right the equipment used in brewing. The coil of copper is an immersion chiller that I use to cool the wort after boiling. The plastic bucket is the primary fermenter. When I’m done cooking, I cool the wort, pour it into the bucket, add water to make 5 gallons, and pitch the yeast. The picture doesn’t show the secondary fermenter (a 5 gallon glass jug) or any of the bottling equipment. If I remember on bottling day, I’ll supply another picture.