Greetings! I live in Missoula, Montana, where there is a lot going on in the world of beer. Not only are there many great beer bars and some world-class craft breweries, we have a great homebrewing scene, and even our own homebrew club. Here are the facts that all homebrewers need to know about my homebrew hometown.

Hometown:  Missoula, Montana.  City population: 66,788, county population 109,299 (per 2010 census)
Homebrew Clubs:  The Zoo City Zymurgists (www.montanahome
brewers.org)

Where to Buy Homebrew Supplies: Chapman Homebrew and The Green Light.  

Where Homebrewers Drink Craft Beers: Missoula is home to the University of Montana and has more than twenty drinking establishments in the downtown area alone. Just to name a few watering holes and breweries: Big Sky Brewing, The Kettlehouse(s), Bayern Brewing, The Rhino, The Old Post, The Iron Horse, The Tamarack, Sean Kelly’s and Charlie B’s.
Local Homebrewers of Note: This year, ZCZ member, Bill Ruediger, won the Community Brew contest hosted by Big Sky Brewing Company with his “Missoula Five-O,” which is a coconut chocolate imperial porter. The winner of the contest brews a commercial-sized batch at Big Sky. When the beer was ready, it was sold in the taproom at the brewery and served at the local Brew Fest in Missoula. The beer’s proceeds were donated half to the brew club and half to a charity of the club’s choosing, which was Animeals, a no kill pet adoption center serving western Montana. Bill’s winning beer was inspired by a chocolate coconut porter at Maui Brewing fresh off the taps. It took him eleven batches to finally find the winning combination.  (See Bill’s recipe, below).

Missoula Five-O  Chocolate Coconut Imperial Porter
(5 gallons/19 L, extract plus grains)
OG = 1.089  FG = 1.018
IBU = 15.4  SRM = 35.8 ABV = 8%

Ingredients
9 lbs. light dried extract (60 min)
1 lb. wheat liquid malt extract (15 min.)
1 lb. 6.5 oz. Weyermann Caramunich® malt
13 oz. Briess caramel malt
11.3 oz. Briess chocolate malt
6.5 oz. honey malt
2.4 oz. Dingemans de-bittered black malt
6 AAU Cascade hops (1 oz./28 gm at 6% alpha acids (60 min.)
4.2 AAU Hallertauer hops (1 oz./28 gm at 4.2% alpha acids (20 min.)
5 oz. cacao nibs (secondary, 7 days)
10 oz. toasted coconut (secondary, 7 days)
Wyeast 1968 or White Labs WLP002 yeast

Step by Step
Steep grains in 4.0 gallons (15 L) of water for 45 minutes at 154 °F
(68 °C). Next, remove the grains and bring to boil. Total boil time is 60 minutes. Add the dried malt extract at the beginning of the boil and begin hop schedule. At 15 minutes add the liquid malt extract. At flame out add water to bring up to 5 gallons (19 L), chill, aerate and pitch the yeast. Add cacao nibs and toasted coconut in secondary for up to seven days.

Missoula Five-O  Chocolate Coconut Imperial Porter
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)

OG = 1.087

SRM = 36.4

IBU = 16.7 IBU

Ingredients

16 lbs. (7.3 kg) US pale 2-row malt 

3 lbs. (1.3 kg) Briess caramel malt (20 °L)

2 lbs. (0.9 kg) Caramunich malt 

1 lbs. (0.45) barley, flaked  

1 lbs. (0.45) Briess Chocolate malt

12.0 oz. (340 g) Cargill wheat malt, red 

8.0 oz. honey malt 

3.4 oz. Dingemans de-bittered black malt   

6 AAU Cascade hops (1 oz/28 g at 6.00 % alpha acids) (60 min.)

4.2 AAU Hallertauer hops (1 oz./28 g at 4.20 % alpha acids)  (20 min.)   

6.50 oz. cacao nibs (secondary 14 days)                       

13.00 oz. toasted, unsweetened coconut (secondary 14)

Wyeast 1968 or White Labs WLP002

Step by step 

Mash Schedule: Double Infusion, Medium Body

Step Time     Name               Description                                                                   Step Temp    

30 min.        Protein Rest       Add 5.50 gal. (21 L) of water at 132 °F/56 °C           122.0 °F/50 °C      

30 min        Saccrification     Add 4.89 gal. (18.5 L) of water at 197 °F/92 °C         154.0 °F/68 °C      

10 min        Mash Out           Add 4.28 gal. (16 L) of water at 205 °F/96 °C            168.0 °F/76 °C