I am brewing a batch of beer now, a dry stout in honor of the day. It is based on Northern Brewer’s dry stout kit. The kit uses 1 lb. roasted barley, a 6 lb jug of malt extract, and 2 oz Kent Goldings for bittering hops and 5 gallons of water. I am looking for about a 6 gallon brew, so I added another 1.4 lbs of malt extract. I also used a cup of chocolate malt that was just sitting around.

Here is where things get interesting: I replaced 1 oz. of the Kent Goldings by 2 oz. of homegrown Nugget hops from our 2005 batch (stored in the freezer). We harvested these a little too late in the season, so they were past their prime. Hence going up to 2 oz. This is the purest guesswork.

Just finished the boil. I filled the bathtub with cold water and put the pot in it to cool. This will take a while, during which time I will clean the primary fermenter.