“Putting the Gay in Gaeilge! ;-) “

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Blag Shomhairle. If Irish is truly a living language, you have to be able discuss contemporary issues using it.

With a subtitle like that I was surprised to see picture of a clergyman in the Saint Patrick’s Day post. On closer examination the discussion appears to be about the Church of Ireland (Anglican), rather than the Roman Catholic Church. If I can find the time this weekend (hah!) I will try to figure out what it is saying. There a picture of a book with the title Leabhar na hUrnaí Coitinne. A quick look at my Irish Dictionary confirmed my guess that this was the Book of Common Prayer. Quite a change from when what was then the Church of England in Ireland was trying to eradicate the Irish language.

Another Blow

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M is down at the Mayo Clinic. All of us in colgaffneyis are worried.

Today I received bad news from another side of my life: One of my Carleton classmates was diagnosed with colon cancer on Friday. Not a really close friend from the old days, but someone I like and respect, and with whom I have been happily working on alumni business in recent years. I e-mailed her last week asking for a favor on behalf of another friend, and was wondering why she had not replied. Now I know.

Otherwise, this was actually a good day (“Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?”).

Brewing Notes — Dry Stout -2

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The brew is in the primary fermenter. Initial gravity 1.043, vs. the nominal 1.042 on the kit’s instructions. Amazingly close, considering how I altered the recipe. The yeast has been pitched and the lid locked down. I put a lid over the hole in the lid. When the temperature has come to equilibrium with the environment (our basement laundry room) I will replace that with a fermentation lock.

Brewing notes–Dry Stout

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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.