Brew Day - Irish Stout

Yesterday was Brew Day – Broc Irish Stout. I have been looking for a beer to name after a badger (for no particular reason other than it struck my fancy one day) and this seemed appropriate. Brock is the name for a European badger and in Gaelic it is spelled Broc. Hence, the name of this beer.

It was a nice day for brewing. The sun was out but it was cool enough to stand next to five gallons of boiling wort. I was a bit nervous using the propane burner again, as the last time I did flames shot out of places they shouldn’t. In fact this is the second attempt at this particular beer, as the aforementioned brew day resulted in Questionable Stout (currently in secondary fermentation). Things turned out fine this time though. Added a teaspoon of gypsum to the water to increase the calcium and make the Maryland water a bit crisper. Starting gravity is 1.040.

If you are interested, here’s the breakdown of ingredients:

6 lbs. Dark LME
4 oz. Chocolate Malt
4 oz. Caramel 10°L
4 oz. Roasted Barley
4 oz. Flaked Barley
½ oz. Nugget hops (bittering)
1 oz. Williamette hops (aroma)

Mmmm… simple but tasty.