Update on the Oatmeal Stout

The only way to safely transport tasty brew is to put a seatbelt around it.

Brewing went pretty well with no real surprises.  It was awesome using my new brew kettle, a 7 gallon, with a brew thermometer on the front and a sparge valve.  The new brewing facility was quite awesome as well.  I used the kitchen at the Travois office, which has a full professional grade gas range top that makes bringing everything to a boil so much easier than the typical stovetop.  I think I did everything right with the partial mash, but I guess I will find out in a few weeks.  I hope it comes out to be as strong as I expect – about 6% alcohol.  As a last minute change, I decided to make it a chocolate oatmeal stout by adding about 8oz of pure dark cocoa.  That is quite a bit for just five gallons, but hey, experimentation is what home brewing is all about.  It looked like hot chocolate, smelled like hot chocolate and is hopefully going to taste like one kickass chocolate beer.  I look forward to tasting it.