update: the primary is foaming and bubbling like crazy. the last batch wasn't like this at all, there was barely any action. it turns out, when you do things correctly, you get better results...
and thanks for the advice and help everybody
It's dried malt extract, boiled for 60 mins, plus some kind of hops, boiled for 15 mins (I guess, since I lost the instructions). I don't know the "real" recipe for this thing.
[on preview] thanks colobrewer I'll leave it out.
I already made one batch (after doing a lot of things wrong, pitched yeast when wort was hot, didn't add enough sugar for carbonation, didn't boil wort long enough, and more) and it tasted like iced tea with a hint of beer flavor. Like beer was trapped inside, struggling to get out.
So about a month ago a neighbor gave me a kit after hearing about my interest in homebrewing. It had been sitting in his basement for at least 7 years. I lost the instructions almost immediately after opening it. My question is this - there's enough dextrose included with the kit to bottle about...