2014: What will you accomplish this year?

1. Finally buy that corker and start filling those Belgian style bottles I've been hoarding the last couple years.

2. Work on sours.

3. Make a really good wee heavy.

 

I will have the mancave/brewhaus built by the end of this year. Actually, it should be completed by the end of January, as the tools (welder, nail gun, quick-drive screw gun, etc), supplies (nails, screws, insulation, wood, pipes etc) and other essential supplies (electrical panel, wiring, fire-proofing, plumbing, televisions, glassware, beer-related decorations etc) are essentially collected and ready to go. I've even got a good deal of the hardware for the actual brew system, and am finalizing the plans even as we speak. Then it'll be "tweak time" as we test/prove the system before the first batch is brewed. I'm even taking fewer classes in the spring so I can focus more on what I really want to do with my life: drink beer and play bass in a metal band.

The final batch to be brewed on the old 5 gallon system should be soon. After that, the 5 gallon system will be donated to my brother's other house, so he can brew there when he's not at the house with the mancave.

My other goals are to improve my guitar/bass/assorted instrument playing skills*, to obtain an electric four-string mandolin, and to make love to at least 25 super-models this year**.

*including drums, which I just got my set completely finished and ready to go
**Some goals may be more attainable than others. But if you don't try, you get the same results as trying and failing, so you might as well go for it, because you can only succeed if you risk failure.

 

Try to brew more, and get enough in the pipeline to be able to brew and age some bigger beers. This will be difficult when the 2nd kid comes along in a few weeks, but I'll do my best.

 

First let me compare my goals for 2013 vs. accomplishments in 2013 to see which one's I actually came through on:

http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/2013-the-year-of-promise.59191/#post-792717

RIMS: Should be up and running by February so that's pretty close
Barrel: Nope
Wild Ale: Brewed a sour with my brew club. Haven't done any wild ferments at my spot yet
Spend 50% of 2013 exploring new territory: Probably did more like 75%
Spend 50% of 2013 dialing in previously brewed recipes: More like 25%
Using Hop Rocket More: Absolutely
Using the Mad Fermentationists Hop Oil Calculator: Did so quite often

OK so I'd say I'm came through on enough of those 2013 goals to entertain setting some 2014 goals in this thread!

2014 Goals would perhaps include....

Overhaul brew equipment a bit:
- Maybe find a more permanent way to mount my inline oxygenator
- Strip down single tier brew stand and respray with a fresh coat of rustoleum high heat
- Add electric spark ignitors to HLT and MLT burners
- Add RIMS system with 2 PID controllers
- Add recirculation return port to MLT

Brewing Goals:
- Start making mead
- Make more cider
- Make another barrel aged sour with my brew club
- Better dial in my APA, Witbier, Imperial Red, and Robust Porter
- Win some more BJCP medals

Professional Goals:
- Intern at a craft brewery

 

I made a pretty decent partial mash one, my 5th brew ever. Too much alcohol bite though, that was before I had my swamp bath, and it fermented at ambient constant 72 F :/

 

I make a good half gallon batch every morning.

 

Build an incubator in the coming weeks for culturing yeast.

Culture more yeast.

Pin down my new system.

Start a sour barrel and finally brew a Flanders Red (brewing it in a few weeks, barrel a few after that).

Enter more competitions and place.

Enter all our COC comps (except one which is only for those who have never entered one before) and place.

Build a keezer with neck and taps, plus finish the entertainment room (bought the paint today).

Culture more yeast.

Brew a really good Wee Heavy (this weekend) as I have brewed 2 drainpours so far.

Brew my first Barleywine (maxing out my MLT).

Actually grow hops (not just empty plants).

Rebrew my 1st place Dopplebock (I have only rebrewed one of my beers and then soured it).

Culture more yeast.

Brew a Vienna Lager.

Assist (watch) my buddy weld me a single tier dual burner brew stand.

Culture more yeast.

Move from aeration to oxegenation.

Culture more yeast.

 

2013 Goal: Make a decent Wit.
2014 Goal: Make a decent Wit.

 

1. Enter my A/G alll cascade pale ale in a contest and see if I can get a medal.
2. Make the perfect IPA for me that I want to drink all the time.
3. Make the Founders breakfast stout clone BYO put out.
4. Build a twin turbo fox body mustang that can be driven on the street that puts down at least 600 HP.

p.s
#4 cant happen due to lack of 40k laying around but I have to put it on the list every year.

 

Use the rest of my Vienna and Pilsner grains, and my Hallertau Mittelfruh hops and make a nice 10 gallon Pilsner. THEN, I can make a quad that is my favorite style for the first time. I'll be kegging an american adjunct lager at the end of this month for dad, see if he likes it. Make an american ipa with some peach flavoring and LOTS of simcoe hops. I'll also buy a couple of bags of grain and try out some different styles of beer. I'm still new to homebrewing(2 years). I would love to experiment with some different specialty grains and hops I've never used before. I'd like to perfect a simple cider that southern brewing did, just using publix apple juice and s04 yeast as well. Heck. may even try out a simple mead. the year is filled with many unused days!

 

2014... Make my first dipa and imperial stout.

Small goals but I just started.

 

Sounds like your dad has a similar beer taste as mine does .. Crappy bud style lagers. I have a Kolsch fermenting now that I am going to try on him since he is anti hops ...

 

Finally getting around to converting my 7.75 gallon keg into an HLT and my 15.5 into a mash tun, goodbye cooler mash tun. Upgrading my home made portable kegerator, (adding a tower tap).

 

I think it's easy to make a pretty good wee heavy. Really good ones seem rare to me, both homebrew and commercial.

 

1. Brew a great barleywine. My first two were way too dry and thin... need to stop chickening out and just mash high (e.g. 160F).
2. Get going on the barrel projects I wanted to do in 2013. Rum barrel will be filled with barleywine in a couple weeks, but I need to brew some stuff to throw in my bourbon and cabernet barrels.
3. Get some sours going (Flanders v3, pLambic, American Wild Ales).
4. Brew a lager. Still haven't done one but will this year.
5. Enter some competitions again. I didn't brew or enter a single comp past May and would like to up the output this year.
6. Brew some more imperial stouts and beers to age. Not brewing for six months and buying beer at the store made me realize how miserable many overly hyped commercial beers are. Need to get back to brewing stuff for my palette.

 

Build a kegerator and fermentation chamber.

 

^Amen.

As far as my goals? Keeping it simple:

1. Brew more beer than I did last year.

2. Brew a decent Barleywine.

 

To get A SN beer camp invite. same as last year lol