Homebrewing New Year's Resolutions

I'm planning to make larger batches of my favorite traditional long-aging brews (Porter, IPA, and Barleywine/Burton)
Also planning to brew more standard brews of 5% ABV or less.

 

(1) Achieved this simply because my son and his fiancee moved out of the house (and out of town). I'm now the only one drinking the beer, so the kegs stay fuller longer. In fact, now I have the opposite problem.

(2) Incremental progress here. I'd have to say the APA IPA (but made with a British yeast) is my house West Coast IPA. I also recently made a NE IPA that really needs no adjustment, so perhaps that is a house beer now. Still need to nail down some lagers.

Cheers!

 

1. Continue brewing in all 3 phases, controlled, with fellow Brewers and the drunk in Brewer series.
2. Continue making more beer videos with more guest appearances.
3. Continue encouraging others to home brew.
4. Build a new smokehouse with the ability to smoke at least 10 lbs of grain as well as meat.
5. Become a better hop producer.
6. Continue to monitor, learn and comment on this site.

Happy holidays to all!

 

For this coming year, I would like to:

1.) Build a nice 4-tap keezer... This is happening in the next three weeks, but I will have the kegs filled and pouring hopefully by the end of January. I am really excited to start kegging!

2.) Start harvesting and reusing yeast a few generations to reduce costs... Going to do start doing this with my next batch.

3.) Learn more about all the various grains, hops and adjuncts so I can develop recipes better.

4.) Brew a huge RIS sometime in Spring/Summer to bottle and age until Fall... I am thinking something 12%+ with vanilla beans, coffee and all of that fun stuff.

5.) Dial in my efficiencies better... I have a good idea, but they vary based on grain bills... I want to better predict what type of beer will give what efficiencies.

 

0.5 for 3... I'll copy and paste those goals for 2016. A lot of the failure (1 and 3) was due to a mid year move and increased time spent working with less of a concentration on brewing. 2 was a partial victory as I brewed the the same beer twice with slight variations another two times, still I can not say it's a perfect beer though.

Keezer build is still up there on my list though now that I have a permanent residence and a place to build it and I will be more motivated to work on water chemistry as, once again, I have a permanent residence and will be more likely to send my tap water out for analysis.

 

1.) Better mash temp control. (Still fine tuning how often I need to check temp and add ice or heat)
2.) Brew a Berliner Weisse for my wife.
3.) Buy a grain mill, 50# bag of base malt, and grain storage container (been searching for a deal on a grain mill for a while)
4.) Finalize a house APA (hoping my recent NE APA will fit the bill after some adjustments)

 

I'm not doing so well.

 

Hoping this is gonna be a huge year for more. My family and I are planning (dreaming) of moving from Pa to Dallas. Great beer scene there as compared to here. So my brewing plans are to get as great at is as I possibly can because my friend and I are thinking of opening a brewery in Dallas. Have to nail everything down. Don't wanna release subpar product. So brewing has determined my life plans for 2016!

 

1. Start kegging.
2. Build a keezer.
3. Not gain any more weight

 

#1 will be counterproductive to #3.

 

1. Brew more than once every 6 months
2. Brew another sour blond
3. Brew another barrel aged wheat wine
4. Get more technical in my brewing
5. Get the junk out of the brew shed and get it organized
6. Finish the fermentation chamber
7. Finish the interior of the brew shed

 

Brew two batches a month rather than one. One for me and one for friends and family.

 

Accomplished all goals last year, and building my second keezer for sours, wild brews, brett beers and meads currently...and should have a Berliner Weisse and Brett Saison on tap by new years.

There really isn't much more that I want to do this year besides keep on doing what I'm doing and experiment with more wild yeast and different styles I haven't brewed yet (brewed around 30 different styles over the years).

Hope everyone has a happy holiday and their (beer) wishes come true!

Cheers!

 

It's a war, not a battle...get back in there and win the next round (I say that to make myself feel better...I gained 10 this year too)

 

I gained 10 lbs + and not caring. Having fun is better than having no fun, rock on and happy Christmas. 1 more night of being on call then look out!!!!

 

1. Graduate from BIAB to using a mash tun
2. I won a gold medal with my 5th batch of beer so I want to perfect that recipe
3. Get my diacetyl problem under control
4. Stop using UV light on everything and just use star san

 

Since we are on for revisiting last year's thread, I have done both. I still haven't conditioned anything that has come out mouth-puckering sour, but I have increased tartness in my Flanders Red, and I did a La Roja clone that had a solid, if still mild, sourness.

I feel I have gotten closer, but still going to work on it for 2016. Also, for 2016 I am going to brew with more of the newer hop varieties, as availability allows.

 

Have you checked out the info available at Milk The Funk about getting that puckering sour you're looking for? The group on Facebook is am amazing resource, as is the website... Milkthefunk.com

 

Didn't happen... Try again this year!