Kinda burned out. What to do?

I get that way sometimes. I just take some time off. It's kind of like re-calibrating your palate to IPA's and other hoppy things. You try not to think about it for a couple weeks, and then all of a sudden...you get that itch...and there's only one way to scratch it. I don't know - start collecting stamps or something for awhile.

 

hmmm, have you tried teaching someone else how to brew? that might help re-spark stuff for you. or its just time for you to move on to the next thing? no big deal, you might just like beer more brewing.

 

Yeah there's nothing wrong with taking a break from your interests.
Just find something else you dig to occupy your time and don't worry about not brewing.
I'm pretty new to homebrewing so I haven't felt the burn-out yet....but I've felt it for my other hobbys, right now I'm all about beer but it'll wear off eventually.
Recently I've also gotten in to cat-breading:

 

If its any consolation, I came home the other night to find my *entire* brand new keg of citra witbier sitting at the bottom of my keezer. Keep on brewing man, you clearly have some passion.

 

Clearly your brewing lacks focus. Perhaps try brewing nothing but an interminable series of 3 gallon partial mash IPAs. That should ignite some passion for flavor.

 

I'd say take some time off. Screw competitions for a bit, and brew for your palate when you feel it. Until then, drink different commerical beers than you otherwise would and maybe you'll find a new thing you want to make...

I've had a small pipeline, and have bumped up to 10 gallons for the same reasons you describe, but at the same time I am trading for stuff I couldn't brew easily, nor would want 5 gallons of (except over 10 years...)

 

Sounds like you just need to start brewing for yourself again. Do that recipe you've always wanted to try. Or, when I brew I try to reach certain goals. Example: I try to brew a flavorful beer as cheap as possible, or see how fast I can brew, or (my favorite) I try to brew a historically accurate beer. The historical beers are particularly interesting because I often spend a few hours of a few days researching them. When you have invested more into the beer, you care more about it and take more pride in the final product.
Also, you can try brewing "novelty" beers. Brew something themed around your favorite football team, or a holiday beer for example.

 

I've been there too... Go try some commercial examples of a style you brew well, and you'll remember how much better your homebrew is than many/most/all of them. Then go brew said style with vigor.

Option B... take a break from brewing for a month or two. You'll be super anxious to start up again.

 

You had better get to brewing. There are people in Africa, or Portland , that don't have the time to brew as much as they would like. I wish I had your problem.

 

Been there before. Find an ingredient you haven't used in a while (rye, oats...brett) and make something out of the norm with it. Since it is hot and you have an empty keg, what got me out of my rut was a rye blonde ale that turned out fantastic. Or a 100% brett beer.

Or, take a break...you'll find the want again, I would assume.

 

Idea:

Make something you have absolutely never even considered making before, something pungent or sour or ridiculously fruity or bitter as hell, something you haven't done before and probably won't ever do again. Maybe a ginger beer, wheatwine, high ABV fruit beer, something with an unusual yeast strain you've never used and hadn't considered, or even a mead or hybrid style beer. I dunno what you've brewed in the past, but throw away the book and venture into unknown territory, where the results are less than certain and the anticipation is high.

There's no pale ale or IPA or stout or Belgian or hef that's going to cut it here, it has to be something really out there that will stimulate the brewing cells in your brain and make you anticipate the results like it was one of your first batches.

 

I'd say Belgian encompasses a lot of styles that are really "out there."

 

Could be worse...my dog just died...so I named an IPA for him.

Could be seasonal affect disorder ...it will snow, rain, and be conducive to brewing again : )

 

Just step away for a while (you do have other interests...?). Don't think about brewing unless you want to. People change; you may get back to it in awhile, or not. No big deal.

If you just need a change, make some wine, cider, etc. Buy some petri dishes and become a yeast geek. Grow hops. Make saurkraut and cheese. Sell all your old brewing equipment to me, real cheap

 

it's a hobby. (or an obsession; whatever - the point is it's not a fucking job)

As soon as it's not fun I take a break. Invariably something calls me back. I need to perfect my hop aroma. All those "wait...wait...wait...DRINK IT ALL!" lagers call me back. I read about a historical style and decide it must be attempted. Whatever the reason the break is always short.

I mean, is your beer THAT good that you don't have any areas that have been bugging you to improve? *jealous*

as for the temp thing, last summer my city set a record with 53 days of 100+ degrees, in the same year it hit -14F in winter. Screw that! I have moved about half my batches inside since then. Obviously not everyone can do it but it keeps me out of the worst of the heat/cold.

have a great weekend

cheers--
--Michael

 

being a brewer would be very monotonous.
same beer every day, repeating the weights, temps, water, fermentation, etc etc.

home-brewing beer allows small volumes and variations.

perhaps get into cat breeding?

 

I try to squeeze ~90% of my brewing in between June and August, when I don't work (academic calendar). Near the end of August, I can start to feel a little burned out. Yet I knew that in a few months, I'd be desparate for a brew day and would have difficulty finding the time. Here are a couple of solutions I explored:

1. Make a mead. No mashing, no boiling, no cooling. Easy peasy.
2. Make a sour. Yes, I did the full brew day, but I could delay packaging for a long time.

 

Looking for a little inspirado?

Seems to me like moving to 10 gallons is the way to go. Gives yourself a project to focus on, challenges you with scaling up recipes and what not, puts a little needed distance in between your brewdays, and brings you one step closer to that pro brewer status. Who says you can't go back and spit out a one off/small batch/partial mashyounameit right? I guess I don't see the downside here nor do I really know enough about your homebrew affairs to assess.
So what are the aspects of this hobby that "used" to excite you? Maybe it's just tapping into them again?

Sorry, hard for me to relate since I don't get the opportunity to brew nearly as often as I would like and have so many styles/beers that I still want to produce. When brewday does come around it's like Christmas morning. In fact, just this past weekend I had the burners fired up by 5:30AM...not only to beat the heat but out of sheer excitement to brew my Double Oatmeal Chocolate Stout.

What I do know is that your experience and willingness to help others on this forum speaks volumes in regards to your passion for the hobby.

So in short...
Make the move to 10gal, brew more beer, send beer to Nugganooch

Cheers!