New Year's Beer Resolutions for 2017

I've drastically cut my beer intake, I'm down to college freshman basketball weight (differently configured, with small ice cream pooch), I sleep way better than in years, I walk with my wife and dogs 4 miles a day, I read and write voraciously, but I vow to take my wife to England, stay a few days in London, rent a car, then drive all over England, Wales, and Scotland visiting cool pubs, staying in nice places, and trying some damned local beers! I have friends in Canterbury, York, Cardiff, and Edinburgh, and want to see Cornwall and Stonehenge one more time.

 

1. Stop drinking beer anywhere from a month to a week before my races. It would just depend on my goals for that race. I'll plan on going sober the month leading up to a triathlon in May and again in July if I don't qualify for nationals. I'll probably do two weeks leading up to my first half marathon (which also the first race on my calendar this year). I have about 5 races on my calendar right now, with an additional 2 pending on my performances. Fortunately, no races during stout season

2. Try more amber and brown ales. Still don't have many of these under my belt.

3. Continue slimming down my cellar and being much more picky with what goes in there. After all, I'll be moving sometime in 2017 or 2018.

4. Form a beer budget. I'm buying my first real car here soon, and accruing some more expenses. I'll have to actually maintain a budget with much slimmer wiggle room now.

Bonus: Build my liquor cabinet. Right now it's all bourbons. I just bought my first rye. I'd like to add a vodka or two and some gin, as well as, some more whiskeys for a better selection. I need to pick up more mixer items as well.

 

My beer resolution is to remain true to the styles I love. Recently got away from my usual keg of Schlenkerla Marzen and bottles of Spaten for a two month bender of NE IPAs. While I enjoyed many, the ABV and "juice" characteristics eventually overwhelmed.

 

Once I'm done drinking down my current stock in late Jan/Early Feb, my goal is focus on beers <8% ABV. I'm always drawn to the higher octane stuff, but I find overall I enjoy the lighter stuff a little more. Occasional exceptions (Bourbon County) but that's about it.

 

I've always been a 'quality over quantity' guy, but it's become 'quality AND quantity' lately. Time to pull back a little bit for the sake of my health and wallet.

I'd also like to continue exploring new styles. 2016 has been great for finding a love for wild ales, various Belgian styles, Gose, Berliner, etc.

 

In 2017 I am looking forward to exploring a lot of new beers and also attempting to age a few to see how I like them over time. I also want to try some new styles, etc. In the mean time I need to do 2016 justice and drink it out correctly, lol.
Cheers.

 

Only one, do not become an alcoholic...

 

Enjoy some beers from my cellar, can't wait forever to try them.

 

Work through some of the basement collection,
continous improvement of home brewing.
Cheers all

 

In 2017 I need to save money, so am going back to the well priced basics. A sixer of the new sierra Nevada tropical torpedo and a sixer of whatever is in season with lagunitas per week should keep me under $25 a week. Then throw in a few interesting singles per month and I'll be right around where I want to be.

 

I'm going to stop buying big stouts/quads for the sole purpose of cellaring them

I'm going to get my hand on some Tree House/Trillium and other celebrated NE IPAs

I'm going to hit 750 beers rated/reviewed on this site

 

For 2017 I want to hit more Michigan breweries(Transient, Tapestry) do a New Holland tour and a few that are closer to Michigan like Three Floyds.

More home brewing and some experimental brews. Possibly get to where we (brother/stepfather) produce something worthy to enter some compitions this year. We developed a few last year that have some major promise.

I'm pretty satisfied with weekly/monthy expenditures on beer from the bottle shop. Although, I have as 2016 has been winding down I have passed on more then, I have bought as far as new beers...Expect that trend to continue for 2017.

The first 2 points are the biggest for me for 2017....

 

Explore more styles (i.e. less IPA/IIPA). It is too easy to wind up with a refrigerator full of IPAs when you live in New England. Not that I am complaining.

 

Try to keep it to a 12 pack a week. I've been adding too many cellar beers which never seem to get drank. Cellar is at 125 in two years and while I do enjoy the big beers, they are getting dusty. Enjoy more of the classics like SNPA, Two Hearted..., don't need to get every release.

 

Like a lot of people already in this thread, I am going to cut back but jack up the quality. Trying to go through January + with no beer M-Th and only a "few" on weekend days. Mostly this is just part of a broader plan to lose some weight.
Planning our beercation to be either Portland OR, or Austin next year.
Also plan to try to visit breweries within an hour of my house that I have not been to yet as well as revisit the best ones that I have been to.

 

I already instituted this change, but I stopped drinking beer Mon-Thursday.

I plan on seeing my Giants play in Wrigley this year so I want to visit 3 Floyd's. I also want to visit Tired Hands this year.

Other than that, no plans. I will continue to buy what I want and drink quality beer. It's flipping beer...it is supposed to be fun.

 

I like where OP is thinking.

-Stop the chase. Stop the reading of FB posts on releases, and UT checkins. UNPLUG. If I read release news ASAP, I need to stop, sleep on it for a day or two. Then in a couple days time, if there is no craving for it, I obviously didnt need it or feel I really HAD to have it.
-Drink more shelf beer
-Stop thinking and do more drinking. Not every beer has to be critiqued or analyzed.
-Along the lines of points 2 and 3,I want to stop giving par or mediocre breweries business. $5 pints @ 2-3 a trip are definitely fun times, as I'm doing more drinking than thinking. But there needs to be a cost analysis. Would I have been better spending that $16 on two six packs of established beers that I should re try (SABL for example).
-I've done good this year about buying less bombers than ever before, but the re connection with shelf beer needs to be established this year

 

I have two main resolutions.

- Focus on supporting my local breweries. My area is doing quite well for its size with local beer. There's some very solid to excellent beer being brewed here and at generally very reasonable prices. I need to do more of my part to help keep this up.

- In my own brewing, going back to basics with simple recipes and becoming more familiar with various and new ingredients. I plan to mostly brew SMaSHes in the vein of various styles I like. The experimental aspect of homebrewing is the part of the hobby I most love besides drinking the end product, so it only makes sense for me to do this.