2021 Brewing Goals

So, update on the keezer... it's finished! I was able to fill all of the kegs with fresh stuff last night and today, so another day or so of burst carbonating and should be ready to pour. The pale is pils, white wheat, and some carapils with Amarillo and Nelson, fermented with Voss Kveik. Only 5 days old and tasting great. Edwort's famous Apfelwein (my wife's fav), and mineral water with trace minerals, through the Berkey.





And a look under the hood... it's getting crowded in there, but it works.

 

Goals for 2021:

Simplify recipes down to a couple of ingredients then build them up from there (if needed).

Keep up my split batches testing different yeasts on same beer. Or test any other variable that comes into play after hot side.

Update my thread on pinpointing the weird flavors I was getting with my hoppy beers.

Pinpoint my efficiency. I’ve been mashing in and then coming back to brew after family goes to bed. I’ve had anywhere from 3-8 hour mashes and now it seems every beer I brew is 9% ABV

 

This sounds like it would really be more about fermentability than efficiency, unless your standard (shorter) mashes were having issues with getting "full" conversion. But that's easy enough to determine. For the (otherwise) same recipe, are you getting a higher OG with the longer mashes, or is the OG about the same but you're getting more attenuation?

 

You are right I should have made that more clear. I am getting higher than predicted OG and lower FG (so the problem is on both sides). I set my mash efficiency lower cause I was getting lower OG (pre-boil as well) when doing 60min mashes. Seems I need to do some more tinkering.

 

So a few things for 2021:

I think this year I will focus on doing step mashes and getting back into decoctions for my lagers. Never really did step mashes, but I have done a handful of decoctions long ago but stopped doing them once I got into all the LODO stuff. But in regards to LODO brewing, I have been stepping back and saying screw it to a few of the processes. I am no longer dosing with SMB or preboiling mash/sparge water. My most recent lager was double dococted and going into the spunding keg literally is a contender for best lager I have ever brewed in terms of depth of flavor. It's time to be less anal about stupid things and just have more fun with the hobby.

I also want to do more experimentation in general. I have always been a stickler for brewing to style and doing my best to research and come up with recipies that would showcase the style best and such. Not talking about making milkshake IPA's or adjunct laden stouts or anything, but fun takes on traditional styles within reason. At the end of the day, I have to drink 5-gallons of the stuff I brew, so it must be good.

(I am actually planning a kettle sour soon here that will recreate (white) Polish Borscht we have at Easter)... A smoked kettle sour with flaked rye and fresh horseradish root). Caraway seeds at flame out, perhaps? Yeah, that's going to happen!

Also, brew my first Belgian Ale, perhaps? I still have yet to go down that road, but recently have been getting more into them. So I think within the next few beers here I will brew up my first.

I think that about covers it for now!

 

I am hoping to simply brew something this year. It's been a year and a half since I brewed last.

 

2021 brewing goals:

~Fix cold side oxidation problem. I've been really bad about this and think this will take my beers from "drinkable" to "pretty good."
~Start taking water chemistry seriously. Take a water test of my well water and adjust it, or just use distilled water and adjust that. Probably the latter.
~Drink less beer so it actually gets conditioned properly before the keg is kicked!
~Start filtering

 

If you end up getting your well water tested would you mind sharing your results? Just got my well tested, and I'd be curious to see how different well water is a few states away.

 

Of course

I'll send you the results in a DM and post them here for others as well.

 

Brew every month of the year.
Get my flip top bottles all gathered and cleaned. Then use them more often.
Double my cider brewing to two batches.
Replace some tubing.

 

My main goal this year is to re-build my pipeline of bottled beer - saisons, stouts, a red, and a dunkelweizen.

I lost my job during COVID last year - I kept my two kegs full with pale ales and IPAs, but didn't brew any beer that I would normally bottle. Since I had time on my hands, I depleted the supply that I had built. I'm working again (better new job!) and working on getting my bottles filled. Red saison currently fermenting.

 

Well, I’ve already ticked off my brewing goals for this year.. and it’s only February Built a keezer, brewed a lager, and bought a few new (to me) hop varieties that I’m looking forward to using in some single hop IPAs this spring/summer.

New goal: reducing oxygen exposure post fermentation, especially for lagers and IPAs. Bought a few new tools for the job already

 

This is the result of well water from Lake Leelanau, MI

 

In case anyone is interested in comparing, this my well water from West TN, I believe my water source is the Memphis aquifer.

 

From what I've seen, Tennessee water tends to be crazy low in everything. I'd love to have water like that.

 

Congrats on near perfect brewing water.

 

*whistles*

That's awesome water