BeerBorg

It's a new year and we've all continued to grow as brewers, so what is your resolution (brewing related) for the year?

I've decided that I'm going to shoot for having my beer out of primary in 7 days (unless I am dry hopping). Given what I've seen from my beers this past year, I think I can hit this easily with a full fermentation + clean up.

What about you?

I have several...

- I'd like to get back to a more consistent brewing schedule. Doesn't have to be frequent (I have plenty of beer on hand, so I don't need to brew every weekend), but just consistent. The last few years have had scattershot brewing... brew several in a month or two, and then not brew for several months.
- Also, I really want to work toward kegging this year (been saying that for the last three years).
- I want to get into some sour brewing and/or hit on some styles I haven't brewed before.
- I'm going to enter a competition or two this year. I entered one last year, but I wasn't really happy with the ones I brewed for it (I haven't been fantastically happy with a lot of them this year, though most have been Mr. B extract based from the contest winnings)
- In relation to the prior point, I really want to get back to AG brewing. These extracts are quick and all, and the beer isn't bad, but I don't feel as much ownership in them, even if I customize them with steeps/mini-mashes, etc.
- Finally, I want to get some regular rotation beers (I have never really done that, having only brewed a few beers multiple times).
- And then the long standing goal... to brew on some big boy equipment. I've made friends with several members of our local brewing community, and I actually feel that this could happen at some point... but that's not really a goal/resolution for this year as much as an ongoing hope/wish/goal...

I'd like to work with more styles this year, especially as it might help me during the warmer months to concentrate on saisons.

But I'd also like to try a cream ale, a kolsch, and some others. It'll be a fun balancing act trying these new styles and still having my stalwart house brews in the pipeline.

I want to refine my ag IPA. And I want to set up a kegerator, first must find a suitable fridge to convert since the one I had for it died on me. I would like to set up a better brew schedule and brew maybe once every 6 weeks. Not beer related... but I want to practice more on the strat so I stop clearing the county of cats... well, that's not a bad thing, but, also want to put lots more miles on the bike.

I want to brew something that really wows me, then brew it again and have it come close to the origional.

All very good resolutions. To be clear, since I don't use a secondary, I mean that I want my beer either bottled or kegged in 7 days. That means spot on yeast and temp controls but I think I can nail this. The California Common I brewed on 12/28 has slowed down considerably in the airlock so I've moved it to a warmer spot to finish up and clean up.
It's been 4 days so I will check it this Saturday and then dry hop if ready.

Swen, I expect to see pics of you running the equipment at Yazoo at some point this year!

I just thought of another one. I want to design my new favorite Double or Imperial Witbier.

Kealia wrote:All very good resolutions. To be clear, since I don't use a secondary, I mean that I want my beer either bottled or kegged in 7 days. That means spot on yeast and temp controls but I think I can nail this. The California Common I brewed on 12/28 has slowed down considerably in the airlock so I've moved it to a warmer spot to finish up and clean up.
It's been 4 days so I will check it this Saturday and then dry hop if ready.

Swen, I expect to see pics of you running the equipment at Yazoo at some point this year!

I see stepping up starters to get closer to commercial like pitching rates in your future, especially if you brew bigger beers.

I'll think of my own resolution... tomorrow... LOL.

For the new year i would like to enter a contest i found one local this summer.
And i would like to brew a little more consistantly until late may. since i take the summer need to have a very full pipeline by then.

I'd like to get a bit more outside my beer box and brew beers I'm not very fond of just so I can try them out. I'd also like to enter a local competition just to have judges review my beers.

I hope to continue to grow and learn as a homebrewer. I would like to move away from using HMEs as bases for my brews and explore the wonderful world of specialty grains, unhopped malt extracts, and the myriad realm of yeasts. I hope to continue my cider experiments, and perhaps dabble a bit in wines and liqueurs. I am pleased with my progress throughout 2013. I learned so very much! If I can continue down that path this year, I will be a happy homebrewer! Cheers!

I want to learn how harvest and re-use yeast.

I want to get consistent results. Last year was my first year and I had a few good beers,one great beer, a few below average and a couple of stinkers. I want to find a good basic beer that I can reproduce and make it my house beer.

Me I just want to be able to brew again. I hear the calls from the basement. The whispering of the grains....................................

Kealia wrote:All very good resolutions. To be clear, since I don't use a secondary, I mean that I want my beer either bottled or kegged in 7 days. That means spot on yeast and temp controls but I think I can nail this. The California Common I brewed on 12/28 has slowed down considerably in the airlock so I've moved it to a warmer spot to finish up and clean up.
It's been 4 days so I will check it this Saturday and then dry hop if ready.

Swen, I expect to see pics of you running the equipment at Yazoo at some point this year!

I have done that with a wheat beer using Nottingham yeast. My beer went grain to glass in 2 weeks. And it wasn't a bad beer at all.