Brew Year's Resolution

I've resolved to add one more arrow in my brewery quiver this year: the ability to ferment at controlled temps. Up to this point I have been making Ales fermented at cellar (basement) temps with pretty good results. I have a couple refrigerators in the basement now so I've decided one will be outfitted with a temp controller this year. I've never made a true Lager -- I've always made pseudo lagers with Cali Common or Kölsch Ale Yeasts -- so that may be an option this year as well.

How about you - do you have a Brew Year's Resolution? What changes/improvements do you have planned this year?

 

I'm going to break away from the standard styles I typically brew, Stouts & Saisons and try out some different stuff.

Maybe I'll do one "oddball" batch every two months or so. I have a temp controlled fermenter so I can experiment with lagering.

As for equipment, I'm pretty sure the only thing I really need to add is a grain mill.

 

Streamline my sparging technique. Mill my own grains, follow a recipe.

 

My Brew Year's resolution is to mill my own grains, get a fermentation fridge with temp controller, and start making lagers by the end of this year. I also want to start and perfect my Rhinegeist Fiction clone recipe.

 

Finish the brew projects I start. Get my brew house efficiency more consistent/ predictable.

 

Buy a house and setup a dedicated brewing space. Also, money saving things like harvesting yeast and bulk ingredients.

 

I want to do two things, keep my blog up to date, and take better notes when brewing. Sadly, I brewed a Russian Imperial Stout today, and my note taking wasn't any better than normal, so.....

 

Paint a self-portrait.
Build a house.

Wait a minute .... wrong forum.

 

More attention to mash ph

 

15 brews at least for the year. I want to try some stout recipes and get into controlled fermentation. Obviously a few lager recipes too. I bought a temp. controller, now i need a freezer or fridge. I might also want to buy equipment for partial mash, but I would be fine staying extract for now.

Edit: Also, if I can get into harvesting yeast to save a little money I would be happy with that too.

 

Convert from threaded fittings to Tri Clamps & win a gold medal again with an Alt Bier I've been perfecting. Brew more...

 

Brew more, build a keezer or a fermentation chamber. Clean up my brews and mill my own grains

 

Brew more. I made a "top 40 list" of beers I'd like to try to brew this year.

I'd also like to update my keezer (again), I want more taps and I'd like to have a nitro setup for stouts.

 

Currently I am only doing 1 gallon brews, so I will be buying equipment to be able to do 3 and 5 gallon batches. Mainly a new brew kettle and some carboys.

 

Last year, my plan was to brew more and share more. That worked out great, so this year I'll brew even more!

I also want to get a handful of favorite recipes really dialed in and consistently repeatable.

Finally, I have been tinkering with an IPA recipe for a long time, monkeying with the mash temp, mash pH, grains, hop combos, hopstands, etc. I plan to get it down this year.

 

Brew more - I think I managed ~10 batches this year and about half I messed up or got infected.

Figure out a kegerator solution - I currently use my Kegerator as a ferm chamber, and we have two full size fridges (neither of which are ours, so I can't drill them) and a chest freezer - so another kegerator is out of the question. Thinking some sort of platform/tap setup in the beer fridge.

Build my Bluetooth BrewPi's and heating wraps before it gets warm out.

 

Brew more, buy less beer. Specifically buy less IPAs because I think I can brew ones that I'm happy with.

 

Brew at least one beer that takes me out of my comfort zone.

I'm thinking maybe a Spruce Beer.

 

I love how most of these include "brew more."

 

My list is

Brew more, at least once per month since I now have seperate fermenting and serving fridges.

Really dial in my efficiency and process.

2015 was the year of "investment" in my brewery and now that I am happy with it I am ready to go!

Also I want to brew at least 1 10 gallon batch since I now have that capability.

And while I am at it I also want to enter at least 1 contest this year.

 

I spent most of last year accumulating equipment, I am the kind of guy that buys when I come across a deal. I have all the equipment to go AG so that is my number one resolution.

I will buy bulk grain and hops and reuse/ harvest yeast.

I will spend this year working on my process and hopefully enter a comp next year.

 

• I want to expand my collection of brewing "toys" this year. (hopback, 15G conical, etc)
  
• I intend to actually use all the hops I bought.
  
• I would like to brew more, but that would involve making smaller batches, as I already drink plenty, and only bought two cases of commercial beer all of last year.
  
• Finish my brew room

 

Get some friends to help you drink, I have had confidence issues with my beer, but this past year I have been serving it more and have found that most people drink my homebrew over commercial offerings I have. No I usually don't mention it is homebrew, I just say I have xyz on tap and serve. Most people are shocked to find out I made the beer. I opened the eyes of several people on New Years when I had centennial blonde on tap. Of course the guy joke was having a blonde on tap in the garage.....

 

Brew more!! Hopefully, this won't be difficult...only 4 batches last year, which was sad.

 

Work on my brewspace. I need a dedicated area instead of having equipment wherever it fits (pretty much every room in the house). Within that is get a fermentation chamber (basement works great until summer); install taps on kegerator door.

After that we'll see. Definitely brew more!

 

I plan on creating a dedicated brew space in my basement. Complete my equipment wish list. And maybe dabble some in whole grains.

I also plan to create a "portfolio" of my recipes and keep better notes. I got a binder and am developing a system of keeping all paper copies of recipes with detailed notes.

 

1) Brew more lagers; specifically Vienna and Helles.
2) Related: Pay more attention to water chemistry and mash pH
3) Simplify brew day. I'm finding direct-fire RIMS and fly sparging more aggravation than satisfaction. Back to batch sparging, cooler MLTs, and temperature adjustments by infusion or decoction.
4) Sell redundant brew equipment.
5) Brew only 5 gallon batches of hoppy styles.
6) Do better with pipeline timing to avoid empty taps on the keezer.
7) Use up the ~150 lbs of malt I have in the basement!

 

Pitched Brett for the first time yesterday.
That covers my "try new things" requirement. Let's call it a year.

 

My bottling system is my weakest link ...I'm not ready to do the whole keg and keezer thing, and I actually like the versatility and simplicity of bottles...So I need to streamline that whole portion of my brewing. From filling and capping to storage both full and empty.
I also need to build some nice custom wood 6 pack carriers.

 

1. Build fermentation chamber
2. Buy in bulk and mill own grains
3. Brew More!!

 

Check out the kegerator thread. I can't remember which post/page it was, but someone made a small coffin box with taps that sat on the top shelf of the fridge. The cool thing with his was, I don't think he had to cap off his taps for fruit flies and the taps were always cold since the fridge door stayed closed.

 

I've been meaning to comb through there, but there are so many damn pages!

Now that I know there is something in there, I'll give it a gander.

 

Just wanted to bump this one and see how everyone is doing. I completed my list. Fermentation chamber is on brew #2. I guess I haven't brewed more yet.

 

• Have made much progress on number one.
• I'm trying like hell to use the hops, but it's an uphill battle.
• Brewing more, and drinking more. (surprise!)
• The brew room is not even on the agenda at this point, sadly.