"Brew" Year's Resolutions?

[GHBWNY]

So, what have you considered doing differently (adding to, eliminating, changing, etc.) in the New Year with your brewing process?

For me, it's definitely a ferm chamber build. Although I *think* I have been successfully controlling ferm temp for the past two years --- albeit with many successful brews --- the last few batches have been mysteriously imbued with a consistently bothersome fusel essence. I'd like to think that over the course of brewing and tasting, maybe my taste buds have become more attuned to subtle off-flavor tendencies, but... nah.

Happy New Year!

 

[PADave]

I'm constantly trying to better my process, one little change at a time. I have nothing specific for the year, as I have reached a point where I have a good process down and just want to tweak it a little. Like today, I'm going to try to mash inside and do my boil outside. Normally in the warmer months I do everything outside, but I hate the cold and need to get a process down to brew in the winter. New this brew is a pulley system to hoist my bag instead of having to lift it out of the pot. I'll also be using my new oxygen wand for the first time.

I would like to try and brew some bigger brews this year, and also try some styles I haven't brewed yet.

 

[breckenridge]

Get a handle on water-gonna get a ph meter, water testing kit, and necessary additives.

Drink through more of my cellared beers- still have ~40 @750 Belgian bottles of quad and Flanders red (good problem to have, but I need the bottles for saison and Orval clones!)

More lagers - CAP, KY common, Pils and Dünkel, specifically.

Build a proper brew shed now that we moved to a place w/ no garage.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

I just went to AG BIAB two batches ago, so I have plenty to catch up on in 2017. I think I want to learn more about water chemistry. I plan to make an "Ale To The Chief" AG conversion from the official recipe on the website. It calls for gypsum and I am interested in learning the nuts and bolts of what and why to use it.

 

[catdaddy66]

I need to modify my small dorm fridge with an stc-1000 so I can do my lagering and cold crashing at home.

 

[Sammy86]

I have my process down...my brew years resolution is to get back to 8 batches a year...last year only did 6 so would like to get back up to my goal.

 

[dsaavedra]

Going to focus on yeast and fermentation health this year. Got a stir plate, flask, and oxygenation kit for Christmas and I plan on overbuilding starters to harvest clean yeast for future batches (instead of my current method of just dumping a pint of slurry into a batch), and pitching appropriate amounts of yeast into well-oxygenated wort. Hoping to see an improvement in my beers!

 

[DurtyChemist]

I'm also focusing on yeast health. Oxygen kit purchased a few batches ago, temperature control not a problem, and saving yeast from starters. Overall it will be tracking things more and taking better notes. I might even brew the same batch a couple times to dial it in instead of brewing different things every time. This might also help me dial in my setup even more than I think is possible. I also want to brew more.

 

[DurtyChemist]

I need to modify my small dorm fridge with an stc-1000 so I can do my lagering and cold crashing at home.

Go with the ink bird 308. It's plug and play, the same price as building a STC, and a lot cleaner. Heck I'd probably trade my ITC (uses F and C not just C) for the inkbird just for looks.

 

[Ashevillain]

200+ gallons of beer made is my goal, mainly 10-gal batches. Convert to ebiab. Deff gonna make some friends in the trading section and the local breweries/hbs. Its a race against time to make space in my kegs everything must go!

 

[jerbrew]

Did nine brews (one more to come on Wednesday) and some cider this year and I have a couple new bear resolutions.

1) start brewing lagers. I just got to where I can successfully lager and wanna try my hand at Helles and some festbiers.

2) start my Brett pipeline. Love saisons brewed with Brett and would like to get a few good batches under my belt and in some bottles

3) Brew more. Even if it's 1 gallon experimental batches. 9-10 brews isn't enough for me to feel I've expressed my brewing creativity sufficiently in one year.

 

[Ashevillain]

Did nine brews (one more to come on Wednesday)

3) Brew more. Even if it's 1 gallon experimental batches. 9-10 brews isn't enough for me to feel I've expressed my brewing creativity sufficiently in one year.

I feel this precisely, this year was good but we can always brew more, i want to try and set up a fixed schedule so that the whole year of brewing builds on itself in a more coherent way. Need to kill the lagtime between batches even when there still lots of good beer to be drank. Im going to aim for 24 brewdays in 2017!

 

[brewcat]

I hit all my goals this year, hopefully can do the same for the next. My overall goal for the upcoming year is storage & inventory.

#1 - Expand storage, more kegs to help the pipeline.
#2 - Yeast. I want to build a small yeast bank.
#3 - Start building an inventory/buying in bulk.
#4 - Create a schedule for the year.
#5 - Continue work on the hop garden.

 

[foam_top]

Start brewing again. Haven't done any batches in months. Also I would like to do my first lager.

 

[alexnova]

My goals

1. Build a keezer. I have several kegs going at once and moving the lone CO2 line around gets tiresome. I'm pretty sure I lost most of a 5# tank from messing with connections too much.
   
2. Improve my water. I'm primarily extract so I should use RO/DI more than I do. A new carbon filter brought my tap water's dissolved solids down 10% (and got the chloramine out), but I ought to get a home RO system.
   
3. Do more small-volume batches. I did a 1gal BIAB SMASH this fall and I learned a lot from it. This will help with...
   
4. Brew a gluten-free beer. A family friend really likes sorghum beer and keeps asking me to make one.

 

[Toadies]

Enter a local home brew contest.

 

[coypoo]

Get a pH meter, start the sour program

 

[Abrayton]

Make the move from extract to all grain

 

[BeerAddikt]

Where to begin...

1. Go all grain...the nub is bored with extracts and partial mashes.
2. Start harvesting yeast...why not?
3. Start lagering.
4. Invest in kegging setup.
5. MAKE MORE BEER!!!

 

[Toga]

Brew more malty lagers.

 

[sportpak]

Moved this year, so only got a few batches in.

2017 means...

I need to dial in brewing at the new house. Process is basically the same, layout and amenities are different, making some of the details new. Need to get a few brews in to feel "back in saddle."

Brew more regularly, even if its 2.5 gallon batches.

 

[oceanic_brew]

I've begun experiments where I split a batch 6 ways into 1 gallon carboys. I'm planning to brew through every ingredient in my LHBS and also try some various techniques.

Me and my Miss have just decided to make the move to Corner Brook, NL to build a brewery so I'm hoping to start brewing what will soon be three of my main stats at the brewery plus the massive amount of other work that will be needed.

2017's gonna be amazing

 

[BikerMatt]

I can drink all the beer I want...


...but only after I`ve brewed it myself first

Gonna be a dry first few months Though I wouldn`t mind dropping a few pounds.

 

[GHBWNY]

I've begun experiments where I split a batch 6 ways into 1 gallon carboys. I'm planning to brew through every ingredient in my LHBS and also try some various techniques.

Me and my Miss have just decided to make the move to Corner Brook, NL to build a brewery so I'm hoping to start brewing what will soon be three of my main stats at the brewery plus the massive amount of other work that will be needed.

2017's gonna be amazing

Although I'm a little envious of your bold endeavors in NL, I truly wish you the best with your new brewery. Where you're heading seems fairly remote (at least compared to Halifax) for a brewery, but where there are people, there will always be beer! We vaca'd in West Dover, NS a few years ago, and what a beautiful land, and looking forward to going back someday. Maybe even to NL.

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

I'm going to up my sour beer production, I only did 20 gallons of sours this year (10 of which I did last week)

 

[Ashevillain]

I've begun experiments where I split a batch 6 ways into 1 gallon carboys. I'm planning to brew through every ingredient in my LHBS and also try some various techniques.

Me and my Miss have just decided to make the move to Corner Brook, NL to build a brewery so I'm hoping to start brewing what will soon be three of my main stats at the brewery plus the massive amount of other work that will be needed.

2017's gonna be amazing

Good luck that sounds awesome!

 

[eSePeludo]

Dial in my system ive been brewing for 3 years and i still dont know my system. My process is good as in im not going insane looking for things or making rookie mistakes.

I basically take a recipe adjust it for 60% efficiency and use a few calculators to get my water volumes ect. I over build my yeast starters just incase i come out with a higher than expected og, most of the time i and up over pitching.

I control temps and use tap water with camden added. Always sanitize very well.

My brews vary in quality most of the time passable very few times bad rarely great.

I plan on buying a sack of Marris Otter a pound or 2 of a single kind of hop and a few packets of us 05 and 04 and start taking good notes.

Im thinking 10 lbs of malt and maybe 3 oz of hops and alternate the yeast. sticking with the same hop schedule for a few brews eh ill see.

 

[rootster]

I'm committed to brewing more and buying less.

 

[JonM]

I'm gonna get IPAs down. I've been tinkering with recipes for the last two years and I have come to the realization that simple is better. Next time I'm going to start with Yooper's Pale Ale grain bill or EdWort's Haus Pale Ale and build from there and hopefully come up with a solid recipe. Simple - two-row and a little light crystal.

 

[ThomasO5608]

I have had an idea for a refrigerated counter flow chiller and I am going to make it my goal to have that built and perfected this year. I am tired of wasting hundreds of gallons of water to chill 5 gallons of wort.

 

[Murphys_Law]

Add a nitro tap.

 

[GHBWNY]

I have had an idea for a refrigerated counter flow chiller and I am going to make it my goal to have that built and perfected this year. I am tired of wasting hundreds of gallons of water to chill 5 gallons of wort.

Sounds cool, let us know how it works out.

 

[JohnK93]

I'm committed to brewing more and buying less.

This is a great goal! I brewed about 8 batches this year (one more tomorrow) but I spend too much money on commercial beer...my pipeline always seems to be running low.

My goal is to brew a light lager (probably a pilsner) and continue working on my IPA's. Most of my brews in the past 2-3 years of AG brewing have been bitters with one annual Oktoberfest brewed in March, but I was pleased with my latest IPA and have the hop itch again. I'd also like to try my hand at a farmhouse ale.

For the commercial beers I do buy, I'm focusing on beers that will help refine and expand my palate, such as single hop beers or styles I'm not familiar with.

 

[seatazzz]

My brewing has been a gradual series of minor improvements. This year, I'm going to work on better temp control of the mash & the fermenters. My cheapo Big Lots digital thermometer will help with that. Major purchases will have to be a dedicated refrigerator for crashing/ferm chamber and more kegs...hard to have a good pipeline when I hate bottling and I only have two kegs to my name.

 

[FutureFarm]

My goal is is 9 batches this year. I'm moving across the country sometime late March or early April. So I won't be brewing Feb, Mar, or April. My goal is to get settled enough to be brewing in May.

 

[brewbama]

I am going to simplify my recipes. I've found that my best brews are the simple classics. The ones with six to eight different grains measured to the quarter once, with sugars, adjuncts and all kinds of hops, etc are so underwhelming. This follows reading Brewing Classic Styles, seeing a youtube of Drew Beechum speaking about Brewing on the Ones and a BeerSmith Podcast, etc. I guess it's a back to the basics move for me.

 

[acarter5251]

For me:

Brew more often

Give sour brewing a try

Enter a homebrew competition

 

[bigplunkett]

I want to start keging i bought a temp controler but need to convice the swmbo

 

[jcav]

Keep brewing once a month but would love to get two brew sessions in each month, or one 10 gallon batch every 3 weeks. Would also like to experiment a little more with some recipes and really tweak them and bring out that extra something special and make a very unique beer. This is the plan anyway, we'll see in a year if I made any progress or if I am in the same place as New Year's Eve with my good intentions! Good Luck everyone on your brew year resolutions!

John

 

[GHBWNY]

For me, brew simpler recipes; get better control of the brewing basics.