Focus for 2025?

[bwible]

Not to get all New Year’s Resolution stuff, but does anybody have any ideas they’d like to focus on or things they plan to explore more and do more with for 2025?

I have a few newer books I haven’t read - Modern Lager, Brewing Barleywine by Terry Foster, Viking Mead recipes, a couple others. None of these are new territory for me but sure doesn’t hurt to re-visit some things.

 

[fluketamer]

ipas.

i brewed a lot of lagers and kolschs all last year and plan to make more hoppy IPA's . i dont like alot of them in the stores cause they are usually around 8 percent and thats a little high for my tastes.
but after making a successful hoppy sessionable ipa at 5 percent i am excited to try to make more of them this year. already planning my next one.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I'm going to explore using different hops and yeasts in my brewing. I usually stick to much of the same but after reading more from folks here I want to see how I can make some changes.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I really enjoyed the "Modern Lager Beer" book. I thought it was going to just be "you have to triple decoct, ferment cold and lager for 6 months!!" but it does a good job of describing different mashing and fermenting processes and the impact. They also also highly recommend natural carbonation, which is something I have never really thought of having much impact. I understand a lot more about lager brewing after reading that book.

For my 2025:

• Brew several batches using the packs of hops I brought back from my New Zealand trip back in Feb/March. I have a NZ Pils that is able ready to keg. I am thinking a mix of NZ Pils, Hazy Pale Ale and Hazy IPAs.
• I plan to enter around 8 competitions, with hopes of getting 6 entries with scores of 38+ for my next rank in the Master Homebrewer Program...and hopefully win a few medals along the way.
• I hope to cycle back and brew some of my favorite styles and recipes. I tend to move on from a recipe once I get it "perfected", and I also like to try out new ingredients and processes.
• Add in some homebrew club related brews, and I am already overbooked for the year.

Cheers!

 

[AzOr]

I’m gonna look at some traditional styles that I’ve never brewed.
First up is an Altbier and then maybe a dunkel. I’m shying away from hop heavy beers this year.

 

[MaxStout]

I have a few things to focus on this year.

I want to delve more into lagers. I do a couple each year, but would like to do more.

I like brewing some oddball, historical beers. I've done Grodziskie a few times, but this year would like to try my hand at a Danish-style Skibsol, a sessionable smoked beer made with beechwood-smoked malt.

And work more on my water chem.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

From my 2024 focus, I had two successes and an surprise that will provide some of the the focus for early 2025:

• success: added YOS, OxBlox / BrewTan-B, and mash capping to the brew day
• success: bottle conditioning warm (75F for a week to carbonate, then 1-2 weeks at room temperature, then store in fridge).
• surprise: was in lower MI this past fall when Bell's did a local release of one of my favorite craft beers: Best Brown Ale. Brewed a 'clone' recipe that came out very close in side-by-side (not totally 'blind') tasting.

For 2025:

• brew a few more 'clone' recipes (BIAB) for side-by-side comparison with the craft beer (assuming a known age for the craft beer).
• 'experimental' batches early this winter using DME and Diamond Lager or BRY-97 at basement temperature (58F - 60F).
• brew some DME based beers using the Flash Brewing kit ingredients (may wait for the basement to warm up this spring).
• ...
• since homebrew book publishing appears to be returning from hiatus
  • a careful read of Parker & Zainasheff's The Modern Homebrewer
  • a scan of a couple of free (Kindle Unlimited) self-published books
  • in late 2024, I read "Modern Lager Beer", enjoyed it, but decided to not try brewing lagers in 2025.
• revisit certain books (that I own) for possible process refinements.
• ...
• try packaging using PET bottles (and all the air squeezed out)
• try a couple of new (to me) specialty malts
• revisit re-hydration of dry yeast (assuming I can find some meaningful measurements)

 

[day_trippr]

I have basically harmless thoughts for 2025
I need to try converting my favorite hazy dipas into hazy pales - bring my typical 8.5% down to 5% - and see how that goes.
I've also long considered doing a batch of "cold IPA" and another of "brut IPA", and 2025 might be the year for those...

Cheers!

 

[mac_1103]

1) Brew simple, sessionable SMaSH ales more often so I always have at least one on hand.
2) "Perfect" my Brut IPA (since it's SWMBO's favorite).
3) Read all the books I inherited from a retired homebrewer last year. Well, OK, just some of them. It would take me a lot more than a year to get through his whole library.

 

[DonT]

There are a few things I'll be doing this year.... I need to replace the top of the bench/table I built for my system. I used OSB and didn't stain or seal the whole bench and now it's starting to get a little mold on the top due to constant spillage. I'll use a sheet of Oak plywood and stain and seal the whole thing.
I also need to focus on my health this year as I've developed what seems to be a gluten sensitivity, so I need to get rid of that. Part of that whole thing is to start brewing more lower alcohol beers instead of all those DIPAS and such, and maybe look into gluten free brewing.

 

[Kickass]

Taking better notes. Brew days used to be meticulously documented. With a 2 1/2 year old and a 7 month old it’s now chaos and undocumented. I’ve made a few really good beers that I’d like to brew again but have some big holes in my memory of the smaller details.

Being far enough ahead to always have something holiday/seasonally appropriate to drink.

 

[Deadalus]

Started a panel upgrade which will incorporate two Auber EZBoils (DSPR320s). I will be using the additional built in relays to automate my pumps and my perpetual chiller. Will take a little study to get the programming correct.

Will be using my recently built e-kettle to pilot brew some new 1/2 batch recipes TBD.

Will be trying the trickier silver solder method to add a 1.5 TC to my new minibucket lid. I'd like the dimple to go up. I've got a SS Brewtech prv for low pressure I plan to add too. Then I can dry hop and pressure transfer w/o O2 ingress.

If I get ambitious, I might sheetrock the garage and add some paneling for the brew area.

 

[bwible]

I’m gonna look at some traditional styles that I’ve never brewed.
First up is an Altbier and then maybe a dunkel. I’m shying away from hop heavy beers this year.

The one Gordon Strong book has a great Dunkel recipe. I brewed it as is, changed about nothing. Thats a great beer.

 

[Agent]

I may actually get around to building a 240V controller that incorporates GFI this year....

 

[AzOr]

The one Gordon Strong book has a great Dunkel recipe. I brewed it as is, changed about nothing. Thats a great beer.

Thanks for the tip. I’ll check it out.

I’m still in my “research” phase. Basically I’m checking out the beer selections at bottle shops, grocery stores etc trying to find commercial examples. This overlooked part of the process can be quite enjoyable.

 

[Chorgey]

The one Gordon Strong book has a great Dunkel recipe. I brewed it as is, changed about nothing. Thats a great beer.

Which Gordon Strong book would that be?

 

[bwible]

Which Gordon Strong book would that be?

 

[Chorgey]

View attachment 865959

Thanks for the info. I have that book and will have to try that recipe

 

[brechbräu]

I’d like to try and brew my first lager now that I have a setup that allows for it. Also, I’ve been reading about historical beers and have recipes in that vein I intend to try.

 

[tdf]

In 2025 I want to brew a lot of bitters. What a great style and there's a lot of devil in the details so it's a good challenge.
I am also going to brew some "classic" American IPAs, starting with the Ballantines IPA recipe I've seen @day_trippr working on.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Focus on brewing that will help me rank up in MHP. I’m a little over halfway to the Jack of all trades badge, so that will guide most of my brewing. Lagers and British beers are a good place to start. I’m not sure about entering NHC, that will depend on the details. I think Hubby will be open to going to the awards, it would be a few hours drive to his hometown. Oh, and use ingredients I have on hand!

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Continue my pursuit of the ultimate best chocolate-y/mocha-y/bourbonic/bittersweet (not too bitter) imperial stout ever made...

 

[Halfakneecap]

More British beers for sure, especially in the cooler months. I know nitro is frowned upon, but beer engines ( my favorite way to drink British beers ), well, they're quite few and far between in Oz and ridiculously expensive to send over, so Nitro will need to do for now

 

[Witherby]

I’m hoping to make my brew day more sustainable. I mostly brew traditional British and German styles with British and German ingredients, but would like to lower my carbon footprint and also support local farmers, so I’m aiming to brew bitters, pils, Kellerbier, etc with malts from Valley Malt here in Massachusetts. My own Landbier, so to speak.

I just got a Jaded chiller for Christmas and my first brew day used way less water than using my old chiller since it worked so well. So that already feels like a win before the year started.

 

[IrondaleBrewing]

Going to do my first "real" lager in a couple of weeks (Pre-Prohibition Lager), getting a nitro tap going on my kegerator, and will re-brew a couple of recipes from last year to dial things in instead of doing all one-offs. I'll still have a lot of one-offs in the mix though because I love trying new things. Cheers to a great year of brewing, everyone!

 

[Deadalus]

I’m hoping to make my brew day more sustainable. I mostly brew traditional British and German styles with British and German ingredients, but would like to lower my carbon footprint and also support local farmers, so I’m aiming to brew bitters, pils, Kellerbier, etc with malts from Valley Malt here in Massachusetts. My own Landbier, so to speak.

I just got a Jaded chiller for Christmas and my first brew day used way less water than using my old chiller since it worked so well. So that already feels like a win before the year started.

Here's an idea for you to save even more water, I've taken to calling it my perpetual chiller.

 

[day_trippr]

with malts from Valley Malt here in Massachusetts.

Single data point, fwiw: I bought a bag of their pale malt many years back and had to tighten the gap on my roller mill because the kernels were so much smaller than the typical base malts I'd run for years (GP, MO, UK pearl, etc). The malt was ok, just needed to adapt to it...

Cheers!

 

[Witherby]

Single data point, fwiw: I bought a bag of their pale malt many years back and had to tighten the gap on my roller mill because the kernels were so much smaller than the typical base malts I'd run for years (GP, MO, UK pearl, etc). The malt was ok, just needed to adapt to it...

Cheers!

Thanks for the heads up. I brewed with their malts quite a bit when they first opened and then their malts were practically unavailable for homebrewers for a long time. Now that they have reentered the homebrew market I’m going to give them a chance. I think they have come a long way since 2010. So many craft breweries I like use their malts. Also need to try the Stonepath locally grown malts.

 

[kevin58]

My goal for 2024 was to finally brew again after finally getting shoulder surgery. Just as I was six months into rehab for that I was diagnosed with cancer. So my only goal for 2025 is to beat this, get and stay healthy, and maybe brew some. It's been April of 2023 since I made a batch.

 

[HM-2]

More Brett and Bugs.

More session beer, the average ABV of what I brewed last year was 7.3% and Dry January is making me realise I drink way too much, not in quantity but definitely in units.

More lagers.

Outside of brewing, finally building my Partscaster that's been like 15 months so far simply in the "acquisition of parts". I just need to sort neck and tuners...

 

[Brew_Dude41]

My goal is to use up all of the old stock of hops I have in the freezer.
I bought a bunch on sale with some gift cards and the found out raising triplets (plus big sis) was far more time and energy consuming than expected.
Starting Sunday...

 

[CascadesBrewer]

My goal is to use up all of the old stock of hops I have in the freezer.

The flip side of that, at least for me, is to not be tempted by more hop sales!

I am still working through the hops that I purchased at the 2023 YVH Black Friday sale. Around that time I also got 2 lbs for cheap from a local brewery that was closing, then my club passed me 1.5 lbs bags of Warrior, Centennial and Amarillo that were passed along at 11 lb bags from a brewery. I picked up ~3lb of hops on a vacation to New Zealand in 2024 and I did refresh some core hops from a homebrew shop's clearance sale.

I have been trying to use up those 1.5 lb bags of hops, but looking back on my brews from 2024, I feel like I have made some mediocre beers with them and probably should just dump them in the compost bin. They look and smell fine. I have used old hops before with good luck, but maybe there was a reason the brewery did not use them.

 

[BeerNsteadofH2O]

I was laying in bed last night reflecting, preparing for my first brew of 2025, Five years ago , I brewed my first(,extract) batch from a Great Fermentations recipe kit , I remember fighting with the cans of extract, the hops clogging the false bottom, wind blowing over my premeasured hops, the boil over,,a swamp cooler cool down, and yet, that batch of oatmeal stout was awesome.( at least I think it was)
Today, I'm a different brewer than I was then, In reflection, its my.procedures that I developed that got me here,my goal for this year is to refine those procedures, I want to.learn more about recipe building , and how yeast types effect differant grain bills..
Brew # 1 for 2025 is in the fermenter, today's brew day was just shy of 5 hours, far cry from that 9 hour first endeavour.

 

[Brew_Dude41]

The flip side of that, at least for me, is to not be tempted by more hop sales!

Exactly!

I have pounds of hops that I bought planning a run brews that never happened. I will have to look but I am pretty sure that I have a pound each Amarillo, Citra, Mosaic, and maybe nugget.
Once I come back off the Keto mid year there are going to be some hoppy beers coming out of the basement.

 

[PCABrewing]

I plan on setting myself up with a few new pieces of hardware to be able to efficiently brew smaller (2-3 gal.) AG batches.
Probably BIAB.
I'm just getting too old to carry 6 gallons plus the container (fermenter) down to the basement. Worn-out knees and shoulders don't help. I fear taking the tumble and lying in some adverse state until my wife gets home from work to call the ambulance and maybe the coroner .

I might first try splitting the contents of the kettle into two smaller vessels for the move from the garage and rejoining them into the fermenter in the basement. Setting up to boil down there is not a viable option.

 

[AlexKay]

I am going to do more side-by-sides.

I'm going to work on my low-ABV (1 to 2%) beer. The side-by-side plans are non-enzymatic-mash vs. not, and inclusion on non-fermentable starch (inulin, maltodextrin, etc.) vs. not.

I'm going to do side-by-sides -- probably with Nottingham and 34/70, others to be determined, and perhaps co-pitching -- to try to find a workable dry substitute for Lallemand Koln.

I'm going to see if I can come up with better hops for a black IPA than Lotus and Talus. They're pretty good; I may not be able to.

I'm going to make many batches of witbier with additions that are not coriander and orange.

I am going to "perfect" (that is, brew until I am completely happy with) my amber and black lagers, my pecan-smoke Grodz, and my session Dubbel.

I'm going to use weizen yeast to make a beer that I think is good. Preferably a few.

I'm going to up my tincture game.

 

[Kickass]

Continue my pursuit of the ultimate best chocolate-y/mocha-y/bourbonic/bittersweet (not too bitter) imperial stout ever made...

I believe it’s @day_trippr who has an amazing RIS. Might be a good starting place.

 

[Bassman2003]

Here's an idea for you to save even more water, I've taken to calling it my perpetual chiller.

I have this thought as well. Great to see you pursuing it. I thought it would be good to pick up a used chest freezer to keep the water at 35-37F. Then you could chill anything and use less water.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

I believe it’s @day_trippr who has an amazing RIS. Might be a good starting place.

Yes, I've even bookmarked it, his recipe does look pretty amazing! But also complicated enough (with the cacao nibs, cocoa powder, honey, vanilla beans, and finally chocolate extract), that I just haven't worked up the nerve to try it yet.

 

[leedspointbrew]

Brew less; brew better. Generally be more organized, attentive and dial-in on details. In brewing and all other aspects of my life.