Focus for 2025?

[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.

 

[Deadalus]

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.

I quoted your post and estimated where I thought you'd end up temperature wise over in that thread. I wasn't exactly sure if you'd get a notification so I quoted you here too.

 

[bwible]

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.

I brewed 23 batches in 2024 and I have 3 batches (3 gal each) of those still to be bottled. Most were 3 gallon batches. There were a couple 5 gallon batches of lager, and a couple 1 gallon batches of mead and cyser. One more of something and I could have gone 24 for ‘24 but in the end I decided it wasn’t worth going after. I have plenty. I even have an imperial stout with chocolate for Valentine’s day - one of the 3 left to bottle very soon. I probably won’t brew anything again until April or May.

 

[Halfakneecap]

I'll add i need to brew another American porter. Mines not as strong as most, 4.5%, but full of chinook. Really like roasty n hoppy.

 

[Bobby_M]

More side by side batch experiments for me. That was really for 2024, but I didn't get as many done as I had hoped.

 

[Bassman2003]

Simple goals for now - clean my tap lines more often and use this spray bottle to clean the taps after each draw.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002OUCMWI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[bwible]

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.

Wishing you health and success. Beat this and check in after you brew again.

 

[Chetbrews]

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.

10 years ago when I was 38, I made the switch to 2-3 gallon batches. It made for faster brewdays and a lot easier to move the beer around in kegs too.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

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.

3 gallon batches are perfect for kitchen stove-top brewing, 5 gallon kettle, paint-straining bags (to BIAB), and some reflectix insulation lets you brew in comfort indoors with minimal cost. And there's always DME for when you want to make a higher gravity recipe.

 

[Chetbrews]

I haven't brewed in over 6 months and I'm hoping to at least brew once a month this coming year. I just want to really focus on brewing consistent quality beers.

Also want to get out more and check out some other craft breweries in my state and try to support those businesses.

 

[Dog House Brew]

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

Look up Joe Formanak’s Four Tsarina’s Imperial Stout. Without a doubt it’s the best Imp Stout I’ve ever made or tasted. Fantastic recipe!!

 

[madscientist451]

Keep brewing (and drinking) low abv beers, will focus on 3.5% brown ale and low ABV NEIPA. If they go on sale, I may try the flash brewing kits from More Beer, but will make some changes to bring the ABV down.

 

[Tony B]

I began brewing just about a year ago. I averaged about 2 batches a month. I learned a lot.
For 2025 my brewing goals include…

Learning to be more patient with my fermentation and post fermentation.

Building my fermentation cooling system so I don’t have to rely on kveik yeast for 3/4 of the year.

Continuing to dial in my process, build my yeast bank and produce drinkable and hopefully delicious beer.

First batch of the year will be a Kentucky common. I’ll hopefully brew that in a couple weeks.

 

[Halfakneecap]

10 years ago when I was 38, I made the switch to 2-3 gallon batches. It made for faster brewdays and a lot easier to move the beer around in kegs too.

Im ok with 5 gallon batches, but i really like mini kegs. I have a 9.5L and a 5L keg, not much left to bottle after ive filled them. I am planning on getting another 9.5L. So much easier to move around as you say.

 

[bike2brew]

For 2025, continue to focus on process to achieve a consistent fermentation and product.

 

[julia_1]

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!

Hi there @Hoppy2bmerry Here are the details and I hope enter. National Homebrew Competition

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Hi there @Hoppy2bmerry Here are the details and I hope enter. National Homebrew Competition

Thank you, I’m all set, so please wish me a little “luck”, and I’ll handle the rest.

 

[anteater8]

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.

That's funny because I have the opposite goal, to have less ingredient variation between batches and try to really fine tune the process and note the differences. I've been inspired by Brujos, who use Citra in every hazy IPA they make, and have made several of the best I've ever had. It's a little hard to narrow down, but I think there's a ton I can do with just some favorites like Citra, Mosaic, Strata, Nelson, Nelson, Motueka.

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.

Better notes is a goal of mine as well. I have a new template I've been using and its already helping me find trends and opportunities for improvement.

Grain Bill
Hop schedule
Yeast (gen/starter size/cell count)
Water profile

Mash:
Gallons, strike temp
Minerals, lactic
Mash temp (target)
Mash temp (actual)
pH (target)
pH (actual)
1st runnings volume (expected)
1st runnings volume (actual)
1st runnings gravity

Sparge:
Gallons (expected), gallons (actual), temp
Minerals, lactic
Pre-boil vol
Pre-boil gravity

Post-boil gravity (calculated)
Post-boil vol
Carboy vol

Expected O.G.
Actual O.G.

 

[corncob]

I have a couple of recipes that I want to get completely dialed in. Also a freezer full of on-sale hops.

 

[Willy]

2024 was a busy year for me - yikes
1) quit bottles & built a keezer (6 taps)
2) got beer gas tap for stouts (#6 tap)
3) doubled fermentation capacity and now do mostly 7.5g - 11g batches
4) made and drank more beer than ever before in almost 3 decades of brewing
5) by far - made my best beers ever
6) focused on perfecting English nut brown ales and Czech pilsner. Beyond satisfied. Yes!

2025 goals?
1) chill. Got tired of waiting forever to cool down and upgraded chill system to a Jaded Scylla (for AIO, Brewzilla )
2) serving flights to friends. got a nifty kit for Christmas with 4 small glasses.
3) perfect my Guiness stout clone. Shouldn't be too hard. I am close and need to make it 4% instead of 4.5-5 % and I will be really close.
4) perfect and make for 5-6% pre-prohibition lagers
5) make a few new styles I am curious about.
6) make even better beer - by focusing on little details. Cleaner, tastier, fascinating hop blends that work.
7) keep better track of production so I never run out of "must have" beers (English Ale, Irish stout and Czech pilsner)
8 ) create an american style lager that actually is inspiring and cool. (Perhaps impossible. Haha)

 

[DonT]

I have a couple of recipes that I want to get completely dialed in. Also a freezer full of on-sale hops.

This sounds a lot like my goals.... dial-in some recipes that got good reviews from my homebrew club, so I can have a good "set list".
Also before we retire and move, I'll need to redo a bench I built for my set up. I used OSB for the bench top and bottom shelf, and it's starting to mold a little. I'll replace those with oak plywood, seal and stain the whole thing to match my other bench i built a couple of years ago.