A new year has arrived and everyone is pledging to lose weight for real this time. At the end of every year I have some time off and it gives me a chance to look at where my brewing is and where I’d like it to be this time next year. I’ve already talked about how 2015 was a disaster for meeting my brewing goals. Time to change the script.
Here are my goals for 2016:
- Fine tune my system
- Experiment with sour beer
- Improve yeast management
- Improve consistency and quality of content
You’ll recognize most of these from last year. I still need to make system improvements to improve my quality of life. I still have some fittings to install on the chiller and HLT. I’ve now got a conical fermenter I need to get dialed in as well (more on that later). With the addition of the fermenter the only thing left I want to add to my processes the ability to oxygenate the wort. By the end of 2016 I plan to have my system completely finished.
Sour beer is still something I want to try at home. I have 1-gallon jugs to experiment with, but I think I will start with kettle souring and go from there. This is all uncharted territory for me so I expect to make a lot of mistakes… I mean learn a lot.
The only new addition to the list is improving my yeast management. This is one that I don’t feel is a large detriment to my brewing, but I could be more consistent and more intentional on how much yeast I use. Currently I make starters for an overwhelming majority of my beers, but I haven’t put much thought into it other than “make a starter.” I’m sure there is more to do that would improve my beer. I could even look at harvesting yeast with the conical if I get adventurous.
This site definitely suffers when my brewing time suffers. Writing about brewing slips my mind when I’m not brewing, go figure. I need to put a focus on writing even when I have down time in my brewing schedule. It is rare that I’m not at least reading about something I could share. I’m also considering some additional content formats, but I’d like to be on a consistent writing schedule before I try to add something else to my plate.
I made these goals with a focus on improving my beer and my ability to fit brewing beer into an increasingly hectic daily life. 2016 should be a great year for brewing.