What’s Brewing With You In 2014?

I like Brew Year’s resolutions.  At least, I like the thought of them.  It forces you to put down on paper (or on a computer screen) what you want to do in terms of your homebrewing hobby in the new year.

You should be challenging yourself with your brewing.  You should be pushing yourself to get better and improve your craft.

Right now, I am in a good place to build on what I have done over the past twelve months.  I have two beers lagering right now and a cider will be good to bottle once it clears.  I feel pretty good about what in the carboys right now.

The bottled beer is a different story.  I am about to pour down the drain all the saison, pilsner, braggot, and dopplebock I still have on hand down the drain.  I am tired of all those beers and their flaws, and I would rather get rid of the past so I can focus on the future.

So that brings me to my resolutions.   I think the focus will be and has always been to brew excellent beer.  Here are some things that will help me to do that.

1. Equipment upgrades – As I wrote in a previous post, I am going to purchase a grain mill and later on, a refractometer.   Obtaining a kegging system will be a stretch goal.

2. Brew beers I want to perfect – I have a few styles that I would like to get down.  I don’t think I have brewed a quality stout or Belgian white ever.  I would like to brew one that I was proud to share.

3. Smooth out process – Sometimes, I feel like I am rushing through the process of brewing without feeling confident that I am doing everything I can to make excellent beer.  Beyond rushing it, sometimes I feel like I lose focus on getting temperatures right or going the extra mile to make sure everything I need to use for brewing is cleaned properly.  If I smooth out my process to make sure I do all the things I need to do, I think I can fix these little nagging issues quickly.

So that is what I am doing – what’s brewing with you in 2014?