Chris’s Brew Year’s Resolutions

Belgian goblet

Mmmm . . . beer.

My New Year’s brewing resolutions for 2014:

13.) Don’t ever use the phrase “Brew Year’s resolutions” again. Ditto “New Year’s brewsolutions.”

12.) Perform some cool experiments.

11.) Make a brewing schedule. Ignore it and brew an even more awesome lineup of beers.

10.) Don’t let beers languish in the primary fermenter. Keg them or rack them to secondary promptly.

9.) Don’t miss any Austin ZEALOTS (homebrew club) meetings.

8.) Brew at least one lager. Kräusen it. (Maybe a nice Vienna lager.)

7.) Brew something in way that is as traditional as possible. Brew something else in a crazy new way.

6.) Brew a couple sour wheat beers in the early spring. Add fruits (maybe raspberries and cherries) when they are ripe and in season.

5.) Listen to good music when I brew and don’t be stingy — let the neighbors hear it, too.

4.) Replant hops. (Mine died in the extreme drought a couple years ago.)

3) Follow the rules, when necessary.

3.) Break the rules, when not.

2.) Brew a post-exercise beer. Use it as incentive to actually start exercising again.

1.) Schedule as many brew days with friends as I can manage.

0.) Brew plenty of “ordinary” (but awesome) beers. Brew at least one absolutely insane beer.

Comments

  1. Nice brewsolutions Chris! 1. Thanks on behalf of the many grateful readers for launching the fantastic beer and wine journal this year. 2. please post those sour wheat recipes when you brew them. They sound soooo tasty.

    • Chris Colby says

      The sour beer recipes will likely be very simple — around 65% barley malt, 35% wheat malt and very low hopping rates. I’ll probably use one of the lambic blend or similar blends available. I’ll post the exact details when I brew them.

  2. My particular favorite is #11. That’s my goal for the year, too.

  3. Craftbrewer.dk says

    Did #0. An Imperial Stout (OG 1.120 FG 1.031 11,7%). That’s insane by European standards but probably a session beer by American standards 

  4. RichieRich says

    These are fantastic goals!
    I’d like to hear more about this post exercise beer.
    That could be just the thing to whip me back in shape.

    • Chris Colby says

      My post-exercise beer is just going to be a low-gravity session beer — something I can rehydrate with and not contain more Calories than I expend exercising. If I get ambitious, I may try to add some electrolytes post-fermentation. Not enough to negatively affect the taste, but maybe enough to partially replace some that are lost to sweat, sort of like Gator-ale.

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