Plan Your Brewing Season (Repost)

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This is a repost of an article I first posted last September. Homebrewing season is upon us. Here’s how to prepare. 

 

With temperatures cooling off, many homebrewers who lack a modified fridge or chest freezer for fermentation temperature control are going to resume active homebrewing. Likewise, homebrew competitions are more frequent through the fall, winter and spring than in the summer, so competitive brewers have more incentive to brew. One thing that can help you have a more productive and enjoyable “brewing season” is a little planning.

Making a plan will involve considering how much time can allot to brewing and what special occasions you really want to brew for. This will allow you to set priorities, as well as plan so that your beers are ready on time.

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How Often Should You Brew in 2014?

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How often you would need to brew 5 gallons (19 L) of beer to cover your own personal level of beer consumption for a year. Click the chart to enlarge.

Around this time of year, people make resolutions — often to brew more — and perhaps even draw up a brewing plan for the coming year. If you’re wondering, “How often should I brew this year?,” there are a couple ways to look at it. The easiest answer is, of course, brew as often as possible — it’s your hobby, enjoy it to the fullest. A slightly nerdier way of looking at the question would involve planning your number of brew days to meet your anticipated beer needs.

Brewing generates beer, of course. At the end of the year, it’s possible to have brewed either too little beer or too much beer (if you accept that there is such a thing). Hitting the sweet spot between these two outcomes — having brewed exactly the right amount of beer — can be accomplished with a little planning and dedication. Here’s how you plan for it.

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