Time for the obligatory retrospective on 2011 / goal setting for 2012 post. 2011 was definitely a massive year for me, complete with getting married and getting a new job. It was certainly the most important year of my life! It also was a great year for completing goals that I set for myself, especially on the brewing front. I’m looking to keep that momentum going into 2012!
Goals from 2011
I did not meet my goal for fitness in 2011. I had actually lost a fair amount of weight before the wedding – not the 20 pounds that I had set as a goal, but definitely around 10. Then, I quickly gained that weight back and am now back up to about the same weight I was at last year. Most of this can be attributed to me getting busy, falling out of the swing of working out, and having other priorities the last several months.
On the brewing front, I actually exceeded the goals I set for myself last year. I had set a goal of brewing 10 beers, and I actually brewed 16 different beers. I was extremely happy to get that many in. I learned a lot from all these beers and got to try out a lot of new ingredients. It also helped me work out the kinks and let me experiment with ideas and see what worked well (dry hopping with orange zest in Theresa’s Ale) and what didn’t work as well (flavoring with roasted bananas in the mash in my Banana Bread Ale).
The other end of my brewing goal was to enter in at least one brewing competition. I ended up entering four different beers into competition (three into Buzz Off, and one into the Preston and Steve Homebrew Competition). I even managed to take home a blue ribbon in the English Pale Ale category for the Bass Ale clone that I brewed with my buddy Keith!
Goals for 2012
I am definitely planning on continuing the fitness goal theme and try to lose at least 10 – 15 pounds this year. This will get be down to a weight where I want to be. I really want to get back into hiking and I may even pick up a bike to keep in shape. I will hopefully get back into running a little bit too to stay in shape (running is also a great way to exercise my dog Abby).
On the brewing side, I am not looking to significantly increase my production compared to last year. I’m thinking that anywhere in the neighborhood of 15 – 20 different beers (which will not all be full batches) will keep me plenty busy. Instead, I want to try to have a little more focus on building a bit more individual brewing style and really focus on technique this year. I feel like a lot of my brewing efforts last year went into trying a bunch of different styles, trying some concepts that were in my head, and finding a handful of recipes that I want to repeat on a somewhat regular basis (at least annually). I learned a whole lot by doing this – some good techniques, and some bad. However, I do feel like a lot of my brewing this past year lacked focus, so this year I really want to take what I learned last year and expand on it. I want to build better grain bills, make sure I have healthy fermentations every time (probably the most important thing you can do as a brewer), and have a little more focus and cohesion in my brewing portfolio. That’s not to say I don’t want to experiment or branch out into more styles. On the contrary, I most certainly want to experiment and branch out into more styles. However, I want to make sure that I am approaching new styles and experiments in a well thought-out manner using the lessons that I’ve learned, and ensure that they fit in with my style as a brewer. In other words, I don’t want to just wing it to get a concept out of my system. Now, when you’re setting goals, you’re supposed to make them measurable and quantifiable so you can compare your actual results against your goals. Obviously, I haven’t done that yet in this little rant, so let’s get down to the nitty gritties.
For starters, I want to use a yeast starter in all of my full batches of beer that are going to be over 5% ABV (which is most of my beers). One of the things that I have neglected as a homebrewer, is the importance of pitching a healthy number of yeast cells into the beer. Have a strong, healthy fermentation, reduces lag time, decreases off-flavors, and improves the overall quality of the beer. Healthy fermentations make the difference between good beer and great beer.
On the competitive side, I would like to enter at least two competitions again this year. Not only did I have a blast at the couple competitions I entered last year, but I also got some great feedback on my beer, which improved me as a brewer. The more beers I can get feedback on from trained judges, the better. While placing in these competitions would be fantastic, it’s a secondary concern to me – the main purposes are to network with other brewers and to get feedback on my beers.
I also want to brew at least three collaborations with other brewers this year. Everyone has their own setup, techniques, and styles that they use in homebrewing. One of the best ways to grow as a brewer is to collaborate with others and see how they do things. I am by no means an expert brewer, so brewing with others will be a great learning experience and a great way to brew something that pushes my style further as a brewer.
I really want to get a bit more into cooking with, and pairing food with, beer this year. Again, this one is tough to put into quantifiable terms. I will set a goal to make at least three dinners that are four, or more, courses, pairing each course with a different beer. Also, in general, I want to start cooking more with beer (i.e. using beer in marinades and in the cooking process).
Alright, enough talk about goals – go do something productive, like drink a beer! (Which, by the way, if you aren’t drinking a beer while reading any of my posts, I don’t know how you get through my dry-ass writing.) Cheers, and good luck with those resolutions!
Song of the Day: “Story of My Life” by Social Distortion
Beer of the Day: Witte from Brewery Ommegang
