Author: Andrew March 28, 2015

The problem with many resolutions is that nobody checks back partway through the year to see how they are doing.  And partly because this is the kind of post for when you think you should post something to your blog and have nothing interesting or important to post.

I had five goals outlined in the original post, so here’s the updates:

1. Build a Better Brewing Area

If you’ve read this blog at all, it’s in progress.  It’ll probably always be in progress, but it’s been much improved.  However, I’ve got to a point that I’m thinking less about brewery improvements and more about other improvements.

2. Unlock All of the Style Badges on Untappd

This is kind of a hard goal because the uprights keep moving back.

• Heffenista (Hefeweisens, done 2/28/15)
• Trappist Travesty (Trappist Style, done 3/26/15)
• Pucker Up (Sour styles, done 5/31/15)
• Trip to the Farm (Saison/Farmhouse, done 6/10/15)
• Fruits of Your Labor (Fruit Beers, done 5/16/15)
• Down in Smoke (Rauchbier, 3/5)
• I’ll be Bock* (Bock styles, done 2/27/15)
• Brewnettes Have More Fun* (Brown Ales, done 1/29/15)
• The Wine of Beers (Barleywines, done 6/11/15)
• Keep Your Wits About You (Witbier, done 6/18/15)
• Hey Honey (Mead, 1/5)
• Gourd to the Last Drop (Pumpkin, done 9/13/15)
• Imperial Czar (Russian Imperial Stout, done 7/11/15) (Added 2/6/15)
• Dubbel, Tripel, and Quad, Oh My! (3/5) (Added 2/6/15)
• You’re Extra Special (ESB, 0/5) (Added 4/24/15)
• What Gose Round (Gose, 0/5) (Added 10/15/15)
• Wee Bit of Scotch (Scotch Ale, 1/5) (Added 10/15/15)
• Blondes Do It Better (Blonde Ale, 0/5) (Added 10/15/15)

So four additional badges, and four unlocked.  This has been a fun goal that has also been enlightening – I’ve done a pretty good job of looking for things other than IPAs (and I do love IPAs!).  I think trying to unlock these as well as reading other blogs and parts of the BJCP Styleguide fosters an appreciation for beer, which is an intensely complicated beverage that has been overly-simplified over several decades thanks to a few mega-breweries that have flooded the market with the same boring product.

3. Visit Many Breweries in the Cincinnati Region

I outlined the following:

MadTree
Rhinegeist
Great Crescent
Rock Bottom
Mt. Carmel
Blank Slate
Paradise
Ei8ht Ball
Braxton

+Rivertown (didn’t list that initially, but made it out there a few weeks ago)

Not as many as I wanted to.  But soon!

4. Brew One Style that isn’t IPA, Pale Ale, Amber, Porter, or Stout

A brewed a Saison that I enjoyed, and a Kölsch, although not a great one.  I will likely brew more IPAs, PAs, ambers, porters, and stouts, though.  Those are among my favorite styles.

5. Make Headway into Kegging

I’ve thought a lot about this.

Things I Didn’t Plan

Like many things, plans change.  I built a fermentation chamber and connected it to the Internet.  Then I decided to make it into a keezer.  I ended up with a cabinet and vent hood that made things better in the basement.  I brewed a Kölsch that I didn’t expect.  I brewed a cider, a watermelon wine (well, I tried, it didn’t turn out), and used brettanomyces (which turned out far better than I expected).

Things I’m Looking at Planning For Next Year

Sours!  I initially thought about not worrying about sours for a while because of the additional equipment needed, but truthfully I really like a great kriek lambic or a Berlinerweisse.  And I joined the Milk the Funk group on Facebook where I’ve seen A LOT of mouth-watering beers posted to it.

Cheers!