Top Ni… Whatever. (Back/Forward 2019/2020)
Apparently, there’s a thing going on with Instagram that people are posting “Top 9s”. I’ve had a mostly-hate relationship with Instagram because of a variety of reasons… not limited to the lack of a chronological and un-curated feed and a shit ton of newlines ending with a list of hashtags for reasons I don’t care to give a shit about.
I looked back at my post list for the end-of-2018 post, but it wasn’t there. Apparently I care a lot about resolutions! Well, to be fair, I was building out my office as I had just changed jobs from one that required me to drive to downtown Cincinnati every day to one where I work from home.
There was a post at the beginning of 2018… my how things have changed since then! I was complaining about blowing up cheap $20 pumps from eBay and doorbell transformers (and other power supplies). I’ve since graduated to the real world of a pump that plugs into the wall (and thank God I haven’t blown that one up!)
I also talked about building a wall. I’m not sure how my speed relates to that of the Federal Government, but I’m close. I have about two feet built.
Last Year’s Progress
On the equipment front, I bought some stainless stuff. I got sick of dealing with barbed connectors and began moving towards tri-clamp fittings on everything. Also, I decided to use an upper port on my kettle for whirlpooling.
I also got extremely angry at my plate chiller and decided to buy a counterflow chiller. I’m pleased with it (even more pleased that I didn’t clog it in a recent brew).
I decided I’d build a spunding valve setup. I haven’t used it yet, though.
The last equipment news is that I bought a Blichman Beergun. I entered the SJ Poor Challenge and wanted a better way to bottle beer, this was particularly due to some differences in scores between the only two competitions I entered.
On the brewing front, I won a gold medal in one of the competitions I entered, with a Dunkles Bock. The same beer went into a second competition a week or two later and the scores were not as good. When I entered the SJ Poor Challenge with a fruited milkshake IPA, I decided I wanted to ensure oxidization was not a factor.
2020 Stuff
There’s a few things I want to do in 2020 (other than brew more).
I want to get started on being a BJCP Judge. I want to get my Provisional (I think… it’s hard to figure out which/what when their websites have been a hot mess for the past three years). The other side of that is trying to ensure I can actually USE the certification (e.g. SWMBO will let me go drink beer all day).
I want to continue improving my homebrewery. There’s already a few improvements that haven’t been posted by this blog, and there’s one big one that I still need to do – an exhaust hood. I run a dehumidifier in my basement, which generally runs for two days following a brew session. I do need to change that. I also have some drywall that can be installed, although I need to add insulation and studs first.
I want to try to post more on this blog. I posted six things last year. I want to try for more. I do have a backlog, so every week in January (on Wednesdays) will have a post. I also want to fix the format/look/feel of this blog. The one I have is free (and feels like it). I’m not really all that pleased with it, and I have a ton of WordPress experience from the other sites I work on.
Finally, I want to do more with video. I’ve always had a mild interest in doing video ever since working in 3D Visualization in the early 2000s. I’ve been kinda following along with a few people, and probably overthinking the video thing (although I do want good sound, good video, and good everything else too). Video is one of those tough things to get right because a simple YouTube search shows that, like nutrition, everyone is an expert… unlike nutrition, there are many experts with many different approaches that all work!
That’s all for now. Happy New Beer… er, I mean Year! 🍻