2013: A Year in Beer

I know it's a little late to be doing a review of the previous year's work, but sitting here with an IPA in my hand, I find myself in the reminiscing mood.

To recap, in 2012:

• 8 batches brewed, totaling about 40 gallons. All batches were 5 gallons.
• All batches were extract plus specialty grains.
• My faves were an amber ale, a brown ale and a saison. The wife's fave was a premium bitter.

In 2013:

• 21 batches brewed, totaling about 43 gallons. All batches were 1 or 3 gallons.
• All batches were all grain.
• My faves were a brown ale, which I ended up brewing twice, and an IPA. The wife's fave was a blonde ale.

The biggest change in 2013 was that I started brewing all grain rather than with extract. That is, rather than starting with liquid malt extract (LME) syrup and reconstituting it with water to make wort, I created the wort from scratch using malted barley. All grain brewing tends to be more difficult because the extra procedures require greater precision with measurements as well as holding water at desired temperatures, but all grain brewing gives the brewer greater control over the final product. And because all grain starts with, well, grain, the final beer tends to be fresher.

I also changed my batch size from 5 gallons to 3. I did this mainly because it allowed me to move to all grain using the same equipment I was using for extract. But I also found that it allowed me to brew a greater variety of beers in a shorter amount of time. I noticed that after about month of drinking the same beer, I'm ready to move on to the next, and 3-gallon batches keep me from getting tired of a particular beer.

One-gallon batches were also a new found joy. A single gallon batch yields about 8-10 bottles and take about the same amount of time as a 5-gallon batch (about 4-5 hours on brew day), but they're great for experimental recipes or for brewing styles I'm not sure I'll like. Unfortunately, my last couple 1-gallon batches - a brown porter and a West Coast style amber ale - were quite tasty, and I regretted making so little. So I may start to reserve 1-gallon brewing for riskier recipes, or to squeeze in a brew day when my pipeline is already pretty healthy.

In 2014, I'm on pace to top the number of batches from 2013. I've already brewed four batches and have another lined up already for next weekend. My homebrewing career is only a little over 2 years old, but I really feel I've just begun.

My glass of IPA is now empty, and reminiscing has come to an end. Now to plan my next couple of brew days!