Brew Years Resolutions for 2025

The since-past 2024 was certainly an eventful year. The first four months of 2024 I barely had time to brew at all. I brewed one very mediocre all-grain batch and a couple no-boil batches. Coming up with New Beers Resolutions was the furthest thing from my mind. 

At the time I was freelancing for TBI Pro Brew Supply and slowly building up my book of business. If I gave it more time, I very well could have made it work. Right before I left I hooked a big account, but I also lost a big account when that brewery was bought out, so who knows. It was the grind from all of my side-hustles that broke me. I couldn't imagine doing Amazon delivery in the middle of July. Driving an Uber fare to Boston and having my engine start to misfire, which required a $1200 repair, wasn't fun either.

Exiting the beer industry and going back to insurance has been harder than I thought it would be. I joked with one brewer friend that I was the only person to leave the beer industry and make less money. Going back to insurance after seven years away I felt like a defrosted caveman. If my body wasn't frozen like Ted Williams' corpse, my career certainly was. Seeing where my former peers are at in their carriers seven years later and where I am now is something I try not to think about. The only reason to work in insurance is money and advancement. 

One silver lining is I do have my weekends back, which enabled me to focus on brewing again. I had a second-place showing at Ales over ALS and the North Shore Brewers Q4 in-club competition (post forthcoming). I also made a batch of cider I was quite happy with, and had a couple of misses as well.

Looking ahead to 2025 I already have half a dozen beers in the pipeline. After skipping 2024, here are my Brew Year's Resolutions.

Finish basement brewhouse reorganization

This one is long overdue. I have been wanting to add a sink to my basement since we moved in. Without one, I run a hose from the back yard through the back door. Anything that needs to be dumped gets dumped in the backyard, or is carried upstairs to the bathroom. Having a sink will make cleaning so much easier. Especially if I can hook up a bottle washer to help clean bottles and carboys. The spot where the sink would need to go is against a wall with exposed insulation. At minimum I want to cover the insulation with cement board to protect it from splashing. 

Relocated my ferm chambers, and this workbench gives me extra surface space. 

As part of this, I do need to de-clutter and attempt to organize down there. My ADD-brain is only capable of organization if I focus on it, and break up bigger tasks into smaller and more manageable ones. My brewing area has been overdue for reorganization for a long time. Ideally I not only want a less cluttered brew space, but want a space that is somewhat inviting. A place where garage beers could potentially be enjoyed. 

Finish in Top 3 of in North Shore Brewers brewer of the year

This goal isn't about winning an award as much as it is about just making consistent beer. I know enough about brewing that my beer should be more consistent than has been of late. The reason why it isn't is because my attitude with brewing at home is, "close enough is good enough". Generally this is true; I am not Anheuser-Busch trying to make thousands of batches of Budweiser taste the same. However in reviewing my brew log, I dumped six batches in 2024. This is a combination of laziness and carelessness. I am a better brewer than that. If I err more on the side of caution, and pay just a little more attention to detail, finishing in the Top 3 is a perfectly attainable goal. Certainly more attainable than becoming a bogey golfer. 

Take the BJCP Exam again

This resolution has been on the list before, and I still haven't taken the exam since 2018 in Portland, OR. The reason why I want to take the exam again is to improve my score from 76 to 80 or higher. That, along with already having the requisite experience points, will allow me to take the written exam and move up in rank to National. As a National judge, I would be able to proctor and grade the BJCP Exam. The homebrew community needs more judges, and this is a way to give back. 

Brew a New England IPA I like

In the mid 2010s I brewed a few hazy IPAs. As the style became more common, I brewed them less and less. Other than the the Hazy IPAs I brewed for Homebrew Con 2022, it has been way too long since I've brewed one that I have enjoyed. In that time I have brewed an excellent West Coast and English IPA. I need to prove I still have this club in my bag. 

Write more

This resolution I feel is doable. Part of that is the new 12x12 series. I want to write one of those a month. Even if I don't go back to writing a full brew day and tasting notes for every batch, I do want to at least write a post on every batch that touches on the recipe, process and finished product. 

There is a lot of talk about blogging being dead. I am certainly more active on my Facebook and Instagram than I am here. I dabbled in YouTube, but I don't have the patience for video production and editing. I am not good at it and I do not enjoy it. I do enjoy writing when I do make the time for it. Working in beer and making my own schedule, I didn't always make the time to write. I also have a ton of un-finished posts dating back years sitting in a drafts folder. 

Grow social media following

I've never been overly concerned about views on the blog or the site's social media accounts. Growth has stagnated a bit on Facebook and Instagram. I find it ironic that posting pictures on Instagram generates almost no engagement anymore. The only reason why I started an Instagram was because the photos I posted on Facebook generated more engagement than linking here to the blog. I need to make more reels on Instagram, which means video and editing, urgh!

My social media feeds were more interesting when I was traveling and visiting breweries and going to events around the country. Maybe that's why I have this newfound focus on 12-packs and shelf beer.

I want to grow my reach for the simple reason that if I am going to produce content, it is nice when that content is consumed and I am not posting into the ether. 

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