I was goofing around in Microsoft Project the other evening and decided to map out my various beers and meads that I was hoping to make. Given the limited amount of space that I have for fermentation in my apartment, I wanted to plan things out and determine how many 5 gallon glass carboy secondary fermenters I’d need to invest in. Fortunately, I have determined that as long as I brew every other weekend (which I plan to do for a while), I can work my secondary fermenter continuously for the next six weeks. Scheduling success!
Anyways, in the spirit of keeping lists, here are my brewing goals for 2012:
Vanilla Bourbon Mead (in production)
This is my attempt to replicate the first mead I ever drank. It was made by my friend and still remains one of the finest forms of alcohol I have ever consumed. The 2012 Vanilla Bourbon is presently in secondary awaiting flavoring (beginning of April) and bottling (end of May) before it is forgotten for the next six months. This was done in a slightly different way than most meads, and seems to be maturing a lot faster than normal. I’m going to have to work pretty hard to forget about it.
1492 IPA (in production)
1492 IPA is my attempt to dress up a kit IPA that I picked up a few weeks ago. It’s got about a week left in the secondary fermenter before I bottle it and condition it. I took a basic IPA kit and after allowing it to ferment for a week, dry-hopped it with 2 ounces of Chinook hops. Because it’s Lent and I gave up alcohol, I haven’t tasted this since it was wort, but I’ve been told that it tastes “like an IPA.” I guess that’s all I can ask for.
Fauxberon (planned)
The advantage of being so close to Bell’s Brewery is that you have a lot of homebrewers around who have had a chance to try and clone this spectacular seasonal beer. I love Bell’s Oberon, and while our first attempt to make it went south (I used a 6.5 gallon carboy as a secondary; big mistake), I intend to take another crack at it. This will probably be the next beer I get going after the 1492 IPA.
Irish Red Ale (planned)
A few weeks ago I got my hands on a Groupon for a homebrew starter kit from Midwest Brewing, which included a kit. I went with the Irish Red, because it’s spring and it’s time for something light and flavorful. Once it shows up I’ll rotate it into the plan. Might be what I make on Easter Vigil.
Oaked IPA (planned)
The first batch of beer that I ever had a hand in making was about a year ago on my friend’s back deck the day before Easter. He took a stab at making an Oaked IPA, and it turned out pretty well, if slightly overcarbonated. My hope is to make a batch of this at some point this summer, perhaps when my supply of 1492 is running low.
Summer Shandy (planned)
I’d like to make a beer that’s sufficiently light enough that the ladies would drink it. Since pilsners are probably beyond my reach at this point, I figure trying to clone the Leinenkuegel’s summer beer would be a little more doable.
Victory Lap (planned)
I haven’t decided what type of beer this will be yet, probably some kind of lighter wheat beer, but the intent for Victory Lap is to make the kind of beer that you’d have after accomplishing great feats, like running a 25K, biking 100 miles, or brewing a spectacular batch of beer. In a perfect world I’d can this stuff so I can take it into the shower, but if I did that I’d completely replace any use I have for PBR.
This list will surely grow as the summer wears on and I try and think of more things to brew. As I finish beers I’ll update the list and grant them their own post.
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