Future Brews Calendar

(Photo Compliments of Hilde and Stock.xchng)

So I read a recent article on Hop Harvesting and Storage Tricks by Scott over at Bertus Brewery and it really got me thinking about planning.  I rarely have a day where I wake up and say "I'm gonna brew!"  I am just to thorough and passionate (some may say nerdy) about this hobby to have not researched and formulated a recipe I think will be great, but I also rarely plan out more than 2 brews in advance.

The last time I tried to plan back-to-back brews, I failed miserably.  I was going to make a Helles and then use that yeast cake to make a Maibock.  Due to a series of problems (ingredients shipping delay, then shipped to my old house, then not being able to brew due to work) I just didnt get around to making that Helles until the end of February.  We had a real mild winter here in D.C. and I didn't think my ferm chamber had enough stamina to ferment at that 48-50 degree range in March, so the maibock didn't happen.  But I digress...

So I have decided I want to try and formulate a rough brew calendar for the next year.  This will hopefully give me the following benefits:

• Bulk Ingredients - I know what I will be making so I know how much and what kind of grain, hops and yeast I will need to buy.
• No Keg Left Behind - sometimes my friends get thirsty, but hopefully I will be able to keep the pipeline full
• Seasonals -  Thinking far in advance I can have seasonal beers ready when I want to consume them, rather than speed brewing to make them in time - like every march when I realize "Shoot!  I need a stout in 2 weeks"
• Productivity - If I don't have deadlines or a schedule, I tend to put things off (I still haven't bottled the small beer from the second runnings of RIS from mid july yet).  If I have a schedule I will be more likely to stick to it and be productive

So there you have it.  In the next few weeks I will be crafting a master list of beers I want to brew.  I will then narrow it down using a number of criteria and come up with a calendar for the next year.  I have found some links that will be helpful in this quest:

• Seasonal Beer Brewing from Beersmith
• When to Brew a Style
• When to Drink a Style
• HomebrewTalk - As always I will peruse HBT for some known recipes and inspiration