What to Brew?

What to brew, what to brew?  That question has been floating around my mind a lot lately as the itch to dive back into some home brewing has grown in the last few weeks.  The thought of brewing when it is so hot out does make me pause, but it does not stop me from thinking of what I can possibly brew next.

I miss the aroma of pellet hops.

Since I am making a lot of small lists lately, I will use that format to get my thoughts organized here.  Welcome again to the inner workings of my mind.

• Should I bother with any sort of beer style that would be nice for summer?  I know it will be warm here far after summer ends in other places, but even if I order my supplies now my beer would probably not be ready before seeing fall seasonals on the shelves here.  I am leaning toward focusing my efforts on some brews more appropriate for fall.
• Even had I not been leaning that way, revisiting my pumpkin ale was already in my head.  In fact I plan on brewing two batches of that this year, though I may play around with one of them.  However since I don’t expect to see any pumpkins in the grocery store anytime soon, I probably should focus on other things first.
• There are other ways to go (other than fall appropriate) as well.  I could revisit some of the other recipes that I have used previously to see if I can improve the end product.  I could also just continue to try brewing styles that I have never tried before.  Then there is always the option of just focusing on the styles that I enjoy drinking the most.  Decisions, decisions.
• Is it time to take a step up and try to brew an “Imperial” something?  Maybe that is for winter?
• Then, of course, I could say why choose one option when you could do them all?

I need more spent grains for dog treats.

Do you see how after all that I really just ended up back at the beginning?  I do have a few options that I am thinking about doing (as of today):

• Bière de Garde – since I have tried a Saison already, perhaps its sister deserves a chance.
• A Dubbel or maybe a Tripel – sticking with the whole Belgian theme for a moment.
• Brown Ale – not really one of my favorite styles, but one worth a shot.  The same could be said for a Red Ale
• Kölsch – this would be for the warmer weather.  A Cream Ale would also be an option.
• IPA – This deserves a revisit that is not split for experimentation purposes.
• Rye Ale of some sort – Perhaps even a Rye IPA?
• A Stout or Porter is always a good option as far as I am concerned.

My employees have been waiting for something to do.

If it really doesn’t look like I have made a decision it is because I haven’t even come close to picking one, let alone two or three.  Like I said, what to brew, wheat to brew?

Any suggestions based on my short list or something completely different?