Not really one hundred, but it could get to that point if the pace of my evaluations doesn’t pick up soon.  After logging in some new additions to the beer collection at home (I know that sounds ridiculous), I have suddenly realized that there are now twenty two different styles/varieties of beer in the house (not counting the pending homebrew).  It seems that without thinking about it I have become fully invested in this whole beer evaluation thing.  It must be said that The Wife is very supportive of this practice and does nothing to discourage my behavior.

Since Autumn is my favorite for seasonal beers and since I have convinced The Wife that we should do a tasting flight of pumpkin beers, I will share a list sent to me by Rob that highlights a few of the best for this time of year.  Now I just need to find a way to try them all before the season is over!

What is your favorite season for special varieties of beer?

Now, back to football and on to enjoy a beer (or two) . . .

Rather than kick off the year with my typical list of Monday random thoughts I figured maybe a list of goals would be more appropriate.  I am not going to just put out overall resolution type goals, but rather more beer-centric things I would like to see happen this year.  There are a few in the list that really could apply to any year but since this is the first time I have done this in written format I think that is just fine.

A not so random start to the year . . .

• Not-so-random goal #1 –  Upgrade some equipment.  Now I am leaving that a bit vague because I do not know if that will mean brewing equipment or possibly other things to enhance my beer enjoyment at home.  Those other things could include a nice bottle rack for cellaring beer or perhaps a second fridge that can be used to set up some draft beer at home (and also a means for lagering some brews).
• Not-so-random goal #2 –  Attend a beer festival somewhere that is not in the state in which I currently reside.  I was fortunate enough to do that few years back when visiting Seattle Jeff, but have not done so since.  I would actually be more than OK with heading back to the Pacific NW to meet that goal.  Going to festivals away from home give me a shot a trying a lot more new beers that I don’t normally have access to.
• Not-so-random goal #3 –  Visit at least one brewery that I have never been to before.  Last year was a pretty good year for doing just that.  I am not going to avoid repeat visits to places I have already been, but I do want to get to a few new ones in the next twelve months.  There are a few on my short list, but they are all quite far away so I am going to have to work at this one.
• Not-so-random goal #4 – Enter one of my home brewed beers into a home brew competition.  This will accomplish two things that I can think of at this moment.  One is that it will get me some valuable feed back on my beer from non-biased parties but also it will actually get me to brew a lot more than I did last year.  If I am going to be brewing more I am going to need to find people to give it to since there is no way I can drink it all before it starts to get old.
• Not-so-random goal #5 – The last of the five was the easiest and should come as no surprise to anyone who has read the last few Wednesday posts.  I don’t know when or why exactly I decided that Cicerone certification was something I wanted but it is.  Probably more than anything it provides a ready-made method for me to advance my beer knowledge to the next level.  Very soon I need to commit to an exam date to force my studying pace to pick up.

Cheers to a great 2012!

Random photo of the week

After posting a B Note review of Sierra Nevada Ovila a few days ago, I found myself wanting to know a little more about the monastery and the project that provided the purpose behind the beer.  This video is on the longer side of what I post here, is a few years old, and really has nothing specifically to do with beer, but it does tie back to my short evaluation.  I found it to help bring the story together a bit more.

Enjoy . . .

The weather the last few days has been absolutely fantastic. Though we don’t get the nice long autumn season that I was used to growing up, the temperature lately has reminded me of it. Save for a few spots of rain, the air has been cool and crisp and has made it very enjoyable to be outside in the sun. It finally feels like football season, though unless I am watching television while in the backyard I guess it doesn’t matter.

Onto a few of my thoughts from this week . .

• Random thought #1 – Gaining an extra hour with the clocks being turned back makes you think that you have more time to be productive on Sunday until you just use that time to get some extra sleep.
• Random thought #2 – I am glad that the midterm elections are finally over if only because the amount of junk mail I get will go back to normal. It is unbelievable how much garbage we got in the mail in the weeks leading up to that Tuesday.
• Random thought #3 – No matter how efficient I become at bottling my home brewed beer it will always be an incredibly tedious process. The required sanitizing alone takes too much time!
• Random thought #4 – Sometimes I think that my dogs would really have a blast playing in snow. Then I see how they curl up for warmth with the first hint of chilly weather here and I am not so sure.
• Random thought #5 – I am not sure why deciding what to brew next is such a difficult process for me. Since I really just want to keep practicing as much as anything maybe I should get a wheel to spin and make the choice for me.

Random photo of the week

Cheers!

The first two days of the year have been quite nice, so I am hoping that is an accurate preview of the many remaining days of this year. With family coming to town in the very near future I am very sure that the at least the next seven days will be just as awesome.

As for my thoughts for the last seven days . . .

• Random thought #1 – Doing serious cleaning around the house is always a process of making things look far worse before starting to make it better again. The making worse part goes much more quickly than the making it better again part.
• Random thought #2 – I had not realized how many years it has been since I spent New Year’s Eve at a bar until this one when I found out that the bar was able to be open until three for the occasion. Fortunately having a bar open that late/early is a rare occurrence.
• Random thought #3 – No matter how busy I am, any time spent playing with my dogs is well worth it. Among other things they make me laugh hysterically at least once a day. I think that The Wife agrees with me on that sentiment.
• Random thought #4 – A Sunday that involves a combination of donuts, Home Depot, pizza, football, and beer cannot really turn out to be anything but a good day. The donuts and pizza should be rotated out for other things now and again, but the beer should definitely stay.
• Random thought #5 – The puzzle solving process that is building something and fixing things using the tools and materials on hand is one that I thoroughly enjoy. Hours and hours and hours can go by without me even noticing.

Random photo of the week.

Cheers!