"Hi All,
I'm not a big fan of ""New Year's Resolutions"" but I do like to look back and see what has changed and why. Since we just changed calendars, this seems like as good a time as any. So I took a look at the most significant things I do differently now than I did a year ago. Hopefully some of this will be useful to folks just getting started. I tried to put these in order of importance.
1. Read More
I now spend much more time reading than I do running the rig or preparing recipes. Most of the answers are out there. I have also found that there's a lot of bad information out there as well ... and reading helps me separate the wheat from the chaff. It also provides the repetitions required for learning -- good coaches and athletes know all about repetition -- reading is my form of film and playbook study.:)
One of the reasons I'm now spending less time with the rig and the wash is that I'm simply getting more efficient. Some of that is from my own experience (i.e. learning from my mistakes), but most of it is from the experience of others. There are a lot of people out there with a wealth of experience and they are willing to share their ideas, criticisms, and techniques -- all for free for the reading -- it's good to pay attention to what they're saying. They've made many of the mistakes that I made ... or many of the mistakes that I'm about to make. If one of the forum elders can cut off my mistakes at the pass, then I save time (and money) ... and I get better results!
2. Slow Down
If you feel like you're rushed or in a hurry, then you're probably moving too fast. Slow down, take your time and think things through, and for heaven sake's enjoy your hobby -- it's not a race!
Early last year my log book was full of failures (failures in the sense that my results didn't meet my expectations). I was moving way too fast to actually learn about, and correct, all of the little things that add up to better results. It was taking me three or four attempts to get something close to what I wanted. Once I slowed down, the same process might take me twice as long to perform ... but I'd get the results I was looking for (or very close to it) on the first attempt. Rather than saying, ""Well I guess I screwed that one up!"" now I'm saying, ""Not bad! It still needs work. But not bad at all."" So slowing down saved me time (and money) ... and I got better results!
3. Ferment Cool, Ferment Slow, Ferment Low
I have never used a turbo, but I did do other things to finish high gravity washes quickly. You get a lot of bang for your buck by just keeping that wash temperature up ... it takes off like a rocket, bubbles vigorously, and finishes in less than a week. I could get a 1.095 wash to finish in five days! ... dry as bone ... just crank up the aquarium heater to 30 C (86 F) or higher, and let her rip! The commitment that some guys had to lower gravity (1.080 or lower) washes that took three weeks to finish at 20 C (68 F) seemed ... well ... just plain old wrong!
After a few months fussing with the ""off flavors,"" the some times pleasant but annoying ""fruity aromas,"" and the disgusting ""wet dog"" stink (it smelled more like a stinky pair of shoes to me) that narrowed the hearts cut of my neutrals, I did some research. It was easy to find why those guys were so committed to lower temperature, lower gravity, and longer fermentation times. I wish I did more reading, slowed down, and just listened to the elders. Now that I've joined the cool, slow and low crowd I'm saving time (and money) ... and I'm getting better results.
4. Always Start with Tried and True
I like experimenting ... trying new things ... it's exciting! But there's nothing exciting about dumping 5 gallons of wash down the drain after spending 20 bucks on fancy grains ... or spending 10 hours preparing something that was doomed from the start. It's too discouraging ... and it wastes too much time and money. And yes, I've done these things ... I just figured how hard can this stuff be? After all, humans have been doing this for thousands of years, right?
Well I learned this the hard way: there's a reason why tried and true recipes are ""Tried and True."" They work and they're hard to screw up. However, in the event of a screw-up, they come with an added feature: there are hoards of people who can help when something goes wrong. This is a great feature -- a feature that isn't included in a custom, home-spun recipe.
Anyway, after enough of my experiments went wrong I changed strategies. Now, I look for a tried and true recipe that's fairly close to what I'm trying to accomplish (or is at least on the path to where I want to go). Then, after getting some experience with the unmodified tried and true recipe, I venture out on my own ... making just a few small changes each time that get me closer to what I want. Some work well, some don't work at all ... but it's never an abject failure ... just not what I was shooting for. This applies to AG as well -- I'm using what you might call a tried and true beer recipe (without hops). Once I get that down I'll start making some changes. Call me cheap ... but pouring 20 bucks down drain just isn't ""fun."" So this time I'll stick with the tried and true until I get it right -- it'll save me time (and money) ... and I'll get better results.
5. Manage Power
This one took me a while to understand -- mostly because I wasn't a very good student -- I spent way too much time doodling or watching the clock in my thermo classes -- education is wasted on youth! :)
This time last year I would just crank up the power to full then happily use the cooling water to adjust the output rate ... and chase temps. The results: high abv smearing. The center fifth was still not shabby ... but the ""acceptable"" yield (the stuff you'd be proud to share with your friends and family) was pretty low. When my ""viola"" moment came and I used just enough power to get her done ... things improved ... a lot! There are plenty of posts throughout the forum on this point ... no need to duplicate them here. I finally read through them ... slowed down ... and managed my power. It saved me time (and money) ... and I got better results!
So there you have it. The five most significant things I'm doing different ... and why. I'd be interested in hearing from others. Tell us all about the most important things you learned over the past year ... what you're doing differently now than a year ago.
Happy New Year!
Regards,
--JB"
