I have always enjoyed beer but never quite understood all the different styles available.  I am a man who fancies himself someone who likes good beer, I drink a wide variety of beers and I love trying new ones.  I want to learn more about this tasty beverage, it’s history, it’s styles and more importantly, how to make it myself.  It may not be easy on my bank account and my wife may get tired of a drunk husband after awhile but, I am going suffer through it and come out a better, smarter drunk at the end of this year.

The great thing about today being my birthday and the start of my new year of learning is that I can sit here, guilt free at 11:00 in the afternoon and enjoy a nice cold Yuengling Traditional Lager.  If you are from Pennsylvania, you are more than familiar with this beer.  If you are from some other god-forsaken place, you may not have heard about it but more on that later.

Today, I just want to introduce you to this years topic and launch my new site. I find that I learn better if I have goals I need to reach.  Below is a list of the topics I want to learn about this year and the goals I have set for that topic

• Homebrew – I dabbled in homebrew a few years back but only made 2 batches and never got past brewing from a kit.  I want to become a much better home brewer.  I want to learn as much as I can in a year, go well beyond the simple kit brews I had done in the past and even try my hand at creating my own recipe.  So, what is the goal for this topic?  GOAL: To read at least 4 books on homebrew and brew at least 10 batches of beer, expand my knowledge, acquire new equipment and create at least 1 of my own recipes.
• Variety of Beer and Styles – The available selection of beer is pretty limited in Berks County, PA and Pennsylvania’s laws about beer make it difficult to try a wide variety unless can you find a good bar to go to.  There are some great bars in the area with a wide variety but unfortunately, I don’t have the time to go out like I used to.  To buy beer for home in PA, I am limited to buying full cases from the distributor or six packs from the bar (most have very small selection).  I know, I told you PA has very wacky beer and liquor laws.  It’s going to be a challenge but I am up for it  GOAL: To try at least 200 different beers this year and write a review of at least 100 of them.
• Learn, Understand and Recognize Different Styles – In addition to drinking all those different types of beer, I want to learn and understand the different styles.  I want to be able to order a beer and know what the style is supposed to taste like.  I want to be able to pair those styles up with my mood, the season and the meal I am about to eat.  In addition to tasting and drinking different styles of beer, I am going to read as many magazines, blogs and books on beer as I can.  GOAL: Read at least 2 books on beer, subscribe and read other blogs and subscribe and read at least 2 magazines.
• Visit Breweries and Brew Pubs – During my year of beer, I want to visit and enjoy breweries and brew pubs that are close enough for me to travel to.  GOAL: Visit at least 10 breweries or brew pubs and take the tour if they offer it
• Cook with Beer – My wife is the real cook of the family but I do enjoy grilling and I think my wife (Stephanie) would enjoy my year of beer if I involved myself in her interests.  Beer is a wonderful drink but it can also be a great ingredient.  I want to learn how to cook and/or grill with beer.  GOAL: To make at least 10 meals or parts of meals that include beer as a big ingredient.
• History of Beer – I want to learn more about the history of beer, where it came from and what impact it’s had on people’s lives in our country and others. GOAL: Read at least 2 books about the history of beer and subscribe to relevant magazines
• Refine my Beer Palette - I want to learn how to taste beer.  I know that sounds weird but just as you can taste and pick out flavors and grade wine, you can do the same thing with beer.  I want to be able to pick out flavors and describe them in the beer I drink.  GOAL: Learn how to taste beer.  Write about and review at least 200 different beers this year.

If you like beer or you like my concept of yearly learning, I encourage you to subscribe to my RSS feed, follow me on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook or subscribe to my monthly newsletter.