Skip to main content

3 New Year’s Resolutions for Beer Lovers in 2019

A brand new year means brand new beers.

For beer drinkers, the beginning of a new year is the perfect time to look back and look ahead. As you reflect on your favorite beers of the past, you may also be looking for ways to evolve your beer experience. Whether you are a brew newbie (a brewbie?) or a seasoned disciple of the almighty craft beer, here are three tips for a successful new year of enjoying what you drink.

craft beer drinks cheers
Elevate

Keep a Tasting Journal

Good beer is everywhere and it’s easy to lose track of your tasting experiences. Have I had this beer before? Where? Did I like it? If you’re planning on drinking multiple beers in a session, some of the answers to those questions may be fuzzy at best by the end of the evening. The best way to remember a stellar drinking experience is to write it down. If you’re old school and like analog resources, you might want to carry the Field Notes beer tasting pocket notebook. Digital devotees may prefer using an app like Untappd, Beer Advocate, or a custom Google Doc. Whatever your method, take time to make notes on your favorite brews. This resource makes it easy to recall what you really thought of a beer, and comes in handy for making recommendations or buying beer gifts for others.

Drink Your Cellar

If you’ve been immersed in the world of craft beer for very long, chances are you’ve amassed a collection of beers in your cellar or beer fridge. Next year, be pro-active and inventory your stash. Make a list of the beer name, style, alcohol percentage, and (most importantly) when it was bottled. Then, plan out a drinking calendar. Spread it out around holidays and birthdays, or just create your own special occasion to pop open a years-old bourbon barrel stout (we suggest any of the following: first or last game of the season for your favorite team, paying off a student loan, or the first time your new puppy successfully doesn’t mess your carpet). Be sure to invite a few friends over and share the wealth. Remember, beer karma is real and even the burliest beer won’t last forever.

brewery hop 10 barrel brewing co boise idaho
Elevate

Go to the Source

Give back to the brewers you love in 2019. Plan visits to your favorite breweries and patronize their tap rooms and stores. Sales made on-site typically net the brewery much more cash, which they can put back into making even more of the beer you enjoy. Most breweries also have tours or chances to meet the brewers. With that opportunity, you can say thank you in person. Can’t make it cross-country to visit your favorite brand? Instead, go visit your local breweries. These men and women are making great beer right in your own community and they deserve a pat on the back, too.

Editors' Recommendations

Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the…
Best Pumpkin Beers Worthy of Your Pint Glass this Fall
best pumpkin beer

It's pumpkin season, people. The portly orange produce is invading everything these days, from your morning upper to post-dinner dessert. Soon enough, fall will give way to winter and the last remnants of pumpkin spice will fade as everyone swaps out the spice for peppermint. Until then, pumpkin beer it is.

Pumpkins have even infiltrated the beer realm, sometimes with not-so-desirable results. When done poorly, a pumpkin beer tastes like little more than a bunch of brown sugar and cinnamon hit with carbonation and alcohol. But the practice is so popular that there are some really tasty options out there, especially when combined with other ingredients in pumpkin coffee beer.

Read more
Brews Less Traveled Beer Club By Brewvana
brewvana beer club review beers in a box

A beer club is one of the best ways to dive into the latest craft beer trends and be able to try new brews from across the United States and the rest of the globe. The bad news is, even with all the frequent flyer miles in the world, it’s likely impossible to visit all the best breweries in the U.S. alone. Awesome brewpubs have popped up in the most remote areas and smallest towns in each and every state. While some of them are definitely worth seeking out on trips to favorite regions and landscapes, there is a better way to get some of those tastings in without leaving the front door. Enter Brewvana.

How Does Brewvana Work?

Read more
Craft Beer Trends To Watch as 2022 Approaches
Oakshire Brewing Smoothie Sour beers on table.

The world of craft beer is massive and always in motion. Seems like just a generation ago we had a handful of macro options, plus the occasional micro selection. Today, we are gifted with thousands of players in the craft beer scene, all working to elevate the industry and push it even further ahead.

We reached out to Jim McCune, who has spent decades in craft beer, for some insights and things to look out for. He's had runs at brewers like Blue Point and is presently the executive director of the Craft Beverage Division at EGC. What's he seeing in his crystal ball? For one, even more innovation in the hazy IPA, sour, and traditional lager genres. Also, more in the way of fusion beers made with CBD and THC.

Read more