The more I brew, the more I learn about how I brew. I think that is true with most things in life, right?  The more you do something, the more you learn about it.  "Practice makes perfect," as the saying goes. But practicing the wrong thing can lead to bad habits and, even worse, bad beer.  So, I want to go into a little more detail about the opening sentence. First, learning.  It is something I have been somewhat obsessed with since I started brewing.  I have gobbled up information from books, forums, and podcasts.  Learning is a good thing.  It helped me know what the heck I was doing - at least in the general sense.  It gave me an overview of the process, a map, a view of the entire forest.  I needed to know how to hit temperatures, how to sparge, how to do the basics of brewing.  Learning, reading, and listening gave me a bigger picture of the process.  Those various avenues of learning were, and still are, extremely helpf...

So, what is up with all the fall/autumn/pumpkin/fest beers being out already?  It's the middle of August.  It is hot still.  I, personally, don't really want to see those in the shelf til after Labor Day.  Autumn doesn't even start until September 21.  Maybe you've had similar thoughts. I liken it to being able to buy a 2013 car now.  It is like we are living in the future!  But facetiousness aside, if you are releasing a pumpkin beer or a harvest ale on August 1, that means you were brewing it in June.  Where do you buy pumpkin in June?  Surely you aren't getting the freshest pumpkins around...  Expired canned pumpkin anyone?  If you are releasing a fest beer, at least there aren't any special, seasonal ingredients.  But it takes longer to make.  When were you brewing that one?  May?  April?  Earlier? I understand trying to get your product out first so people see it, remember it, and buy it. ...