Happy 2020 everyone!
We hope you had a wonderful, fun, and relaxing holiday season. We sure did… with emphasis on the relaxing part. Mid-week holidays kept us from doing anything too exciting, so we enjoyed doing nothing over the holidays. Nada. We didn’t even go out and make a spectacle of ourselves for New Year’s Eve. Instead, we watched the ball drop in NYC from our couch, and we were eye-shut long before midnight in Colorado. For the two big holidays – Christmas Day and New Year’s Day – we didn’t even change out of our pajamas. It was glorious.
But now it’s 2020 and time for us to focus on the new year. That pun, and all the 20/20 puns that are sure to follow, are most definitely intended. Enjoy!
Bottle Makes Three’s 2020 Vision
As always, we start 2020 with a look back at the previous year. This time it’s a bit hard to look back because last year we really let things go around here. We’ve both spent a lot of time focused on other endeavors, including our day jobs and getting settled in our new house. It took a toll on blogging. In 2020, we’re hoping to bring the focus back to BMT by getting back to some fundamentals. Emphasis on FUN.
Our BREW Year Resolutions
When we started Bottle Makes Three (BMT) back in 2012, we did it with one goal in mind: we wanted to visit all the breweries in the state, and BMT was our way to keep track of the adventures we had while trying to visit them all. Our plan was to write about each stop to help us keep track of all the fun we had on our journey exploring all the breweries. Quickly, we realized “exploring all the breweries” was not going to happen. We set our sights too high since new breweries were opening too quickly for us to keep up. We abandoned the goal but kept the blog, and never had to look far for topics to write about.
Unfortunately, over time we found we couldn’t keep up with writing detailed stories of every place we visited. We wrote about a lot of things, sure, but with very little organization or focus. After visiting so many places, they all started to blur together. Often we struggle to remember where we’ve been and what we enjoyed. Without a long-term vision for the site, we sometimes didn’t even know what to write about.
How many breweries have we visited in total? Countless.
How many did we check out last year? Unknown.
How many did we actually write about? Far too few.
Putting the LOG back in BLOG
That meme above haunts our dreams because it’s just too true. That is the exact pattern we’ve fallen into. We have no shortage of fun experiences or story ideas to share, but during the past year or so, we’ve lacked the follow-through to get it done. That’s why we’ve done a lot of planning for 2020. It’s also why our word of the year for 2020 is focus. We can’t know where we’ve been or where we’re going without it. One of the ways we’re going to focus on bringing great stories back to the blog is by making a tiny, but ultimately monumental change. We’re getting back to basics. We’re going to write about where we’ve been. Best of all, this time we’re keeping track.
We’ve decided to count every brewery we visit this year. We don’t have a specific number goal, we just want to know where we’ve been. We’ll document things by numbering our visits as we make them via Instagram/Facebook stories. Then we’ll follow up by writing about them. Yep, every dang one of them. We like the number three (for obvious reasons) so every 3 brewery visits will be combined into a post that summarizes our stops. Don’t expect full reviews of every place – we’re keeping the recaps short but sweet. But dammit, every brewery we visit this year will be documented. We envision that you’ll see these posts once a week, more or less. Our working title for this series is Brewery Log: 2020. If you read that title in a Captain Kirk voice, then you clearly get us. (Wink!)
Favorites Places & Things
Another thing we’re adding to our regular rotation in 2020 is our Favorites Places & Things. We like a lot of stuff. Obviously we like beer, but we also regularly enjoy great spirits, foods, bars, restaurants, and lots of other things. We go out a lot as we seek new places to explore, and we often find some true gems. Who knows, if we like them, maybe you’d like them, too. That’s why this year we’re committed to sharing our favorites with you this year. Favorite Breweries, Spirits, Bars, Beers, Restaurants, Things… whatever. We’ll stop holding out and will share it all with you. Our goal is to write about at least a few favorites each month. Since favorites are subjective, you may not always agree with our point of view. That’s cool. Start your own blog and share your own favorites. We’d enjoy taking a peek at the places you love, we’re always on the lookout for recommendations.
Field Trips
If there is something we love more than beer, it’s travel. Yes, usually we’re traveling for beer, but not always. Sometimes we set our sights on a new place just for the fun of it. We enjoy the adventure of a day trip or weekend getaway. Whether we’re seeking adventure in a new place or exploring one of our tried-and-true favorites, a field trip is always fun. (Plus we’re all grown, so no permission slips are needed!) Our personal goal this year is to take at least one Field Trip a month, whether it means in-state sight-seeing or heading to destinations outside of Colorado. We’re committing to sharing more of those adventures with you, so be on the lookout for regular articles detailing our Field Trips. Who knows, maybe we’ll even see you during some of our 2020 escapades!
Everything Else, AKA, Whatever We Want
What else do we have in store for you on Bottle Makes Three this year? Only time will tell. We’re bloggers after all, and one of the few benefits of writing for free, just for us, on an unpaid/unscripted blog is that we can write about whatever the heck we want. If we could write every day we would love nothing more than to bring you ALL the latest in local industry news and happenings. We definitely want to deliver more behind-the-scenes stories of the people, places, and history behind our favorite drinks. We’d love to include more educational articles to our site, where we would certainly play the role of both pupil and teacher, as we learn new topics together. We’d enjoy taking a deeper look at the ever-changing culture and trends in the industry and share our two-cents on whatever is happening. Which stories will make the cut in this new year? You’ll have to wait & see. We don’t plan things out too far ahead, so what topics we focus on each month will be as much a surprise for us as it is for you. Embrace the randomness and be ready for whatever.
Now Let’s Do This, 2020
We ended our last post of 2019 with that phrase and now our sole focus is putting it into action. We’re ready, 2020. We’ve made plans. We have ideas. We’ve taken notes, for goodness sake. We’ve got this. We have some much-needed direction, and just hope that as our readers and friends you like where we’re going.
What Do You Think of Our 2020 Vision?
If you have thoughts, comments, or ideas about what you’d like to see us focus on in 2020, please share them with us. You can always reach us on our BMT Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Better yet, drop us a line anytime at contact@bottlemakesthree.com. We want this blog to be helpful, informative, and fun for you, so speak up, and help us improve our 2020 vision. Or just send your best 2020 puns… we’ve love to see them!
Bonus 2020 Drinking Game!
For a fun* drinking game, read the above post again and take a drink anytime you see a word related to vision (see, eyes, sight, blink, etc… you get the idea!) Drink twice for all the terrible puns. We bet you didn’t see them all… some were so subtle if you were to blink, you’d miss them!
*We think it’s fun. You may see things differently. Ahhhh…. gotcha again!
