Trying to keep focused

Craft beer drinker and brewer here.  Best months for craft beer is here with the Octoberfest's and Winter lagers.  That's the cool thing about triathlon, if you can stay consistent (not so much on how long the workout is), you can drink craft beer and not be on a strict diet and maintain weight.  My personal opinion is that keeping weight training in the mix (3-4 days/week) along with tri training will keep you metabolism higher - stronger, bigger muscles burn more calories at rest.  It's worked for me for a decade and I bounce around at the sprint level.

Yes, find a pool that you can join - swimming at least 2x week would be good, 3x great.  It's all about balance and consistence. Even 20-30 minute workouts count instead of bagging a workout due to time constraints or lack of motivation.

Good luck, let us know if you have any questions.