Starting to feel it again

[teutonic terror]

I've been on the brewing "sidelines" let's say, for almost a year now.
I recently found the CraigTube channel on Youtube again and it took me back
to when I was just starting to brew and would watch him on Justin TV on Saturday night.
I thought about how excited and well, almost driven I was then to brew beer.

Well, in the last two months I've been planning on how to get back to it.
I bought my first 50 lb sack of 2 row from More Beer for about .65 a lb less,
including shipping, than my LHBS is selling it to me.
Then I purchased a Victoria grain mill off of Amazon. I just ground a test run for my, hopefully,
brew day tomorrow, and my am I pleased.
Buying my own grain allowed me to upgrade the yeast for this batch!
I did brew a smoked porter last weekend, and that was like a chinese fire drill!
Broken hydrometer, water lines flying off of wort chiller.... etc!
Rusty to say the least!

Anyway, just getting psyched that I might actually have the time to get back with it and hang with you
guys alot more.

Thanks for all the help and inspiration y'all have provided for me and each over the last few years!

[FedoraDave]

I think we've all hit peaks and valleys with our brewing. It's time-consuming, painstaking, and all-grain takes a lot of effort. So taking some time off isn't unusual. But when you get back into it, it's like learning to walk all over again, in some ways.

You'll hit your stride real quick, I'm sure. Great to see that you're brewing again.

[Inkleg]

I did brew a smoked porter last weekend, and that was like a chinese fire drill!
Broken hydrometer, water lines flying off of wort chiller.... etc!
Rusty to say the least!

So in other words........a normal brew day.
Great to see you getting back to it.

[John Sand]

+1. I've certainly had my slumps. You'll get back to speed.

[teutonic terror]

Well, this brewday was quite a bit smoother that last weekend!

Only mishap was the output hose from the wort chiller touching the
burner frame and burning in half.

I really think I'm going to enjoy grinding my own grain and setting
my brewday up as I see fit.
It only took me about 20 min to crack 13.5 lbs of grain, by hand cranking. I plan on
getting the bolt for the crank and using my drill next time!

Again, thank you BORG!