Hi all. Haven't brewed in around 25 years and things have really changed.

[Brewer #430125]

I used to brew a lot back when. The county I live in and the surrounding ones were dry counties until a few years ago and the nearest adult beverages could only be found an hour and a half away at the nearest so I started brewing. Jobs around here were either low paying or know somebody to get a good paying job> I wound up spending the next few years on the road and wound up selling my equipment and got out of the hobby. I now have plenty of spare time on my hands and I am amazed at how far home brewing has come. Everything has basically changed in that time frame. I am going to have to learn a lot of new things and try to remember some of my favorite recipes and hopefully dig out my notebooks. Looking forward to the money tree blooming so I can get some things and get started.

 

[Herm brews]

Welcome back to the hobby, and welcome to this site. I like to keep it simple with BIAB, but whatever your method and preferences, good luck!

 

[Sandy Feet]

Me too.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

While there are definitely a lot of new fangled gadgets out there, the biggest change in the past 25 years has been the quality of the ingredients. So, don't be afraid to recreate your setup from 25 years ago if that's what your comfortable with.

 

[The Brew Mentor]

Welcome,
25 years ago you were likely doing can kits.
They made alcohol, but I'd be hard pressed to call it craft beer!
You are correct in saying things have changed! What a complete difference in products and availability!
If I were starting over again (as i kind of am), I'd do plenty of research before committing to any equipment and the footprint it'll occupy.
A simple "all in one" system will work fine for 5 gallon batches. Indoor brewing and steam recovery to be seriously considered.
Closed fermentation, possibly under pressure, is a game changer.
Closed transfer to CO2 keg will also improve your beer and longevity.
Ok, I just spent a couple grand of your money
Cheers,
Brian

 

[Brewer #430125]

While there are definitely a lot of new fangled gadgets out there, the biggest change in the past 25 years has been the quality of the ingredients. So, don't be afraid to recreate your setup from 25 years ago if that's what your comfortable with.

I am really looking forward to getting into a bunch of the new stuff. Using my old three pot setup was seriously tedious. Not having to pack my lagers to the root cellar or cave and using pressure fermentation and all that will be a real nice upgrade especially since I am not getting around like I used to. It was rough enough getting a fermenter or two into either even in my early 20's. The cellar stairs are narrow steep and deep and the cave is a nice 50 yard crawl to the closest good spot.

Welcome,
25 years ago you were likely doing can kits.
They made alcohol, but I'd be hard pressed to call it craft beer!
You are correct in saying things have changed! What a complete difference in products and availability!
If I were starting over again (as i kind of am), I'd do plenty of research before committing to any equipment and the footprint it'll occupy.
A simple "all in one" system will work fine for 5 gallon batches. Indoor brewing and steam recovery to be seriously considered.
Closed fermentation, possibly under pressure, is a game changer.
Closed transfer to CO2 keg will also improve your beer and longevity.
Ok, I just spent a couple grand of your money
Cheers,
Brian

I did start with some extracts and they weren't usually terrible but it was definitely lacking and did move on to all grain. Getting the materials could be a serious chore and quality was all over the place. At least in my area. Most of the local farming was and still is corn and soybeans grain wise. Finding barley of any kind was petty much unobtanium. Even finding stuff on the early internet was a pain.

The biggest thing that will be nice is picking other folk's brains and just conversing about things. Thanks all for the welcome too.

 

[Zambi]

Welcome back to the hobby, and welcome to this site. I like to keep it simple with BIAB, but whatever your method and preferences, good luck!

And me

Welcome

 

[Donoroto]

Welcome to Brewer's Friend, and back to the hobby. Yes, much has changed since last century. But, at its roots, the process is the same.

Do your research, ask lots of questions, and start looking for bargains at garage sales...

 

[Sandy Feet]

I am really looking forward to getting into a bunch of the new stuff. Using my old three pot setup was seriously tedious. Not having to pack my lagers to the root cellar or cave and using pressure fermentation and all that will be a real nice upgrade especially since I am not getting around like I used to. It was rough enough getting a fermenter or two into either even in my early 20's. The cellar stairs are narrow steep and deep and the cave is a nice 50 yard crawl to the closest good spot.

I did start with some extracts and they weren't usually terrible but it was definitely lacking and did move on to all grain. Getting the materials could be a serious chore and quality was all over the place. At least in my area. Most of the local farming was and still is corn and soybeans grain wise. Finding barley of any kind was petty much unobtanium. Even finding stuff on the early internet was a pain.

The biggest thing that will be nice is picking other folk's brains and just conversing about things. Thanks all for the welcome too.

If you can get some good corn, maybe a cream ale or pre pro lager? Just thinking,

 

[Donoroto]

Wouldn't raw grain need to be malted?

I mean, @GFHomebrew made it look easy, but I dunno...

 

[richbon]

Welcome from someone with a similar story. I took a few decades off from brewing before getting going again last November and have brewed about 12 batches in that time. Two things really opened up the hobby for me again: "brew in a bag" techniques and recipe calculator apps. Brew in a bag works great for smaller batches (2.5-3 gallons) that can reasonably be done on a stovetop in a 5 gallon pot - and for not a lot of $. The recipe design app on this site is also great. I've been surprised how often my measurements come out very close to what is predicted in the app. The community of folks on this site, many of which you've already heard from, are also a great resource. Happy brewing!

 

[Ward Chillington]

I don't have the time on the pond like some of the other brewers here but I'd really be interested in your observations of the differences. Based on what I've read, I think @BarbarianBrewer hit the nail on the head with the ingredients. From hop pellets packaged in Mylar to specialized Barleys to yeasts only available to certain parts of Nordic countries all at your fingertips! It gotta be a head spinner!

Welcome!

 

[Craigerrr]

Welcome to Brewers Friend, and glad to hear you are taking the hobby up again!

 

[Brewdomestix]

Welcome. Biggest change for me was availability online which I aren't exactly sure how long it had been at the point I pretty much stumbled upon it. Homebrewing ingredients as well as equipment had become thin on the ground in my town when I decided to start up again after moving 20 years ago (having not had enough space first couple of years). Now I am spoilt for choice. It would still be nice to have an actual walk in store but the ones where I am don't tend to survive very long. I hope you can get what you need and enjoy your return to brewing.