It’s kind of like why I won’t get a DSLR for my pictures. Exactly like, in fact.

Too expensive, too much work, more bother than the results are worth to me, and too much extra gear to store when I’m not using it.

Also leads to way more talking about equipment and technique than I’m willing to engage in. I’m not really that into geeking deeply over my hobbies. I freely admit to being a total dilettante in most activities. I figure I’ve gone whole-hog enough into cycling and sewing and good grief, I’ve got enough dang bikes in my house! I should probably keep it casual with the rest of my hobbies.

Also, no need to apologise for the length of your comment. It was all good words!

Can I say, then, that the move to kegging is a major life-improver? I am talking about used soda kegs, which can be found for pretty small money and pay for themselves in the first few batches, assuming you do the math that figures all the labor involved in bottling is worth minimum hourly wage. Also, as you’re a stout maker, it opens up the door to NITROGEN HEAD and seriously viable Guinness clones.

The other thing is yeast. I found the geek cline to be very, invitingly, steep and quickly moved to all-grain, but even more significant was establishing a yeast bank and culturing yeast up from Petri dishes to pitching quantities. It sounds complicated and daunting, but it’s actually very easy and HIGHLY satisfying. Watching all that yeast in there, working for you, bubbling away, with the knowledge that you raised them yourself from a test tube is especially cool. Plus this means that you can obtain and brew with the actual strains of yeast used in real beer styles (see Belgian wit, e.g., impossible to replicate without the right yeast). I remember it as a major revelation when I tasted the first batch of hefe-weisse I brewed with real Weihenstephan yeast vs. generic “wheat beer” starter. I got my lab gear and ‘slants’ of culture from Saint Patrick’s, but maybe your local dealer has a similar level of geekery going on. Seriously, I highly recommend taking a look at this aspect of brewing.

I enjoy your writing. Apologies for a long-winded/self-aggrandizing comment, and thanks for reminding me how much fun/work brewing is. I’ll be waiting for updates on the imperial stout.