Back in the sadle. But.........

First id like to say thankyou to everyones kind words a few weeks ago when i posted about my losses. Sorry in advance if this is long. Going off what everyone said(on this forum and my friends local), I went to my lhbs on fri and got a brewers best Kolsch kit just to "get my feet wet wet again". Just finished brewing it up with my buddy up the road, man it was great. But............... I made a couple steps backwards. I bought the wlp029 kolsch yeast but did not make a starter(hey the estimated og was 1.042-1.046). It was an extract kit and not an ag batch. so i made a couple steps backwards, however i came to a huge realization of something. The loss of my mother did not bring about the loss of the love for brewing.(It did help though) I did.


I had forgotten some of the best things about this hobby. I started doing just kit beers(and loved it). Moved to making starters for all beers, then went all grain. Somewhere in the process i got lost in the hype. While i liked the results of the ag, and making starters for my beers. I just realized something tonight.

None of it is worth it if this becomes work. water chemistry does not matter. Yeast starters do not matter. AG vs Extract does not matter. Whether to use a secondary fermenter or not does not matter. All that really matters is that you enjoyed your brew day, and whether you enjoy the finished product.

Welcome back. You hit the nail on the head. I enjoy brewing, have only done extract so far with plans of all grain in the works. I figure even if I do all grain some beers will be done as extract just for simplicity.

You are so right. This is a hobby not a job. It must be enjoyable above all else as far as I am concerned. Thats not to say making a good tasting beer is not a good thing.