I started brewing in 2002 out in Washington state. I was stationed out there in the Navy, and that is where I learned to love craft brew. A friend and I were walking through a little town north of where I was stationed (Anacortes) and we walked by a HBS, so i told her I wanted to go in there and she was like " what for you don't know how to make beer?" I said "I bet that guy in there does."

So we hopped on in and the nice guy introduced him self as Larry, I told him I love drinking beer, but knew absolutely nothing about how it was made. He looked at me and said, "we all had to start some where!"

I walked out the store with a complete set-up: 6&5 gallon carboy, bottling bucket.......and all the little things, for $100. All I needed to get was a boil kettle. Unfortunately his set-ups came with a prehopped extract kit. But i went forth and brewed anyway (not that i new any better). I brewed that one up and was back in the store as soon as i transfered to the secondary for another batch. I moved up pretty quickly through the ranks of extract but didn't graduate to AG until early 07. I started Kegging after about three batches of bottling though, couldn't stand it.

Stopped for a bit in 04 when i moved to Indiana, but got back in the grove pretty quick after I found a LHBS, it sucks but it works for now. I pretty much only get last minute things there anyway.