Jason, If the only homebrew you've drank tastes like lighter fluid, you're definitely missing out! Beer constitutes 90% of what I "drink" these days and of that, homebrew is probably 40%-50% of my consumption. I've been brewing for seven years now and haven't ever really made a bad batch. Right now I have a Mexican Cerveza ale and a New Zeleand IPA fizzing away in the dining room. I'd brew my coffee stout today but the wife is making tamales. She has a Belgian kit to brew and Santa may bring her a cider kit for Christmas too. The best thing about homebrewing is that you make almost any beer you want and it's about as difficult as making gumbo from scratch (except gumbo never got you rip-roarin' drunk ). Jimmy, I have a copper coil immersion chiller that I use as well. They're the best inexpensive efficient way to get that wort cooled off enough to pitch the yeast. Cheers!
After fermentation has finished the first barreling from the new kit into corney kegs and a note on boiler/fermenter upgrade with wort chiller.
Where'd Jimmy go? Drunken stooper from the holidays? Does "Don't get high on your own supply" apply here?