Welcome to the forum. So is there anything that has changed in brewing from 1988 to now that you wish would go back to the old way?
Hey Myndflyte, good question.
Racking my brain (pun intended), I can't think of anything that has changed or I would go back too. I used to travel 40 miles round trip to get brewing supplies, now there are several shops within 6 miles. If the shop doesn't have what I need (extremely rare), I can just go to the web. Back in the day, all we had was a phone book, so getting supplies was sometimes difficult.
Today equipment is better, abundant, and it's improving all the time. I used to have to start a racking siphon with a tube full of water and a catch basin. It was messy and didn't always work the first time. I got better at it, but it was always a pain. Today, I use a siphon pump and with a couple of quick pumps, the beer is flowing. Much easier.
The one thing I would like to have from my early brewing is the water. I lived in a town that chose not to treat the municipal water, and it was the best. Making great beer was so easy. Unless I burned the wort, or totally messed up something, it was a good batch. Good times!
If I recall anything else, I'll post it.
