I held off posting a lot until I started brewing, but I got some new toys and I am planning some batches today.
On the toy front, I already mentioned the new burner. After that I picked up an Igloo square 60qt cooler at Big Lots ($19 on sale a while back!), a keggle with a lid and a valve, a refractometer (w/ ITC), and a small mash paddle.
Now I didn't get the nice big mash paddle I was wanting on www.mashpaddles.com, but its a small one that will work for now.
I'm pretty excited to use it all. I do need to convert the cooler into a mash tun, but a little PVC, a drill, and a PVC valve will take care of that. My first batch on the system will be a fun one. I am brewing a Surly Furious clone recipe that I found online (and tweaked for MORE HOPS!).
That same day I hope to brew another version of Furious, but less hopped but aged on oak and vanilla. I've always wanted to oak age an IPA (not for long though), so I will have to dry hop it to maintain the hop aroma. I am planning on brewing both batches using the same malt bills (a 10 gallon mash) on September 4th, that gives me 4 weeks to ferment and then quickly drop in the keg to force carb before the Augusta Bottoms Beer Festival on October 2nd.