I've been brewing since 1987 and I've brewed on many different systems, both those of my own design and those of others. My first all-grain batch was brewed in ~1989 using a stovetop system based on the justly reviled Zapap lauter tun (see Papazian), two 3.5 gallon stainless steel kettles (mash and boil), and one 3 gallon aluminum kettle (sparge water). In spite of the lousy equipment, I brewed this first beer with no reference other than Charlie's all-grain chapter in the original The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. This inaugural brew was a whole list of firsts for me: First all-grain, first lager (a Vienna), first use of liquid yeast, first non-overhopped beer. Quite ambitious - and I managed to use absolutely every utensil in the kitchen while simulataneously developing a floor sticky enough to resist 3 separate moppings. Despite this, that first all-grain beer was by far and away the best I'd ever made. Not just "better", but "leaps and bounds". I was sold.
Despite the wonderful results, I abandoned the Zapap after only one use for something similar: I replaced the inner bucket with a colander/strainer for a false bottom. This gave much better results and I brewed more or less in this fashion for the next 6 years.
In that time, I unfortunately learned more than I remember, and my discovery of the Homebrew Digest was instrumental in my increase in knowledge that translated directly to better beer. It was also during that time that I realized that brewing was a real hobby for me and not one of my many fleeting interests. Because of this, I became more and more dissatisfied with my stove top system and the fact that it monopolized and trashed the cramped kitchen of our flat. I yearned for something better, but alas, even with a spare bedroom there wasn't enough room to store, let alone operate, something better (ie, bigger).
I brew ales almost exclusively, with emphasis on certain Belgian (Wit, Abbeys) and English styles (Porter, Special Bitter). I make the occasional lager (generally a Hellesbock), but frankly find most lagers bland, boring, dull, boring, and a lot of work. I adore Lambic, and occasionally brew one with encouraging results. I use a variety of pure cultures from the usual commerical sources, a natural pediococcus and/or lactobacillus living in our spare bathroom (see the Chicha Page), as well as dregs from bottles of Cantillon, Hanssens, and Oud Beersel. I also brew several batches of mead each year.
I am a member of the Long Beach Homebrewers club. I am in the midst of pursuing a BJCP judgeship, and have done some stewarding and was very fortunate to be able to actually judge (unranked) at the recent Pacific Brewer's Cup.