Greetings good folk!

[cleojones]

Afternoon All,

Thought I would follow good forum etiquette and stop by to say a quick hello!

I'm a brand spanking newbie to brewing, living in the beautiful Northern Rivers, NSW.

I've just hauled out an old and unused Coopers home brew kit bought with the best of intentions years ago and I've dumped the perishables and salvaged the equipment and I'm ready to put it to work on its maiden voyage.

I've been on a bit of a spendathon for some ingredients to add to a Coopers Pale Ale kit for the first attempt. I've purchased some Galaxy hops and Crystal malt grain along with some Saf US-05, and dextrose, but am rapidly learning that changing up for DME, seems the right thing to do. I've also purchased some Pale Wheat Malt and Amarillo hops to play with at some stage.

I look forward to roaming through the forums for ideas and advice, right now I'm looking for tips on brewing in the winter. We get quite cold overnight temps, and I've invested in a heat pad for the fermenter, but not sure how I'll keep the yeast happy once I've bottled? No climate control in this humble abode.

Thanks folks,

Cleo

 

[wbosher]

Eventually you'll want a brew fridge with an STC-1000 or similar...but for now that's probably a little OTT. Heat pad/belt will be fine to start with, maybe wrap it in some blankets or put a jacket on it. If you do put a jacket on it, you'll need to also put a hat on it to complete the ensemble.

For the bottles, just try to keep them in the warmest spot you can. I'm have a similar problem here in NZ, bloody freezing ATM, taking about a month to carb up my bottles. You could probably build some sort of insulated box with a light bulb or something to warm it up a little, sound like too much work to me though.

Welcome back to the hobbie, and the slippery slide. :lol:

 

[cleojones]

Thanks so much!

Not as nippy as NZ thankfully, but chilly enough for me to contemplate that wintry ensemble!

 

[Yob]

Lagers may be the go for you mate!! Brew to the season without temp control

Cheers

 

[cleojones]

Thanks for the reply Yob, all input is gratefully accepted!

I've heard that cooler temps are good for larger, but alas there are no lager fans in the house and I'll have to make the most of what I've got.

Fingers crossed...

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Which part of the Northen Rivers are you from.

Grafton here and there are others at Yamba and Coffs.

 

[cleojones]

Evening,

I live and work in Lismore