Hi from a POM in Dubbo

[AndyRosy]

Hi there,
I'm Andy and I'm relatively new to Australia(two years now) and very new to home brewing. After getting over the shock of the cost of beer here I've started brewing my own under the guidance of a work friend.

I was a member of CAMRA in the UK since I was 18 so I love my beer (I'm 47 now) I've been surprised by my totally drinkable home brew so far but have been experiencing the odd problem caused by the heat out here (NSW Western Plains) so I thought I'd seek some advice from this forum.

So please be gentle with me!!

Andy

 

[Bribie G]

Hi Andy

Welcome to the forum. Last time I was in Dubbo it was freezing. As you'd appreciate you would do well to invest in some temperature control, dedicated brew fridge and temperature controller.. Plenty of advice on the forum.

Are you brewing kits, partials? I'm also a Pom (Geordie originally) and a CAMRA member of old. One of the reasons I went into All Grain brewing was to replicate the Real Ales of my old home. Good news is that all the ingredients are available in Australia such as UK hops and yeast strains and grains from UK Maltsters. One of the benefits of globlisation I guess. Just add local water.



Dubbo is a fair hike transport wise, I realise.

 

[dicko]

Welcome to the forum Andy, ask away mate... Plenty of good advice to be gained from here.
As Bribie said, temp control for fermentation is considered a necessity for most parts of this country unless you have the luxury of a cellar or have an area which will remain a constant temperature during fermentation.

Cheers and welcome

 

[Yob]

Christ man, what did you do in the Home Land to be exiled to Dubbo of all places? :lol: No offence to Dubbonians meant.

What sort of system are you running? Do you have much spare space for fridges or freezers? Handy at wiring things up?

Many of us run little units like >THIS< on our fridges to control ferment temperature, I even use one in the bub's room with an oil heater plugged into it to control the room temperature If you dont mind a bit of handy work, they are pretty easy to set up, >THIS< thread is a good starting point to get your head around it.

Welcome aboard!!

:icon_cheers:

 

[Bribie G]

If you get really homesick in Dubbo, it's one of the few NSW country cities that has a few rows of Victorian terraced houses, mostly on Darling Street. You can park opposite and pretend you're back in dear old Bradford whatever :lol:

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Welcome Andy.

Love my UK Ales, though I haven't been able to replicate them well. I can nail American style stuff, but can't quite get the UK stuff sorted.

Temp control is mandatory anywhere that gets warmth. Since Aussies don't build cellars as a rule.

There's a number of expat Poms on here and even some UK based brewers that are members.

 

[AndyRosy]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I'm originally from Spennymoor in County Durham, anywhere in Australia would be better than there!

My wife is Australian so we came to Dubbo to be near her brother for a bit of family support. Dubbo is great and has been very kind to us. We both got jobs within 2 weeks of getting here and had bought a house after 9 weeks!

At the moment I'm using kits and getting good results - the thought of brewing something like the Real Ales of the UK is great. I use our very small laundry as my brew house so space is very limited! Temp control is limited but I certainly don't mind a bit of DIY, I'm a life long Land Rover owner so am used to getting my hands dirty!!

Andy

 

[JDW81]

Good old Dubbo, I've spent a lot of time there and grew up not far away. On my last trip there half the town was under water. Also had the good fortune to do work experience at the dubbo zoo when I was at school (a year or two ago now h34r.

You can make some bloody good beer with kits, and if the brewing shop in Dubbo isn't that flash (is there one?, can't remember), then check out Mark's Home Brew in Newcastle upon Hunter. Mark has been a regular contributor on this forum in the past, his customers speak very highly of his service and has numerous ways to get good to you via the various postage and courier options.

Welcome aboard and happy brewing.

JD