Home Brewing Calendar For Australia

[Gigantorus]

[SIZE=12pt]Hi All,[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]A fairly new home brewer based in Brisbane, QLD.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The more I surf the internet and read various home brew books (mainly from north america) the more I wonder if there is such a thing as a calendar of when it's best to brew particular styles across the year? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]It seems some of the dark beers & lagers are best to be brewed in the cooler months, where as the ales etc. brew well in the warmer months.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]I have limitations at home in terms of creating a cool location to store the fermenter etc. I have a small room in the centre of the house that tends to be around 12C to 18C during the Winter months and 21C to 26C during the Summer months. I also only have the one fridge in the house – so can’t take that over to put my 30Litre fermenter in it for a week or 2. And I really don't want to be buying temperature blankets etc. Want to keep things as simple as possible.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]So just wondering if there is any type of calendar out there that lists the best brewing/fermenting times of the year for each style for Australian regions?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Thanks,[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Pete[/SIZE]

 

[sp0rk]

A temp controlled fermenting fridge means you can brew whatever you want at any time
hit up gumtree or freecycle and get yourself another fridge for cheap/free, heater belts/mats are one of those things you will need to buy if you want to better your brewing (in winter)
There's some things you do need to spend some money on to improve your brewing, and temp control is at the top of that list

 

[mckenry]

A temp controlled fermenting fridge means you can brew whatever you want at any time

Exactly.
But it is easier to match the yeast with the climate. So, brew lagers in winter, when your fridge doesnt have to work so hard and the lager will be ready for drinking in the warmer months. Ale yeast likes it warmer, so brew ales in warmer months for consumption in the cooler months.

Historically thats pretty much how it went.

You live in Brisbane where you can only choose to brew in the hot or the hotter months so it doesnt apply....

 

[superstock]

In Brisbane, a temp controlled fridge = peace of mind, year round brewing and better brews. I have bought 2 off ebay, locally ,for $50 each. Best brewing money I've ever spent.

P.S. I still brew lagers in winter and ales in summer.

 

[Blind Dog]

A $70 fridge from evil bay was one of the best investments I made. Otherwise you're completely at the mercy of the weather, and dont forget that the fermenting beer will usually be a couple of degrees above ambient, so 21 - 26 means beer fermenting at 23 to 28 which pretty much restricts you to Saisons

This is available on BYO: http://byo.com/resources/yeast (annoyingly in F), but is a fairly good resource