Greetings from DFW

[Johnsondog65]

Grilling and BBQ are my passion and beers are always a part of the competitions. I want to be as proud of my home brew as I am of the BBQ(time will tell). I've bought a couple of books(no, I just didn't chew on the covers) on Home Brewing and started my first batch last Friday. I can already see that temperature control in North Texas is going to be a big challenge.

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the hobby and the group. BBQ while brewing works awesome, kills two birds, as they say. Frozen water bottles in water in a keg tub with your fermenter inside is a cheap way to temp control.

 

[NTXBrauer]

Smoking meats and brewing beer are two hobbies of mine that I also thoroughly enjoy. You are correct in that temperature control is critical, especially during the warmer months. Many of us also started with a swamp cooler using frozen bottles, but I would recommend making a fermentation chamber as soon as your budget allows. There are tons of ideas here on HBT on how to go about it. Welcome!