Heya from Thailand

[MangoMead]

Hi folks. I'm a Californian currently living in Thailand and I am looking to get (back) into some brewing.

Back in California I had a buddy who did a lot of brewing and I helped him a lot, but I have never run my own operation.

Now I'm over here and I'm moving to a place with a nicer kitchen and more space and I have need for some projects to keep busy with and this seems like it could be a good one.

I like beer and wine ok, but honestly I love cider, mead and other odd fruit based beverages, maybe it is just the contrarian in me.

There is lots of nice local honey and tropical fruits available to experiment with so from there comes my handle and the direction I'm hoping to go with this project.

On the downside there is no availability of homebrew supplies here, so I'll have to do a lot of DIY and improvising. Some stuff I can buy online and have delivered elsewhere and either reposted or brought over with visiting friends. but some things will just simply be too bulky heavy or awkward.

One of the biggest things this makes me think on is the yeast issue. I have distiller friends who use baking yeast for their mashes and I'll probably give that a try just for the experience, but otherwise yeast will be sort of an issue.

Is it possible to keep a yeast culture alive once you have a strain you like and keep reusing it?

I also have a little concern about the ambient temperature. It does not vary too much but it is very warm, generally stays between 23c and 33c (73f - 91f) and I don't use aircon or have any sort of basemant/cellar to hide things in. Is this going to cause me trouble?

Anyway, I'm reading up on all I can and looking forward to giving all this stuff a try in the next few months.

 

[badlee]

You are not alone MangoMead!
I have been brewing here in LOS for the past 3 years or so. We now have our very first homebrew supply store in BKK, albeit with limited product range, and we also have our very own forum.
Have a look here.
Lee

http://www.thaibrewhome.in.th/

http://www.homebrewthailand.com/forum/

 

[MangoMead]

You are not alone MangoMead!
I have been brewing here in LOS for the past 3 years or so. We now have our very first homebrew supply store in BKK, albeit with limited product range, and we also have our very own forum.
Have a look here.
Lee

http://www.thaibrewhome.in.th/

http://www.homebrewthailand.com/forum/

I just signed up on homebrewthailand but my intro post is waiting to be modded right now.

It is good to see others are doing it over here already, and a shop, even a small one in BKK, is good news. I'm over in Pattaya but it's a quick bus ride into the big smoke and would be well worth the trip for certain items.

Got a lot of reading up to do before I get started though, and the new place is not until next month, but I can use the study time.

If you are in Pattaya sometime maybe we can meet up for a cold beverage.

 

[badlee]

Furryman, your account is now active.
Sad to say that I do not often get the chance to make to 800 plus KM trip down from Chiang mai.
Bird at the supply store will be more than happy to post things to you.
It cost me 85Baht to have 10lb of grain shipped

 

[MangoMead]

Furryman, your account is now active.
Sad to say that I do not often get the chance to make to 800 plus KM trip down from Chiang mai.
Bird at the supply store will be more than happy to post things to you.
It cost me 85Baht to have 10lb of grain shipped

555 TiT

Sometimes it's like everything is cheaper than it ought to be or way more expensive.

I figure it's worth a bus ride up to BKK to poke around the shop and maybe pick Kun Bird's brain a bit.

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the group, I imagine a variety of exotic fruits will make for exciting exploration of wines.