Originally Posted by Grayling

I was simply making the point that whether or not you think it expensive probably depends on where you came from and what you are used to....it was not meant to be a criticism.

Brisbane is very expensive compared to what we are used to and the Peak district is hardly cheap.

.....and the beer is far better there

As for strawberries from Israel in Tesco.....what about all the prawns (a staple of Australian bbq's) from Pakistan and Thailand?.....or barramundi from Panama?

G

Originally Posted by melbournegirl

Some European brands are cheaper in the UK than in Aust. but American brands are similar to UK prices.

Originally Posted by MartinLuther

There's good beer in Vic (although it is expensive).

Originally Posted by Grayling

Some of the southern beers are on sale at the local bottle shop for over $30 for 6 x 330 ml. bottles....I'll stick to Coopers.

G

Originally Posted by iamthecreaturefromuranus

I'm partial to all of the James Squire beers, but one of the big things I miss in Oz is a pint of bitter down the pub.... and I don't mean that bloody VB rubbish.

Originally Posted by Grayling

Well send some this way then.

Some of the southern beers are on sale at the local bottle shop for over $30 for 6 x 330 ml. bottles....I'll stick to Coopers.

As for prawns....I am not too keen on them myself either.

G

Originally Posted by iamthecreaturefromuranus

I'm partial to all of the James Squire beers, but one of the big things I miss in Oz is a pint of bitter down the pub.... and I don't mean that bloody VB rubbish.

Originally Posted by MartinLuther

Ouch! Mucho expensive.

I was reading a blog the other day of a Qlder who was walking the route of Burke and Wills. One of his earlier entries commented that you could not get XXXX in Vic. Probably not entirely true but very funny.

I must admit I spent about 6 months trying to get used to the standard beers here but eventually decided to buy some decent pommy stuff from Dan's only to find that there's loads of decent Aussie brews as well. Haven't complained since

Here's some info on Victoran beers if you're interested.
http://www.visitvictoria.com/display...BD0C63CFEAE3B/

Originally Posted by Grayling

I think the southen climate is more conducive to proper brewing.

Most of the micro breweries seem to be in South Australia, Victoria or West Australia.

There are a few pale ales etc. available here at a cost.

I am waiting for my brewing equipment to arrive and I will see what happens.

One problem is that it takes me about 20 gallons of water to make 5 gallons of beer and there are water restrictions here. I will need to look at recycling.

G

Originally Posted by MartinLuther

I would guess that the water to beer ratio would be higher for bought beer so you could say you're saving water by brewing your own

Maybe you could install a rain water tank especially for brewing

Originally Posted by Grayling

You are probably right. Yeast is also very sensitive to temperature.

As far as water tanks are concerned....when we had our new gutters fitted last week the old ones were full of crap including a fossilised possum

We will fit tanks but need a new roof first...it was only the crap keeping the roof together.

G

Originally Posted by MartinLuther

It would give a unique taste to the beer

Originally Posted by The Crow

Actually, I think it's quite fascinating to see how different people's experiences are.

Our income is only half of yours and we DO have the lifestyle. I don't have to work, OH doesn't need to do overtime as his salary is higher here, we were lucky enough to buy a fab house in a gorgeous area. We can enjoy national park walks on our doorstep, but still have facilities a 5 min drive away.

The girls have a host of activities to choose from, no problem getting places and costs are generally affordable. I find the cost of living probably on par overall. But there are many free events and beautiful places to go - we also rarely have to pay for parking and few places are crowded.

I guess it all depends how you spend your money...

Originally Posted by Grayling

You are probably right. Yeast is also very sensitive to temperature.

As far as water tanks are concerned....when we had our new gutters fitted last week the old ones were full of crap including a fossilised possum

We will fit tanks but need a new roof first...it was only the crap keeping the roof together.

G

Originally Posted by BadgeIsBack

G, I brewed on a week before Christmas and to my dismay it hit 40 odd and the temp in the laundry was almost 30. My brew stewed in all this - I assumed it was going to be a lost cause - and it came out absolutely fantastic!! Maybe the Green Coopers is an easy one to do which is great as it is without doubt one of my favourites brewed or bought.