Season’s Greetings 23/24

[iBooz2]

Just thought I better pop back in here to wish all my fellow brewers and also Frank and the whole Coopers Team @Coopers DIY Beer Team a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Brew Year in 2024. 

Have a safe and happy holiday season everyone – Cheers AL

[Red devil 44]

3 hours ago, iBooz2 said:

Just thought I better pop back in here to wish all my fellow brewers and also Frank and the whole Coopers Team @Coopers DIY Beer Team a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Brew Year in 2024. 

Have a safe and happy holiday season everyone – Cheers AL

All the best guys, I have to fly out to work on Xmas day unfortunately, only a one week stint and arrive back in time for my birthday, so will get into the spirit then. 

[Shamus O'Sean]

3 hours ago, iBooz2 said:

Just thought I better pop back in here to wish all my fellow brewers and also Frank and the whole Coopers Team @Coopers DIY Beer Team a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Brew Year in 2024. 

Have a safe and happy holiday season everyone – Cheers AL

Hi AL, Great to hear back from you.  I hope you and yours have a Happy Christmas and Merry New Year.

I am planning another COPA and a CSA in a few weeks, but increasing the bitterness of both because it seemed to be the slight short coming in my previous versions of those brews.

[Classic Brewing Co]

4 hours ago, iBooz2 said:

Just thought I better pop back in here to wish all my fellow brewers and also Frank and the whole Coopers Team @Coopers DIY Beer Team a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Brew Year in 2024. 

Have a safe and happy holiday season everyone – Cheers AL

Good to hear from you Al, Merry Xmas & Best Wishes for the festive season.

Cheers Phil

[iBooz2]

3 hours ago, Uhtred Of Beddanburg said:

Long time departed Merry Christmas and happy new year to you.

Yep, been a while, been doing some big Aussie road trips with our 22 ft off-road caravan, last trip nearly 16,000 km in ten weeks. Lots of pubs and craft brewery's visited.  Will post some pics later in another thread.  Merry Christmas to you and all your family UoB.  Best wishes for 2024 bloke.

[iBooz2]

1 hour ago, Red devil 44 said:

All the best guys, I have to fly out to work on Xmas day unfortunately, only a one week stint and arrive back in time for my birthday, so will get into the spirit then. 

Feel sorry for you RD but never mind we will party hard for you in your absence.  Also just think of the extra tax you will be paying and the roads and bridges you will be helping to build, narh thats not gonna make you feel any better.   Anyway have a good time when you get back and enjoy your R&R when its your turn.  Merry Christmas Red and Family. Cheers

[Tricky Micky]

Thanks Al, may you and yours have a fantastic Xmas day and the best and safest New Year. Here's hoping your 2024 is the best ever mate. 

[iBooz2]

1 hour ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Hi AL, Great to hear back from you.  I hope you and yours have a Happy Christmas and Merry New Year.

I am planning another COPA and a CSA in a few weeks, but increasing the bitterness of both because it seemed to be the slight short coming in my previous versions of those brews.

And a very special Merry Christmas to you and all your family too SOS.  And also a very big thanks, from me and all the community members for all your hard work in the past years on making this forum such a great and resourceful place, particularly your input into the recipe spreadsheet / artwork etc.  Job well done 

Re the COPA.  Just tonight been drinking some travellers of my COPA that I bottled back on 10/09/2023 and they have definitely lost their hoppy-ness and the malt flavour has taken over so well past there best drinking days.  This is compared to fresh commercial COPA (best after 10 Nov 2023) which I am harvesting my next lot of CCA yeast from.  Spinning up as we speak.

Yeah so I will also be upping the hops, maybe even a dry hop addition too in my next 50 L batch as my PoR are now quite a bit older than when I last used them.  Cheers.

[Uhtred Of Beddanburg]

7 hours ago, iBooz2 said:

Yep, been a while, been doing some big Aussie road trips with our 22 ft off-road caravan, last trip nearly 16,000 km in ten weeks. Lots of pubs and craft brewery's visited.  Will post some pics later in another thread.  Merry Christmas to you and all your family UoB.  Best wishes for 2024 bloke.

Sounds good, wish I was retired with a caravan. Good Luck to you 

[Coopers DIY Beer Team]

13 hours ago, iBooz2 said:

Just thought I better pop back in here to wish all my fellow brewers and also Frank and the whole Coopers Team @Coopers DIY Beer Team a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Brew Year in 2024. 

Have a safe and happy holiday season everyone – Cheers AL

Thanks Al, and all the best to you and your loved ones too! Cheers, Frank and the whole DIY Team. 

[Tricky Micky]

Merry Christmas everyone, I sincerely trust you will all have a terrific Christmas day surrounded by family and friends and go onto having a sensational and safe 2024. I really do want to bugger  2023 off into the shizenhousen.

Been a tough year. Dad died earlier in the year, my eldest son - who is my hero - has undergone immunotherapy and chemo in the last couple of weeks for an ongoing illness he's had since a teen and Tan (SWMBO ) after a year and half finally got to have her surgery today so that she might be able to breathe through her nose again. The surgery went well and we'll know if it is a success in about 2 weeks hopefully. 

Everyone please take care on the roads - enjoy - and make it through to 2024 safely.

 

Edited December 21, 2023 by Tricky Micky

[iBooz2]

1 hour ago, Tricky Micky said:

Merry Christmas everyone, I sincerely trust you will all have a terrific Christmas day surrounded by family and friends and go onto having a sensational and safe 2024. I really do want to bugger  2023 off into the shizenhousen.

Been a tough year. Dad died earlier in the year, my eldest son - who is my hero - has undergone immunotherapy and chemo in the last couple of weeks for an ongoing illness he's had since a teen and Tan (SWMBO ) after a year and half finally got to have her surgery today so that she might be able to breathe through her nose again. The surgery went well and we'll know if it is a success in about 2 weeks hopefully. 

Everyone please take care on the roads - enjoy - and make it through to 2024 safely.

 

Yep Mick, its been a tough one for you alright I've felt some of the bumps with you.  Let's hope 2024 is a ripper for you and your family. 

I only see one problem bloke.  Now that Tan can smell your brews you had better get your act together and make some great beers.  ha ha  Just trying to make light of the situation.  Really do hope Tan's Op (among other things) goes really well.

Ya just never know, Tan might become your biggest beer critic and snore like hell from now on.  (did I go too far?) 

Merry Christmas - AL

Edited December 21, 2023 by iBooz2

[Tricky Micky]

1 hour ago, iBooz2 said:

Now that Tan can smell your brews you had better get your act together and make some great beers.

[Tricky Micky]

1 hour ago, iBooz2 said:

Ya just never know, Tan might become your biggest beer critic and snore like hell from now on. 

NO more snoring already. 

[ozdevil]

@iBooz2 and everyone here  ,  Merry Christmas and a happy New year, may all your brewing be a bigger better in 2024

As for me  i will keep on trucken through christmas and new year   no rest for the wicked  .  with no family in vic i might as well be working 

Also   remember  1 thing   at  servo's that have truck stops please be mindful alot of these truckers maybe just be finishing there stint on the road  which may be only 12 hours  as they may not have fatigue management   and there time is up  , they just cant say oh well we will stop at the next town    and  also if you pull in to truck rest stops along the way   dont just park  anywhere becuase it is convienient for you   if your the 1st one in there  park close to the exit  back on to the hwy ,   a road train  needs room   so if you  pull up in the middle  of the tuck bay and spending the night  or some part of the day  and road train or any truck for that matter can not park safely   , then you may  cause the truck driver some heartache  becuase they have had to move on  and cost that truck a huge fine and its not cheap fine for going out of driving hours ,    so bare in mind your on holidays the truck driver isnt  and is on a tight shedule and has to comply with nhvr log book   where as you dont as just holiday maker or vaner .

however please be safe on the roads , leave yaselves plenty of room  and if truck or another vehicle  is pressuring you  relax dont panic  , just indicate  that your pulling over in a safe spot , and then allow the truck or other vehicles to pass.   

but most of all enjoy the break everyone 

 

[Back Brewing]

3 minutes ago, ozdevil said:

@iBooz2 and everyone here  ,  Merry Christmas and a happy New year, may all your brewing be a bigger better in 2024

As for me  i will keep on trucken through christmas and new year   no rest for the wicked  .  with no family in vic i might as well be working 

Also   remember  1 thing   at  servo's that have truck stops please be mindful alot of these truckers maybe just be finishing there stint on the road  which may be only 12 hours  as they may not have fatigue management   and there time is up  , they just cant say oh well we will stop at the next town    and  also if you pull in to truck rest stops along the way   dont just park  anywhere becuase it is convienient for you   if your the 1st one in there  park close to the exit  back on to the hwy ,   a road train  needs room   so if you  pull up in the middle  of the tuck bay and spending the night  or some part of the day  and road train or any truck for that matter can not park safely   , then you may  cause the truck driver some heartache  becuase they have had to move on  and cost that truck a huge fine and its not cheap fine for going out of driving hours ,    so bare in mind your on holidays the truck driver isnt  and is on a tight shedule and has to comply with nhvr log book   where as you dont as just holiday maker or vaner .

however please be safe on the roads , leave yaselves plenty of room  and if truck or another vehicle  is pressuring you  relax dont panic  , just indicate  that your pulling over in a safe spot , and then allow the truck or other vehicles to pass.   

but most of all enjoy the break everyone 

 

@ozdevil mate all the best for Christmas and new year I drove semi's for years when the Hume was a goat track and you had the little Sydney harbour is it still there on the old road ? When north bound had right of way

It used to bug me when I had to drive new years eve and going through towns watching the celebrations 

Mate all the best and stay safe

[ozdevil]

3 minutes ago, Back Brewing said:

@ozdevil mate all the best for Christmas and new year I drove semi's for years when the Hume was a goat track and you had the little Sydney harbour is it still there on the old road ? When north bound had right of way

It used to bug me when I had to drive new years eve and going through towns watching the celebrations 

Mate all the best and stay safe

I dont do the hume mate i just head to Mt Gambier  and back mate   , havent been up the hume for years 

i love  driving mate the office window changes every 5 minutes  

the only thing i dislike is filling out the nhvr log book and ya do it  so its nice and tidy and nhvr   pull the thing out of my  leather log book cover and scribble in it , then only to return the log book and not me cover and they wonder why i am just sitting there waiting on them  they tell me to go  i just then politely pass my log book back and say did you find  it like this,  they say no,  well then i suggest you return my cover and put the cover back on like how you found it .   

 

[iBooz2]

36 minutes ago, ozdevil said:

@iBooz2 and everyone here  ,  Merry Christmas and a happy New year, may all your brewing be a bigger better in 2024

As for me  i will keep on trucken through christmas and new year   no rest for the wicked  .  with no family in vic i might as well be working 

Also   remember  1 thing   at  servo's that have truck stops please be mindful alot of these truckers maybe just be finishing there stint on the road  which may be only 12 hours  as they may not have fatigue management   and there time is up  , they just cant say oh well we will stop at the next town    and  also if you pull in to truck rest stops along the way   dont just park  anywhere becuase it is convienient for you   if your the 1st one in there  park close to the exit  back on to the hwy ,   a road train  needs room   so if you  pull up in the middle  of the tuck bay and spending the night  or some part of the day  and road train or any truck for that matter can not park safely   , then you may  cause the truck driver some heartache  becuase they have had to move on  and cost that truck a huge fine and its not cheap fine for going out of driving hours ,    so bare in mind your on holidays the truck driver isnt  and is on a tight shedule and has to comply with nhvr log book   where as you dont as just holiday maker or vaner .

however please be safe on the roads , leave yaselves plenty of room  and if truck or another vehicle  is pressuring you  relax dont panic  , just indicate  that your pulling over in a safe spot , and then allow the truck or other vehicles to pass.   

but most of all enjoy the break everyone 

 

Merry Christmas to you too OzDevil and Mrs OzDevil, hope you both have a good one even though you have to work through the holiday season.  I will be brewing another 50 L batch of your OzDevil USPA very shortly for consumption over the summer / cricket period and looking forward to it once again.

Yes I know what truckies need re space and everyone else should think about it.  I have done over 55,000 km of caravaning around Australia and find the best thing is a UHF radio on channel 40 to communicate with the truckies/road-train drivers as they know the road or track better than you.  Identify yourself if they come up behind and talk them around when safe.  Back off when they pull level with you so they can get back in ASAP.  Some of the road trains are over 52 metres or more in total length and god knows what tonnage so they need all the help they can get just so they can get their big all dancing / bouncing rigs and dog trailers around you safely.

Same goes if you want to get around one, Identify yourself and they will talk you around when it is safe to do so.

As for parking in truck areas, yes be mindful of how much room they need to turn around, could be as much as the size of a cricket oval.

Some states I have travelled in have dedicated truck parking and it is illegal for a normal vehicle to park in them unless in a dire emergency.  QLD and WA spring to mind.  If you park in a truck rest area in those states expect a fine in the mail-box when you get home as the truckies will dob you in with a pic of your rego etc.  So don't do it.   The same goes for normal vehicle rest areas - no trucks allowed and it makes good sense.

Many years ago (20) we came across an incident out on the Nullarbor where two young blokes had rolled out their dusty swags in a roadside rest area one night thinking they were the only ones going to use it.  Unfortunately a road-train pulled in much later and his dust did not drop as he slowed but it moved forward of his truck limiting his visibility and he accidentally run over the guys in the swags because he did not see their vehicle until the last minute.  Unfortunately one of the young blokes died as result, just too long for medical assistance to get way out there.  So yes give trucks the respect they deserve.

As OZ says, be save and work together on our roads.  We all want to see many more Christmases.  Cheers.

 

 

[Back Brewing]

1 hour ago, ozdevil said:

I dont do the hume mate i just head to Mt Gambier  and back mate   , havent been up the hume for years 

i love  driving mate the office window changes every 5 minutes  

the only thing i dislike is filling out the nhvr log book and ya do it  so its nice and tidy and nhvr   pull the thing out of my  leather log book cover and scribble in it , then only to return the log book and not me cover and they wonder why i am just sitting there waiting on them  they tell me to go  i just then politely pass my log book back and say did you find  it like this,  they say no,  well then i suggest you return my cover and put the cover back on like how you found it .   

 

Haha the good old days when they pulled you over and it was raining and you locked the doors and there they stood while you filled the log book out

Most times you were that far behind in the log book and so jarred up on pills you just handed them the log book and copped the fine haha the good old days

[Classic Brewing Co]

 Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year 

to Frank, the DIY team & all members & their families for 2023, have a great holiday season & may 2024 be the best brewing year ever. 

Cheers from Classic Brewing Co

Phil

[Coopers DIY Beer Team]

14 hours ago, Tricky Micky said:

The surgery went well and we'll know if it is a success in about 2 weeks hopefully. 

That's great to hear Micky. We wish you, Tan and your son all the best for 2024, may it be nowhere near as Scheißhaus as 2023. Cheers, Frank and the DIY Team.

[Classic Brewing Co]

9 hours ago, Back Brewing said:

Haha the good old days when they pulled you over and it was raining and you locked the doors and there they stood while you filled the log book out

Most times you were that far behind in the log book and so jarred up on pills you just handed them the log book and copped the fine haha the good old days

I haven't ever driven a truck or towed a caravan but for many years I travelled all over Australia, mainly SA, VIC, NSW & parts of Queensland working for myself in a self-employed advertising role, I sold Stubby Holders, Bar Mats, Coasters, Stickers, Business Cards, Flyers & some signage along with a few other bits & pieces such as Beef Jerky, Biltong etc.

The Hotels & Clubs were my main customer, but I also supplied into a lot of tradies, trucking companies etc.

The driving was mainly in 4WD vehicles & I used to drive 12-14 hours (with rest stops) & sometimes longer, night & day, so I certainly encountered many truck drivers, road trains & heavy machinery escort vehicles.

I learnt many years ago the truck driver is your friend, look after him & he will look after you. As you may know the old saying, if you can't see his mirrors, he can't see you!!

I got on very well with them as they knew I was in for the long haul & many times I have sat around a campfire, roadhouse, hotel, caravan park having a beer or a chat with them.

I agree with Al & Oz Devil & others, respect their space, be courteous & give them room to maneuver & they will be your friend when you are stuck behind them & let you know when it's safe to overtake.

In earlier years, still selling, I travelled & lived in Perth for a few years & travelled every inch of WA, the centre of the outback & up to Darwin, the top end all the way to QLD & down again to Adelaide where I have been living for many years.

So, when you see a big truck just calm down & don't try to overtake him as you are also putting him in danger if something goes wrong, they are there for a reason, stocking all of the pubs with our beer & filling the supermarket shelves, so let them do their job.

Cheers

Phil.

[Tricky Micky]

20 minutes ago, Coopers DIY Beer Team said:

That's great to hear Micky. We wish you, Tan and your son all the best for 2024, may it be nowhere near as Scheißhaus as 2023. Cheers, Frank and the DIY Team.

Thank-you Frank, much appreciated.

[Kegory]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

[Hoppy81]

Merry Xmas and a Happy new year Everyone, unfortunately I have started back at work today and finish up on the 30th December but will make up for it later.