Noob- don't want to kill myself

Hey all - I have been brewing for the last 7 years but all on a propane burner.
I only make 5g batches.

I have recently moved from my country house in CT to the exciting apartment city life of Atlanta!

I was wondering if there is a way to brew (bring to a boil 6.5g) in an apartment (can't have propane burner anymore).
I don't have any electrical background and some of the threads on this section of the forum are way above my head. Like the subject states - im a noob to electric brewing and I really don't want to kill myself!

I was hoping that I could use the electric stove top with some sort of submergable heat stick to bring the liquid to boil. Is there anything like that around? Do you use something else?

Any info would be appreciated!!!

You should test your stove out - I do partial boils (usually 3-3.5gal) on electric stoves and it works fine.

You could also split the boil into two kettles/pots if your stove cannot get it up to a boil in a single kettle.

I would have to do that IF I ever moved to a place where I couldn't use my propane burners. Luckily, where I'm moving to (this month) that's not an issue. I might even give a try to boiling inside on the 5 burner stove come winter. Or at least heat my sparge water on the stove. The only downside of where I'm moving is the brewing area won't have a roof over it. That is, unless I get something to setup and create one. Seriously thinking about getting either a large umbrella (picnic type) or a canopy to setup when brewing.

BTW, I can't imagine anything ever pulling me to the south again (lived in FL and GA for about 12 years, zero desire to ever go back there). I'm moving more north, and will continue to do so for every move.

Doing all-grain would be difficult. Partial mashes and partial boils are quite possible. You'll probably have to keep the kettle mostly covered until it starts boiling.

My 13 gallon aluminum pot is short and wide. It sits across twp burners and can easily boil 8 gallons with both burners on

david_42 said:

Doing all-grain would be difficult. Partial mashes and partial boils are quite possible. You'll probably have to keep the kettle mostly covered until it starts boiling.

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Why would all grain be more difficult?

All grain can be done on an electric stove easily. I do 2.5 gallon batches currently with a 5 gallon cooler and a 5 gallon boil kettle. You will need some vessel that can hold about a gallon of wort to collect the first runnings from the mash tun while the boil kettle is used to heat the sparge water. After you add the sparge water you can dump the first runnings into the boil kettle and drain into it directly. I have brewed six batches so far using this system and it works great. My brew day is typically about 3 hours, so I can brew in the evenings after work.

Do you have a wife? That's often the largest obstacle to kitchen brewing.

I do. Yeah you do have the smell, but it usually dissipates within two days. Less if you fry up some bacon.

beerloin said:

Why would all grain be more difficult?

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To make a 5 gallon batch, which is really 5.5 gallons to account for losses, one typically needs a 9 gallon pot to handle a 6.5 to 7 gallon boil with room for hops and an immersion chiller.

This is NOT going to boil correctly on a stovetop, if at all. Like others said, you can do smaller batches or if you search, some have added a heatstick, hooked to a separate circuit. There are two 120V 20 amp GFCI circuits in a modern kitchen; you just need to put it together safely.

Do some searches. There are as many variations as there are people. Unfortunately, it's mostly homemade, which requires a bit of research.

Velinos said:

I do. Yeah you do have the smell, but it usually dissipates within two days. Less if you fry up some bacon.

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My wife loves the smell of boiling wort; hates the smell of bacon.