Brewing inside

Is it ok to brew my beer in my kitchen? I use the vent fan but have an under 2yo daughter and wanna make sure its ok. Should I buy a single burner propane set up and if so does anyone know a good one?

Do you mean setting up a propane burner in your kitchen? There are ways to do it safely, but for the most part its not a good idea, for obvious reasons....explosive gases in confined space, carbon monoxide poisoning, fire hazard, etc.

I'm not going to lie. In the past, I've brewed inside with my propane burner. I did this right by the front door with the door cracked open and a CO monitor plugged in right near the burner. I didn't have any issues with it, but I'm no longer going to brew inside in the future with propane. I'm in the process of switching to electric.

I'm not sure but every video I watc it seems like people are brewing right in their kitchens. I don't think it gives off any toxins. Your basically boiling sugar.

A home brewer friend of mine said to do it in a well ventalated area. was gonna use the propane on my patio, but if its not needed I dont mind brewing in my kitchen. just thinking about my daughters safty, my place smelled great on my first batch :rockin:

kellysrepairs said:

A home brewer friend of mine said to do it in a well ventalated area. was gonna use the propane on my patio, but if its not needed I dont mind brewing in my kitchen. just thinking about my daughters safty, my place smelled great on my first batch :rockin:

Click to expand...

The big pot of boiling liquid is the most dangerous part. As long as you're not using propane indoors, there's nothing given off that is harmful.

For the past year I have exclusively brewed on the stove. 5 gallon batch in a big ass pot with 2 burners going.

I brew on my crappy furnished apartment stove, two burners on high will boil 5 gallons if I wait long enough.

dont use propane in the house please. for safety, sanity- everything. If you get a huge rolling overboil after your first hop addition- and you go to kill the heat- while getting splatted with boiling splashing wort- it will not be worth it. Ill freeze my ass off in the winter- but im set up to do this outdoors now 100%.

You're talking about stove top brewing, I think people got off track here about propane indoors, got we read so much into stuff sometimes. He means, rather than brewing indoors should he get a turky fryer and brew outside ferchristsake.

Yes it is perfectly safe and fine for your kid to be around, brewing indoors. YOU'RE COOKING FOOD. It's sugar, water and hops and yeast, nothing else. It's safe.

In fact she'll probably love the caramel/cotton candy/bread smell of the boiling extract.

Most folks start off brewing indoors on their stove doing top off batches, then as they progress they often move outside, to do full volume boils on a turkey fryer. But it requires a little more involvment, some more tools, like a wort chiller, and a kettle that can hold at least 6.5 gallons. So before you jump into it, brew a few batches on the stove and see if it's worth it to you.

One thing to watch out for and consider with stovetop brewing is if you have an over the stove microwave oven. I found out the hard way and ended up shorting the keypad with all the steam from the boiling wort. May not be the case here but figured I'd throw it out there. My next batch will be in garage with door open on a propane burner.

Revvy said:

In fact she'll probably love the caramel/cotton candy/bread smell of the boiling extract.

Click to expand...

No one I have ever had around while brewing has described the smells that way, it is usually "What the hell did you cook up there, it smells terrible"


Steam is the major issue, a 60 min boil will make my whole apartment like a steam room. It goes away fast enought, but its something to consider.

I have a gas burner on my stove. Works like a charm. Just run your stove vent and keep a close eye on the boil. I haven't had a single boil over yet.

If your looking for an extra burner you don't want to use propane, you want to get a butane burner. They are great and much, much safer than propane (as far as carbon monoxide/etc).

They're used by chefs indoors for catering/etc and are relatively cheap, around $30 on amazon.

I convinced my wife that we should get one for storms when we lose power. Little does she know I'll be brewing on it

I also have a turkey fryer but wouldn't even think of bringing indoors.

Nummey said:

One thing to watch out for and consider with stovetop brewing is if you have an over the stove microwave oven. I found out the hard way and ended up shorting the keypad with all the steam from the boiling wort. May not be the case here but figured I'd throw it out there. My next batch will be in garage with door open on a propane burner.

Click to expand...

I have heard this before. I put a baking sheet over the back half of the pot to avoid this issue.

forstmeister said:

I have heard this before. I put a baking sheet over the back half of the pot to avoid this issue.

Click to expand...

Interesting, can you elaborate a bit more? I was thinking of setting up a fan near the stove to direct the steam outward rather than upward.

Nummey said:

Interesting, can you elaborate a bit more? I was thinking of setting up a fan near the stove to direct the steam outward rather than upward.

Click to expand...

Just put a baking sheet on top of the pot but only covering the back half of the pot. Allows the steam to escape but in front so it doesn't go at my built in microwave

Pelican521 said:

If your looking for an extra burner you don't want to use propane, you want to get a butane burner. They are great and much, much safer than propane (as far as carbon monoxide/etc).

They're used by chefs indoors for catering/etc and are relatively cheap, around $30 on amazon.

I convinced my wife that we should get one for storms when we lose power. Little does she know I'll be brewing on it

I also have a turkey fryer but wouldn't even think of bringing indoors.

Click to expand...

Are you able to boil full volume on a butane burner? I was looking into getting an induction cooker like the Max Burton 6200 for my Bayou Classic 1040 pot, but may consider this now....

Ercousin, u should check them out. A lot of them output 7500 BTUs and more, plus I believe the propane cans can last up to 4 hours.