Something's gotta give....

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What to KEEP!?

  • Kegerator: Use brew on premises, but miss out on brewing.

  • Brew gear: Make beer at home, but really have to scale back on set up. Bottles everywhere.


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jwalk4

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So I have a lot to be happy about: I got a new promotion at work and found out I'm going to be a father in 8 months. :tank:

Awesome, right? It is for me.

However, I'll be moving in with my parents for about a year or two so that my fiance and I can save up for a house and we can move out of our ****ty, mold infested, electrical nightmare that is our current town home.

Unfortunately, I won't have room for both my homebrew set up, and my kegerator. Something's got to give.

So which one should I keep?
1) Keep the kegerator, and utilize the services of my LHBS/Brew-on-Premise spot to keep the keg beer flowing. They let me design my own recipes so it's still technically my beer! It is more expensive, though, and largely removes me from the brewing process. However, that also means no clean up.

2) Keep my brew gear, but drastically reduce my brewing capacity. I already BIAB (sort of), but with a burner, a chiller, a SS brewtech fermenter with FTS, a 15 gallon pot, associated hoses, and all the bottles I would now need; it takes up too much space. EDIT: also, with a baby, I probably won't have much time for brewing.

So option one? Or option two?
 
So I have a lot to be happy about: I got a new promotion at work and found out I'm going to be a father in 8 months. :tank:

Well I guess that's one way to get a promotion :D

(Oh, with your fiancé...LOL )

In your shoes I'd keep the kegerator and re-vamp/upgrade your brewing process when you regain the time to brew.

Besides, your folks might enjoy your kegerator. The brewing part, probably less so.
 
Well I guess that's one way to get a promotion :D



(Oh, with your fiancé...LOL )



In your shoes I'd keep the kegerator and re-vamp/upgrade your brewing process when you regain the time to brew.



Besides, your folks might enjoy your kegerator. The brewing part, probably less so.


Second to this...and congrats on the baby! My is 9 weeks away!
 
rent a little tiny storage unit and keep it all.


Sadly, we looked at a unit for most of our stuff, furniture etc. We decided to sell the major pieces on kijiji.

So it's kind of unfair if I take one out just for brewing stuff.

I like thinking outside the box though!
 
All of you need beer to stay sane.

Keep the kegerator in the garage / on back porch / patio?
It'll only need a small heater in the winter.
 
Option 3, find an apartment and take a little longer to save up for a house, no need to rush things. If you live near a city then get one there and enjoy life with your new baby and wife to be, not new baby wife to be and parents. I'm sure you are far down the path already and won't do this but I faced this option when I first got married and it was refinishing an above grade basement which would have been 1500sq feet and we chose move to the city, four years later had our baby and loved the city with her for the first year and we still really miss it after moving to the suburbs a little over a year ago. I brewed at my parents and brought my kegs back to the city, or brewed on the stove.

Her parents could not understand why we did that but my wife and I know we made the right choice and would not change that first year with our daughter in the city for anything. Even if you are not near a city I am not a fan of the idea of moving in with parents and a significant other and a baby, you miss out on some really personal moments with your baby and you can never get that same experience with the second.
 
Sorry!

Bumpin' for more data.

I do value all your input, people.

What would you do?
 
Any friends in the area willing to house your equipment for the low, low price of a share of the beer you brew?

Congrats on the promotion and, more importantly, the baby!

On a side note: My wife and I moved out of our 2 br condo and into a full sized house just before our first baby was 6 months old. Being that we now had the space, that's exactly when I started brewing! We moved in on Halloween, and I got my first equipment starter kit and extract kit that Christmas. You can still find the time for brewing, and be a dad. Maybe not frequently, but definitely possible.
 
It is a decision you have to make. None of us can really understand your circumstances.

I think I'd keep brewing at home if at all possible. After all, it is the part that makes the beer yours. If you don't have the capability available for all-out all-grain, consider partial mash/partial boil, and top-up with extract and water in the fermenter.

Do kegs vs bottles really make much difference in storage space? I bottle, so really can't comment. I would have thought kegs were more efficient (space-wise) than bottles, and the fridge/kegerator is useful for storing yeast, hops (preferably freezer), and extract.

You might find it easier to just give it all up. Store all the expensive stuff as best as you can, and get rid of the rest. I brewed when I had babies, and brewing and looking after them when they are babies don't mix. Hot wort is dangerous, and you would never forgive yourself if there was ever an accident. You need to have time separate from the kids to brew when they are really young.
 
If you absolutely can't figure out how to make your beer and drink it too, this is what I would do:

Convert to full eBIAB. Also, brew with the seasons. I see you live in Ontario so you definitely have seasons. This way you don't need to worry about a fermentation chamber, just get creative. With a full eBIAB setup, you're only committing to storing 1 pot.

Another thing, you could always start bottling and use your kegerator as a fermentation chamber. If you were to do this, you'd just store bottles in there almost like they're being cellared and rotate a couple at a time to the fridge to get cold.
 
Kids toys take up a LOT of space, so do beer bottles... keep the kegerator and basic brew gear for at least extract brews or see if you can store the brew gear in the garage or attic until you move. Brew gear itself is not that big of a space user! My brew tower is 62" wide, 24" deep, and 60" tall. I tuck it away on one side of the garage when not in use. I built it with storage in mind and all the extra stuff fits in the main part of the stand.
 
Kids toys take up a LOT of space, so do beer bottles... keep the kegerator and basic brew gear for at least extract brews or see if you can store the brew gear in the garage or attic until you move. Brew gear itself is not that big of a space user! My brew tower is 62" wide, 24" deep, and 60" tall. I tuck it away on one side of the garage when not in use. I built it with storage in mind and all the extra stuff fits in the main part of the stand.
THIS!!! You don't have to give up anything! Bottling takes up even more room. Just stash your stuff in a back corner of the garage till you get your own place. I wish we'd have had that option! Selling everything is kinda stupid, since, down the road, prices will be higher to re-purchase. So you're just shooting your left foot to save the right the pain. Store what you can that'll keep well in storage.
 
Compact brewing on wheels! Think outside the box!

IMG_20160604_1715208131_zpsfuspvymt.jpg
 
When my life got chaotic for a long spell..... newly married, step kids, grad school, etc..... I stopped brewing for a while. However, I kept my keg fridge going. Whether you are able to brew on premise or simply pick up a good keg of craft brew at the liquor store from time to time.... that is the way to go in my book. Sometimes the time, effort, space, money, etc. just make it easiest to go a different route for a while.

I would keep the kegerator.....

Plus, then when you start brewing again down the road you can get new equipment:)
 
Keep the kegerator and sell your equipment, when you re-enter brewing buy the equipment that fits your circumstances. For example,maybe you will eBIAB, just do extract, pico or want a 3-vessel Kal clone. Keep your options, don't tie yourself down with old equipment from 3 or 4 years ago that prescribe how you need to brew.
 
Thanks for your input, Gents!

I'll try and find some more space in the garage and see if I can pare down my gear even further. Maybe I'll go straight BIAB and go back to tap water instead of RO so I can lose the jugs. I'll throw out some buckets and lose ends too.

Gonna have to Six Sigma or take a LEAN approach to my brewing outfit.
 
I would keep all the gear, but put it in storage.

New baby, new job, different living conditions...hobbies may have to take a little hiatus until you get some stability back in your life.
 
Speaking from experience (2 kids with another on the way), I think you need to consider how often are you going to be able to leave for hours at a time to go to the brew on premises site? In addition, you said that it costs more than brewing at home, to which you said you're going to be saving up for a new place.

My opinion is that you should find a buddy that has space to store the kegerator, and brew at home. This will allow you to brew late at night/early in the morning when the kid is (theoretically) sleeping. Plus, you can always send SWMBO out on a Saturday or Sunday to get out of the house, and you and baby can brew up a batch.:)

Regardless of what you do: Congratulations!
 
I Gotta agree with Jim here. Store your stuff until you can get back to it. I took several years off wine making after 3rd child came along in my 20's. Added 3 more to that over time. January 2011 I/we restarted, but brewing beer instead. Never say never...
 
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