A little more on the Brooklyn Brew Shop, now that I'm further into my first brew:
We all know the obvious - space. I've found this concept from BBS to be very "small-space-friendly," in that the only space I've used so far is my stove-top, our kitchen sink, the kitchen counter, and an area in my closet that is the same size as a covered plastic bin/tub. To me, you can't get much better than that, in terms of space.
Another thing I am discovering is that while BBS does sell pre-packaged mixes (nearly all of which look really good, to me), most (if not all) of those mixes are rather flexible, allowing you to push your brew in a particular direction as you please. See this link for just one example of doing one of their kits at least deven different ways, if you want to:
http://brooklynbrewshop.com/themash/summer-wheat-seven-ways/
Even beyond the pre-made mixes, the one-gallon set-up can easily be used for creating your own completely-original recipes. The two books sold by BBS contain around a hundred recipes, all of which are interesting and most of which I'd truly like to try - doing so woulld be a step in my learning about brewing, as I eventually conceptualise and build my own brews entirely from scratch. As you read the book, you can see where they actually took the time to really dive deep into the history and development of beer; it's a unique approach that appeals to me, as I am not a "mad scientist" or "PhD chemist" type....
One last point I would like to make is that I don't see one-gallon-sized batches as "brewing with training wheels" or anything like that. This is real, all-grain brewing of actual beer; the mixes they sell and especially the recipes they offer in their books (the recipes come in both one- and five-gallon amounts) range from the simplest and most basic to complex and historical varieties. Once I find some favourite brews and/or someting I want to have a lot of on-hand, I can "up-
size" those favourite recipes for 5-gallon brewing, but I personally don't think of it as "up-
grading," just because the batches are bigger. The small, one-gallon-sized batches are perfect for my space and consumption requirements - but even beyond that, they allow me the flexibility of trying different things and really learning some fundamentals about not only brewing beer, but also how different favours and varieities interact with each other, and how adding one thing or another will affect the final product. With a one-gallon batch, you have the freedom to do this, but with a 5-gallon batch, everything needs to go just right, or you've got 50 bottles of wasted effort. This can stunt creativity and development.
Don't get me wrong, I have and am acquiring the equipment necessary for 5-gallon brewing as well, but I absolutely do not think of it as an "up-grade," as if the one-gallon batches are inferior. They're not.
I'm NOT an employee or spokesman for BBS, but at the same time, I believe that they're really onto something with their concept; if someone learning the fundamentals (as I am), I honestly think that they are the way to go.
Ron