Brew Out Front or Out Back?

[jlinz]

Setup and tried out the garage today. Went very well! The neighbors sort of stayed away. Maybe they thought I was cooking meth, don't know. My main concern was run off from the chiller, but as you can see in the pic, figured that one out.

 

[jlinz]

Question for garage brewers. Right now I'm just using the standard propane burner. If I have all the doors open, should I still be worried about carbon monoxide? I would like to move into the garage for brewing because, well, being out in the sun in the Texas summer can be brutal.

I was doing a club brewday over at a friends and we were brewing in his driveway. The police rolled by and gave us a loooooooooong look, until they decided we weren't making meth and moved on.

I set up right in front of the garage today, and my co monitor read 0 ppm. I have a back door and a side window, so good airflow. Think I'll move inside the garage a bit next time. Shouldn't be a big deal if no co registered with the burner just a foot outside the garage.

 

[user 30639]

I set up right in front of the garage today, and my co monitor read 0 ppm. I have a back door and a side window, so good airflow. Think I'll move inside the garage a bit next time. Shouldn't be a big deal if no co registered with the burner just a foot outside the garage.

I should be fine then. Mine is a detached garage so I can open both the garage doors and the door that leads to the backyard. I have a vent on the roof as well. I suppose now my only issue is getting a hose long enough to reach the garage. But that's a whole other problem.

 

[Dixon9717]

I brew outside my garage which is on the side of my house facing west. Mostly for the view but also have hot and cold water in the garage makes for easy clean up

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[Gonefishing]

I suppose now my only issue is getting a hose long enough to reach the garage. But that's a whole other problem.

Shouldn't be much of a problem. You can buy RV hoses at Walmart and other places. Amazon has several if you search for "drinking water hose".

 

[Murphys_Law]

I brew in the back yard. I have a nice patio area where I set-up my BIAB rig, access to water, and plenty of trees that like the water when it's time to break out the IC, and plenty of privacy. My only issue is that I keep my gear in the basement and my patio is down 10 steps from the deck so I go up and down and up and down a lot! I just consider that my days exercise!

 

[Derp]

Question for garage brewers. Right now I'm just using the standard propane burner. If I have all the doors open, should I still be worried about carbon monoxide? I would like to move into the garage for brewing because, well, being out in the sun in the Texas summer can be brutal.

I live in San Antonio and brew in the garage with the door wide open. I have a carbon monoxide alarm and haven't heard a peep. But it sure gets hot in the garage when it's already 100 degrees outside. I probably lost 10 pounds when I brewed Friday.

I collect the first 5 gallons of hot chiller output and use if for cleanup. The rest I use to water the lawn. Sometimes I hook up a sprinkler if I'm feeling fancy.

I know all of my neighbors, so when I'm brewing I usually have a visitor or two. Sometimes I can talk them into helping out with the cleaning.

 

[spittybug]

Question for garage brewers. Right now I'm just using the standard propane burner. If I have all the doors open, should I still be worried about carbon monoxide? I would like to move into the garage for brewing because, well, being out in the sun in the Texas summer can be brutal.

I was doing a club brewday over at a friends and we were brewing in his driveway. The police rolled by and gave us a loooooooooong look, until they decided we weren't making meth and moved on.

Houston here...just as hot and tons more humid! I have a rolling rig that we move just outside the garage so that it can be hosed down and so that the boil off doesn't go into the garage. I set up a cheap Harbor Freight canopy to sit under or to protect the rig if rain is imminent. I'm full electric, so I just have a long enough cord for the element to the Raspberry Pi controller on the wall. Ditto for temp sensor line. The keezer is in the garage, so we usually sit around the garage. Good for making friends that walk buy. Local constable has learned that we're brewing, not cooking meth!

 

[user 30639]

I live in San Antonio and brew in the garage with the door wide open. I have a carbon monoxide alarm and haven't heard a peep. But it sure gets hot in the garage when it's already 100 degrees outside. I probably lost 10 pounds when I brewed Friday.

No kidding. I'm pretty sure the heat in the garage killed the first fridge I out there. I put a whirly bird vent on the roof and that helps, but it still gets hot. But, if all the doors are open, it's not awful. And I'm at least out of the sun.

 

[shoengine]

Is that the spinning chef-hat vent thing?

 

[Roycebarrow]

Out back!!!! I don't need no stinkin pulley system

 

[Rhaop]

Out back on the patio which is covered by the deck above and a nice roof above that so other then driving winds i'm pretty well protected, my wife ordered me the top grand slam package from wilserbrewer for Father's Day i have yet to try it since I haven't brewed but if i get my pulley system set up and brew i'll post an update pic

 

[smurfjuice]

In the garage, rain or shine. keeps the chit falling out of the trees out of the kettle.

 

[MaryB]

I have never had the CO monitor go off(I never check the readout). Brewed yesterday in the garage with the people door and 2 windows open for a cross flow. Got a wee bit warm in there but it beat fighting the wind outside.

 

[shoengine]

The wife and kids tired of the hops smell fairly quickly, and with the upgrade to a 15g kettle the back patio worked perfectly. Should be able to brew year round out here.

 

[Razael_the_Brewer]

I keep most of my equipment in the garage. In nice weather (no rain, light/no wind) I brew on my deck, even if it's cold. Otherwise, I brew in the garage. I have hose access in both places, and runoff hasn't been a big issue.

The kegs live in the basement. I have a bar area down there. I also tend to store things on longer fermentations/secondary on there to get them out of the way upstairs. It means carrying full carboys up and down stairs, but it's not that bad.

 

[RedlegEd]

Question for garage brewers. Right now I'm just using the standard propane burner. If I have all the doors open, should I still be worried about carbon monoxide? I would like to move into the garage for brewing because, well, being out in the sun in the Texas summer can be brutal.

I was doing a club brewday over at a friends and we were brewing in his driveway. The police rolled by and gave us a loooooooooong look, until they decided we weren't making meth and moved on.

Hi. A box or pedestal fan in the back of the garage blowing out doesn't hurt either, and it'll help keep the condensation of the boil from your ceiling and/or garage door(s). Ed

 

[RedlegEd]

Hi, again. Garage for me. Get to speak with the neighbors and enjoy a little of the outdoors. Ed

 

[Rhaop]

Hi, again. Garage for me. Get to speak with the neighbors and enjoy a little of the outdoors. Ed

Nice set up!

 

[GHBWNY]

Blessed to have a walk-out basement in the back of my house. In good weather, I brew just outside the door in a corner of the house out of sight, near a hose bib, and out of the wind and just few steps inside to the brew room. In more inclement conditions, I can come indoors. And while most of the boil fumes exit through the vent hood over the cooktop, some end up wafting upstairs and throughout the house. And you know what that means...

 

[teal]

Garage/driveway. I have a ranch.

I don't really care what the neighbors think. I'm literally surrounded by cops and nuclear engineers. No one bats an eye at weird stuff going on in the driveway.

This town is weird. Its industry are nuke plants, pot/pan mfg and a welding shop with the #1 attraction actually being salmon fishing. It's super Mayberry when it comes to neighbors/crime etc. People do what they do and leave others alone.

 

[Kent88]

Law of the Mullet applies here. Business in the front, party in the back.

 

[biochemedic]

Garage/driveway. I have a ranch.

I don't really care what the neighbors think. I'm literally surrounded by cops and nuclear engineers. No one bats an eye at weird stuff going on in the driveway.

This town is weird. Its industry are nuke plants, pot/pan mfg and a welding shop with the #1 attraction actually being salmon fishing. It's super Mayberry when it comes to neighbors/crime etc. People do what they do and leave others alone.

^This. I think it's sweet that the OP cares what the neighbors think about water runoff from cooling, but unless there are water restrictions in their neck of the woods, it's not really the neighbors' concern!

I brew in my garage because I don't want to melt my composite lumber deck! (Aside from cost, the only true downside to that type of decking, I would imagine....)
The neighbors hardly notice, and don't care a bit, especially after the first homebrewed beer most of them have ever had arrived in the neighborhood block party beer exchange and was a quick favorite...
I pee in my yard too, but I try to keep that in the back....

 

[jlinz]

^This. I think it's sweet that the OP cares what the neighbors think about water runoff from cooling, but unless there are water restrictions in their neck of the woods, it's not really the neighbors' concern!

I brew in my garage because I don't want to melt my composite lumber deck! (Aside from cost, the only true downside to that type of decking, I would imagine....)
The neighbors hardly notice, and don't care a bit, especially after the first homebrewed beer most of them have ever had arrived in the neighborhood block party beer exchange and was a quick favorite...
I pee in my yard too, but I try to keep that in the back....

Yeah, I got over caring after the first brew day. Just had the jitters because I just moved in and didn't know anything about my neighbors. They seem just fine

 

[teal]

^This. I think it's sweet that the OP cares what the neighbors think about water runoff from cooling, but unless there are water restrictions in their neck of the woods, it's not really the neighbors' concern!

I brew in my garage because I don't want to melt my composite lumber deck! (Aside from cost, the only true downside to that type of decking, I would imagine....)
The neighbors hardly notice, and don't care a bit, especially after the first homebrewed beer most of them have ever had arrived in the neighborhood block party beer exchange and was a quick favorite...
I pee in my yard too, but I try to keep that in the back....

I understand some concern about a water restricted area. I don't know if I'd actually say something to someone tho.

I live about 5 blocks off a lake that is 22,404 square miles in surface area and holds 1,180 cubic MILES of water by volume. No one notices a little water at the end of the driveway.

 

[kecclest]

Electric brewing in my basement.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

Garage - front of house. Sheltered from the wind/rain/snow, entry directly to the kitchen, near where I store some of my equipment...why brew elsewhere?

Now if I'd won the powerball this week: I'd have an acreage with a dedicated brewing facility. Not expecting that to happen any time soon.

 

[jlinz]

Update: The issue ended up becoming moot. Bought a robobrew, so I can brew anywhere there is an outlet--front, back, inside. Storing all my stuff in the garage,though.