New member: question before I dive into the brew

[lgilmore]

I think the housing authority is going to give you a bad time anyway... better read that contract. It one thing to brew in the garage of your home, it's another thing to do it on the 12th floor of a building.

Sorry to be a buzz kill but I think you need to check into the building and what your friend signed off on. Is there a basement or yard?

 

[Ishouldbeking]

I think the housing authority is going to give you a bad time anyway... better read that contract. It one thing to brew in the garage of your home, it's another thing to do it on the 12th floor of a building.

Sorry to be a buzz kill but I think you need to check into the building and what your friend signed off on. Is there a basement or yard?

no basement, no yard. it's a high-rise (I guess, though its only 12 stories) in downtown LA. I mean, these things are artist's lofts. pretty much the embodiment of the live-in workspace. many are just unfinished concrete cubes; his has been completely rebuilt to resemble a very nice apartment. no one would pry into his business if he were making sculptures with a blowtorch, so I doubt they'd bother him over a homebrew... especially one they don't know about.

but i do generally appreciate the concern. I was just as concerned when it dawned on me (after you guys mentioned it), but he's not worried at all. he's owned the place for years, is good friends with all his neighbors, etc.

 

[daksin]

I'm going to add a +1 that thinks that brewing with propane indoors is an incredibly bad idea. Not to rain on your parade, but even being really careful this could go badly in way too many ways.

 

[lgilmore]

Again read anything you have on the place... You're using a shared place (12 floors)there has to be a schedule of prohibited activities. The thing to keep in mind, if there is and you ignore it and something bad happens, you may not be covered by your own insurance, which means all your neighbors insurance companies will hound you to your grave for any recovery. As I posted earlier, these could be very expensive beer.

 

[Ishouldbeking]

Again read anything you have on the place... You're using a shared place (12 floors)there has to be a schedule of prohibited activities. The thing to keep in mind, if there is and you ignore it and something bad happens, you may not be covered by your own insurance, which means all your neighbors insurance companies will hound you to your grave for any recovery. As I posted earlier, these could be very expensive beer.

Good call. We'll definitely be researching much deeper into both what is allowed and what is safe. Thanks guys.

 

[djfriesen]

On the topic of starting AG, go for it! With a little research, some good directions, and an idea of what you are doing and why, there isn't anything complicated about AG. I started AG (and have done 4-5 since) and did an extract batch with a buddy who brews extract only. Extract is far easier, but AG is so much more rewarding.

If you are the type that really likes to work to improve your work, and have the most possible control over what comes out, then AG is for you. I have heard it compared to cooking, and think this is very valid. Extract brewing is like using packaged noodles and Ragu to make spaghetti. All Grain is like making noodles from scratch and making sauce out of stewed tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices. You get to decide just exactly what you do.

I think if you go AG, you will never look back. Happy brewing! (And try to find someplace outside to do it. Building fires are not something to mess around with.)

 

[BrewerinBR]

I started with AG as well (did 1 Mr Beer kit which failed) then made my own equipment and have been brewing all grain ever since. As for propane indoors? I use propane indoors in my basement. Have a fire extinguisher and a CO detector and fresh air in and exhaust fans. The big issue is heat, my little brew room gets pretty warm but now that the fresh air in is 28F the warmth feels good. However, I have low pressure burners rated for interior use, have notified my insurance company and own a house in the woods. So with good ventilation and indoor rated equipment (if the maker says it is then cool) you will be fine. Building restrictions need to be checked ...

But I say go for it. Any pale ale would be a good first brew, something that will be easy to mash and boil. Single Infusion, and fast fermentation. Safale US-05 is a good yeast and is easy and fast. Are you going to bottle or keg? If bottling read the Sticky:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/
kegging read :https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/sticky-kegging-faqs-43347/

Good Luck and Happy Brewing!!!

 

[Ishouldbeking]

I started with AG as well (did 1 Mr Beer kit which failed) then made my own equipment and have been brewing all grain ever since. As for propane indoors? I use propane indoors in my basement. Have a fire extinguisher and a CO detector and fresh air in and exhaust fans. The big issue is heat, my little brew room gets pretty warm but now that the fresh air in is 28F the warmth feels good. However, I have low pressure burners rated for interior use, have notified my insurance company and own a house in the woods. So with good ventilation and indoor rated equipment (if the maker says it is then cool) you will be fine. Building restrictions need to be checked ...

But I say go for it. Any pale ale would be a good first brew, something that will be easy to mash and boil. Single Infusion, and fast fermentation. Safale US-05 is a good yeast and is easy and fast. Are you going to bottle or keg? If bottling read the Sticky:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/
kegging read :https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/sticky-kegging-faqs-43347/

Good Luck and Happy Brewing!!!

thanks! bottle vs keg is one of my next subjects to research. I love the idea of kegging (if only to get my beer faster!), but I still need to look into it more. my friend has said that if we take a liking to brewing he'll likely install a tap system into the house. i guess my major concern, being that I don't live there, is that I wouldn't necessarily want all our beer in one location... i wanna take some of it home with me! do some folks keg part of a batch and bottle the rest?

 

[Ishouldbeking]

All right, guys. All your concern has paid off! I've officially put the fear into my buddy, and once we realized the crazy high BTU's these propane burners are putting out there was a definite "whoa" moment.

So... brewing electric, is that doable in a well ventilated indoor setup?

 

[gr8shandini]

. . . i guess my major concern, being that I don't live there, is that I wouldn't necessarily want all our beer in one location... i wanna take some of it home with me! do some folks keg part of a batch and bottle the rest?

That's not a problem at all. Growlers are cheap, or you can bottle straight from the keg. Do a search for the "Biermuncher bottle filler." It's about $10 worth of parts from your LHBS and you can fill a sixxer in roughly 10 minutes.

 

[mack65]

For my first brew I did an all grain Citra IPA.

But, I did it at the local home brew shop/brewery with guidance and supervision. Since then I've done about 40 brews by myself. Maybe you could look into seeing if there are any home brew shops/breweries that do Brew on Premises.

Welcome to brewing!

 

[strambo]

There's no reason why you couldn't start with the AG gear, but just brew an extract ALE w/ steeping grains as your first batch to get used to the process.