The brewing process comes in all shapes and sizes. Although there are many methods, ranging from simple extract brews to triple decocted lagers, at its core, the brewing process remains the same, each with their own set of unique challenges. Apartment-scale brewing is no different. Whether you're looking to start the hobby or setting up your first apartment brewery, consider the following tips as the finer points of the brewing process when practiced in an apartment or home with limited spaces.
1. Sizing the Boil Kettle to fit your Stove
The standard homebrew batch size is five gallons, and although your apartment may be able to ferment and store five gallons of beer, your stove may not. There are two main factors, both related to your stove's heating element, which may limit your batch size. The first limitation is structural integrity. A full boil for a five gallon batch (starting out with six gallons) is approximately 60 pounds, and although the stove may support this weight, your heating element may not. The second limitation is heating strength as your heating element may not be able to achieve a full six gallon boil. My apartment stove has a "fancy" large electric heating element that can bring nearly six gallons to a rolling boil, although waiting patiently, approximately 30 minutes to achieve it. If you suspect your apartment stove isn't up to snuff, consider partial boils for extract batches and small batch all-grain brewing. Alternatively, consider insulating your boil kettle for larger batch sizes.
Mash tun (left) and Boil Kettle (right)
2. Brewing the Batch that Fits your Apartment Size
Determining your batch size is directly related to your apartment's ability to appropriately store homebrew. A five gallon batch typically yields 48 bottles or two cases of beer, and depending on your brewing habits, may not suit your apartment lifestyle. Consider the key variables, such as available storage space, apartment temperatures, packaging techniques (bottles versus kegs), and brewing frequency, to judge an optimum batch size. When I started brewing, I quickly changed to three gallon batches simply because it allowed me to brew more often without taking up space when storing bottles.
3. Faucet Adapters are your Friend
A must have for useful brewing equipment such as jet blasters, wort chillers, and water hoses. I keep my faucet adapter permanently attached to my kitchen faucet.
4. Keep a Clean Kitchen
Before my brew day begins, my kitchen sees a good cleaning. It's relatively small size makes it a necessity. Any small clutter puts a damper in the brewing process. I make sure the countertop, sink, and stovetop are cleaned & cleared before I start the brew day.
5. Towels
Keep clean towels on hand and nearby. In my apartment brewing, brew days and kegging sessions are almost guaranteed to encounter some sort of mess. Typically, my kitchen floors sees Star San or PWB spills, and towels make quick work of the clean up before getting out of control. Big spills and boilovers are by far among the least fun parts of homebrewing; however, a ruined floor and an angry landlord are worse.
Towels cleaning up split PBW
6. Dishwashers as Drip Trays
A clean dishwasher can be a useful tool in the brewing process. The upper and lower racks can be used to hold sanitized brewing equipment, such as tubing and racking canes. Also, the trays can double as bottle trees to drip dry bottles. Additionally, bottling over a dishwasher lid captures any split beer with ease and makes for a quick clean up.
7. Using Underutilized Space
Identify underutilized space, such as under the bed & closet floors, for storing brewing equipment without having your apartment look like a small-scale brewery (unless that's what you're going for). I use my laundry closet to store grain, large carboys, and even my temperature-controlled chest freezer for fermentation.
Brewing equipment stored on a sturdy bookshelf
8. Storing Vertically
Sturdy shelves are a great way to store brewing equipment without sacrificing floor space. I store most of my brewing equipment, including several three gallon carboys, on a single bookshelf.
9. Apartment Temperature Control Strategies
Along with oxygenation and pitching rates, fermentation temperature is a key component to clean fermentation. Although the first two are easily handled, temperature control in an apartment setting can be difficult when space saving is considered. Since I live in Texas, my apartment temperature is greater than 75 F most of the year, making active temperature control using chest freezer technology a must. If this is not an option, consider passive forms of temperature control. Brewing with the seasons is a good option when your apartment hits the right temperatures. While living St. Louis, my kitchen ranged from 55-75 F throughout the year, ideal for lagers in the winter months and Belgians styles during the summer months. Other techniques such as evaporation cooling (wet t-shirt + fan) or heating belts are also good options for keeping things controlled.
10. Seek out other Apartment Brewers in your Region
Although the brewing literature is a great way to get started in the hobby, learning from experienced homebrewers can help accelerate the learning curve. This is especially useful when dealing with local brewing issues such as water chemistry and sourcing fresh brewing ingredients. Check out the AHA website to find a local homebrew club today!
What are some of your learning experiences from apartment brewing or brewing in limited spaces? Leave your hard-won experience in the comment section below. Cheers and happy brewing!
Daniel Ironside is the author of the brewing blog The Apartment Homebrewer. He specializes in small batch brewing and is an advocate for homebrewing in limited spaces. He is currently an active member of the Austin ZEALOTS homebrew club in Austin, Texas. To find out more about Daniel, visit theapthomebrewer.com or follow him on twitter @apthomebrewer.
1. Sizing the Boil Kettle to fit your Stove
The standard homebrew batch size is five gallons, and although your apartment may be able to ferment and store five gallons of beer, your stove may not. There are two main factors, both related to your stove's heating element, which may limit your batch size. The first limitation is structural integrity. A full boil for a five gallon batch (starting out with six gallons) is approximately 60 pounds, and although the stove may support this weight, your heating element may not. The second limitation is heating strength as your heating element may not be able to achieve a full six gallon boil. My apartment stove has a "fancy" large electric heating element that can bring nearly six gallons to a rolling boil, although waiting patiently, approximately 30 minutes to achieve it. If you suspect your apartment stove isn't up to snuff, consider partial boils for extract batches and small batch all-grain brewing. Alternatively, consider insulating your boil kettle for larger batch sizes.
Mash tun (left) and Boil Kettle (right)
2. Brewing the Batch that Fits your Apartment Size
Determining your batch size is directly related to your apartment's ability to appropriately store homebrew. A five gallon batch typically yields 48 bottles or two cases of beer, and depending on your brewing habits, may not suit your apartment lifestyle. Consider the key variables, such as available storage space, apartment temperatures, packaging techniques (bottles versus kegs), and brewing frequency, to judge an optimum batch size. When I started brewing, I quickly changed to three gallon batches simply because it allowed me to brew more often without taking up space when storing bottles.
3. Faucet Adapters are your Friend
A must have for useful brewing equipment such as jet blasters, wort chillers, and water hoses. I keep my faucet adapter permanently attached to my kitchen faucet.
4. Keep a Clean Kitchen
Before my brew day begins, my kitchen sees a good cleaning. It's relatively small size makes it a necessity. Any small clutter puts a damper in the brewing process. I make sure the countertop, sink, and stovetop are cleaned & cleared before I start the brew day.
5. Towels
Keep clean towels on hand and nearby. In my apartment brewing, brew days and kegging sessions are almost guaranteed to encounter some sort of mess. Typically, my kitchen floors sees Star San or PWB spills, and towels make quick work of the clean up before getting out of control. Big spills and boilovers are by far among the least fun parts of homebrewing; however, a ruined floor and an angry landlord are worse.
Towels cleaning up split PBW
6. Dishwashers as Drip Trays
A clean dishwasher can be a useful tool in the brewing process. The upper and lower racks can be used to hold sanitized brewing equipment, such as tubing and racking canes. Also, the trays can double as bottle trees to drip dry bottles. Additionally, bottling over a dishwasher lid captures any split beer with ease and makes for a quick clean up.
7. Using Underutilized Space
Identify underutilized space, such as under the bed & closet floors, for storing brewing equipment without having your apartment look like a small-scale brewery (unless that's what you're going for). I use my laundry closet to store grain, large carboys, and even my temperature-controlled chest freezer for fermentation.
Brewing equipment stored on a sturdy bookshelf
8. Storing Vertically
Sturdy shelves are a great way to store brewing equipment without sacrificing floor space. I store most of my brewing equipment, including several three gallon carboys, on a single bookshelf.
9. Apartment Temperature Control Strategies
Along with oxygenation and pitching rates, fermentation temperature is a key component to clean fermentation. Although the first two are easily handled, temperature control in an apartment setting can be difficult when space saving is considered. Since I live in Texas, my apartment temperature is greater than 75 F most of the year, making active temperature control using chest freezer technology a must. If this is not an option, consider passive forms of temperature control. Brewing with the seasons is a good option when your apartment hits the right temperatures. While living St. Louis, my kitchen ranged from 55-75 F throughout the year, ideal for lagers in the winter months and Belgians styles during the summer months. Other techniques such as evaporation cooling (wet t-shirt + fan) or heating belts are also good options for keeping things controlled.
10. Seek out other Apartment Brewers in your Region
Although the brewing literature is a great way to get started in the hobby, learning from experienced homebrewers can help accelerate the learning curve. This is especially useful when dealing with local brewing issues such as water chemistry and sourcing fresh brewing ingredients. Check out the AHA website to find a local homebrew club today!
What are some of your learning experiences from apartment brewing or brewing in limited spaces? Leave your hard-won experience in the comment section below. Cheers and happy brewing!
Daniel Ironside is the author of the brewing blog The Apartment Homebrewer. He specializes in small batch brewing and is an advocate for homebrewing in limited spaces. He is currently an active member of the Austin ZEALOTS homebrew club in Austin, Texas. To find out more about Daniel, visit theapthomebrewer.com or follow him on twitter @apthomebrewer.
