Homebrewing in an apartment

You can homebrew on the stove, shouldn't be an issue. Check out the kits on northernbrewer and morebeer.

 

Depends on a few things:

1. Do you want to brew Extract or All-Grain?

Extract would be the way to go initially, IMHO. Extract would allow you to have less equipment.

2. What sized batches?

5 gallon is pretty much the standard, but you can easily convert recipes for less.

3. If you're planning on brewing inside, what type of stove do you have?

Not all stoves will allow you to do full boils...that is, boil enough wort that you do not have to add water when you're finished. For instance, an electric stove probably won't be able to do full-boils...and if it can...it will make for a long brew day. Of course, if you aren't brewing 5 gallon batches, this may not be as much of an issue.

Lastly, take a look at How-To-Brew.

P.S.

Depending on your budget...there are all-in-one systems that you can brew on your counter-top...but these would all cost more than $1,000.

 

Electric stove certainly isn't ideal, but you could easily do 1 gallon batches on an electric stove and I've done 2.5 gallon full boils on an electric stove as well. Not the most time efficient but it certainly can be done.

 

I currently use a gas stove, myself. I have one burner that puts out 17,000BTU, and it's more than enough to get a rolling boil on 7+ gallons.

 

If a gas oven also means gas burners on the stovetop, then you're good to go. Just read up on equipment, procedures, etc. at howtobrew.com or go out and buy the book (or get it online).

 

Don't forget about having space for storing all your equipment when not in use....
I hear about that a lot.

 

I started in an apartment, just remember that full boils will take a little while even with a strong burner. Also that full boils will need around a 7 gallon kettle for 5 gallons, to account for boil overs. Have fun and read "How to Brew" by John Palmer.

 

Do you live in New York City? If so, do you live near the N/R train? I ask because I have had a very good experience at Brooklyn Homebrew, which is located near an R stop in Brooklyn. They sell beginner kits and ingredient kits, and generally they are very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. They are also, I am quite sure, accustomed to selling homebrew supplies to people living in apartments. (And I guess I should mention, they also sell their products online for delivery in the city, and maybe beyond.)

That said, I would actually second @Mothergoose03's recommendation that you start by spending some time reading How to Brew by John Palmer. You can brew perfectly good beer with little more than a kettle and a couple of buckets (and equipment that, when not in use, can easily fit in a bucket), but most people end up with a bit more than that. My apartment is reasonably big, and I have taken the opportunity to buy a cooler to use as a mash tun, quite a few carboys, etc. In general the hobby is like a gas: it will expand to fill whatever room you give it in your apartment/life. Reading How to Brew will give you a sense of the kinds of things people invest in when they get into the hobby. (Aside from a cooler mash tun, you may well find yourself investing in an Erlenmeyer flask, a stir plate, an oxygen tank with diffusion stone, some kind of fermentation temperature control... you can really acquire a fair amount of stuff if you get seriously into the hobby.)

 

Yes! I would reccomend a one gallon kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop which is an all grain type similar to a brew in a bag system OR a small batch 1 gallon kit from Northern Brewer which is an extract. I reccomend those because they are easy to use and you really only need a 2-3gal pot (Brooklyn's kit you need a strainer) to get started.

I think those are good starting points to introduce you into the basics. I was doing three gallon all grain batches on a regular gas stovetop and it took a while to boil. Then as mentioned above, depending how advanced you get you'll need a place store all your equipment.

I only recommend smaller batches because if you brew a bad batch it's only a gallon and maybe 2 hours of your time. Easy way to learn in my opinion.

How to Brew is a great book too.

 

I brew in an apartment. 5 gallon batches, all grain. My 10 gallon pot spans two burners on the 20ish year old gas range and achieves a respectable boil. Space can be an issue, but not insurmountable. If I were to break everything down, empty the swamp cooler and stack it all, it would fit in a 4'x3' footprint and be about 3' high. I'm not sure if you live alone or with a partner, but whenever my wife complains about the space, I just point at the corner with cases of conditioning and ready beer for her to enjoy.

In my current set up, the thing I did most wrong was my immersion chiller and even that would be easy to fix. My stove is directly across from my sink and I left the input hose to the chiller too short, making it difficult to walk through while chilling.

Don't worry about batch size - I started with 5 gallons and stuck with it. Read How to Brew and/or the Joy of Homebrewing. Have fun.

 

I used to brew 5-gallon batches in a small apartment, on a gas stove. I was brewing extract then, so my boils were ~4gallons, and my stove was able to handle it. I never tried a bigger, full boil of 6.5 - 7 gallons, though.
I used ale pails for fermenting and bottling, and didn;t have room for carboys and extended aging. I did make some pretty good beers, IMO, though.
As others have said, the 2 big reference books are more than worth it, How to Brew and Joy of Homebrewing. IMO both are indispensable.

 

Yea, extract is the way to go if you're living in a small apartment. I've done plenty of those when I lived in a 500 sq. ft. space no problem. Not saying that you can't do all-grain, but it could make for a pretty stressful day

 

I brew all-grain 3 gallon batches in my NYC apartment. I can get 4+ gallons to a boil on the gas stove pretty easily. All of my equipment fits in the corner of my closet, except for the kegs which stay in the 2-tap kegerator in my bedroom! (yes, I have a very understanding wife)

+1 to Brooklyn Homebrew as well. Awesome place and very knowledgeable staff.

 

The 2.5G batch size (~1 case) is perfect for apartment brewing whether all-grain or extract.

Basic hardware:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...ng-operations-approaches.102390/#post-1505121
Appears the 5G MLT image has disappeared so just use your imagination.

 

I brew in an apt, the hardest thing is getting things up to temp in a timely manner using an electric stovetop. It works but I do wish I had the space outside to use a turkey fryer.

Also how do you plan on chilling your wort, do you have a wort chiller? If so you may need an adapter to be able to use the inlet hose on your faucet.

Other than those two things there isn't really anything hard or complicated about brewing in your apartment

 

With a decent gas range you can brew 5 gallon all grain batches with few issues. I was even able to do all grain brewing with an electric stove (using a trivet) at one apartment. IMO, the biggest challenge for apartment dwellers is temperature control. I made a few nasty brews by fermenting too warm early in my homebrewing career. Getting the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature before pitching is important for a quality fermentation, as is not fermenting too warm.

A full wort boil and a good chiller are priceless.