Homebrewing in apartments and other small living spaces

Large scale homebrewing is difficult for many people, the space required alone makes it near if not actually impossible for many. This was part of the reasoning in developing our kits, being 1 gallon they are easy for any apartment or small living space.

The largest piece of equipment you need is a stock pot that can take over 1 gallon (5 litres). You could attempt to do the kit in multiple smaller pots but we suggest you don’t for the best ale. Apart from that there is no nonstandard or particularly large kitchen equipment you need. This is unless you lack a cooker of some kind, if so a hotplate is a perfect replacement. You still want to use a clean kitchen surface to work on especially in case of any spills, but a hotplate is a safe replacement you can use indoors opposed to a propane camping stove.

A 1 gallon brew is pretty easy to store anywhere. In the warmer months you don’t even need to store the fermentation bucket away, so leaving it on a counter or corner of a room is totally fine. In colder months however you will want to make room in a warmer area like an airing cupboard. If you lack one, wrap up your fermentation bucket and place it close (but not on) a heat source.

For bottling however it is a little more complex. The bottles need to at first be kept warm so that the ale fizzes up but afterwards need to be kept cool (but not too cold) so all sediment falls to the bottom. This means in the summer the first half is easy and you can store the bottles where your bucket was but for cooling you need to find space for them. If you have outside space (especially a shed, balcony or covered areas) then that is perfect. If you lack that it really depends on if you have a cool spot, a bathroom or kitchen is likely place but if nowhere will do a coolbox will be needed. Again you do not have to keep the bottles freezing cold but certainly cool to the touch. In winter it is much easier, for warmth keep them where your bucket was but afterwards they can pretty much be kept anywhere.

If you have any questions about brewing in small living spaces email us at alesmithinghomebrew@gmail.com