My first attempt at home brewing

[benfranklin]

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I figure I'll start with kits to get my feet wet, but move as quickly as possible beyond them. Any other reviews of kits, or what to lok for in a kit, would be appreciated. Also, any info on homebrewing that is hard to find elsewhere. For example, my damn kitchen is really small. Not only does this mean that I don't have a ton of room for pots and whatnot while actually brewing, I don't exactly have a ton of room for the stuff to sit around and ferment. How much of a footprint does a typical batch of beer have? I'm assuming that kegging my beer will take less room than having a hundred bottles sitting around.

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If by kits you mean something like Mr. Beer, I'd recommend going beyond that right from the start. You need a basic equipment set-up, like here. You should be able to get started with something similar for about $50 at any homebrew store.

Space required depends on how many batches (yes, I spelled that right) you have going at a time. The initial process is like making soup. You just need a big stock pot on the stove. That then goes into a 5-gal. pail, which needs to sit for a couple weeks in a cool place. Then you bottle it. You'll get about two cases of beer, which have to sit for at least 2-3 weeks (I recommend 4-6). Soon as you bottle it, you can start another batch.

A standard batch is 5 gallons. There are mini-keg systems, but I have not looked into those. I just keep all my old Sam Adams bottles. It's doing my bit for recycling.

[fluxrad]

ben,

Is it possible to brew in an apartment? I live on the fifth floor and I'd love to start brewing myself, but I'm worried that there will either be

A. Too much mess
B. Crappy beer due to the lack of a "cool place." How cool is cool?

Any thoughts?

[RunDownHouse]

Cool is under 70. About 62-65 should be fine for ales. You won't be able to do lagers without a dedicated fridge. As far as brewing in an apartment goes, it can be done fairly easily. If you have the capacity to boil 6-6.5 gallons of water, a place to put the fermenter, and a place to store bottles, you're good to go.

[nolanfan34]

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ben,

Is it possible to brew in an apartment? I live on the fifth floor and I'd love to start brewing myself, but I'm worried that there will either be

A. Too much mess
B. Crappy beer due to the lack of a "cool place." How cool is cool?

Any thoughts?

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I used to do all of my brewing when we lived in an apartment. If you have a guest bathroom, that's a good place for the fermenting. Set the pail or carboy on a folding chair in the bathtub. This also give you some insurance if you screw something up and the top blows off. The temp in there should be good for ales.

I did all of my brewing on the kitchen stove. It does make a bit of a mess, but you just have to be good about cleaning it up right away - spilled wort = super sticky.