Attempting to gain your thoughts on recommendations for equipment and/or processes, etc. for moving the brew operation into the garage, or outside?
or… if there is already a discussion that has been through this, please point me in that direction. It could be my search tactics, but I have not seen anything specifically addressing this question.
thanks,
Get a turkey fryer set up for your burner and move to the garage. Leave the door up for airflow. Store your items in there too.
I keep my 3 tier system pushed to the back of the garage and have a 3 wire shelf in the back corner for all my gear. Rubbermaid containers make great storage for all your misc items.
I brew on my deck. I got the 8 gallon Megapot and the Darkstar burner. Works fantastic. However, I am considering one change that I think will complete the outdoor brewing setup. I am panning to get a 220 volt induction cooktop. I think the control over cooking will be superior to propane, and I will never worry about how much I have left. If you get that then you can simply run a 220 volt line to wherever you desire to set up your brew space.
I prefer to brew outside on the deck simply because if I make any kind of mess I can just grab the hose and wash it away. I tried the garage once and I found that it’s very easy to make a mess that is difficult to clean up.
I usualy do extract brews in the garage and don’t have to much trouble with messes per-se… just getting water together for cleaning and rinsing gear etc… Tank :cheers:
Started out with partial boils on the kitchen stove. Got a fair number of complaints about ‘the smell’ from my wife. Moved to full boils with a turkey fryer kettle/ propane burner on the back porch off of the kitchen. I liked that but a few boilovers and small spills led to more complaints. In the past year and a half I’ve been down in the garage. It’s peaceful down there… :cheers:
Plus, everything is handy without having to carry stuff up and down stairs. The basement and garage is MY area.(I guess I sound whipped) 
I brew on my deck usually. If it is windy I move into the garage. My wife is not fond of the “smell” either. I re-purposed an old turkey fryer burner and use a 5 gallon pot (until i get a larger one for full boils).
[quote=“JimRMaine”]
Plus, everything is handy without having to carry stuff up and down stairs. The basement and garage is MY area.(I guess I sound whipped) [/quote]
When I’m asked what I keep in my garage and basement, I reply…MY SANITY. This too is my domain and where I brew. :cheers:
At a minimum (for concentrated extract boils) will need a heat source, a kettle, and a way to cool the wort. For AG, you will also need a mash tun and hot liquor tank (second pot).
A turkey fryer set-up is pretty much ideal for making concentrated boil extract batches. It comes with a propane burner and a kettle, and is the cheaper that buying those separately at a homebrew store. It is easily upgraded in stages as you need. Depending on the pot that comes with the fryer, you may be able to use if for full-volume boils, though it is likely to be tight.
If you decide to go full volume boils, you can easily buy a new kettle then, and the one that came with the fryer will make a great hot liquor tank if, as most people do, you upgrade to AG at that the same time you go full volume.
For a mash tank, check out www.dennybrew.com. The system is almost foolproof to use and very cheap to put together.
Alternatively, you could go electric. That’s what most brewers in Europe use. It is intrinsically safer, more convenient and less expensive to run. But it costs a fortune initially, with the super cheap ones available here costing the equivalent of several hundred dollars, and the quality ones go for over a thousand.
That leaves a way to cool the wort, and how you do that depends mostly on how big a volume you are boiling. But in most cases you will need a water source that you can use even in cold weather (if you need to worry about freezing winter temperatures).
I must be doing something wrong! I brew in the laundry room. Water and sink, concrete floor and floor drain. I open windows as I use propane,yes, very cautious about CO…. In Mn., it gets very cold, in fact, so cold propane doesn’t burn well. I have a three tier on wheels, a purpose built table for my brew activities, and big buckets fer grain storage. I think you could brew just about anywhere as long as you can get water, heating source and a place to put the finish product and equipment… Sneezles61 :cheers:
You don’t have any sort of vent or exhaust system? The obvious concern is CO, but also the moisture from the boil has to go somewhere. Over time that could cause some nasty mold in your ceilings and walls.
When my propane tank starts to freeze up. I take a wash tub (anything that will hold water and a propane tank) add some hot water, propane tank and I’m good for the length on my brew session. My propane tank has water only about 1/3 the way up its side.
Well, I usually have the exhaust fan on in the bathroom next to laundry, and sometimes the wood stove is burning… I haven’t seen any signs of mold yet…. I should put one in. I’ve got one from a demo at a commercial building…. As fer the propane, I put a milk house heater very close to the tank with some way to protect it from the wind, usually a piece of pole barn tin does the trick!! Ah yes it works to get the vapor going again!! Sneezles61
I have boiled in the kitchen and out in my driveway. I am nervous about brewing in the garage for safety reasons. The wife complains about the smell in the kitchen but never when I am outside. she is pregnant now, so I really got an ear full this last weekend brewing. I have a nice Edelmetall Brue Burner but the wind knocks the flame down at times. Think I might work on setting something up in the garage with safety precautions of course (windows and door open and fire extinguisher on hand). I think it would be easy to put down a rubber mat or something underneath to catch any spills that may occur. At least my garage is heated during the winter, and I have my fridge (full of beer 
) and TV out there also. The only problem is my fermenting area is in the basement. Not sure how well I can control temp in my garage during the summer heat and its too expensive to keep at 65 to 70 during the winter.
Thanks for all of the thoughtful responses.
I hadn’t thought about a turkey fryer, tookalisten. Sounds like the garage is doable, I think I can carve out a spot for the necessary room needed. Electric is bit out of my budget right now.
and rebuilt, I have read denny’s setup and have collected the required bits for that setup, looking forward to getting my virgin hands dirty with an all grain.
Laundry room won’t work, it is already crowded and with the catbox in there…
thanks again to all.
I’m having the same problem out in my garage. Have you found a solution that works best for you?
I also brew on my deck. I live in a townhouse with a one-car garage, so garage brewing is not an option, and there are no outdoor spigots (weird, I know, but we have an underground sprinkler system and water is part of our homeowners association dues), so patio brewing is not an option either. Luckily the deck is right off of my kitchen, so everything I need is right there. I can use my grill and covered patio chairs to block the wind if it’s coming out of the north, so no worries. I just picked up a King Kooker Dual burner patio cart, so I’m excited to brew my next batch!
I too just moved out of the kitchen. I don’t have a garage, so I’ve gotta brew on the deck just outside our kitchen, which leaves me at the mercy of the South Dakota weather. Cold I can deal with, but really windy days are kind of a pain. In any case, to make the move I bought a wort chiller, a 10 gallon Tall Boy kettle and a Dark Star burner so that I can do 5 gallon BIAB batches in a single vessel.
