I brew in an upstairs apartment. It can be challenging at times, but I'm starting to actually like my setup. When I first started to think about making the transition to all-grain I had a few problems to address. The first thing that worried me was whether my electric stove had enough power for a full wort boil. After researching a bit, I decided to buy a canning element for my stove. It sits a little higher, supports my kettle better, and has a higher wattage. I bought mine on eBay for about $20. I also wrapped my
10 gallon aluminum brew pot with
reflective insulation to keep the heat in. It works pretty well. My boils might not be as vigorous as I'd like, but it gets the job done.
I don't have a ton of space to store more equipment. For that reason, I am using the brew in a bag method. Instead of getting a cooler to use as a mash tun, I had a bag custom made for my brew kettle. Jeff at
Bag Brewer made mine, and did a fine job. I mash my grains for about 90 minutes. I then take the bag out of the kettle, and set it on a grill grate that has a slightly larger diameter than my kettle. I turn the stove on full blast, and allow the bag to drain. I occasionally give the bag a few squeezes to get as much wort as possible out of it. After that, I set the bag of grain and grate aside. Then it's brewing as usual.
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| Mashing with the brew in a bag method. |
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| Letting the bag drain. |
