The Studio Brewer

This is a site dedicated to micro-micro homebrewing: brewing in 5 litre (1.3 US gallon) batches.

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Starting your Studio Brewery

Here’s what you will need by way of “hardware” to start your micro-micro studio brewery:

A 6 quart (5.6 liter) stockpot.  You can go bigger if you want, but it’s really not necessary.  You might already have one of these.  It’ll be the biggest pot in most houses, unless you’re into cooking massive stews or making your own stock.

A glass carboy, of 1 UK gallon size (about 5 liters).  Try, say, this one.  Alternatively, you could go with a plastic bucket with a sealable lid (you’ll need to put a hole in the top to accomodate your airlock, or pretty much any other 5 - 6 liter container.  I like glass because it is easy to clean.

A bung and airlock.  The link above actually comes with one, but if not, search Amazon or eBay.

Some bottles.  You can buy glass, plastic, or even growlers if you want to share your brew with friends and are happy to drink it all in one go.  I use stainless steel 64 oz (2 liter) growlers from time to time, particularly if I’m brewing to drink with friends.  How you bottle your beer is entirely up to you.

Sanitizer.  This is critical.  Just go for Iodophor. Iodophor is a solution of iodine complexed with a polymer carrier that is very convenient to use. You don’t need to go crazy rinsing it, either.  The key to successful homebrewing is sanitization.  Sanitize everything, or risk opening a rank beer.

Electronic thermometer.  It just makes life easier.  Get one.

A plastic funnel. Unless you really, really like using your mop.

A bottlebrush.  For cleaning bottles and carboys.

You’ll need a dark place to store your brew while it bubbles away.  UV light kills beer.  If you don’t have one, buy some blackout material to cover your carboy while you’re fermenting. You’ll need a fridge to cool your beer down before you drink it.  Surely you have one of these.  If it has an ice-maker, jackpot.  

That’s it.  You can buy a million other things, but it’s really not necessary.

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Extra stout.  Part of a 5 litre batch.  A drink of kings.

[thestudiobrewer]

5 litre brewing is awesome.

Homebrewing is even more satisfying than smelling your own farts, and it is far less socially awkward.

Some of the main turnoffs for would-be homebrewers include:

Lack of space for brewing and storage.

Mess.

A lack of desire to drink gallons and gallons of homebrew (some people are strange).

Stereotypical homebrewing hipsters with thick glasses and marmots on their faces ruining it for everyone.

This is a site for those who want to get brewing, but want to do it on a super-small scale.  A micro-micro scale.

Here at The Studio Brewer, we love beer.  We’ll show you how to make it, right there in your tiny, cramped apartment, and make it well.  It is dead easy and tons of fun.

Let’s get started!