Streetlevel: DIY Beer Brewing Store in Gowanus

I think most brewers in NYC use the internet for supplies because there hasn't been a great area supplier since Little Shop of Hops closed many years ago. They had 2 Manhattan locations but got priced out rent-wise, I think. My upstate brewer friends definitely frequents a brick and mortar store for all his bulky supplies because of shipping costs.

Brewing is pretty easy and if you are brewing ales, you don't even need fridge space. You can make do with a cool, not necessarily cold, area in the cellar big enough for a 5 gallon bucket. We did all our brewing in our apartment but did have cellar access to keep the bucket in for a couple weeks. I do agree about the one gallon kits being a lot of work for the return. It's pretty much the same work to brew 5 gallons as one but using a one gallon kit would be a way to try it out in a small apartment.

Actually, I'm pretty sure this is not one of the vendors from the flea. The Flea couple runs Brooklyn Brew Shop and they are the ones selling the one gallon kits. This couple does sell kits for all the ingredients but I think only the 5 gallon size. They do have equipment kits but not the little one gallon variety. The product list seems to cater to a bit more serious brewer and they also sell ingredients individually for those who want their own unique brew.

As far as economy, if you brew often enough, it's cheaper than buying microbrew but as someone said never as cheap as PBR. My friend turned an old chest freezer into a kegerator with at least 6 taps for 1/6 kegs. He brews often enough to have offset the cost of equipment. If you enjoy doing it, then it's worth it.