BSBrewer83

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Hello fellow brewers. I am starting to plan a shed that I will be building to store all of my equipment and plan to brew in the shed also.

My first concern is moisture. If anyone out there has experience brewing in a shed I would like to know what you did for steam that comes off of the kettle and HLT.

I wont be running electric out to the shed because of the distance from the house so I cant install permanent fans.

I could however run an extension cord out there.

Any links or knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

smokewater

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My guess is if you have enough air flow to brew with propane it should vent the steam as well.

FirstStateBrewer

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I'd move the shed closer to the house. I couldn't imagine brewing without water & electric.

dbhokie

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Well I run a greenhouse which has a lot of moisture inside, a lot of humidity and a lot of heat. Why not run a direct burial 12-2 cable..edge out a tiny ditch and push it in. Honestly if I were doing a shed like that you would want adequate ventilation. I would install an exhaust fan that would be capable of moving enough air to exchange it once every couple minutes. You would just have it on during brewing, I know you said a permanent fan isn't an option, but I mean are you miles away? Running a line isn't hard. Not to mention, don't you want lights?

__________________
On Deck
Abbey Ale #2
Rye Imperial Pale Ale
Primary
20 Gallons of Apple Cider
Secondary
Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter
Conditioning (Bottle)
---So Sad

Antler

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+1

I brew outside on my deck, probably 20ft from my sink. It's a pain in the as to get sticky wort all over something and have to run into the house to clean it, or grab a few quarts of water. If your planning a brewery build do yourself a favour and put some water/electricity out there.

BSBrewer83

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Good point on the cable. It isn't too far from the house. I would like to have lights in there too. If I run the cable I might be able to do some other stuff like taking my freezer out there.

This is good info. Thanks

kh54s10

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If it is just a shed why not construct a hatch directly above the kettle that you can open while brewing?

dbhokie

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In my experience with cooking, especially a lot of sauces (I do 5-10 gallon batches of hot sauce inside (which puts off a hell of a lot more acrid fumes than beer), an opening isn't enough to make air move through it, you have to pull. It wouldn't be a big deal in a house, because you already have a ventilation system, it just smells up your house nicely, in a more contained smaller area, I think it would raise heat concerns, and a lot of steam...you'd be pretty soaked at the end of a brew day in the spring, summer, fall.

__________________
On Deck
Abbey Ale #2
Rye Imperial Pale Ale
Primary
20 Gallons of Apple Cider
Secondary
Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter
Conditioning (Bottle)
---So Sad

wilceaser

Recipes 

My 1st suggestion....keep the wife, girlfriend, or significant other away from the shed at all times....or else they will think it's a great place to store all the stuff they don't want in the house. Learn from my mistakes young one.

As for steam etc well placed exaust fan will help.

I agree you will definlty want to run electricty and some type of plumbing out to your shed.
You will need light's etc....
Just make sure your electric service to the shed is big enough, plan on expansion, it will be cheaper in the long run to go a little bigger now instead of having to upgrade your electrical panel in the future.
Also concider water, buying juged water can get expeeeeensive and it's a pain when it's time to clean up.
I have a system set up where I can run water out to my shed via a hose made for potable water.
Your in Colorado so insulate the puppy unless you plan on only brewing in the spring and fall.
Also toss in a CO detector just to be on the safe side for when your brewing in the winter months and keep the door closed.

Concider some kind of flooring/mats under your brewing area that are easy to clean and can catch spills. You don't want water standing on wood floors.

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Howling Beagle Farmhouse Brewery

FirstStateBrewer

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I see you live in Denver. While you're digging a trench for your electric, consider digging one to bury a water line below the frost level. You just may get the urge to brew during a blizzard! LOL!