ANOTHER Basement Brewery Build

[highland_brewer]

More progress this weekend! Installing concrete counter tops.

Doing something I have never seen done before. I am molding in the glass rinser into the counter top. Thought it would be cool if I could pull that off. AND it came out AMAZING!! I am doing a reverse molding on the counter top. I used 1/2" pvc as the O.D. on the PVC is just lightly larger than 1/2" NPT. The 2 pcs of PVC make up the drain and the feed line to the rinser. Built the forms out of 3/4" Melamine and poured the counter top with a fast setting mortar mix. The concrete set up in 1hr!!

Also got the countertop cut for my storage area workstation. I plan on using the desk for recipe creating, video editing, starters etc. Trying to maximize the space by putting the desktop right under the stairs.

And last but not least. Got the lower cabinets under the bar stained. ALMOST ready for the counter top install, just need to fix a few little imperfections on the counter and it will be ready.

 

[highland_brewer]

Okay! I finished both counter tops with Famowood 2 part epoxy resin finish. That finish made the counters IMO.

They look really good and some voids that were filled with a portland/grout mix worked well and I like the way they turned out. Got the plumbing all hooked up as well and the glass rinser working. I think that is my favorite part of the whole things. I really wasn't sure if it would work or not but it did and I and real happy with that part.


Here is a look at the counter from the guest side of the bar.

Here are a couple more shots of the counter from behind the bar.

Here are a couple of shots of the back bar with the glass rinser and sink installed.

Not sure how this will work but here is link to a video of the glass rinser in operation.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B19BASfF5_4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

[BeerBaron1985]

That looks amazing Brian!

Question being that it is in your basement did you have to install a utility sink pump for the drain?

 

[highland_brewer]

That looks amazing Brian!

Question being that it is in your basement did you have to install a utility sink pump for the drain?

Yes Sir!! LOTS of WORK!! I did a sealed lift pump (Liberty 404 pump) for the brewery sink, and floor drain in the brewing area all tied into the same lift pump. Here are the videos of that process..

 

[BeerBaron1985]

Yes Sir!! LOTS of WORK!! I did a sealed lift pump (Liberty 404 pump) for the brewery sink, and floor drain in the brewing area all tied into the same lift pump. Here are the videos of that process..
.....

Ahh yes I did see those videos! Lots of work! Knowing that info answers my question. With the floor drain you can drain the sink to it without having to install a sink pump.

My basement, the sewer stack is close to the ceiling in the basement, and being the sink is lower than that requires a pump to work against gravity.

I thought you had used a pump like this under the sink to push the water out.

 

[highland_brewer]

Ahh yes I did see those videos! Lots of work! Knowing that info answers my question. With the floor drain you can drain the sink to it without having to install a sink pump.

My basement, the sewer stack is close to the ceiling in the basement, and being the sink is lower than that requires a pump to work against gravity.

I thought you had used a pump like this under the sink to push the water out.

That would be a good option for sure! I thought about that but with the floor drain and the brewery drain... AND me being cheap.. lol I decided to just cut across the floor and run all the pipes to one pump.

 

[BeerBaron1985]

That would be a good option for sure! I thought about that but with the floor drain and the brewery drain... AND me being cheap.. lol I decided to just cut across the floor and run all the pipes to one pump.

I wouldn't say jackhammering the foundation floor of your house would be cheap. For those that don't have the technical inclination ( by that I mean the willpower to sweat for hours doing said job) that would have been several hundred to thousands be my guess.


If you notice on the top left corner of my picture, you will see the white sewer stack pipe right in the area of where the brewery is going to go. A few adapters, some hose, and that $160 pump ill be good to go!

 

[highland_brewer]

I wouldn't say jackhammering the foundation floor of your house would be cheap. For those that don't have the technical inclination ( by that I mean the willpower to sweat for hours doing said job) that would have been several hundred to thousands be my guess.


If you notice on the top left corner of my picture, you will see the white sewer stack pipe right in the area of where the brewery is going to go. A few adapters, some hose, and that $160 pump ill be good to go! View attachment 642878

Looks like a great solution to me!!

By being cheap, I should have said I didn't want to buy 2 pumps. For what it cost me in tool rental it was cheaper than a pump, since I was going to rent the toos to do the floor drain and brewery sink anyway. Roughest part was carrying out the rubble from the basement! up 2 half flights of steps and out the front door. I DID have my tractor with frt end loader sitting with the bucket on the porch to help a LITTLE... but still no fun!

 

[highland_brewer]

Working on the storage area in the space now. Had to take a day and remove almost everything and reconfigure some shelves so I could fit the various brewing systems in the space.
I got most of it done. There are a couple of things yet to do. I want to install some pegboard on the back wall to hang things and I also want to build one more cabinet for over the hop freezer. It is coming along! feels good to get some organization to the space!

Moving the shelf on the wall where the pegboard will go really opened up the space and also lets me make room for a new item to be revealed soon..

Just for the fun of it see if you can find all the brewing systems in the photos...

 

[BeerBaron1985]

Thats cool stuff! Those two door cabinets fit a lot of stuff!

 

[highland_brewer]

More progress this weekend. Got the bar top coated with glaze coat.. (2 coats) and I think it came out nice. That is a big step in completion getting the top done. Every time I set something on the raw bar top I was scared it was going to get messed up.

 

[k-os]

More progress this weekend. Got the bar top coated with glaze coat.. (2 coats) and I think it came out nice. That is a big step in completion getting the top done. Every time I set something on the raw bar top I was scared it was going to get messed up.View attachment 644525 View attachment 644526

Is that a pour on epoxy?

 

[highland_brewer]

Is that a pour on epoxy?

Yes it is a 2-part epoxy called Famowood. Available at most home improvement stores. Best price I found was on amazon.

 

[k-os]

Yes it is a 2-part epoxy called Famowood. Available at most home improvement stores. Best price I found was on amazon.

Thanks. Now that I have the keezer done my next project is to get a small bar built in the basement before we have to host Christmas with my family. Need to brew some more to get the keezer filled too!

 

[highland_brewer]

Thanks. Now that I have the keezer done my next project is to get a small bar built in the basement before we have to host Christmas with my family. Need to brew some more to get the keezer filled too!

I would recommend that if the bar is small go with the Qt size amount. It actually goes a long way. I am going to be making a video on the process FYI.

 

[k-os]

I would recommend that if the bar is small go with the Qt size amount. It actually goes a long way. I am going to be making a video on the process FYI.

It'll be about 5 feet by 2 feet. Looking forward to the video.

 

[highland_brewer]

A little video update on the basement progress..

 

[nursedude]

Brian, your work is impeccable. really like how your bar came out.

 

[Wreck99]

A little video update on the basement progress..

Dude...

That's AMAZING!!!

 

[highland_brewer]

Dude...

That's AMAZING!!!

Thanks Matt!!

 

[NCBeerMedic]

Brian, I'm just gonna say what we are all thinking, but no one will say. You suck, had a nice brewery, moved to a new house, now have a nicer brewery and bar now, make me sick......

j/k, man it's awesome. Keep us posted when you get to brew....

 

[highland_brewer]

Brian, I'm just gonna say what we are all thinking, but no one will say. You suck, had a nice brewery, moved to a new house, now have a nicer brewery and bar now, make me sick......

j/k, man it's awesome. Keep us posted when you get to brew....

Haha! Thanks man I appreciate it! I am very lucky in that my wife was behind the project the entire way! I am ready to be done with our and enjoy the fruits of my labor! Im also tired of buying beer! ! Lol

 

[ZmannR2]

A little video update on the basement progress..

So cozy down there!! Bet you can't wait to have some buddies over to hang n watch football!

 

[highland_brewer]

One more addition to the bar. I wanted to have a solid foot rest for the bar and something that kept with the rest of the theme. Not installed, yet but assembled to see if tall enough and long enough. I like the way it looks! (2" Black pipe)

 

[k-os]

Started construction on my bar frame this past weekend and was curious what the finished height of your bartop and countertop behind are.

 

[CodeSection]

One more addition to the bar. I wanted to have a solid foot rest for the bar and something that kept with the rest of the theme. Not installed, yet but assembled to see if tall enough and long enough. I like the way it looks! (2" Black pipe)

I like it too! I realize you maybe concerned about a tripping hazard, but I wonder how it would look if it was moved 1-2" further out from the wood. That way it might keep off the scuff marks on the wood that could come from peoples shoes (toe area especially).

 

[highland_brewer]

I like it too! I realize you maybe concerned about a tripping hazard, but I wonder how it would look if it was moved 1-2" further out from the wood. That way it might keep off the scuff marks on the wood that could come from peoples shoes (toe area especially).

Yes I am going to be mounting it so that the pipe is 6 inches on center, away from the face of the bar. Where I have it now is just so that I could see what it looked like. That's not the permanent location of it. Recommendation for foot rest like this are anywhere from 6 to 7 inches away from the face of the bar.

 

[highland_brewer]

Started construction on my bar frame this past weekend and was curious what the finished height of your bartop and countertop behind are.

The flat surface of the bar is about 43 inches high, somewhere between 40 and 42, is recommended. The back bar counter tops are 36 inches, give or take a little bit in height. A piece of advice on the back bar counter tops mine are very narrow and there is not a lot of usable space, which I was ok with. However, I might have made the bar top a little narrower so that I could have had more back bar counter showing and usable. I used the dimensions by searching on Google bar dimensions, there are a lot of good illustrations out there that give you dimensions. I pretty much followed those exactly.

 

[highland_brewer]

Got my bar stools purchased (6 of them). Here is a tip for you. IF you have a restaurant store anywhere within driving distance it would pay off to check them out for your bar stools. I got mine for $42.99 each. They are commercial bar grade. 16 gauge welded frames rated for 300 lbs. AND the vinyl seat bottoms are easily replaceable should the ever get damaged, at a cost of $8.99.. I think that is an awesome deal. Most bar stools you find are in the $80+ dollar range and are screw/bolted together, flimsy and wobbly. These are the real deal.. really sturdy and nice. I got mine from restaurantequippers.com in Ohio but there are other vendors out there online.

I had someone ask bout dimensions so I thought I would make a diagram. You can also google "bar dimensions" and get great into there.
The pipe footrest wound up being perfectly spaced at 6-1/2" away from the bar face. the height of the pipe footrest came out to be 8-1/2" in height, using the floor flanges, 6" pipe nipples and the elbow/tees. It is definitely coming together!!

 

[highland_brewer]

Got the rest of the chairs unwrapped and cushions installed. Looking like a proper bar now.. Progress is good!!

 

[dwhite60]

I look at the home breweries some people build and realize I could have, should have, made better education and career choices, or married better.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[eric19312]

Just Wow...I’ll be subscribing to your channel.

 

[highland_brewer]

I look at the home breweries some people build and realize I could have, should have, made better education and career choices, or married better.

All the Best,
D. White

It's all a lot of work and effort. Cheers!

 

[highland_brewer]

Just Wow...I’ll be subscribing to your channel.

Thanks man!! It's been a journey that thankfully is almost over!! Then I just get to brew and try to keep 6 taps full!

 

[NCBeerMedic]

Thanks man!! It's been a journey that thankfully is almost over!! Then I just get to brew and try to keep 6 taps full!

Do you even remember HOW to brew??

 

[highland_brewer]

Do you even remember HOW to brew??

Like riding a bike.. or falling up a tree.. I have 160 lbs of grain waiting to be brewed with right now.. lol I better remember!

 

[sicktght311]

With all the different brew systems you have on hand, i'm surprised you didnt dedicate an entire basement to multiple brew houses lol

 

[SEndorf]

LOL... He beat me to it...
That's the nicest build I've ever seen. BUT...

Can he brew beer ?? (j/k)

 

[highland_brewer]

With all the different brew systems you have on hand, i'm surprised you didnt dedicate an entire basement to multiple brew houses lol

HAHA!! Well my brew table does not have casters on it YET... it will.. an I plan on a AIO brew table with casters so I can swap out the systems depending on what I am using.

 

[highland_brewer]

LOL... He beat me to it...
That's the nicest build I've ever seen. BUT...

Can he brew beer ?? (j/k)

BREW BEER!!!???? All that equipment is just for show.. like when you go to a brew pub and they have dummy equipment in the window that you know they don't use..

I am beginning to wonder if I ever will brew again.. lol Might have to hire a brewer!!