Brainstorming... New Brewhouse Design

[doc390]

Greetings from a long time lurker....

I'm looking at trying to come up with a simple, standardized design for a home brewhouse based on an 8' x 20' (or 7' x 19' w/ insulation) footprint. Why, you ask....? To be built in a 20' standard (or hi-cube) ISBU shipping container.

I'm throwing this out there for input.... It's not well thought out, yet. I'm looking for feedback on design, components, viability..... what would you put in a Brewhouse this size?

My initial thoughts...

Advantages of using a container:
Cheap (~$2000).
Readily available.
Very structurally stable.
Secure & easily lockable.
Can be secured on top of blocks, concrete piers, or other stable foundation
Can be plumbed for gas, water, drain, HVAC, & electric easily from the outside.
Insulating the inside (4-6") would cut down inside space to ~19' x 7'.
Floors (hardwood) could easily be tiled, sloping to central drains for sanitation.
High tech coatings can be applied to the outside to dramatically reduce radiant heat loss/gain. See http://www.bobvila.com/sections/tv-...961001-finishing-the-steel-building-container
Can be over-roofed using simple wood trusses to improve appearance, facilitate drainage, & decrease snow loads, if desired.
It could easily be cooled using a single a/c unit (assuming adequate exhaust over the brew stand, & a fresh air intake below it - I think.... Maybe not).
It can be easily moved on a trailer or large rollback. Empty weight ~5300# (2400 kg).
Could even be mounted on a trailer & made mobile (for use by clubs, or at public events).


Features I'd incorporate:

Entry door on one long side (easily cut through the wall) leaving end doors intact for loading/unloading larger components, or to butt up against another structure, perpendicularly.
Designed around a single tier stand.
Built in exhaust hood.
Commercial style, stainless steel 8' sink/countertop combo.
2 additional 5' SS tables (adapted as needed for milling grain, bottling, general prep, sample testing), w/ shelving above. Sam's Club $115
Grain/malt storage rack (perhaps floor to ceiling shelving to accommodate 5-gal buckets on shelves).
Designated area for grain mill cabinet.
Designated area for 1° & 2° fermentors (could be enclosed for temperature controls).
1-keg/corny depth, built-in lagering fridge/closet.
Perhaps, even room for a small bar!

 

[Mongrel]

I like the idea of a dedicated container. Would like to see pics if you move forward with this.

 

[FrayedKnotBeer]

I'm a professional sailor, we use shipping containers for all sorts of things. Work shops and shipping mainly, but you can stack them together in all sorts of different configurations and make some pretty cool "buildings"

This team was from my hometown, to give you a little idea of what is possible... https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...0.0....0...1ac.1.31.img..0.10.792.JhkZPKLDyFU

 

[brent77]

Thats an awesome idea, cant wait to see pictures.

 

[Rhumbline]

For flooring I'd lean towards the rubber matting over an epoxy coating. We've done that in maintenance shops and it's great.

Gonna be generating a lot of heat in a confined space so a hood and very good exhaust system will be mandatory. You might even look into building something like a fume hood like is used in chem labs. It's an enclosed chamber with a sliding door.

At least two exits, situated so that in the event of a fire, at least one will be accessible. Ample fire extinguishers, CO2 detectors, emergency cutoff for the gas solenoid if using gas. Battery operated emergency light if you loose main just so your drunk visitors can see the exit.

I'd build a mechanical room into one end with your air conditioning and chiller systems. Make sure you can secure everything to allow for transportation, bolt everything to the floor, walls, or ceiling. If using gas, rig connections so you don't bring the stuff into the box.

With a generator of sufficient capacity, water and wastewater tanks this could be a completely self contained op.

 

[bobmcstuff]

At least two exits, situated so that in the event of a fire, at least one will be accessible. Ample fire extinguishers, CO2 detectors, emergency cutoff for the gas solenoid if using gas. Battery operated emergency light if you loose main just so your drunk visitors can see the exit.

My job is looking at tech safety stuff (fires/explosions, escape and evac etc etc) on oil rigs/drill rigs and they use containers for offices/workshops all the time - If you can't or don't want to have a second proper exit what most of them tend to have is a kickout panel on the other side (basically what it sounds like, a small panel you can kick out and escape from if the main exit is blocked).

Totally agree that you want 2x exits though.

On top of your list a CO alarm would be pretty much essential if you were brewing on gas.