Brew Cave Advice!

[trogdor447]

Ok... So I have 2 viable options to setting up the brew cave. My basement is not moldy by no means, however it does not have a standard door etc. The side door is just 2x4's tied together basically with a pin to hold it shut. That will eventually get upgraded. At any rate My house is 100+ years old on a stone stack basement. I have had 1 surface water flood in the past, I have done a lot of mitigating, and there is only a small portion of water leak at this point(about a 2 foot square). I have every intention of sealing off the remainder of that wall and putting a water barrier over the mortar that was patched on the wall. The majority of runoff came from downspouts that were addressed and re-pointed. The house is high enough that for ground water to come in.. it would have to be biblical.

My garage is also large, modestly insulated(r11) I added for comfort when working on things. It is a detached garage (roughly 26x26 interior) large enough for 2 cars and brew cart and whatever I need(i will have to re-arrange some shelving to make this fit). I'd like for the convenience of being able to brew in the basement over the winter... it stays a pretty steady 40-50 downstairs all year round. My concern is the mildew smell / until I seal the walls and concrete floor with epoxy. I've stored several boxes downstairs with cases of bottles etc. that do not have any moisture issues. The boxes stay dry. I'd say the humidity is usually 40-50% I guess that would be a good place to start is a more accurate reading with better equipment then the simple cheap 5 dollar gig from Walmart temp/humid.

I do believe in short term a cheap simple built 2x4 brew cart in the garage will suffice. I'm more or less asking for advice on how to convert / if its a good idea to convert the basement into the brew dungeon. I have the ability to knock a hole in an exterior wall and add an exhaust fan etc. down here. The basement is wired up also, I use it for making soft plastic lures etc. I would likely add a 220 plug to the mix. Basement already has water ran as well. The downfall to brewing in the garage will be moisture control / having to move a car out / get water into the garage etc. I have an outside spigot though so it would just need to have non hose water for the brew batch. I'd run the well through the hose for the chiller comes out of the ground extremely cold.

Sorry to be long winded, but I'm sure others have converted a basement similar to this long term.

 

[Sammy86]

If it were me and the wife was cool with it I would move into the basement...unfortunately for me my wife called dibs and banished me to the garage but I'm cool because like you it is insulated, there is water and i have a whole bay to myself...thank you previous owners for building a three car garage!

 

[trogdor447]

If it were me and the wife was cool with it I would move into the basement...unfortunately for me my wife called dibs and banished me to the garage but I'm cool because like you it is insulated, there is water and i have a whole bay to myself...thank you previous owners for building a three car garage!

Hah! I think the problem is once I clean up frame out and take care of the basement the wife might try to take it over. At which point I'll need to make a man loft in the attic!

I really think ultimately I would love to be in the basement but probably a year long project to get there. Just wasn't sure if others have converted a stone stack like mine to one before

 

[Jim R]

I would like to have an indoor space to brew but I first would need a high quality ventilation hood ducted to the outside, a large cleaning sink and access to a 220 volt outlet.

 

[Transamguy77]

I would not brew in the basement until you get you moisture issue solved. When I started brewing I lived in a house that was 100+ years old and was dry (or so I thought) for most of the year, the basement was short so actual brewing was not an option but I did all my fermenting and storing of everything brewing related down there.

At some point everything I brewed turned sour and gross I bought all new fermenters, replaced all my tubing and super cleaned everything but nothing worked and I felt so defeated and didn’t know what to do. One of my brew nights it’s was really late when I finished and I just brought the fermenters in the house and left them in the living room, do to life they ended up staying in there for several days and they did not become infected, so I learned that the air itself can carry stuff that can get in your beer and ruin it. I never fermented anything else in that basement again and have since moved and now have everything in the garage.

So even if it’s temporary I’d start in the garage and move down the basement when you can get the air quality better so your beer is not ruined.

 

[trogdor447]

I would not brew in the basement until you get you moisture issue solved. When I started brewing I lived in a house that was 100+ years old and was dry (or so I thought) for most of the year, the basement was short so actual brewing was not an option but I did all my fermenting and storing of everything brewing related down there.

At some point everything I brewed turned sour and gross I bought all new fermenters, replaced all my tubing and super cleaned everything but nothing worked and I felt so defeated and didn’t know what to do. One of my brew nights it’s was really late when I finished and I just brought the fermenters in the house and left them in the living room, do to life they ended up staying in there for several days and they did not become infected, so I learned that the air itself can carry stuff that can get in your beer and ruin it. I never fermented anything else in that basement again and have since moved and now have everything in the garage.

So even if it’s temporary I’d start in the garage and move down the basement when you can get the air quality better so your beer is not ruined.

This is basically exactly what I wanted to hear. Might be better off taking the time investment and making a wall in the garage dedicated