Brew Hut Raising Weekend - 4/25

[Brakeman_Brewing]

This seems like its turning into the offical Home Brewer super heroes hideout. Secret taps, cold storage, WIFI, discussion table... Move over Superfriends here comes HBT!

 

[Smogre]

We had a blizz on April 1st. I say Bring on the warming baby!!

April 1st? Where were you on May 1st?

Anyway, the Haus looks great!

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Ed, I just got my new catalog from Northern Brewer and the cover made me think of you:

 

[EdWort]

Ed, I just got my new catalog from Northern Brewer and the cover made me think of you:

Hmmmm, my neighbor does have a backhoe....:cross:

 

[Otis The Drunk]

I'm not trying to seem like a skeptic, actually I'm watching this thread with great interest.
It's more like I am trying to envision the finished product.

 

[scinerd3000]

underground brew shelter........hmm. You could drink all the way through a nuclear fallout

 

[Cregar]

Ours is similar to this one I found.

But SWMBO upholstered it pretty nicely. I'll have pics of it next week as I need to get it out of storage to put in place to maker sure I have enough room before the walls for the cold storage go up.

These tables are great for beer drinking and discussing hops, malt or Newsweek covers.

Awesome

 

[PeteOz77]

Hmmmm, my neighbor does have a backhoe....:cross:

Let me see if I got this straight.... Your neighbour has a backhoe.. and your brewhaus doesn't have a cellar? Just think, for the cost of a couple hundred cinder blocks, you could have called it a "Storm Shelter" and used it to hide from tornadoes etc, had a great place for lagering and heaps of extra storage!

 

[EdWort]

Let me see if I got this straight.... Your neighbour has a backhoe.. and your brewhaus doesn't have a cellar? Just think, for the cost of a couple hundred cinder blocks, you could have called it a "Storm Shelter" and used it to hide from tornadoes etc, had a great place for lagering and heaps of extra storage!

Oh that would have changed everything. I would love a basement, but our soil is rock and chalichee. Next is cement and a foundation.

All of a sudden my simple "shed" becomes a different structure that requires permits, architectural committee approvals, inspections, etc.

No thanks. I'll stick with my simple foundationless "shed".

 

[BlindLemonLars]

All of a sudden my simple "shed" becomes a different structure that requires permits, architectural committee approvals, inspections, etc.

You know, I wondered about that as I watched your structure go up so quickly and miraculously. So no permits are required for such a building? Out here, just about anything requires permits and many visits from inspectors...anybody who thinks making and keeping an appointment with the cable company is hard should try working with these guys! "We'll be out there sometime between noon and never." It's enough to discourage you from any kind of construction or remodeling, and that may be exactly what they have in mind.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

You know, I wondered about that as I watched your structure go up so quickly and miraculously. So no permits are required for such a building? Out here, just about anything requires permits and many visits from inspectors...anybody who thinks making and keeping an appointment with the cable company is hard should try working with these guys! "We'll be out there sometime between noon and never." It's enough to discourage you from any kind of construction or remodeling, and that may be exactly what they have in mind.

That is a total farcity!!!!!!!!!!

We in permit and inspection services would never schedule anything at Noon.

 

[tuckferrorists]

That is a total farcity!!!!!!!!!!

We in permit and inspection services would never schedule anything at Noon.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, caught me surprisingly off guard

 

[PeteOz77]

Oh that would have changed everything. I would love a basement, but our soil is rock and chalichee. Next is cement and a foundation.

All of a sudden my simple "shed" becomes a different structure that requires permits, architectural committee approvals, inspections, etc.

No thanks. I'll stick with my simple foundationless "shed".

Yeah, that makes sense. I guess I got a bit carried away...

Not even a root cellar? just treated timber foundation and a dirt floor?


Sorry, it got away from me again

Beauty of this shed is that if you really wanted to, some day you could dig a basement right next to it.. and slide it over....

Sorry.. there I go again...

Just think! the cool room could live downstairs, and you would have room upstairs for a pool table!


Ok, I have it under control now...

 

[Bernie Brewer]

That is a total farcity!!!!!!!!!!

We in permit and inspection services would never schedule anything at Noon.

Ha! Every inspector ever born (and every delivery driver from a supply house) will ALWAYS show up precisely when you are sitting down for lunch, or at morning break, or right when you are about to go home for the day. You can set your watch by it.

 

[EdWort]

You know, I wondered about that as I watched your structure go up so quickly and miraculously. So no permits are required for such a building?

Yep, I could have bought a pre-fabbed shed this size sans the covered porch and it would have been delivered and set in place on blocks. It would have cost over twice as much and there's no way they could have put where I wanted it without me cutting down many trees. It also would not have a layer of OSB and Tyvek under the siding too.

Then again it would be tough to build this in my old neighborhood due to deed restriction. It pays to live out a ways.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Your area must be pretty relaxed when it comes to permits. Around here, the rule of thumb is, if you can see a difference form the outside, you need a permit. I had to get a permit for a 10x12 shed out behind my garage. Oh, and I live out a ways, too. But I also live within sight of the township chairman, and I have Agnes Kravitz reincarnate on the other side........

 

[PeteOz77]

Agnes Kravitz.

WOW! I "Bewitched" reference! Considering that it stopped production over 35 years ago, I consider that to be obscure.. and sadly.. I remember it

 

[EdWort]

Your area must be pretty relaxed when it comes to permits. Around here, the rule of thumb is, if you can see a difference form the outside, you need a permit. I had to get a permit for a 10x12 shed out behind my garage. Oh, and I live out a ways, too. But I also live within sight of the township chairman, and I have Agnes Kravitz reincarnate on the other side........

Interesting. You can't see my house from the street. My driveway is 385 long and winds between Live Oak trees. My one neighbor has 3 sheds in his back yard that I could see when up on a ladder working on the roof. One is even up against my property line in violation of deed restrictions. No biggie as I can't see it.

 

[Yooper]

Where I live you don't need a permit for any "storage" building under 200 square feet. It used to be like 400 sq feet, but that's really pretty big. But, you need a permit for a wooden deck because it changes the "footprint" of the house.

And of course, even if you don't need a permit, you do have to meet codes. The "snow load" of any roof here is 60 psf. I wish I was in Texas!

 

[Loweface]

SWMBO wants to put a flower box under the window, so we are going to build a secret compartment in the middle that swings down revealing a Perlick faucet while creating place to put the glass. I'll run a heavily insulated beer line back to the cold room that can reach any keg there.

Have you considered instead of insulation run a line-in-line tap out to the front? That is to say plumb the smaller beer line inside of a larger hose and circulate cold water through the hose. All the taps in the pub I work in are cooled from the cold room to the tap this way. Bit more complicated but I'd be willing to bet you'd be well capable.

 

[EdWort]

Have you considered instead of insulation run a line-in-line tap out to the front? That is to say plumb the smaller beer line inside of a larger hose and circulate cold water through the hose. All the taps in the pub I work in are cooled from the cold room to the tap this way. Bit more complicated but I'd be willing to bet you'd be well capable.

I like that concept, thanks. What do they use to circulate the water? I only would have to turn it on when using the outside faucet.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Here in the plains.......

Technically, you do need a permit but, if you don't piss-off your neighbors while building we won't come looking. However, anything over 400sf requires a permanent foundation and electrical lighting. Even when set on Dek-bloks a building is considered somewhat permanent. Unless the building is set on skids and can be pulled from it's location it isn't considered temporary.

That said, I have an 8x10 out back for storage and am also planning a 8x12 brewshed too. Most of the big box HI warehouses have nice kits. Everything is precut and all the fasteners are included. That is how I built my 8x10. I had to pay extra for shigles and accessories but that wasn't a big deal.

The one I am looking at also has a porch option. And for the aesthetic of the building it will also have a cupola, through which I will prolly' dump exhaust air via a bathroom fan. As for the interior I plan to do a wainscot of FRP (fiberglass re-inforced panels, the stuff they use in restaurants) around the brew area and wash bins.

 

[Loweface]

I like that concept, thanks. What do they use to circulate the water? I only would have to turn it on when using the outside faucet.

I'm not sure to be honest. I think they have a dedicated system for it as the taps themselves are set about 18" above the bar counter and are cooled right to the tip. I think it would be easy build one...

Say you make a long trough made from a hose with a t-piece on each end
Then thread the beer line through the long lenght
Cold water in nearest the beer fridge
Slightly cooler water out by the tap

The only thing you have to figure out is how to block the two ends while still having the beer line sticking out... And I'm sure if you can't find a fitting some silicone filler would do (remember it's just in contact with cooling water)

I'd still insulate this to prevent condensation but it'll definately provide you with a distant tap of the same quality as the ones beside your cold-room...

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I'm not sure to be honest. I think they have a dedicated system for it as the taps themselves are set about 18" above the bar counter and are cooled right to the tip. I think it would be easy build one...

Say you make a long trough made from a hose with a t-piece on each end
Then thread the beer line through the long lenght
Cold water in nearest the beer fridge
Slightly cooler water out by the tap

The only thing you have to figure out is how to block the two ends while still having the beer line sticking out... And I'm sure if you can't find a fitting some silicone filler would do (remember it's just in contact with cooling water)

I'd still insulate this to prevent condensation but it'll definately provide you with a distant tap of the same quality as the ones beside your cold-room...

I am picturing a modified counter-flow chiller type concept here. A bucket for the chill water and a sumbersible pond type pump. Tie a single pole switch into the area with the faucets to control the pump. Re-circulate a brine solution to mitigate mold and algea.

 

[PeteOz77]

I am picturing a modified counter-flow chiller type concept here. A bucket for the chill water and a sumbersible pond type pump. Tie a single pole switch into the area with the faucets to control the pump. Re-circulate a brine solution to mitigate mold and algea.

I was thinking the same thing, but was thinking anti freeze rather than salt water, as the salt would eventually corrode the copper, wouldn't it? As a bonus, you could use the same system to chill your wort! Just add ice to the liquid storage tank.

 

[EdWort]

So you would run a copper beer line out eh? The whole CFC concept, except it's beer & anti-freeze (glycol chilling jacket).

 

[PeteOz77]

This probably isn't the ideal place to mention this, but if it worked out, it would save Ed from having to build a cold room.

Back in the old days in Minnesota, they used to have Milk dispensers, just like Soda Machines. Tey had a coin operated system that would drop down cartons of milk to a little door and you opened it and got your milk. The small town I lived in, had one of these sitting on Main Street, so you could get milk 24/7 (Just like WalMart!)

My father picked up two of these for $150 each when they were decommissioned, and converted one into a massive smoke house, while the other lives in his shed and acts as a massive cool room. I am not sure of the exact size, but I am pretty sure they are nearly 6'X6'X6' and are designed to live outdoors in Minnesota, so they are impervious to the weather.

I can't find a picture of one of these babies, but I'll get Dad to snap a few pics of his.

Not sure if they ever used these in Texas, or if any would still be around, but if you could find one Ed, it could live behind the brewshed, and the doors could open into the shed through a hole in the back wall.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I was thinking of a standard beer line with stainless steel fittings for beer contact rather than copper. Don't you think the acidity of the beer sitting in the line might break down the copper? I thought salt water because it'd be cheaper than maintaining a bucket full of food grade glycol.

 

[EdWort]

I was thinking of a standard beer line with stainless steel fittings for beer contact rather than copper. Don't you think the acidity of the beer sitting in the line might break down the copper? I thought salt water because it'd be cheaper than maintaining a bucket full of food grade glycol.

Copper & salt water should be fine if I flush both after each use right? It's not like I'll be using it every day or weekend (but you never know )

 

[Beerrific]

Copper & salt water should be fine if I flush both after each use right? It's not like I'll be using it every day or weekend (but you never know )

I don't think salt water will corrode copper. The outer layer will oxidize and prevent further corrosion. Something to look into, but I am 90% sure of this.