Budget Basement Brewery Build

[daveMN]

First brew day (Stone Pale Ale) with the new system complete! :rockin:
Normally I just change one or two variables at a time, but I really shook things up with this new brewery:
1. Brewing in the basement (vs. kitchen)
2. Used Fast Pitch starter (vs. DME) Easy to use, I may be hooked.
3. Double-grind grains (vs. single pass) for BIAB
4. BIAB (vs. 3-vessel system)- That was really easy
5. Electric heating (vs. gas stove in kitchen)
6. Plate chiller (vs. IC)
7. Using a fermentation chamber w/ temp controller (vs. none previous)
8. Subbed 2 lbs Vienna for some of the 2-row because, given all the changes above, why not?
Somehow, I hit the OG (1.051) and put 6 gals in the FV. Much thanks to Priceless's BIAB calculator! I barely got everything through the plate chiller- note that I don't yet have a pump (but will be next! ). It was down to a trickle at the end, and there may have been some mouth-siphoning involved to get it started.
I'll post some pics off my phone later.

 

[daveMN]

Got a nice boil with the 4500 w element. View attachment 1459653582178.jpg
Ended up way low on the temp in the FV. Post-plate chiller, ended up at about 58 degrees F. This is my first time pitching well below my target temp. Using Wy1058. No thermowell yet. View attachment 1459654160280.jpg

 

[daveMN]

I finally had a chance to sit down and add up how much it cost to get started brewing e-BIAB in the basement. Here's the breakdown (round numbers):
Electrical/ panel: $250
Kettle/ BIAB-related: $100
Ventilation: $50
Other Misc (plate chiller, 20 lb CO2 tank, etc): $200
Excluding the "other misc", it puts me at about $400, and I may upgrade the ventilation, and add a pump/ valves at some point. I saved a little with some parts I had on hand but spent a little more on some unneeded parts related to the panel. In all, I'm very happy with this system, and the first batch I made is tasty.

 

[daveMN]

As I have some time on tonight's brew #13 on the "new" basement brewery, I thought I'd reflect back on the changes over the last year.
- free march pump from my brother. Now I'm recirculating during the mash with a BrewHardware false bottom.
- 20-gal kettle as a HLT. I'm preboiling my strike water to reduce my alkalinity
- 440 CFM exhaust fan Christmas present from my brother-in-law. That guy gets me.
- Lots of kegging upgrades, including a 50 lb cylinder. Kind of feel like I'm playing with fire if I have a leak in the system, but I got it for $20 so that helps.
- Grain mill and bulk base malt
- Auber's DSPR300 controller. This thing is one of the best upgrades I made in the last year.
- Plenty others I'm missing
To finance some of the brewery upgrades and ingredients I've been engaging in "homebrew arbitrage", buying equipment on CraigsList for cheap and reselling it for a small profit to finance other gear. Patience is the name of that game.
Overall, this has been working great. The bigger fan is keeping the delicious brewing smell out of the rest of the house, which the family appreciates. Now that I'm recirculating, I don't have to wrap the kettle with blankets when I mash and I can step mash really easily. But did I mention this is brew #13 on this system? I've been tweaking my grain absorption and instead of typing 0.018 gal/ lb, I used 0.18 gal/lb. Suffice it to say, I have a lot of boiling off to do.
So what's next? Plumbing. Looking into a RO system with a RO and water tap at the kettle and a stainless sink. Right now, I'm borrowing the laundry tub and that's a real pain. I'm also toying with the idea of a 3-vessel system but using a direct-fire mash tun with recirculation instead of a HERMS/ RIMS. We'll see what the year brings! Cheers and see you at HBC next week!