Building New Rig... no idea where to start.

[homebrew_handyman]

We will be moving here soon and are looking into properties with out buildings like sheds and garages. I will convert one of these into a 15 gallon brewery. I would like an inline automated electric system with two temp contorlled conical fermenters.

I have looked at stout tanks, ss brewing tech, blichman, and many others... I have no idea where to start. I would like some diy to the process but I am no engineer. What are your suggestions and what has your research found?

I would love a nice fancy system to be proud of but I also can not spend the kids college fund on it.

Any advice and pictures is much appreciated. Thank you

 

[madscientist451]

The first place to start is the budget for the project. Since you want a 15 gallon outbuilding brewery your project cost will also include installing plumbing, electrical, probably insulation, heating/cooling and many other things.
Since you don't have the property yet, you can't come up with a budget.
I definitely wouldn't buy any equipment until you know where its going to go.
Using temperature controlled conicals means you'll need a glycol chilling system, which adds more to the cost.
I'm kind of wondering what you are going to do with 15 gallon batches of beer anyway.
Do you really need that much beer?
With all that production you'll need lots of kegs and a big kegerator or two.
Cleaning a big system with all the pumps and hoses is somewhat time consuming, I'm guessing you know what you want and have your reasons.
I'd say you'll need to set aside $10,000, maybe more, depends on how much you need to change any existing building. If an outbuilding doesn't have a water line or a drain to the sewer, you can get into big bucks bucks hooking that up.
You mentioned an inline automated system, but I don't really know what that means.
A 3 vessel system?
I was considering putting in a Nano brewery and was interested in the "brew in a basket"
systems from Colorado Brewing Systems. They claim a brew session can be done in about 3 hours. Their 1/2 bbl system uses a 25 gallon pot and starts at $3000, their system using a 20 gallon pot is $2000 but it maxes out at 12 gallons.

http://cobrewingsystems.com/complete-pro-level-nano-brewer-down-under-single-vessel-brewing-system/

 

[LarMoeCur]

!. Make a plan. Write down exactly what you want. Start with the Brewery then build the room around the brewery. You can have two plans the room build and the brewing equipment build.
2. Next make a budget. Do your research find out what it will cost exactly to build as planned.
3. Will the budget cover the plan plus 10%? If yes go to #4. If no go back to #1 and change the plan. What can you do without? Where can you save some funds? More DIY or just a smaller plan with less bells and whistles.
4. Prioritize your build. What needs to get built first? Walls, electrical, plumbing, celling, floors, then brewery.

Planning was my biggest step. I drew out my brewery on google sketch top to bottom. I knew every part a piece before I bought it. So spend sometime laying out your room and mock up your brewery on paper. Know exactly what you are getting into. I.e. plumbing runs and 240v electrical runs are not cheap. One OH I forgot about a drain in the floor mistake could derail your entire build or budget. The 5 P' of building a brewery! Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance!

Building an electric brewery looks overwhelming. But there are plenty of DIY web sights that walk you though the process. They literally show you where every wire goes. They contain full parts list and even where to by the parts. You will have to run some power tools but cutting a 4" square in a box is pretty easy with a drill and hack saw just not the ideal way. You may have to buy some specialty tools like punches for holes. If you shop around these can be found pretty cheaply.

Keep posting here there are plenty of Home Brewers ready to help.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I’m running blichmann on the hot side and ss on the cold side. Stout wasn’t offering the stuff they have now. So those were my options back when I started my system. I brew 15 to 20 gallon yields. I use a 30 gallon mash tun and boil kettle because I want to brew high gravity stouts for barrels. At 15 gallons of 1.130 stout I need 75lbs of grain. I use a larger mash tun than blichmann recommends on their pilot system.

In my experience you will find different features on individual pieces of equipment that you may or may not prefer but all of the big guys products are sufficient to get the job done. It’s about your budget and desire.

I’m building out a space now and would be happy to help if needed.

Here are a few ideas to consider.

Do you have enough power? You’ll need 50 amps for the brewery.
Plus you may need some dedicate 15 or 20 amp lines for a kegerator or a few fridges or a glycol chiller.

Ventilation is important. More so in a basement. Hoods aren’t cheap plus you may want a supply line for make up air.

As said already a floor drain is critical. So is a sink.
Don’t forget the bar area or a future bath room. If you have to break concrete to add a drain it’ll be cheaper and easier to plan for a few more drains while you have a crew or the rentals

Fermentation space/control is important. 1/2 bbl gear takes up space. I have two conicals. Ones in a fridge with a Johnson 2 stage controller.
One is on a heated and cooled glycol chiller. Both methods work great. It’s obviously cheaper to use an old fridge.

Buy used gear. Start hawking craigslist and the forum on hbt. Facebook has a few groups as well.

I’ve built my set up over a few years, you can plan for growth as it fits your budget. Your ideas may also change over the years. Mine did.

 

[homebrew_handyman]

Folks these are great tips! I can spend a little time planning with the tools suggested and save a lot of hard ache later