Can I make a brewery work in this space?

[alha]

Hi all, not sure if this is the correct place for this question, if not, Mods, plz move it to the appropriate place. I am in the process of building a shed in the back yard, and for reasons I won't go into, it is going to have a basement. The shed is 12x16, but as I am using ICF blocks, the inside dimensions will be about 10 1/2' x 14 1/2', with 8'+ ceiling. It will have Wirsbo heating in it, on all levels, and will be insulated. It will have water and electricity, and a drain line as well, but that won't be a permanent install. I have a pump that will be going to a cleanout in my yard between my workshop and my house, as my shop has sewer and water ran to it. The line will be temporary, I can remove it when I don't need to drain water from there. It isn't practical to install it permanently.

My main question is, will I be able to set up an efficient brewing space in such a small area? I special ordered a 48"x80" outward swinging insulated door, so I should be able to bring just about anything into there. I have a commercial SS single bowl sink that is about 30x30", and a few other items like glass fermenters, but haven't really yet acquired everything I will need for brewing. I plan on putting a vent hood in, as I have a piece of 6"x6" heavy duty (8 or 10 gauge) galvanized ducting left over from the installation of the bathroom vent in the roof of my house, that I plan on putting thru the ICF wall before I pour the concrete.

I just laid out 2 courses of ICFs in the yard to see how many joints the walls will have, and was pleasantly surprised to see that I will probably only need one. I stood inside the area, and it wasn't very big, to be honest. But then, does it really need to be? I will have 14' of uninterrupted wall space on the side opposite the door, and 10' on at least one side, possibly both.

Has anyone set up in an area of this size, and how well has it worked out for them? Any thoughts and/or suggestions are appreciated, as I haven't finished digging the hole, so have a little time to make small changes, though the outside dims have to be as stated, because I have already built the deck for the main level, and just have to move it onto the foundation once it's poured. Drawings are always a bonus, they help visualize things much better than words, but any and all help is welcome.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Definitely. I'm brewing in a tiny apartment kitchen, like 5x5.
All the space you really need is enough room to get electricity, water lines, fit your pot, yourself, and a bucket. I'd say you could probably do it in as small as 3x3 if that's the only things in it.

Are you also doing fermentation in this area? If so you'll want to section that off and figure out how many thing you'll be fermenting at once. Will it be temp controlled? Do you have a seperate room and cooler set up for that? Shelving for your equipement going in here? Get a bunch of bakers shelving, a peg board, and some hook and you'll be nice and organized.

I'd say it's all doable.

If you're building the room still, get a drain on the floor in the brewing area, 220V lines for electric brewing and 20Amp GFCI outlets (or natural gas if you want to use a burner, in which case you'll need an adapter and maybe a new regulator for your burner). Are you doing BIAB, a pulley attached to the ceiling above the mashtun/brew kettle comes in handy. As would a tippable work station to allow draining a bit easier.

 

[alha]

Good to hear it should work out, thanks. Couple answers to your comments, yes, I plan on doing everything in there, including fermenting. The goal is to bring raw materials in, and kegs of beer out. The space itself will be temp controlled, and being it is in an insulated basement space, it will be pretty stable, especially since the heating is in the floor. I will have to figure out the fermenting part though. As to the drain in the floor, unfortunately, I won't be able to, but I will have a drain in the sink, which will run to a temp storage location (so the pump I bought just for this purpose doesn't have to keep turning off and on constantly) which I plan to locate under something so it doesn't waste space. Not sure on the capacity yet, prob 30-50 gal? Thoughts? It will have 120a of 240v service, but sadly no NG. Something I could possibly add, down the road, but have to see how things shake out.

As this is a storage shed built to store my 800lb 72" mower, as well as other not terribly light things, I plan on having an 8x8" beam running the 16' length from front to rear down the center to provide more support for the floor, so I will easily be able to hook up a pulley/gantry setup. I also purchased a March TE-5.5-MD-AC pump to integrate into my system, so it will make it easier to transfer liquid around. But first of course I have to build the place... I'll start to look on ebay for some commercial shelving, and craigslist too, I know I've seen it in the past but haven't thought much about it. Till now. When it comes to shelving sizes, is there a preferred size, like 18" deep or 24? Or does it depend on equipment? Thanks for the thoughts, ping me with any other ?'s I haven't answered or concepts I may need to clarify (if I can).

 

[bcrawfo2]

I'm away from home right now. I will measure my brewery wing. I store, ferment, clean, and e-herms brew in mine

 

[Rhumbline]

It should be more than enough space. You didn't say if you already have the equipment or I missed that part, but use vertical space wherever you can. If you plan on lagering use an upright fridge for a small footprint.

My whole BIAB setup fits in a space 24"x40" not including room for me and fermentation. As for depth of shelving, I'd go with 24".

I'd strongly urge you to go all electric. propane being heavier than air. Good ventilation and easy to clean surfaces will make the experience more enjoyable.

edited to add: I'd also be concerned about other vapors/fumes in the area if you are going to be storing gasoline powered equipment in there. pretty sure carbon monoxide and gasoline fumes are also heavier than air. Be Safe

 

[aamcle]

These might be of interest :-

http://theapartmentbrewer.com
And
https://byo.com/videos/item/1225-overcome-your-closet-anxieties-small-space-brewing


Also consider a Grain father or BM

Atb. Aamcle

 

[alha]

Thanks for the replies, so far the consensus appears to be that I am going to be A-ok with the space. Good to keep in mind about the gas fumes, though I think it is going to be pretty well sealed between floors, spray foaming them all. I'll have the diesel mower, and then the leaf blower and trimmer on mix gas, but I guess they do vent a little even when stored. Might have to have some sort of small air exchanger in there with the equipment, maybe small PC type of fan in a pipe or something. I'll have to think that one out a little.

I was planning on doing an electric setup, and plan on having a tankless water heater in there as well. I am still in the collecting stages of the items I'll need for my brewing setup, there are quite a few choices, and price points... I'll look for the 24" shelves, that makes sense, more room for stuff. I will have to do some searching around here to check out other peoples setups, especially if they have posted pics. I just checked out the link of the person who did apt brewing, so yes, compared to that, my place is downright palatial... Now to head outside and pump out the hole, there was just mini-monsoon here a few mins ago, and is starting to look like a shallow pool. Not good, I need it dry so I can pour concrete at the end of the week, if everything goes as planned. Which is hasn't so far in this build, but maybe it will start now, at least here's hoping.

 

[GRBC]

Yes, that is plenty of space.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=469037

 

[alha]

Thanks for the link, very nice buildout! Gives me a few ideas...

 

[jackyl]

Sorry if I missed this, by you are putting a sump pump in, right? That can help with your drainage too.

 

[alha]

I hadn't planned on it, though it is on a hill, the soil is somewhat sandy I've found now that the hole is complete which should help with drainage. Not sure how happy the neighbors downhill may be if I was pumping sparge and other water out thru a sump pump and it runs down towards them. It would also be interesting if it was done in the winter, as it would turn into a icicle waterfall advancing down the hill towards them, they might not be too happy once spring rolls around... lol

The pump I have is a Grundfos 96083199, CR3-2 A-FGJ-A-E-HQQE 1x115/230, 1/3HP Multistage Centrifugal Pump, with a check valve behind it to keep stuff from flushing back into the storage tank. The thing is overkill, but I picked it up for less than $250, and it should last me pretty much forever. I've been searching on CL and ebay for a square, 75-100 gal SS storage tank to use with the pump. Not finding much ATM, but hopefully something will pop up that I can use. Worst case I can have one made, but would be way more expensive. Just have to keep my eyes open.

 

[madscientist451]

Sounds ok space wise. Also agree you should put sump for a sump pump now you are at building stage. You can put a wood cover on the sump pump "sump" if it turns out you don't need it. Adding it later could be costly.
My brewing efforts require lots of rinsing and cleaning of all kinds. You need to have a good sink and drain in there and a place for all the water to go.
My 2 cents is: Dig a "dry well" down hill from the shed and plumb the drain in to it.
A dry well could be a plastic 55 gal drum(s) with holes in it surrounded by gravel so the water drains out into the soil. Put it deep enough so it doesn't freeze.

 

[alha]

I might just put in a exterior sump pump, maybe at the base of the stairs by the door. Insulate it, and it will kill 2 birds with one stone, because the grade isn't steep enough, the proximity to the property line, and depth of the footings won't allow me to run a drain from there to open air, and I hadn't yet decided how to effectively deal with the rain runoff and spring snow melt that would come, even if I sheltered it somewhat.

This would work out well, but like I said I need to design it so it wouldn't freeze, yet still be accessible. I would really rather keep it outside than inside, and certainly wouldn't want to run that drain into the building, that's just asking for trouble if something goes wrong. I'll have to give that one a little thought today when finalizing the hole depth and digging the trenches for the footings. Not like I didn't do enough hand digging yesterday... lol