Help me build a GOOD brewing station setup !

[illnastyimpreza]

ok I've made a couple batches of beer now, and I'm tired of using the kitchen and getting yelled at. I would like to build a nice little corner brewing station where I can do all my dirtywork

I've got a little 5' x 2' area in my basement that would be perfect for building a "brewery" out of wood and whatnot.

I was thinking I could find and old stainless steel sink and run a drain hose into my sump pump are in my basement. Whata u think ?

I want to start out SIMPLE. I am still only doing extract brewing. So I would like to incorporate the following equipment:

Sink
stove or burner adequate enough for when I finaly DO switch over all grain.
primary fermentor bucket
secondary fermentor (glass carboy)
Keg refrigerator with all the keging and tap equipment
place for supplies and tools

What do you guys think ?
am I leaving anything out ?
What would the best way to go about starting this be?
I'm going to need to find a burner system...what would the best way to go with this be ? electric or propane turkey fryer ?

Lets see some pics of everyone elses mini "brewery's" !

 

[Reverend JC]

while you are heading in the right direction my good man i would not be so quick to think that your stuff will fit into a 5x2 area.

I have a whole basement (and i dont even brew in it) and a garage to work with, both have tons of brewery stuff in them.

Good luck my space saving friend

 

[jfrizzell]

If you go with a turkey fryer, just make sure you have very good ventilation since you're talking about brewing in the basement.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Wood, Basement, Open flame, I get the feeling you aren't thinking this through.

5x2? Man, I couldn't even store my fermenters in that little a space.

Can you brew outdoors?

 

[IrregularPulse]

If your stuck to the basement and don't wanna go outdoors you could go the way of the electric keggle. Got the ability to run a 220 line down there? There are some posts on here about some guy that do it this way. I am thinking going Electric in the future as well since it is my educational background. Plus running out of propane on brewday blows.
I have to agree with the rest though, 5x2 is not big enough even for your barboys and bottles. Heck, you're kegerator would probably be bigger then that!

 

[illnastyimpreza]

I do not want to use my garage or outdoors, due to having anoying familiy members that would bother me.

I have a HUGE basement to work in though... I would think a 5x2 area that is 7 feet tall would be more than enough room though...

Lets see some of you guys settups !

 

[beerthirty]

its going to get mighty hot down there. I hope you live in the cool climes. also AG boils put a lot of moisture in the air(think 10 % of total volume), even if you went electric. that much moisture might be hard to vent since it would probably condensate on the inside of you vent duct and start raining on your set-up. I wanted to brew in one of my empty rooms until this was brought up to me. good luck if you go for it.

 

[illnastyimpreza]

so are you guys saying I would have much better luck in the garage ??

I just don't have any running water or anything out there. (besides an outside garden hose)

what do you guys use for water? filtered tap water ??

 

[jfrizzell]

Yep, go with the garage. If you have a garden hose tap, you're set. Just get a potable water RV hose. If your water tastes fine, it's fine to brew with. Some do filter and you can easily do too, just connect the filter inline with the hose.

 

[jds]

I and lots of other HBT'ers brew outdoors, year-round. It doesn't require a complicated set-up, just a propane burner and a folding table. Here's a photo of my rig as of January. I've since replaced the enamel kettle with a converted Sanke keg, but almost everything else is as it was then. The mash tun isn't pictured.

 

[jameswardpeterson]

I think SWMBO would rather have you brew in the kitchen than create a gigantic fire hazard in your basement. go with the turkey fryer and table outside. all the space you could ever want is right in your driveway.

 

[Choguy03]

I think SWMBO would rather have you brew in the kitchen than create a gigantic fire hazard in your basement. go with the turkey fryer and table outside. all the space you could ever want is right in your driveway.

Seconded. You can use that basement area to store bottles and fermenters, but having a setup down there would not work. As long as you have a hose, you can have your IC ready and waiting. Other then that you will need a turkey fryer and a nice big SS/aluminum pot.

Happy hunting!

 

[illnastyimpreza]

I and lots of other HBT'ers brew outdoors, year-round. It doesn't require a complicated set-up, just a propane burner and a folding table. Here's a photo of my rig as of January. I've since replaced the enamel kettle with a converted Sanke keg, but almost everything else is as it was then. The mash tun isn't pictured.

gotta love the SUBY in the garage

anyway, I guess I could make some room in my garage for a nice little settup. I just wanted to have a little "station" where everything was always settup and ready to go. But if basement brewing is a bad idea, than the garage it is !

With the price of gass (propane) rising...I wonder if an electric burner would be the way to go anyway ??....but I've only got 110 in the garage...would that work??

I have just been using kitchen supplies, but I would like to purchase all my own brewing specific stuff now.

can you guys point me in the direction of some good budget/bargain equipment I should check out ?

how big of a boiling pot should I go with ? I've got standard size fermentor buckets(what 6 gallon?) and a glass carboy.

in order to move out to the garage I'm going to need everything I had previously taken for granted that I had in the kitchen.... what else will I need ?

 

[slnies]

gotta love the SUBY in the garage

anyway, I guess I could make some room in my garage for a nice little settup. I just wanted to have a little "station" where everything was always settup and ready to go. But if basement brewing is a bad idea, than the garage it is !

With the price of gass (propane) rising...I wonder if an electric burner would be the way to go anyway ??....but I've only got 110 in the garage...would that work??

I have just been using kitchen supplies, but I would like to purchase all my own brewing specific stuff now.

can you guys point me in the direction of some good budget/bargain equipment I should check out ?

how big of a boiling pot should I go with ? I've got standard size fermentor buckets(what 6 gallon?) and a glass carboy.

in order to move out to the garage I'm going to need everything I had previously taken for granted that I had in the kitchen.... what else will I need ?

If your set up was electric, and you thought you had enough room in the basement? Then maybe. But with an open flame... Brewing in the basement in dangerous. I think my brew space is small and I have a 8'x 16' long room under the porch that has a trap door to outside just in case I need to use the propane. And yes I do use electric. Anyway you get the idea. Good luck!
I think you should build your station though. You will love having a place for everything.:rockin:

 

[slnies]

Equipment that you want will depend on your needs and your pocket book. If you do not want to spend a lot of money, then a 10 gallon Al pot works great and is cheap, but I would not go smaller. They can be had for as little as 40 bucks. If that doesn't trip your trigger though, go stainless, but be prepared to pay. Even kegs are not cheap after you put time into it, to weld in fittings and cut the top out. You get the picture. The next thing on my recommended list is a immersion chiller. This is assuming of course that you already have a burner. That is it. I could keep on going all night long depending on what king of brewing you plan on, but in general that is what you need. For pure joy though, i recommend getting a keg set up, so you don't have to bottle. Bottling is great stuff, but a lot of labor, and well, the kegs are so much easier. I almost creamed myself when I got my first keg and used it. I am sure that was TMI, I just couldn't help myself. S.

 

[Grimsawyer]

Don't let anyone talk you out of brewing in the basement... Just get a bigger exaust fan and a vent letting in air below your brewpot! (I would suggest against it without good airflow however) You would still have problems with condensation dripping back into the brew kettle unless you got a little creative. And if you can definately go electric. You will never have to make a trip to the gas station to fill a tank. For starters you could get a cheap-o little hot plate and work up from there. surround your 5x2' space with some paint that you can wipe the evaporated/recondensed wort off of. And whatever you build... THINK CUP HOLDERS!!!!!!!!!!!! Ya gotta have a place to set yer beer! Happy brewing!

 

[billtzk]

Brewing is often messy. Wort is sweet and sticky. Ants love it. I'm not tidy enough in my brewing to want that in my basement (assuming I had one), so I brew outdoors. Also, without good ventilation the smell may be overwhelming (boiling hops can be quite intense). You'll have spills and overflows from time to time. You're dealing with anywhere from 3 to 7 gallons of liquid for a five gallon brewery, probably more like 3 or 4 if you stick with extracts, When/if you decide to expand your operations to 10 gallons or all-grain, you'll lack the room for it in a 5x2 space.

I'd recommend brewing outdoors. The space in your basement might be fine for fermenting if it is cool and dark.

 

[jds]

gotta love the SUBY in the garage

Well, it IS the official Colorado state mascot. Can't throw a rock in the Denver 'burbs without it bouncing off a scooby or two. Mine's a 1'st gen bugeye WRX wagon. SWMBO's is an '03 Forester.

With the price of gass (propane) rising...I wonder if an electric burner would be the way to go anyway ??....but I've only got 110 in the garage...would that work??

I'm skeptical. Most people I've heard of are either pulling power from two different branch circuits to get the power they need, or have 220 into the garage. I get several batches out of a propane tank, so I figure my fuel cost is $5 a batch or under.

I have just been using kitchen supplies, but I would like to purchase all my own brewing specific stuff now.

can you guys point me in the direction of some good budget/bargain equipment I should check out ?

how big of a boiling pot should I go with ? I've got standard size fermentor buckets(what 6 gallon?) and a glass carboy.

in order to move out to the garage I'm going to need everything I had previously taken for granted that I had in the kitchen.... what else will I need ?

Craigslist is your friend. You can usually find some good deals on brewing gear if you're patient. I scored my burner and a bunch of AG gear for $30.

 

[BrewBeemer]

My first AG will be an all electric 240 volt system limited to 13,440 watts the legal maximum leagal load limit of 80% of the spare 70 amp breaker I have, NEC code.
I want to Be able to run both 6KW elements at once for short and fast heating times in the HLT or Boil Pot then end switching to one element to maintain the temps. Heck may have a lower wattage maintaining temp element than the 6KW? Using 12KW as an example this will still leave 1,440 watts or 12 amps at 120 volts left for pumps, PID controls and panel lights while at the 12KW heating load, still within the breakers 80% maximum allowed.

 

[slnies]

My first AG will be an all electric 240 volt system limited to 13,440 watts the legal maximum load by 80% of the spare 70 amp breakers rating, NEC code.

I like your style. I am in the process of building my electric boil kettle and HLT. Mine will operate on a 30 amp 240 volt circuit. I may go bigger after I design the control set up, but for now I will be looking at 30 amps. Good luck on your build BrewBeemer. S.

 

[Nwcw2001]

hey nastyimpreza,
I have to ask if your basement is finished or not (ie carpet, drywall, etc) and if it has windows.

If you do have windows and it is unfinished, then brewing down there is no real problem.

Just check out this guy, he brews in his basement.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I'm thinkin thats a video of Chris (didnt click on link) in which case we're looking at much bigger space than 5x2!

 

[SporkD2]

I have thought about getting some big fans outside of my 2 west side basement windows and measuring the propane flow. I dont have a garage but I do have a carport, so brewing in the winter sucks

 

[BrewBeemer]

Nothing wrong with brewing in the basement as long as you have a large enough vent and hood system the full length above the brewery that can handle the water vapors and fumes and rated for these conditions. The hood system should evacuate more CFM's than the fresh air supply CFM's entering the basement.
BYALL MEANS HAVE ONE OR MORE CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS IN THE BASEMENT BREWING AREA! You can only die once.
If gas fired I would make sure the near walls have those concrete shower wall panels protecting the wall studs and ceiling cooking area. Might want to check with your homeowners insurance policy to see if you will have coverage while brewing in the basement vs outdoors should something happen. JMO's

 

[BrewBeemer]

I like your style. I am in the process of building my electric boil kettle and HLT. Mine will operate on a 30 amp 240 volt circuit. I may go bigger after I design the control set up, but for now I will be looking at 30 amps. Good luck on your build BrewBeemer. S.

I have from off the job site a couple lengths of #12,10,8,6,4 and 2 gauge 3 and 4 conductor SOO cord. With many 3,900' tunnel runs is was cut up and scraped out as this was a state CalTrans job. Night crew removal time factor. I collected a couple single lengths between 150' of the smaller gauge to 275' of #2/4 conductor free. Heck the #2 feeds the Tig machine as it can eat 131 amps primary at max output of 385 amps. It used to die under higher amp demands like with aluminum bar being fed with 140' of #8. The Mig only draws 42 amps at 250 amp maximum output, got a 50 amp twistloc behind a small 10"x10" door in the side of the house at the driveway.
You want to see real electrical heating power cross phase from two different power sources with 12K.

slnies and others, this might be of some intrest if you want a partical or full electric brewing system for how much time required to elevate your temps.

http://www.brewheads.com/powerrequired.php
Check out their other "Quick Calculators" and browse that forum.

Don't forget to add on pumps, controllers and control function lights to the total electrical demand on the breaker.

Email sent to ya slnies. Carl.

 

[illnastyimpreza]

hey nastyimpreza,
I have to ask if your basement is finished or not (ie carpet, drywall, etc) and if it has windows.

If you do have windows and it is unfinished, then brewing down there is no real problem.

Just check out this guy, he brews in his basement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIGrsGPVA_Y

Guy seems to know his stuff.

I honestly don't have the time for All grain brewing at this point in my life. And I have been quite happy with the results of extract brew in the past. This is why I probably won't need QUITE as much room

I will probably end up building my station near the Basement Bulkhead entrance...that way I can just open her up whenever I'm boiling and such

I just need to finish up some other projects I got goin on now (it never ends ) so I can start this damn thing... I definatly want to pick up a kegging system and build a kegerator before I do any more brewing though... Bottling beer is SUCH a PITA !

 

[slnies]

Kegging did you say? Ya! You will be needing more room soon. Not for the kegs, but because kegs are like the "cousin" They are a gateway to more drugs, I mean all grain. LOL!!!