Help me design my Brewery

[sempf]

Sempf, I guess a tidbit for your setting up would be to get it quickly in a state of usefulness (able to brew), and then take your time fitting it out the way you want. Otherwise you'll either not be making beer, or spending at least twice what you should have.

Ywah, I think that is what I am going to do. Actually, I can brew now - I can cook in the kitchen, and move it downstairs to do everything else.

Draw pictures, google everything, Take it down to step-by-step instructions so you not only get a good spoon/paddle, but a cup or bucket to store it in water between uses.

Ooh, that's a good idea.

S

 

[Want2Brew]

sempf, despite what heat source you chose I would recommend covering those exposed joists over head with a (code compliant) fire rated material (usually 5/8" drywall) but check your local codes. I would also cover that with a moisture retardant barrier, oil based paint would work but FRP board would ad a nice touch and be easy to clean plus no worries about mold growth. As stated earlier some type of ventilation is important even with an electric heat source, you don't want to put all that moisture into your home. As others have said a sink, counter top or table space and cabinets will make life a lot simpler to. Good luck with your project, can't wait to see some pics of your progress

 

[brewmonk]

Want, I agree. I think the water/moisture-proofing is as much a safety feature as the Fireproofing is.
If you get black mold taking over your house, and it isn't safe to LIVE there any more, y'aint broon'!

 

[sempf]

If you get black mold taking over your house, and it isn't safe to LIVE there any more, y'aint broon'!

THAT is a very good point.

S

 

[brewmonk]

wateerproof the walls with super thouroughseal, metal studs, pressure treated sill plate, cement board and tile, tile, tile. epoxy paint the floor if you want/can.

I'd rather have a dumpy system in a clean room to call a brewery, than a stainless steel marvel in an old barn.

you can find years n years of reading info - look up refinishing your basement. (which, in a specialized way, is what we're doing)

 

[Want2Brew]

wateerproof the walls with super thouroughseal, metal studs, pressure treated sill plate, cement board and tile, tile, tile. epoxy paint the floor if you want/can.

I'd rather have a dumpy system in a clean room to call a brewery, than a stainless steel marvel in an old barn.

you can find years n years of reading info - look up refinishing your basement. (which, in a specialized way, is what we're doing)

Hey monk, couldn't he just apply tile rite over the the poured concrete wall that are already there?

 

[brewmonk]

Yes, He can. And that will give bugs like temites absolutely NO room to hide!

However, unless his walls are EXTREMELY flat, plumb, and smooth, it won't look too purdy (even if they DO stick). Also no chance of insulating (to keep down condensation). That does mean that you better seal that grout REALLY well (like 4 times, and once a year) - you don't want mold growing there, fed by 60degree walls, and 72 degree air.

And yes, I like to be paranoid about things first, so I can sleep better later.

 

[Brewmoor]

Is moisture really a huge concern? I am not sure if he was asking us how he should remodel his home. I think he is asking us what equipment would work best with the space he has.

I would suggest a cheaper route then doing all the home renovation to the space. Go to a local HVAC company and buy a large piece of ducting. Something they would use on a commercial building for air handlers. You could then fairly easily make it into a hood that would go over the brewing equipment. Then pipe from the hood to a window and vent outside. As long as you have some sort of blower/fan it should keep the moisture out of the space.

Yes tin will rust a bit but it is cheap if you ever have to replace it. I would think this would be cheaper then some of the other suggestions. Though very good suggestions. Just more involved and more expensive.

As for using NG. Again vent well and be careful. I am partial to electric, but if you want NG, It can be done safely.

 

[kladue]

If you cut a vent opening in the keg skirt and connected it to a B vent stack you could get the combustion products under control, a vent hood over the kegs for vapor control with an additional floor level intake for CO and LP gas, fresh air intake with barometric damperfor makeup air, fire rated walls in brewing area, CO-combustible gas monitor, GFI protected electrical services, should cover the bases.

 

[brewmonk]

(Everyones concerns are different.) I know it's more involved and more expensive, but it was my pair of pennies on him wanting to "do it right the first time".


Sempf has what looks like 3 to 5 times the space I do (mines about 26-30 sq ft.) I just didn't want him to do a lot of great work, get the place set up, and then find that he really, really wished he had done "step 2".

I just know that once mold is behind your walls, it doesn't leave. He has the info "from scratch" that I learned from my last old place (and from watching too much This Old House) and that I am employing in this one. Plus I like stuff to look professional-ish.

As for equipment space, I'm jealous. I had to build one of the inside walls with a huge hole in it, to hide the backend of a dishwasher, so I could have space to *also* stand in the room. Sempf, your space is huge! And appliance Tetris is a pain in the A$$.

If you want quick and dirty: some plastic sheeting, tacked up with 1x3 firring strips is not only a good barrier, but cheap and quick to replace.

 

[sempf]

I do appreciate the remodeling concerns - to be straight, I hadn't even considered that. As I consult with my wife and father though, they really like the idea, and we are planning on making it a lot more kitchen-like. This is a big, expensive house, and I don't want to rot it away.

True, though, I am interested in processes that I can do in this space, recommended equipment to make the process possible, stuff like that. All in all, everyone has been super helpful.

What if I keep cooking upstairs? What should I do DOWNSTAIRS to manage everything except for cooking?

How do y'all do storage? Do you keep hops and grain or malt on hand? How do you store it?

I am REALLY tired of bottles. Should I go to my LHBS and get a carb rig, or piece one together from stuff on HBT?

These are the kinds of things on my mind after reading all of this.

S

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I remembered seeing this somewhere. I had to look it up for you.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/my-new-brewery-alehouse-shed-brewing-porn-99310/#post1082798

 

[brewmonk]

If your cookin it upstairs, then downstairs is fermenting, transfers/kegging, storage for equipment and ingredients, ability to clean, and removing water from the area (is there a pump set up in your basement? I still drain my sink and D/W into buckets that I carry upstairs. At least it doesn't flood the septic.)


If you get yourself set up with kegs, you'll love it. Question is how much time do you have. Piece by piece took me almost a year, by the time I got my big tank from Craigslist.
If you buy a 1 or 2 keg setup, the only other thing you'll need are more kegs, and that's the CHEAPEST part, and you can do it later. go for it.

storage racks are always great to have.

Grain storage, plastic bin - no air holes, one or two layered plastic bags, tied separately.

hey Semf, what do you mean by processes? something like 'wort transfers', or something like 'extract brewing using gravity'? What do you think your needs are going to be? How do you carry it to the basement? What do you ferment in? What size batch?


= = = =
h.b.b. i just followed that link. I liked it.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

= = = =
h.b.b. i just followed that link. I liked it.

Yeah, I'm dreaming of doing something like that soon. My SWMBO gave me the go-ahead to redo the basement. Now, I have to come up with the money. It's probably gonna be a year long project, but slowly is better than never.

Sorry

We now continue with our regularly scheduled programming...

 

[sempf]

@homebeerbrewer: Thanks for that! Schweet! And it's OK, that's not off-topic. glad to see someone else is thinking of this too.

@brewmonk: Process - yeah you got the idea. Like wort transfer. I mean, I pour from one bucket to another. Where is the BEST place to go to learn about something better?

 

[brewmonk]

hbb, good luck with it, im in the middle of the same thing, in the same neck of the woods.

sempf, i think that you are in one af the good places for that right now, but I've just been googling everything I can think of for years, and have saved pics I like ~1000.

keep air away from everything, so no splashing, and put it in hoses! (therefore a pump helps)

Start looking at pictures of peoples brew rigs. here, brewhala.nl, google keg, mlt, mash, 1 tier, and anything else you can think of, and flip through images. you'll go off on tangents, and start reading. got a year?

books, too.

hey, do you have a brewery near you that does tours? go follow all their pipes and vats, and see how far you want to take it.

google,google,google.

 

[brewmonk]

Did you come up with any questions/decisions/ideas?

 

[jspence1]

Good luck with the renovation! I personally brew outside on a propane burner most of the year, but when its freaking cold like now I brew in the garage with the door half open. I have a storage space in the basement where I ferment and store my gear. Just from my experience I would put a floor drain in and tile an area around it before I finished the rest of the space, cleaning inside (winter) is a pain, the big utility sink is too small to be useful. Carboys and kegs are just too big. I envy your location out have great access to water and drains.

Although brewing inside over gas freaks me out a little it can't be too dangerous if done properly. I've seen a hundred threads about people using wok burners on their brew rigs. I haven't seen all Chinese food restaurant kitchens but the one I worked at had six of them and they were all indoors.

Enjoy the space!

 

[Surly]

...

What if I keep cooking upstairs? What should I do DOWNSTAIRS to manage everything except for cooking?

...

S

I boil my wort on the patio then transfer the wort to my basement brewery via tube.

I wanted to eliminate having to carry two carboys to the basement each brew day. I have found though that this system is a lot of extra work though.

 

[brewmonk]

It may be more work to set up or clean, but damn once gravity catches that, I bet you drain it quick.

 

[sempf]

I am planning right now - the insight has been really great. I think my first goal is to plan to cook either in the kitchen or outside, and then use the basement for all the other stuff. I'll start to weatherproof (as it were) the space, and then get ready to try electric. I have a FREE range with a 3700 watt burner that will boil 6 quarts of water in 7 minutes. Surely I can make that work - and I won't have to shell out for as much venting, fire protection and what not.

Having read a lot of other threads, and knowing how my brewing style works, I believe my first step in that direction is to set up kegging rather than bottling. So here is what I will be doing for now - brewing 5 gallon batches upstairs, carrying them down in a buchet, fermenting downstairs, and then kegging. What should I do first second or third? (There are probably other threads for this - anyone have a favorite?)

S

 

[sempf]

I boil my wort on the patio then transfer the wort to my basement brewery via tube.

This is AMAZING!! How do you keep it clean?

S

 

[Surly]

It may be more work to set up or clean, but damn once gravity catches that, I bet you drain it quick.

It does work well. I often brew by myself during the work week when my family members or neighbors are not around. I have become more safety conscience and wanted to deal with carboy transfer.

I may tweak the system, but more than likely I will move my operations to my second home and develop a dedicated brewery in one of my outbuildings.

 

[brewmonk]

well, sempf, you seem to have the luxury of space.
I'd set up a big, sturdy table.
for gravity transfers you need two tiers, figure that out too.
make em easily cleanable.
build a clean fermenting chamber.
tap a keg.