If you could design your homebrewery again, what would you do differently?

[hrigsby]

I'm a fairly novice brewer, but I started out with some pretty nice equipment capable of 15 gallon batches. I just bought a house and it has a fairly run-down barn out back that I'm planning on gutting and turning into a garage/brewery.

I'm curious what some of you more experienced brewers would do if you were building your setup again from bare bones and had the space to do almost anything. Not necessarily expanding production capacity, but just layout, equipment, ease-of-use/cleaning/sanitation, and aesthetic concerns.

Thanks!

EDIT: I think the thing I'm most stoked about is that the barn currently doesn't have a floor. So, when I get concrete poured, I'm going to throw a trench drain along the entire front of the brewery area. I want to have an idea of what my layout will be though, because I don't want to regret the drain orientation or length a few years down the road!

 

[CerealKillerStout]

I'm happy with my setup. But if/when I upgrade I will put a temp control feature on my mash tank (middle)

 

[RPh_Guy]

I would have started 10 years earlier.

 

[ProblemChild]

Run 220V and gone electric. That and made a small room with a cool-bot so I could do lagering

 

[hrigsby]

Run 220V and gone electric. That and made a small room with a cool-bot so I could do lagering

Electric is high on my priority list. I figure I don't need to do a ton of pre-planning for it though, since the barn already has electricity. I've got a Spike kettle, which I believe they'll take back and weld in a tri-clamp fitting for if/when I want to, so that would be easy. Probably doesn't change the layout/footprint too much.

 

[ProblemChild]

Electric is high on my priority list. I figure I don't need to do a ton of pre-planning for it though, since the barn already has electricity. I've got a Spike kettle, which I believe they'll take back and weld in a tri-clamp fitting for if/when I want to, so that would be easy. Probably doesn't change the layout/footprint too much.

got 220v or 120v?

I cannot think of a reason to go 120 unless restricted for some reason

 

[thehaze]

I would surely have researched better everything I needed and added later, like pH meter, etc.

And most probably would have started much earlier, but whatcha you gonna do?!

Cheers!

 

[hrigsby]

got 220v or 120v?

I cannot think of a reason to go 120 unless restricted for some reason

I'm not entirely sure. I know there is a 60 amp breaker on my main panel that runs underground to the barn. All of the outlets are 120v, but that doesn't mean there isn't 240v present (I don't think).

All of that said, I think I'm going to have the entire thing rerun and a nicer sub-panel put into the barn (it's currently a rusty old giant switch box, like a pool pump). At the very least I'm going to have the old line dug up and put into conduit, because I want to regrade the yard and also add a Power-Over-Ethernet run out there as well so that I can add a wired access point for the WiFi network. So I think somewhere in that move I can get more voltage if it's not already present.

 

[Wizard_of_Frobozz]

I have a pole barn with my brew room currently under construction. I ran a 100 amp feed to the barn using underground feeder cable (the kind used to supply mobile homes), and I'm glad I did.

These are the big power requirements when doing a brew session in the middle of summer:
1. Brew Rig: 35 amps peak (50 amp circuit)
2. Tankless Water Heater for cleaning water: 33 amps (40 amp circuit)
3. A/C Unit: 15 amps (20 amp circuit)

Add in lights, a chest freezer fermenting the previous batch, and you'll run out of amperage really quick with only a 60 amp feed. As you can see, I'm getting close to my 100 amp limit. If you are planning on replacing the current feed anyway, I'd highly recommend a 100 amp subpanel for the barn. Depending on your needs, a 2nd service may even make sense.

Oh...and run a 50 amp circuit for your brew rig. I did 30 amps on my first rig, and found I wanted more power almost immediately!

 

[hawkbox]

Running water and drainage would be great. Also natural gas compatible burners or 220v, or both.

 

[Gadjobrinus]

Electric, or better as I like flame, is a monster ventilation system. 10 gallon brewlengths. Those who thought I was nuts at 20 gallons were right, I think. Even generously giving growlers to friends, that's a lot of beer tying up serving kegs. And a dedicated brewhouse and cellar(s) for ales and lagers. Dedicated lab. Dedicated bar, including running the one engine I have.

 

[Drumminguy81]

I wish I had skipped the 2 gas setups that I started out with and gone straight to electric. I also wish I had not messed with the quick disconnects and gone with triclamps.. would have saved a lot of money i wasted switching to tri clamps later on. And along with that I wish I had ordered my spike kettles with only triclamp ports instead of threaded, all of my ports now have npt to triclamp adapters which kind of defeat the purpose of triclamps.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I wish I wouldn't have tried to buy the cheapest parts available and stuck to the best the first time, I now have a bunch of useless parts not good for anything I basically bought everything twice

 

[Wizard_of_Frobozz]

Electric, or better as I like flame, is a monster ventilation system.

Ventilation in an electric brewery has been eliminated by @BrunDog; see this thread and the most recent issue of BYO, where he did a write up.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...denser-no-overhead-ventilation-needed.636955/

 

[Gadjobrinus]

I wish I had skipped the 2 gas setups that I started out with and gone straight to electric. I also wish I had not messed with the quick disconnects and gone with triclamps.. would have saved a lot of money i wasted switching to tri clamps later on. And along with that I wish I had ordered my spike kettles with only triclamp ports instead of threaded, all of my ports now have npt to triclamp adapters which kind of defeat the purpose of triclamps.

You remind me, yep, +1 for T/Cs as well.

 

[Gadjobrinus]

Ventilation in an electric brewery has been eliminated by @BrunDog; see this thread and the most recent issue of BYO, where he did a write up.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...denser-no-overhead-ventilation-needed.636955/

Sorry Wizard, I should have been clearer, strong ventilation with gas, presuming the fire hazard issue is taken care of, lol. You remind me, too - HEPA-filter in the lab, and positive pressure in the cellars. But now I'm being ridiculous!

 

[6Tap]

Floor drain would be nice.

Unfortunately I have a post tension concrete slab foundation and if I accidentally cut through a tension cable they would probably go flying through my neighbors house like a steel rubber band!

 

[Transamguy77]

The house I'm in now is the third one since I started brewing and each time has been an improvement. In the first house I had stuff everywhere, in the second house I had a small garage and all my stuff was in one place and the house I'm in now I have a fairly big garage but it's spit up between the laundry area, the sitting area and the brewery.

Honestly storage is my biggest hang up and what's the best way to store my stuff. I have a 7ft tall shelf and some closet maid shelves but I still struggle with the best way to keep things organized.

I don't know how big your shed is but drawing stuff out on the floor so you know how to lay out the brewing space and then stuff on the wall to figure out storage.

 

[hrigsby]

The house I'm in now is the third one since I started brewing and each time has been an improvement. In the first house I had stuff everywhere, in the second house I had a small garage and all my stuff was in one place and the house I'm in now I have a fairly big garage but it's spit up between the laundry area, the sitting area and the brewery.

Honestly storage is my biggest hang up and what's the best way to store my stuff. I have a 7ft tall shelf and some closet maid shelves but I still struggle with the best way to keep things organized.

I don't know how big your shed is but drawing stuff out on the floor so you know how to lay out the brewing space and then stuff on the wall to figure out storage.

Also a good idea. It's an 800 sf barn with a loft, so I think the space aspect will be fine. Still important to keep everything organized.

 

[user 40839]

Happy enough with the setup I have. In hindsight, I wouldn't have gone with the SS Brewtech Chronicals - there's nothing wrong with them, but wish I'd waited an extra 4-5 months, I'd have gotten the Unitanks instead. Aside from that, someone already mentioned it - a floor drain. I'd love for my cleaning regime to be much easier, just being able to dump and drain on the floor as opposed to carrying it out.

If I had to start again from scratch - I'd probably go electric versus the propane Brutus 10 I use now.

 

[Tribe Fan]

When I first started brewing extracts, a couple of local guys very graciously extended an invite to watch them do all-grain batches. Both of them were techie guys and had built their own custom systems.

One was a three stage gravity fed system installed in his garage with plumbed natural gas. The other was a fully automated, portable, pump fed system with timers and temp controlled burners. Both were impressive (to this day), and the Old Peculiar clone I had that day was an extraordinary beer. I thought at the time these were things to aspire to.

Fast-forward over a decade later and my two keg / igloo cooler system is gathering dust in the basement while I do BIAB in an amazon special turkey fryer and a $5 grain bag. The smaller batch size is so much easier and 4-5 gal is plenty for me. I love the primal simplicity of it. Less things to go wrong = better beer. I've done triple decoctions by hand, so I can make the process as complicated as I want.

If complicated system is your thing then go for it. The guy with the automated / portable system didn't even drink beer. He put a donation envelope in his garage and friends would drink it and donate enough for him to buy the next batch of ingredients. He loved building it and watching it produce liquid gold. I like the doing it part a lot more than the building it part.

 

[whovous]

220V would be great, but it is not a meaningful option in my current brew environment. I do a little 110v x 2 with a long heavy duty extension cord and a hotstick (or w/ever it is called), but it can get awkward. I guess the main thing I'd have done differently, and may do one of these days, is to get a slightly larger and better designed kettle with re-circulation on the side rather than the lid and maybe a sight glass. But I am pretty happy with what I have right now.

 

[schematix]

If I had to do it again I wouldn’t get married. I’d have more money, more time and get hassled less.

 

[applescrap]

One of the best things you can do, imo, is look at pictures of other people's setups. I really think this helps. I've remodeled both houses I've lived in extensively and after a lot of work i have come to the conclusion that the best thing someone can do is work from a total vision. The trench is a good place to start. I would personally get a grainfather or zymatic . Here are some pics to get you started. I really like the idea of just getting something like that Colorado Brew system and being done with it. Nice speakers are a must for me. Check out the stereo thread for more on that!


My setup is a simple heat stick that I put into a 15 gallon kettle but I can also put it into a 25g, and will someday when I finally Splash out the 80 bucks for the kettle. If you had a wench and some Electric, brewing could be pretty easy. For single vessel biab, it might be a good idea to design the setup where the trash can is very close to the kettle so you can wench up the grain and then just drop it right next door in the can. Or put your brewing equipment on a cart that you roll away, so you can put a trash can then under. Get a couple heatsticks or a couple kettles and you could go nuts Brewing multiple batches at a time. Best luck

 

[Transamguy77]

Also a good idea. It's an 800 sf barn with a loft, so I think the space aspect will be fine. Still important to keep everything organized.

That's a nice size barn, have you thought about how simple or complex you want your rig? I'm a pretty lazy brewer so I went with simple, a 3 tier gravity system that makes 10 gallon batches.

Planning for the future might also come into play, a kegerator and how big?, a ferm chamber and how big?, a work table and how big? Put it all on paper so you know what the end plan is that way if you can't do it all now at least you have a plan to make it happen.

 

[ancientmariner52]

As others have said, a floor drain and plenty of 220v power. Also, I reccomend a dedicated cleanup area, water heater, commercial deep sink, the works. Also, if you can fit it in, a small restroom. The older I get, the more important that becomes! The rest depends on your brewing preferences, but here's my vote for all electric with Brundog's condenser.

 

[augiedoggy]

I got to mention, having a mix or tri clamps and camlocks that I much prefer camlocks for the hot side of my brewery over Tri clamps which are really a pin in the ass to try to swap with one hand or quickly... I jumped right in with electric but wish I had a sink in my brew room and a larger fridge/keezer to store my beer!

 

[Pkrd]

I'm a fairly novice brewer, but I started out with some pretty nice equipment capable of 15 gallon batches. I just bought a house and it has a fairly run-down barn out back that I'm planning on gutting and turning into a garage/brewery.

Why don't you sleep in the barn and brew in the house?

 

[gnor]

Make sure that it is 240V 4 wires connection not 3 wires, also GFCI is a must.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

If we're talking fantasy home-brewery, then think about floors and walls which need to be wipe-downable and offer no homes for bugs to lurk. Our lab failed an inspection on the grounds of its flooring, so we got one fitted to current lab specs which was effectively a kind of linoleum (but super heavy-duty, survive-the-apocalypse grade) that (crucially) was run 6 inches up the walls so there was no crack where floor met wall and sealed on top. You could do something similar with cheap vinyl flooring.

 

[Sadu]

I've been applying the concept of mise en place in my little brewery and loving it. Everything in it's place.

It's so simple and relatively cheap to apply but it makes everything so much easier. You assign an area for each task and decide what each area needs. You'll probably need to double up on a bit of gear so that you never have to shift gear between areas. This guarantees that your gear is always in the place where you need it to be.

It's the little things. A hydrometer for taking OG in the brewing area and another for taking FG in the fermenting area. You now have a spare so brewday doesn't go south if you drop one. Markers on the floor to separate dirty kegs, kegs soaking in cleaner, sanitised kegs and purged kegs. Tape + a marker kept in one place for labelling kegs, and the kids know not to borrow the marker.

A set of dedicated hop scales you keep next to the freezer plus a set of stackable cups there too with 60, 45, 30, 20, 15, 10, 5, 0 written on the side. Now you can measure out hops in one place and never screw up a hop addition again. And keep your vacuum sealer next to the freezer too, plugged in so it's super easy to reseal hop bags immediately.

In my view it's these little things that add up to a super easy brewday. If you are designing a dedicated brewery, think about each space and what you can do to make it work better.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

A hydrometer for taking OG in the brewing area and another for taking FG in the fermenting area. You now have a spare so brewday doesn't go south if you drop one.

Cute. But if you're having a separate hydrometer for FG, then get a finishing hydrometer, which goes up to only 1.020 or so with a bigger scale for more accurate FG's. It's just a little thing, but it used to really annoy me trying to guesstimate FGs off a standard hydrometer.

 

[Sadu]

Cute. But if you're having a separate hydrometer for FG, then get a finishing hydrometer, which goes up to only 1.020 or so with a bigger scale for more accurate FG's. It's just a little thing, but it used to really annoy me trying to guesstimate FGs off a standard hydrometer.

OK cool. So I didn't even know this product existed. Sounds like a great idea.

 

[Ben58]

Go 1 barrel of the hop....

 

[brewbama]

I would choose a stainless MLT with a false bottom vs the blue cooler and braid.

 

[Zealous61]

Floor drain for sure.