It's official starting my own brewing business!

[MikeyBrew11]

I'm relatively new to the brewing scene, but why boil "the sauce?" won't that just release pectin from the cranberry making your beer cloudy?

To the OP, it will be fun to track your progress over the next year. Good luck.

 

[brewmaster89]

I have always wanted to start a brewery. I am glad that I am finally getting into it. Maybe someday down the road...

 

[dsmith1279]

Subscribed!

 

[Rake_Rocko]

Pumped that I started following this from the beginning! Truly inspiring and definitely subscribed!

 

[Zixxer10R]

Also I need to fill it to check for leaks and to mark the spots for the sight glass numbers (excuse the smudges and greasy cutting oil fingerprints):

Looks like you aren't using sanitary connections on your valves and whatnot....are you not concerned with that part of your brew rig? I'd personally go tri-clover just because you're going to be selling this stuff to strangers, and the world is litigation-happy nowadays...

 

[Zixxer10R]

Quick question for ya akthor: my fiance and I will be heading to the NE this October for our honeymoon and your place sounds just like the place i want to be for a night or so of great beer and good BBQ.

What's you're projected opening date, as of today?

 

[akthor]

Do you mean using weldless vs. Welded bulkheads? I was unaware of there being any sanitary concerns in one vs the other? I am also not aware of sanitary issues with normal SS valves vs. Tri clover?

If as I go on I discover these are things that need to be changed then I would make the necessary adjustments.

I will have to do some research first.



[QUOTE=Zixxer10R;3922019]Looks like you aren't using sanitary connections on your valves and whatnot....are you not concerned with that part of your brew rig? I'd personally go tri-clover just because you're going to be selling this stuff to strangers, and the world is litigation-happy nowadays...[/QUOTE]

 

[akthor]

If everything goes as planned I hope to be open by the fall.

Either way cool folks are always welcome to hang out. I am sure for a honeymooning couple even if we aren't open yet we can still fire up the smoker and throw a little shin dig

Quick question for ya akthor: my fiance and I will be heading to the NE this October for our honeymoon and your place sounds just like the place i want to be for a night or so of great beer and good BBQ.

What's you're projected opening date, as of today?

 

[Zixxer10R]

Do you mean using weldless vs. Welded bulkheads? I was unaware of there being any sanitary concerns in one vs the other? I am also not aware of sanitary issues with normal SS valves vs. Tri clover?

If as I go on I discover these are things that need to be changed then I would make the necessary adjustments.

I will have to do some research first.



[QUOTE=Zixxer10R;3922019]Looks like you aren't using sanitary connections on your valves and whatnot....are you not concerned with that part of your brew rig? I'd personally go tri-clover just because you're going to be selling this stuff to strangers, and the world is litigation-happy nowadays...

[/QUOTE]

Sorry, i should have clarified. So a tri clover is USUALLY welded on, what i failed to mention is that the tri clover setup is innately sanitary because the threads and working parts don't ever touch wort. With welding, if you don't specify the welds be done sanitary (that is, the actual welds being attached with more care than a simple tack-ing...im not too clear on the process difference but someone will know) then you'll always have trapped non-sanitary materials inside the weld that could leach out.

here for sanitary weld blurb: https://www.aibonline.org/newsletter/Magazine/Jan_Feb2010/5Welding.pdf

here for why tri clovers are used when sanitation is key (I was a bit overzealous in thinking i'd find exactly what i was looking for, but this is a good place to start): http://www.brewershardware.com/how_to_use_tri_clover_fittings.html

 

[akthor]

Well finally after 4 weekends of work the living area is painted and ready for me to move in this Saturday (phew) Saturday I will be officially moved.

On the brewing side I got my 2nd keggle polished but had a setback because the fittings I tried to use didn't work out for installing my HERMS coil. So I gotta figure something out there.

I was so tired I didn't take any pics of the finished paint job but I am going down Friday to do some cleaning and to bring down my 100 or so , lights, neons, metal and wooden signs and get them hung up before we move everything else down Saturday. So I will get some pics then.

 

[geniz]

Fittings can be a bear.
I did my coil first in copper. It allowed me to run to home depot to get the right fitting five minutes after I came home with the wrong one.

I figure as I go along, I'll replace it with stainless, but its good to get the kinks out with copper. McMaster is close to where I live, but it isn't as close as the neighborhood Home Depot

Good Luck. I love the way this is progressing.

 

[Blackmuse]

Akthor! Where in Maine man? I live in New Hampshire on the border of Acton/Lebanon. Would love to check it out when it is done! Hope you aren't WAY the hell up in THE COUNTY! lol

 

[Vagenius]

I live in mid coast Maine, I'd love to check out help out

 

[wfowlks]

There haven't been any pictures for a while, I demand photos! (keep up the good work)

 

[akthor]

I'm in the mid coast about 45 mins away from Bar Harbor/Acadia National Park.

I know I have been lazy with the pictures. All the painting and moving activities was messing with my back and school has been a bitch lately but I promise a whole bunch this weekend

 

[akthor]

Hey guys quick update, been working on getting moved in and set up. Amazing how much stuff one guy can accumulate! To make matters worse I fell down the stairs too and hurt my knee really bad so bad back and bad knee have slowed down the process. I hope to be done by this weekend and post some pictures.

 

[Boar Beer]

There haven't been any pictures for a while, I demand photos! (keep up the good work)
wfowlks did you get any pictures cause I didn't.

 

[akthor]

So got most of my crap moved in. Still have some stuff in the storage shed of the old place but nothing of super great importance.

So if you remember the new place looked like this:

 

[akthor]

Here it is with all the previous tenants stuff gone. Walls and cabinets painted. All my crap hung on the walls and my HT installed (please excuse the tools and stuff on my bar I am using it as a temporary workbench):

 

[akthor]

Last two: (I find the picture above my throne particularly humorous )

 

[akthor]

Ok so thats the living area. Now on the brewing side of things this coming weekend besides organizing and cleaning we are installing a new double utility sink (got delivered today) with a commercial pre-rinse sprayer. We are also going to tackle moving the washer and dryer and building and installing some sort of hood and ventilation system.

I have to polish my last keg then install all the bits and the goal is that by Monday everything is done so that I can start actually brewing beer for the first time on my new system. Towards that end I got the final shiny bits a trub filter from Brewer's Hardware along with the needed tri-clamps and other bits to install it onto my brew keggle. Since I was ordering from them anyways I also got a stir plate.

Here are pics of the sink, sprayer, trub filter, stir plate:

 

[Erroneous]

Looks awesome! I wonder how much it would cost for a star San dispenser for the sink.

 

[wfowlks]

yay for pictures

 

[akthor]

That's an excellent idea I will have to look into it

I can't wait to clean and sanitize things in the new sink with the sprayer. I've been doing it all in a normal kitchen sink for a couple years now and as I am sure many of you can relate to it's makes a big mess of the kitchen.

Looks awesome! I wonder how much it would cost for a star San dispenser for the sink.

 

[akthor]

Also I started an email address for the brewery. Also anyone local to me (Verona Island, Maine) or who is coming up this way and wants to get together you can email me at 10gallonales.com

This weekend I think we are going to play Rock Band and have a bon fire and of course some brews if anyone wants to stop by, (Once I talk to you and verify your not a serial killer or nothing )

Earlier before we start drinking we are probably going to shoot some guns. (Yup we can do that here as well )

I will also be starting a Twitter feed and a Facebook account for the brewery. I don't use social media sites for myself so I need to figure them out before I can set them up.

I already have about 20 folks locally who I have hung out with since the move, people I went to high school with 25+ yrs ago, friends of friends and of my GF who live local who are saying they will be regulars. This area is dying for a place that has good beer and a laid back atmosphere without loud music, power drinkers, skanks, and a$$holes ruining peoples evenings.

Also getting a lot of positive feedback about the campground idea.

 

[akthor]

I also forgot to mention I bought a new 6 gallon wet/dry shop vac for use cleaning out the brew rig.

 

[Vagenius]

Dude, I live in Orland. PM Me

 

[akthor]

OK I know its been a couple weeks since an update but I have been busy as hell and working my ass off both on this project and with the semester ending at school.

Excuse the clutter there is still lots of junk from the PO that has to go and I still have cleaning and organizing to do.

We dug up up the old firepit and moved it out from under the power lines and I rebuilt it using brick and a steel fire ring as opposed to rocks.

We moved the washer and dryer, which meant running some ingenious plumbing modifications. The washer and dryer used to sit next to the utility sink which was right where I wanted to put the brew stand.

Took out the old utility sink and installed a new double sink and the commercial pre-rinse sprayer. What an amazing upgrade from trying to clean and sanitize kegs in the kitchen sink!

I bought a 12" commercial exhaust fan (2150 cfms) we installed it into the wall above where the brew stand sits. Been raining the last few days so I haven't had a chance to finish off outside where the fan exits.

We built a large hood that covers the entire brew stand out of 2x3's and luan and painted it with rustoleum to protect it against moisture. My original plan was to fabricate some sort of steel hood but the fan is such a beast and pulls so much air that I felt I could save some money and go this route for the hood.

Finally got my 3rd keggle polished and all the stainless bits installed and the FB since it is my MT.

Installed a large filter to filter the water before it enters the HLT.

We built a rugged stand to make into my grain mill. Of course the mill I ordered was out of stock but should be getting shipped this week. I have a 2" pulley and a 12" pulley and the belt and 1720 rpm electric motor with control box all ready for when the mill shows up to assemble it.

Installed party lights on the porch

So lots of progress but still a ton to do.

Next up I need to fill all the keggles and do a leak check and calibrate my sight glasses.

Cut and make all the silicone hoses I need.

I got some diamond plate aluminum to use as splash guards for my chugger pumps so I have to cut and install that.

I am going to mount a piece of 4' x 8' steel roofing onto the wall with stand offs behind the brew stand as a heat shield to protect the laundry plumbing, wiring, and the wooden wall itself.

I need to get all the CO2 plumbing and faucet shanks out of my old kegerator and seal the holes (the black fridge in the pictures) We are converting a chest freezer into a keezer for upstairs (my personal bar) so I am going to use this fridge for lagering.

Obviously lots more cleaning and organizing.

After these projects are complete we will begin to tackle the walk in cooler build.

Excuse some of the crappy pics.

 

[akthor]

More

 

[akthor]

Still more