Large Equipment: Where does it live?

[Bobby_M]

Well, I look at those jacketed conicals and they're ~60lbs empty (edit: on the low end). Just seems pretty heavy.

In the long run 10-15 gallon batches is a likely target. I don't have a desire to go much bigger unless I somehow find more people to drink it!

I'm beginning to think splitting batches into 10gal kegs as fermenters may be the way to go for the long haul - still mulling over cooling options, though. (Maybe a chilled coil wrapped on keg exterior? Cu would be a lot easier if it won't corrode on 304, but I don't know enough about metals atm.) I know there's a 20gal torpedo, but I suspect 120+ lbs of beer is too much for me to move safely. Perhaps if it was filled/emptied in place.

(I guess there are two separate equipment payloads: brewing and fermenting. Ideally they'd be colocated, but if the fermentors are under 80lbs I can move them around for at least another couple decades (I hope!). But we don't plan to move until we're dead or senile, so hopefully it's worth getting the setup just right.)

Before you get too ahead of yourself, consider how batch size affects both brewing frequency and motivation. If you brew big batches, you'll brew less often and learn a lot less. I'm sure it's all a personal journey and all, but my brewing tanked when I switched from 5 to 10 gallon batches and a lot of the time I was dumping out all or half of that second keg because it was aging out or I got bored of the same beer. I'll just say that as a homebrew shop owner for the last 10 years, I see a LOT of people upgrade to a larger size and then a few months later they are selling everything and getting out of the hobby. I'm just saying, make sure you need all that "SAME" beer. I've been brewing 6 gallons and splitting the ferment to two 3 gallon fermenters to learn more about yeast strains for example. I brew pretty often and I like that. You will too when your setup is established and you can just walk in and brew.

You should be thinking about setting up fermentation is close proximity to your brewing station and the size and weight of the fermenters won't even be an issue. If you do end up with conicals, you'll clean them in place and not heave them outside or into a sink. If you have the budget for them, most people that end up with Spike, SSbrewtech, or Brewbuilt unitanks are pretty happy with them. The Spike ones use an internal coil while the newer Brewbuilt and SSbrewtechs have glycol jackets on them. As above, the big challenge is deciding on batch size.

As far as the hot side wort production goes, I can't emphasize enough how much better I think a single vessel eBIAB system is over all other system types. While I don't think brewing 15 gallon batches is the right move unless you throw neighborhood wide parties all year, you can definitely do 15 gallon batches on such a system.

Here's my friend Larry's setup. He brews 10 and 15 gallon batches in a 30 gallon Blichmann kettle and ferments in three Spike CF15s with a Penguin glycol chiller.

My system is similar but I don't use conicals.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

There's nothing wrong starting out with smaller batches and working your way up. There's less cash going out and as you grow into the hobby and upgrade equipment can be sold or repurposed within your brewery. Plus along the way in your journey you'll be learning and getting your technique down and seeing what works best.

Just like many brewers, I started out using buckets as fermenter and now, many years later fermenting in a Spike CF10. I went from five gallon batches to ten then 15. Now I'm good with ten gallons of beer and brew to feed three taps. Sometimes a ten gallon batch is split, like a wheat beer, one straight up and one with fruit.

 

[jrgtr42]

I have a basement space for my brewery. |When we moved in, I was brewing outside the basement with a turkey fryer, but when we had the water heater replaced, we needed a plumber and electrician anyway, so I had them put in a 240-volt outlet and a slop sink in the area, for induction burner, and brewing and other uses for the sink.
Most of the draining, cooling water and cleaning is in the sink - there's not a ton of water going around otherwise - yeah, some over spray and whatnot, but plain water i don't worry about and anything else I'll run a mop around once in a while.
I don;t have a floor drain down there at all.

OP, Some of us might be interested in the boat that's taking up the potential brewing space...

 

[mashdar]

I'm just saying, make sure you need all that "SAME" beer.

I guess I mean I'd like an upper limit of 10-15. In reality I expect 80% of batches to be 4-7 gallons (current routine), and 20% to be larger, based on how much of it I expect/want to go through. But maybe that's not a great idea, since the 20% will mostly be the "boring" beer.

I do like the split yeast idea. I've been thinking having 2 (edit: kettles) would be nice for hop evaluations, too, but I might just be going nuts. (I bought a 120V brewzilla for now, which was relatively cheap and I figure will be good for something down the road even when I upgrade. Coming from ~2005 brewing universe, it's been pleasant, if a little slow.)

 

[DonT]

I brewed in the garage by the open door last winter and it went OK. And if brew day is rainy that's still the spot.

Is that squat guy a fermentor with an IC? Pressure rated? (I see the blowtie)

It's a Spike Flex+... if you look closely, you'll see the glycol chiller underneath. The flex+ is rated to 15psi...
I brew rain or shine... later in the day the sun shines in and that's nice if it's cold out. In the summer when it's hot I try to be finished up by 2-3pm otherwise it gets too hot.

 

[mashdar]

OP, Some of us might be interested in the boat that's taking up the potential brewing space...

I'm not a big sailor, so I have to admit to ignorance. If you have boat-person questions, let me know and I'll relay them lol.

It's a smallish boat my wife built with her dad. Comfortably fits one at the rudder and two on the side benches. Maybe 12'? I can't recall where they got the design; either a designer in Maine or the UK. But they made some modifications, so I suppose it's unique. It's a similar shape to this one, but the deck in front's a little bigger, single sail, and it has some seats/storage.

Sail is 4 sided by Dabbler, looks like this one (below). It's set up for single person to rig it easily. Originally it had a hollow wooden mast, but now part of it is aluminum. I can't find photos of one with the 4-sided sail and a mast as far back as this one.

Father in law has built a bunch of wooden sailboats over the years as as a hobby. Neat guy.

edit: I looked at the plans, here's the source of the design. I was wrong; the designer is in NZ! I think they p8cked this for sailing near oyster sholes.
https://jwboatdesigns.co.nz/plans/general-purpose-boats/truant/

 

[Bobby_M]

I guess I mean I'd like an upper limit of 10-15. In reality I expect 80% of batches to be 4-7 gallons (current routine), and 20% to be larger, based on how much of it I expect/want to go through. But maybe that's not a great idea, since the 20% will mostly be the "boring" beer.

I do like the split yeast idea. I've been thinking having 2 (edit: kettles) would be nice for hop evaluations, too, but I might just be going nuts. (I bought a 120V brewzilla for now, which was relatively cheap and I figure will be good for something down the road even when I upgrade. Coming from ~2005 brewing universe, it's been pleasant, if a little slow.)

I've thought about setting up dueling hot side rigs to be able to do side by side experiments the way the Brulosophy contributors do, but I've been having plenty of fun with the pre-ferment splits just fine. I can also make a bigger batch of bittered wort, drain off half and do split late hop additions. The thing about stepping up to a very powerful single vessel rig (5500 watts for a 5-6 gallon batch), I don't mind having to brew twice sometimes since it's under 4 hours all in.

If you didn't want to go too big too soon, you would definitely appreciate even something like the Foundry 10.5 and run it on 240v for 2800 watts. It's not a race car, but peppy.

I also backed off on complicated fermenters, selling off my three unitanks, going back to modified fermonsters that fit nicely into certain minifridges. It takes me all of 5 minutes to clean them after transferring to the serving kegs.

 

[mashdar]

It takes me all of 5 minutes to clean them after transferring to the serving kegs.

Yeah I am thinking keg/all-rounder/etc may just be easier since it can be man-handled and has limited internal surfaces. The 304 jacket/IC conical are just so alluring in the abstract. When I start doing a mental walkthrough of a brew day & packaging day, I start having issues, though.

I watched your video and your setup is very nice. What's a "welded trub guard"?

I imagine you've done CFC and went back to IC? If you get a good whirlpool going, maybe CFC has no time advantage?

Do you put a thermowell in the FV, or just maintain ambient? (Do you set ambient a bit low and fine tune with the heat wrap?)

 

[Bobby_M]

Yeah I am thinking keg/all-rounder/etc may just be easier since it can be man-handled and has limited internal surfaces. The 304 jacket/IC conical are just so alluring in the abstract. When I start doing a mental walkthrough of a brew day & packaging day, I start having issues, though.

I watched your video and your setup is very nice. What's a "welded trub guard"?

The least significant part of that build. It doesn't really stop the trub from entering the drain once the level drops to the pile of trub in the center. I have since switched to using the whirlpool port to drain off clean wort.

I imagine you've done CFC and went back to IC? If you get a good whirlpool going, maybe CFC has no time advantage?

Since I don't have any way of dumping trub from my fermenter like you can with a conical, I choose to chill directly in the kettle, short whirlpool, let it settle clear and then transfer. If I did use a CFC, I would have to pump it back into the kettle anyway. If I had a conical, I would use a CFC and make a single pass into the fermenter at whatever temp that is and let the glycol take it the rest of the way down, a settle time, trub dump, then pitch yeast in.

Do you put a thermowell in the FV, or just maintain ambient? (Do you set ambient a bit low and fine tune with the heat wrap?)

I tape a piece of styrofoam to my FV and tuck the probe behind it. I use an inkbird that does heating and cooling with a 2F differential.

 

[Floor Pros]

right now it is just concrete. i installed a utility sink not very far away. i may put down a rubber mat for easier floor cleaning. will see how messy a am.

I don't have control over physical spaces, but managing floors typically involves regular cleaning, maintenance, and using appropriate materials. Floor drains and coverings like mats can be important for safety and functionality.

 

[bf514921]

if you have a the oportunity in the space a floor drain is great, its really useful. Also look at the space and venting, i have a 6 inch exhaust that that seems plenty for me. i typically do 5 to 6 gallon batches brewing electric. the floor is just simple clear epoxy to keep it from staining, and make it easy to clean.

I have a large sink, with dual side drain boards that is nice if i had the space i think a dual sink with the same sideboards would be great. THis works well for me because i do CIP for the hot side system.

Something else to ponder , how you want to build out all the space. If you brew with friends or enjoy people hanging out on brew day.

I had the opportunity to build out my space and made it a bar that looks at the brewery for a fun space.

the goal i have for mind is to make everything CIP, rolable , or use a pump to get rid of waste water etc, so far on the hot side its only the grains that i have to worry about carrying up the stairs.

Very near this space i have a brew closet, when the door is closed you cant tel, its just a regular closet, but it holds all the smal suff and other stuff so the space stays neat and clean on no brew days

Hope these questions help you think through how to build yours out and have a great space.

 

[Hunky]

Still refining things in the basement, but it is serviceable. I did have a 3 vessel system going with the vent as in first pic. The sink was on the opposite wall out of the picture so the boil kettle was wheeled over for cooling and whatever. Then I went BIAB recently and now it is all at the sink wall. Installed a sump pump plumbed into the ABS pipe sewer drain. BIAB system has the steam condenser so did away with the vent, which still had condensation drips that were annoying when using it. I have lots of room for shelving for the bigger stuff. Last 3 pics current. Sink is way too small.. 18" x 18" inside dimensions.