My new brewing cave!!!

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jonaken

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I just recently bought a two story house with an enclosed closet under the stairs on the first floor. I immediately told my wife that I claimed this closet in the name of BEER! So after I get all of the non important stuff moved into the house I can start planning out my layout. It's about 5x5 feet and it's tall enough to stand up in. I'm thinkin' a nice stainless steel shelf and a nice mini-fridge and a little stool. I need ideas!

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Stick a cellaring cooler/dehumidifier in there and bammo that's one good size lagering chamber!
 
Put something in there so I have some reference. 5x5 isn't enough. Give me depth with a pickle jar.
 
Can't forget entertainment. Add a small tv and you can watch the game. Hell, go all out with surround sound and an xbox too. The little alcove looks loke a nice place to put some shelves and a light blocking curtain for your fermenting and aging beer.
 
I would agree and make your brew area somewhere else. Even one part of the garage. Drop in a keezer and maybe a lagering keezer and your room will be filled. There is never enough space once you get rolling. I am thinking a semi entertainment area and keep the working brewery elsewhere. Claim it and keep it!!.
 
5x5 feet isn't really that big. I don't think I could fit a a kreezer into the door since its not a strait shot into the space, it's a closer in a small hallway. This would be the perfect place for a brewing closet since I live in Arizona and can't/won't brew beer in my 150degree garage. At my old house I only had a lenin closest to brew beer.
 
I'd put a fermentation chamber in the alcove if it's large enough. I built a 38DD and put it in our living room because my closet is too small for it. However, my brew kettle, and cases of bottled beer reside in the bottom of that closet. My empty buckets, bottle tree, hoses, etc etc reside in the mud room.

With a little organization, you could ferment in there, store your bottles in there, store your kettle/buckets/carboys, etc etc. Kind of a "one stop shop" for everything brew-related. Whenever it's time to brew, just go grab whatever you need from the closet.
 
I have a similar walk in closet under our stairs, except it's about 4ft wide and 10 deep. I've turned mine into my "cellar." I put in a portable AC unit, that vents the exhaust through one of the walls into the garage (got lucky that the closet shares a wall with the garage.) The result is a walk-in fermentation chamber, and I also store bottled beer, commercial and homebrew, and some supplies and smaller equipment in there. I say go for it... You'll love having all that space for temp controlled fermentation.
 
Here's an update. I added shelving and a mini fridge which required me to add a receptacle in there. I have been focusing on refining my brew techniques and equipment so this is only as far I have got I one year. I really thought hard about making it a fermentation chamber as some on this post have suggested. It is in the middle of the house so I would have to insulate and add some kind of portable a/c in order to get the temp down. Also I'm worried about condensation and mold on the walls. I'm in AZ so that is always an issue.

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