bar build - advice needed

[Moad]

Im lucky enough to have a 6x4m room downstairs that will be vacant shortly. The wife has agreed to let me turn it into a cave.

I have a collared keezer I can put in there but I'm thinking bigger and better. One thought was to put the keezer under the house and just have taps on the wall but the plumbing wouldn't work out where I need it.

I really don't want to dismantle the keezer but I'd lose to much $ on it to sell and start again. Font with 6 taps would be great but again that would mean pulling the keezer apart.

Any ideas or pictures on how to incorporate a collared keezer into a bar build. Also, what should I be including in my design? sink and water for cleaning, taps, shelving for glassware, maybe some spirit pourers. Are drawers neccesary?

 

[Mardoo]

Definitely sink and water.

Place to put a bin out of sight?

Ice well with drain?

Small fridge for food and mixers/sodas?

Drawers are handy for serviettes and stuff like that, but plenty of pubs I've worked have no drawers behind the bar.

Counter space for a sandwich press or some food making thing or food prep area?

3-tap keezer at each end of the room rather than one 6-tap bar? Less distance to beer. Kind of depends whether you want a mini-pub or a party room.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

build a bar to the same height as the keezer so it looks the part, dress the top with timber or something?
I think someone posted one like that recently, will have a quick dig

EDIT: here, not a collared keezer, but depending on the height of yours you might be able to do something similar?
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/235-kegging-setups/?p=1177983

 

[Moad]

I like the idea of standing behind the bar (mini pub I guess), I made the keezer about bar height so could do something similar to what Liam posted but that would be a very wide bartop.

Mardoo I hadn't considered an ice well, the sink could double as an ice well too, depends how much room I have.

I'm still not giving up on putting the keezer under the house and just running taps through the wall. I think that looks incredible when done right. Would need some pretty good insulation from keezer through the wall.

 

[spog]

Have a look on Pinterest, heaps of ideas there for a home bar and keezers.

 

[Porkchop]

I can give you a 3D design and help you construct it as well.(if you are in Melbourne)

 

[Porkchop]

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/index.php?/topic/81719-Bar-builder-Melbourne

 

[dago001]

Any man cave should have a stage and a shiny pole mounted from said stage to the roof. Alternatively, as I have done because the pole idea wasn't well received, I went with a small stage and a PA. I now get people to come and play at the bar. Good times and great fun.
Cheers
LB

 

[Porkchop]

To give you an idea if what the 3D designs look like.

 

[cke11y]

First time uploading images - they're upside down - sorry.

For what its worth some thoughts on the tap through the wall idea:

I have a similar situation to you - a 6 x 4 blank space to do bar/brewery. I am lucky enough to have a cellar behind the wall, as well as a bathroom. This means easy water/drain access for the plumber, and a place to store an ugly chest freezer.

I thought about the tap in the wall thing, but was worried (maybe irrationally) about them not being protected, an could be easily bumped, knocked, etc. Things get rowdy at my house! So I wanted a bar below the taps, but then found the taps were too far away from the edge to make pouring ergonomic. Therefore I had to bring them off the wall a little. Added to this, I did not really want tap removal for cleaning to involve mucking around in two different rooms of the house. With my setup everything is done from the front so I can remove taps and throw them in the sink right next to the bar. I only will have about 300-400mm of un-cooled beer line between freezer and tap, but will wrap some insulation anyway.

Anyhow, just some thoughts that I had which you can take or leave.

Cheers

 

[MastersBrewery]

Nice work cke 11y,
the area looks well thought out. The only thing I'd suggest is that while the space is relatively clear, you could take the opportunity to seal the floor. Up to you but well give the space a lift and makes for much easier clean up.

MB

 

[H0U5ECAT]

build a bar to the same height as the keezer so it looks the part, dress the top with timber or something?
I think someone posted one like that recently, will have a quick dig

EDIT: here, not a collared keezer, but depending on the height of yours you might be able to do something similar?
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/235-kegging-setups/?p=1177983

The only change I needed to make with mine in regards to the height was to raise the cabinets up a little.
A new kick plate made that easy as.

In regards to the bench top width, it only came up to 600mm deep. Not too deep at all

 

[Moad]

Still not quite at the planning stage but I have been thinking about how I will build the keezer into the bar. I have decided the tap on the wall idea is just too tasty to pass up.

I have enough room on the other side of the wall as well as plumbing access to build the bar along the same wall.

I have the keezer with a wooden collar so I can basically leave it as is and just run insulation out of the current tap holes into the brick wall to the shanks. I'll fit a board on the back (hopefully shanks are long enough) to clamp the taps on to.

After the storms in Newcastle a mate has some large fallen trees that I may be able to take a slab from for the bar top.

Still a few weeks away from clearing out the room so I'll have photos and measurements soon, I'll post all progress in this thread.

Thanks for advice so far.

Moad.