Ideas for a new homebrewery garage

[glennheinzel]

Hi team AHB,

I'm finally getting a dedicated brew-space at home and I wanted to check your thoughts on what I should be incorporating into the build. Key points:

1. The internal space will be roughly 2m x 5m with outward opening French doors.
2. The room will have running water and a drain. I'll have a commercial kitchen sink with a spray washer.
3. There will be a 16a socket for running a 50L Braumeister. It will also have 2 (or 4) normal sockets.
4. The room will have damp-proof membrane underneath concrete and double breezeblock walls with thermal lining.
5. The roof will have two skylights. I wanted ones that would open, but plans were altered and these will likely be fixed shut.
6. I'll have a fermentation fridge and a keg fridge. If there's room, I'm tempted to set up a wine barrel as a solera project.
7. I'll get some basic shelves.
8. Construction has just started. I was so focused on having my own weather-proof space that I hadn't considered checking for suggestions from others.

Do you have any suggestions for what I should be incorporating into my build?

 

[Hangover68]

Thats sounds pretty good to me, i cant think of anything else you'll need.
I will hopefully be doing this later in the year once i get a few other projects out of the way.

 

[Sidney Harbour-Bridge]

Sounds pretty good, I think some kind of extractor hood for boiling in cold damp weather would be good or maybe a bathroom extractor fan and some ducting?

 

[djebel]

• If you can, get an electrical sub board with plenty of room in it installed. That way if you pop a breaker, you can fix it right there without having to go out in the pouring rain (because you know that's when it will happen). Also, when you want to add another power circuit, it can be easily added.
• Make sure the main power cable is as thick as the sparky is willing to install. You can never have too much power available.
• A tap that you can connect a hose to, if that isn't already on the list.
• What are you doing for hot water? Separate system or using the existing house HWS?

 

[Grok]

Sounds pretty good, I think some kind of extractor hood for boiling in cold damp weather would be good or maybe a bathroom extractor fan and some ducting?

Definitely!!!!

 

[Donz]

seamless splash backs on floor and sinks, and wifi extender if walls at too dense?

 

[Hangover68]

if you wanted to go all out then a small water tank and maybe even a couple of solar panels on the roof.

 

[Grok]

How about a couple of water barrels for crash cooling, one is full, the other empty. Use a 12v submersible pump to feed the cooling coil and recycle into the empty barrel, never waste water that way!

 

[duncbrewer]

Simple wall extractor and get a condenser, much cheaper, quieter, more efficient and you can use the water from those water barrels.
Small freezer for the hops and your dried kveik yeast and any fruits if you use that in your beers.
Banging sound system and within range of your wifi so you can use ispindel etc.
Some work tops.
Fire extinguisher in case of emergency.

 

[S.E]

The room will have damp-proof membrane underneath concrete and double breezeblock walls with thermal lining.

Where are you located? Does it get very hot or cold? Is this in the UK by any chance? You mention “double breeze block walls with thermal lining” is that breeze block with an insulated cavity? Have you given any thought to roof and floor insulation? Jablite under the concrete makes a big difference.

 

[duncbrewer]

Drain in the floor

 

[glennheinzel]

Sounds pretty good, I think some kind of extractor hood for boiling in cold damp weather would be good or maybe a bathroom extractor fan and some ducting?

That's a good point. I suspect that I'm too late to have a more permanent solution left in place so I'll have to look at extractor/condensing options.

Are you able to recommend a solution?

 

[glennheinzel]

• If you can, get an electrical sub board with plenty of room in it installed. That way if you pop a breaker, you can fix it right there without having to go out in the pouring rain (because you know that's when it will happen). Also, when you want to add another power circuit, it can be easily added.
• Make sure the main power cable is as thick as the sparky is willing to install. You can never have too much power available.
• A tap that you can connect a hose to, if that isn't already on the list.
• What are you doing for hot water? Separate system or using the existing house HWS?

Good points. Our water is fairly low pressure so perhaps I just add a hose tap to the same pipe that links to the spray washer (because I can't run both at once). The hose tap will then "power" the chilling coil

I have a 30 litre urn for HLT.

 

[zoigl]

Go for 20 amps, a verandah for when you are boiling, I have my BM50 on wheels so move it outside when boiling. My shed is 7x3 meters and this is just big enough. Get a 20 amp cable extension.

 

[djebel]

Good points. Our water is fairly low pressure so perhaps I just add a hose tap to the same pipe that links to the spray washer (because I can't run both at once). The hose tap will then "power" the chilling coil

I have a 30 litre urn for HLT.

I meant running hot water for washing up, rather than brewing.

If you do have hot water available, another idea is to plumb it into the hose outlet. Adjustable temperature water that you can connect a hose to is handy at times.

 

[Ballaratguy]

How about a couple of water barrels for crash cooling, one is full, the other empty. Use a 12v submersible pump to feed the cooling coil and recycle into the empty barrel, never waste water that way!

I’ve got the one (olive drum) for cooling. A boat bilge pump down the bottom with the hot returning to the top (I also have a little room around the hoses which exit out the lid at the top. Rain water can then enter the drum and be filtered for debris at the same time)
The pump is run by my solar panel on the roof of the brew shed. This also runs my malt mill and an Aldi 12v pressure washer for wash down

 

[Grok]

I meant running hot water for washing up, rather than brewing.

If you do have hot water available, another idea is to plumb it into the hose outlet. Adjustable temperature water that you can connect a hose to is handy at times.

I usually just capture the first 20L of hot water in a bucket when I turn on the cooling coil from the tap, and use that for hot clean up water, then switch to the barrel water, free hot water that way!

 

[djebel]

And when you're doing some cleaning in preparation for kegging/bottling? On a day when you're not brewing.

 

[Sidney Harbour-Bridge]

Are you able to recommend a solution?

No it is something I am thinking about now as I brew in my garage and the weather in Melbourne can be quite cold and wet, garage door faces north but is a bit big to have open on cold days, access door faces west which is where most of the wind and rain come from.

I am thinking along the lines of a bathroom type ceiling extractor fan ducted to the side wall in the garage attic space.

 

[djebel]

No it is something I am thinking about now as I brew in my garage and the weather in Melbourne can be quite cold and wet, garage door faces north but is a bit big to have open on cold days, access door faces west which is where most of the wind and rain come from.

I am thinking along the lines of a bathroom type ceiling extractor fan ducted to the side wall in the garage attic space.

One trick I use is to raise the roller door slightly. I used a suitably sized hole saw to cut extra pairs of holes in the track so I can lock it in place. That allows air to come in, while keeping most of the rain out.