I’ve recently moved into a new house that has a detached barn in the back yard. Due to some permitting issues, the county is going to make me put a concrete slab under it, and I thought that this might be a perfect opportunity to turn it into a brew shed. The barn is roughly 24x17 feet, and I’d probably have about half that space for brewing. I use a Blichman Top Tier modular brewing stand. Currently there is no electric run to the barn, but that’s something fairly easy to do.
I’m looking for any advice or things to keep in mind for turning it into a brewing shed down the road. I know I’m going to need some sort of vent/hood to get all the steam out. Is it a concern to burn propane in a shed, or would simply leaving the door open suffice? Also, I’m not planning on adding any kind of floor drain, but spills happen.
So I’m looking for any advice from people that have built their own brew shed, or adapted something into one. Things to look out for, or address at this time, etc.
Me did build my own brew area. And garage before you begin put on paper what you want. Into your brew area. Water. Electricity. Light before you pour your concreet floor. Make sure you got. A drain system. Makes it easy to clean the floor after brewing. Me got 2 drain system. And all my electic pipes. Layed down before i did pour my concreet. Floor. Once done. Tiles are nice. As well. On the new concreet floor. Next step. Build. A cleaning area. With large sink. Electricity wise. Me got. 4 110volt power outlets. And 2. 220volt outlet. One for my kegurator. You could get a vent system. Me got large sliding window. And last thing. Think where you want your brew setup. Me did drill hole into the wall. So my propane bottles. Outside. The gashose true the wall. And connected to the. Brew system. But on the end its what you like yourself. The sky is the limit.
What is the most important ingredient of beer, water. When I brew, water source and venting are my issues. I was white hose from my outside facet. When I vent, I leave doors open. Storage is manipulation of space.
There are a lot of people that use propane instead of natural gas. Both produce carbon monoxide.
I think the biggest danger is storage and the possibility of leaks. Make sure you get a carbon monoxide detector for your barn, they are cheap. If you are rural go to your Propane and Propane accessories store and ask for help.
It could get costly but if you are pouring concrete, at least stub out water and sewer lines if you plan to get that elaborate. Also enough power for an electric how water tank and/or gas lines.
My brewery is in our detached garage. Plenty of electric but no water or sewer connections. I run a drinking water safe garden hose from the house for water and use propane tanks. Door wide open when the burners are on. Sure would be nice to have water and sewer along with hot water out there but cost keeps me doing i the hard way.
Sounds crazy that the county wants to ding you for permitting of a structure that was there when you purchased the property.
I would definitely add a floor drain. Very simple and cheap to do. You won’t be sorry.
I wouldn’t be overly concerned about ventilation using propane in a barn/shed structure but would want inflammable protection between the burner and wood walls.
Many people use propane stoves indoors across America. BUT I think a ‘turkey fryer’ burner typical for Homebrew use is less efficient than a kitchen stove converted for propane use. So more incomplete combustion… They also throw a lot more heat.
So it’s not so much that propane isn’t inherently suitable for indoor use; it’s that outdoor cooking equipment isn’t suitable. Your burners and ventilation need to be appropriately sized, and local code may require fire suppression. (Think commercial kitchen hood)
You’d probably be happier getting a hundred amp service set up, and just go electric.
Propane is fine with a kitchen style stove indoors but not a banjo style burner. It will use all the O2 in that room and you’ll end up on the floor. Set it up in the door way.
I would not guess whether it is or is not safe to burn propane in your barn-turned-brewshed. But, I would expect there is a formula for how much airflow you need when using a propane burner of a specific BTU rating inside a room of specific dimensions. Maybe a local HVAC contractor would be able to advise you on that.
