I’ve been brewing since 2001. Bought my starter gear from our host. As I jumped up another level, bought more gear from our host, and for many years, all my malt too.
My brewery was located in our laundry room. That room is located on the walk-out side of our home. East facing room…
Water and big clean up sink handy. Used propane and had fans to exhaust the fumes out the window and/or door. Luckily, switched to electric. Very nice. Easier to control. No fumes. The mind set of using gas for any kinda heat, was more of the challenge.
“Using electric just ain’t gonna work”
This past summer, I tore down our small garage and built a little bit bigger, small garage. I’m just starting to wire it. I believe electric cars will become a normal in the future. So I’m putting in a panel with potential. Then… a light flickered…. Why not move my brewery out there?
“You didn’t provide any water supply knucklehead!”
I did put a floor drain in. I have a hose bib with a frostcock installed… I’ll just need to make a potable hose.
The electric side of brewing, really brought me into modern standards, well, from MY point of view… but the potable water side slides me backwards… but at least that isn’t un-obtainable…. Cleaning/washing and sanitizing isn’t too hard to setup… I will miss having a big sink handy tho…
In summer months my brewery has been our detached garage since I got it in 2007. Too big and too much carbon monoxide for in the house. I drag a drinking water safe hose from the house out there and setup just inside the overhead door. Any waste water, like from the chiller, goes down the sewer vent. Not sure you are supposed to do that but the waste water department has a station down the street so their guys drive by all the time and never said anything.
The “newer little bit bigger” garage. It’s 12’ longer than the first one… I do have the left side completed now. Zoot Suit siding for the winter. I can nail the new stuff right on top of the lathe strips.
The right hand overhead door will be my brew area, when I’m brewing… water supply right on the corner of the house, close enuff.
Sneezles61
Looking good. Water is close enough and I see your bulk LP tank is also close. Heating the new garage/brewery with LP? Might be time to go back to gas burners.
Our laundry tub sink is just inside the house and I could not do without it. Put a Y shutoff fitting on the spigot with vinyl tubing on one side to spray or fill stuff.
Soffits and facia show up today… sometime. We are heading into a warm spell for about a week, so I’ll get the wiring well under way…
I will stick with electric brewery. The ease and control, make it very appealing.
Sneezles61
A few years ago I thought I’d see just how much water it took to chill wort… 35 gallons for a 10 gallon batch.
I have a floor drain, so I can use that, it runs into a 55 gallon barrel I buried outside the garage… we do live in a gravel/sand soil area…
sneezles61
Looks nice and I like the water idea with the drum. If you can find a way to keep it relatively climate controlled that would be ideal to assist in controlling your fermentation temps. It would be super nice to get permanent water. One thing I remember from brewing outside was the hose freezing. And bringing it in the night before so it wasn’t frozen solid when I went to use it.
I did put hydronic tubing for in-floor heat in the slab… lotsa styrofoam. That won’t be working this winter…
Let’s call it a vision in progress…
Sneezles61
Hey, it’s gonna warm up now, I’ll get out to keep after wiring… my brew rig is out there now… I’ll have a few brews and see about where the big plug in goes…
Sneezles61
Drinking a couple beers (responsibly) while trying to determine some new brewery configurations and setting it up is tops! Takes me back to when I first got my new brewery.
Im going to begin dusting off some cobwebs and trying to get set back up here and brewing again in a few weeks. I moved to rural washington a few years ago and have not brewed since! I did get an electric biab setup from high gravity several years ago that I really like.
Good to hear from you again! Keep us up on getting set up and back to brewing! I feel it’s like riding a bike, you don’t forget, but may take a moment to get all the faculties back together!
sneezles61
if I had a piece of equipment like that sitting around not being used it would push my anxiety level through the roof. I get nervous just having anything laying around I could ferment.
Haha yeh its been calling me. I have grains stored from 3 years ago in airtight containers. Do you think they are still good to use? That and many hops in the deep freezer
I would do a mash with a pound and see if you come close to the gravity of a fresh grains… Hops… boil some water and add hops? See if it makes a bitter tea?
Hope you get a brew going for the spring time, “throw the doors open and head out” season!
Sneezles61
Well the hops are no good for standard beer but you could use them in your sours and funky beers. The grains might be alright. Like sneazles says try them you already paid for them. I’d mix in some fresh specialty grains and see what you get.
Interesting. I have seen others say that hops can be good frozen for up to 5 years. I would only use any that were unopened. Maybe Ill just make a big batch or 2 to use up all my old ingredients. Probably have 15 lbs of marris otter, 10 lbs of 2 row, and 10 pounds of pilsen. Ill check out my hops tonight too.
