Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

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Binkie Huckaback
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Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by Binkie Huckaback » Fri Nov 01, 2019 2:00 pm

So, I'm clearing out and fixing a large-ish block shed into - among other things - somewhere to keep all my kit and to house my fermenters. I'd probably still brew outside due to steam issues. The shed will eventually have power, but probably not water as it's just outside the kitchen.

My questions to those of you who have a dedicated brewhouse/shed, what are the things you definitely need and what do you wish you'd added which would be a real nightmare to add once it's all finished?

Thanks!

guypettigrew
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Re: Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by guypettigrew » Fri Nov 01, 2019 4:09 pm

Hi Binkie

Good luck with the build. The most important bit for me was the extractor fan. Means I can boil in the 'garage' with no problems.

You might want to look at this thread which details the build a couple of years ago.

Guy

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Re: Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by Cobnut » Fri Nov 01, 2019 4:13 pm

guypettigrew wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 4:09 pm
The most important bit for me was the extractor fan.
I have this on my list; otherwise I have to put up with a bit of steam or open the (double) doors and windows on my shed.

I need to add more "storage" in my shed; there's so many odds & sods in there I need to "organise".

I have electrics, water, work surfaces, fermentation and beer fridges. So on the whole, pretty happy with my shed build (log cabin actually).

Lovely man-space :)
Fermenting: nowt
Conditioning: English IPA/Bretted English IPA
Drinking: Sunshine Marmalade, Festbier, Helles Bock, Smokey lagery beer, Irish Export StoutCascade APA (homegrown hops), Orval clone, Impy stout, Duvel clone, Conestoga (American Barley wine)
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Re: Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by TheSumOfAllBeers » Fri Nov 01, 2019 4:23 pm

I brew in a garden shed, brew in a bag means the crossbeam is the only good hoisting point for the grain bag (I do large batches).

You can get away without plumbed in water as long as you can run garden hose from a garden tap or the kitchen, but its nice if the hoses can stay in place permanently, and that you can shut on/off water directly from within the shed.

The steam is not that big a deal to be honest - shed door open and a fan will get rid of a lot of it.

Shelving/storage OTOH is a bit of a killer. I have done my best but its hard to work around the kettle when its in position for the brew day.

Also you want good workbenches and safe tool and chemical storage.

You need power in the shed. For me I just ran an outdoor cable into the shed from the house living room, through a convenient hole left by a previous cable provider. Lighting would be nice, but I find i can get away with portable worklights.

Drainage - you need a drain near the shed that is handy for running the IC exhaust to.

Sink. I would kill for the ability to be able to wash down kit as I am done with it. For all my best intentions, buckets of kit stored outside get left to go to crap. Also sink needs some place to drain into. Maybe an outside sink you could get away with.

A floor surface that is easy to clean spills on, and you can shove the water off with a squidgee, that doesnt become a slip hazard when wet.

Secure grain storage. Rat proof and bug proof. (I store grain in the house).

Dedicated milling station, that is easy to clean down. Bit of a nice to have, I use a foldup workbench with the mill on top of it, but it takes longer to setup than it does to mill the grain. With a bit of creativity you could get it to control the dust generated too.

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Re: Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by Jocky » Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:25 pm

Some form of drainage (ideally a screed floor with multiple floor drains) would be my first choice for something that's hard to do later.

On the subject of steam - extractor fans aren't very effective unless you cover the kettle and have a duct going outside. Or I would consider the idea of a steam condenser: http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/forum ... hp?t=31626
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Re: Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by Wet Spaniel » Sat Nov 02, 2019 5:24 pm

18B39D1A-8E06-4C78-9B1E-E5E630C3EAA8.jpeg
If you can’t or don’t want to permanently run water to your shed, you can always plumb taps and hlt feeds etc within the shed and then have a hose attachment outside so you can connect up as and when required.

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Re: Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by guypettigrew » Sat Nov 02, 2019 6:40 pm

Jocky wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:25 pm
On the subject of steam - extractor fans aren't very effective unless you cover the kettle and have a duct going outside. Or I would consider the idea of a steam condenser: http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/forum ... hp?t=31626
The fan in my garage brewery is amazingly effective. It's situated in the wall just above the kettle. I boil with two 2.4kw elements on all the way through the boil and there is absolutely no condensation in the garage. Needs the front door to the garage open as it pulls a huge amount of air. The steam gets sucked away from the kettle with no problem.

It's one of these, with a speed controller and external aluminium shutter.

Guy

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Re: Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by Rankin_leigh » Sat Nov 02, 2019 8:02 pm

Jocky wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:25 pm
Some form of drainage (ideally a screed floor with multiple floor drains) would be my first choice for something that's hard to do later.

On the subject of steam - extractor fans aren't very effective unless you cover the kettle and have a duct going outside. Or I would consider the idea of a steam condenser: http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/forum ... hp?t=31626
Ive been looking into upgrading my ventilation... current does feck all, now it's getting colder, back to soaked walls...

Anyone else actually tried this in practise? Does it work well, and how much additional water does it actually need? (I dont have mains in my garage so would need to pump/gravity feed).

My current plan was
https://www.screwfix.com/p/cooke-lewis- ... RRWidgetID

guypettigrew
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Re: Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by guypettigrew » Sat Nov 02, 2019 8:42 pm

Once again, try one of these.

A major part of my lifelong collection of about 6,000 vinyl albums is in my brewery/garage. No way would I risk condensation getting to any of them.

Guy

McMullan

Re: Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by McMullan » Sat Nov 02, 2019 8:52 pm

You might find straightforward (directed) ventilation is more effective than an extraction fan. Those 'sticky walls' will grow into a risk at some point.

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Re: Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by Rankin_leigh » Sat Nov 02, 2019 8:54 pm

guypettigrew wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 8:42 pm
Once again, try one of these.

A major part of my lifelong collection of about 6,000 vinyl albums is in my brewery/garage. No way would I risk condensation getting to any of them.

Guy
That looks amazing - but no way I could hide a hole in the garage that size from the Mrs!

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Re: Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by guypettigrew » Sat Nov 02, 2019 9:22 pm

My wife quite likes it! Professional looking from the inside of the garage, and covered with an aluminium shutter on the outside.

Very neat.

Guy

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Jocky
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Re: Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by Jocky » Sat Nov 02, 2019 10:06 pm

Rankin_leigh wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 8:02 pm
Jocky wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:25 pm
Some form of drainage (ideally a screed floor with multiple floor drains) would be my first choice for something that's hard to do later.

On the subject of steam - extractor fans aren't very effective unless you cover the kettle and have a duct going outside. Or I would consider the idea of a steam condenser: http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/forum ... hp?t=31626
Ive been looking into upgrading my ventilation... current does feck all, now it's getting colder, back to soaked walls...

Anyone else actually tried this in practise? Does it work well, and how much additional water does it actually need? (I dont have mains in my garage so would need to pump/gravity feed).

My current plan was
https://www.screwfix.com/p/cooke-lewis- ... RRWidgetID
A member of my brew club does, and it's very effective. No condensation, no need to vent. Uses about 10 litres per hour I think, I will check with him. Seems like something that you could do with a pump.

Otherwise put a lid on the boiler with ducting to the outside.
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.

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Re: Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by Wet Spaniel » Sat Nov 02, 2019 10:10 pm

guypettigrew wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 8:42 pm
Once again, try one of these.

A major part of my lifelong collection of about 6,000 vinyl albums is in my brewery/garage. No way would I risk condensation getting to any of them.

Guy
Guy, do you have any hood etc over the extractor and kettle or is it purely the suction power of the fan that draws the condensation out?

Thanks Jonty

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Re: Brewhouse/Shed Wishlist

Post by guypettigrew » Sat Nov 02, 2019 10:27 pm

Hi Jonty

It's just the power of the extractor. The people at Just Fans were really helpful. I gave them the size of the garage (about 28 cubic meters) and this fan was recommended as it's powerful enough to do a complete air change for that volume every 30 seconds if run at maximum speed. Just Fans do larger and smaller extractors as necessary.

I run it at about half speed and the steam from the boiler can be seen flowing towards and through the fan in very definite way. The fan's just above the kettle on a vertical wall.

The aluminium shutters open as the fan starts to run, and close down again when it's off, stopping cold air from getting into the garage when the fan's not in use.

One extra bit of stuff which was needed was a drip tray under the fan with a run off tube. Some of the steam condenses on the fan and needs to be conducted away. Easy enough to do as the amount of condensate during the boil is less than 200ml. Enough to make a mess on the worktop, though, if not managed!

I love it. Means the boil can be done with no lid on the kettle and there's no condensate anywhere in the garage.

Guy

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