A photo story - Colorado Basement Brewery

[Brewsit]

In November of 2015, I got the itch to upgrade from my 3 tier gravity system that I built from scratch and decided to put it up for sale. It sold super quick, and I was stuck without a brew system and a desire to move on to the world of electric brewing. My first idea was based on my limitations - no dedicated brew space, south Texas heat, and the best place to brew somehow became the kitchen.

My plan was to build an all in one system (sort of) with the modification of a separate mash tun. That system got to the point where it was ready to brew, and then during the summer of 2016 the Air Force took me to one of the great beer meccas - Fort Collins, CO. Well, it took me to Cheyenne, WY, but anyone familiar with the area knows why we chose Fort Collins. This move brought a lot of opportunities - the one related to this build thread is that we purchased a house with a full unfinished basement. With a totally blank canvas of 2000+ sq ft, I decided to go all out and build a dedicated brewery in one corner.

This process started the fall of 2016, and at this point I am about two or three weeks from our first official brew. The system will be set up with two 30A 220v elements, one in a RIMS tube and one in the boil kettle. The Fermenter (originally the all in one system) has an ULWD element for heating and a stainless immersion coil hooked up to a 50 gallon window AC glycol chiller for cooling.

With all that room in the basement, I was able to set up a full wood shop and got ahold of a bunch of beetle kill blue stain pine, including some thick planks for the countertop. The project is as much a work of design and appeal as it is for function. My goal was to have a one of a kind brew space.

There were a number of changes and redesigns, but the ultimate dream is starting to show through. For one, the control panel is on version 3 (ran out of room once, and then went from mobile to stationary).

I will start the photo series with some of the original all in one system, which was more of a frankenstein than a work of art.

 

[Brewsit]

Once the move happened, I had this blank canvas to work with. This photo is standing in the area of the future brewery.

I mapped out the area and created a 3D model of the future brewery in Google SketchUp.

The idea was to have a wash station to the right of the three kettles, a full sink and dishwasher, full size fridge, and cabinets to store everything. Behind the brewery is the bar with a keezer built in (The grey block on top of the L-shaped bar is the tap tower).

Then a wall went up. And I guess a wood shop behind it.

Then more framing, and some electrical. My parents made a visit from California and I had a framing buddy.

 

[Brewsit]

The next thing was to build the wash station frame.

Then some trickery with plumbing, to creatively tie in to the existing drain. Luckily, this whole space is in the wood shop. You might notice the 2x6 wall with staggered framing, which was to help isolate the vibrations that could come from the wood shop from the brewery.

Then some electrical. They don't make a 4 gang cover for two dryer outlets. Still trying to tackle that one.

The 110v outlet right next to it is actually set up for the fermenter heating/cooling.

More work on the wash area.

 

[Brewsit]

The wash area gets some more work.

This part was a mess. Mainly around the drain. It was evident where I sloped a little too much and ended up below the level of the drain. It's all good now.

The next thing was to lay a membrane for the floor tile. I got some massive tiles, which are a lot harder to handle than small tiles, by the way.

 

[Brewsit]

Snagged a truck load of blue stain pine from the lumber mill outside of town. You would be surprised at how much this didn't cost.

Sticker stacked and drying. That big piece on top will go on to be the end posts for the bar.

Several days of finishing rough cut boards leads to a lot of sawdust. This wasn't even the whole of it.

Time for some concrete board. Everywhere there will be tile, there will be concrete board.

Insulation throughout the brew ceiling, because I really don't want the ceiling to sweat. You can see some of the lighting that went in, and new water lines for everything.

 

[Brewsit]

Drywall is up (I guess I missed taking those pictures) and the floor tile is grouted. The area to the left with the concrete board is where the fermenter will be.

I put in waterproof baseboards and sealed them in, in case of any large spills in the future. In hindsight, I could have probably used any waterproof material, as none of this will show.

Cabinets are starting to go in. Preview of the countertop inlay board in view.

 

[Brewsit]

The cabinet over the refrigerator is a beast. I somehow carried it from the wood shop around the corner into the brewery. It's almost two whole sheets of plywood. Heavy. I designed it to be able to more fully enclose the fridge (I hate how fridges stick out usually) and a nice fringe benefit is that you can store a bunch of corny kegs up there.

A preview of the mood lighting for the brew area.

 

[Brewsit]

Sink is in. It's an undermount, but dropping it in to the concrete board was easier. It also allowed a larger sink for the cabinet size. Concrete and wood will go on top for the undermount look.

The accent wood for the counter is almost ready to go in.

Finally time to start tile work. This went in surprisingly fast, I used some pricey modified thinset that held the tiles like glue. I actually went from top to bottom at one point.

 

[Brewsit]

Just prior to grouting.

Color matched sanded caulk went in the corners later.

 

[Brewsit]

Building the frame for the concrete countertop pour.

Ready to pour!

 

[Brewsit]

Concrete pour went successfully.

This was the extent of any cracking, which was to be expected at this inside corner.

 

[Brewsit]

I installed the faucet for the wash station and hooked up a carbon filter behind the pot filler that will hover over the HLT.

I sanded the concrete some and then used a slurry over it to fill in some of the cracks and imperfections of that front edge, and a few pinholes. A cool unintended effect was it created some interesting brownish accents that made the concrete even more interesting looking. This is after the first layer of epoxy. The epoxy is some pricy stuff, intended for high temperature kitchen applications up to 500 degrees. It's also highly impact and scratch resistant, and can be refinished.

I also got working on the glycol chiller. I went through not one... not two... but three window air conditioners before I successfully got it set up. Apparently, any stress on any of the brazed connections mean an instant refrigerant leak. So that sucked, but I got it working.

Practice AC one...

That AC didn't last much longer than this picture. The drum it is sitting on is now holding 50+ gallons of RV antifreeze, and with AC #3, it works great.


I then set up the new control panel. You don't want to see inside, it will just confuse you. It's about 98% ready in this picture.

The extra holes on the right were supposed to be for more sensors, but I ran out of things to sense. They will get plugged for now, but there's plenty of room for future expansion.

I got the controller ready as well. I switched from the BCS-460 to BruControl and set it up on a 23" touchscreen and mini computer mounted to the back. I built a bunch of scripts to walk you through the brew day and partially automate some processes, including fermentation.

The next steps are to finish the epoxy countertops, plumb out the glycol chiller, finish plumbing the sink, mount the power panel, finish brazing fittings on the kettles, and get everything ready for the first brew, hopefully in two weeks! I will finish the cabinets as I go, but I wanted to make sure we could brew by 1 March for an event at work. Stay tuned for more pictures soon...

 

[Cyclman]

Amazing. Can’t wait to see it done. When’s the opening party?

 

[Brewsit]

Amazing. Can’t wait to see it done. When’s the opening party?

Thank you.

Good question. When the kegerator side is ready? It’s not a party without some active taps.

 

[calgary222]

After noting your avitar, I now understand how this is possible... I'll have to get me one of those.

Nice job on all the tiling, my back is sore just looking at it...

 

[Brewsit]

After noting your avitar, I now understand how this is possible... I'll have to get me one of those.

Nice job on all the tiling, my back is sore just looking at it...

The floor tile was back breaking for sure. The wall tiling was kind of enjoyable, and the ceiling was just a PITA.

My wife and I had a conversation about where all the money is going... she figured it out.

 

[sfrisby]

My wife and I had a conversation about where all the money is going... she figured it out.

And here I am thinking of all the money you're saving.

 

[GiavaBear]

Wow! That is impressive! I love the details and the layout, can tell you've spent a lot of time thinking this beauty out! How long from layout finalization to where you're at currently?
I also really like the beetle kill inlay with the concrete countertop. I live in Ft Collins as well and I'm curious where you got those pieces?
Way to go man! That's one heck of a brewery!

 

[Brewsit]

Wow! That is impressive! I love the details and the layout, can tell you've spent a lot of time thinking this beauty out! How long from layout finalization to where you're at currently?
I also really like the beetle kill inlay with the concrete countertop. I live in Ft Collins as well and I'm curious where you got those pieces?
Way to go man! That's one heck of a brewery!

Thanks a ton! I started buying materials around January of last year. I had a lot of other crap come up between everything, with trying to get a concrete patio put in and some hardwood floors, so part of the summer I went dormant on the project. But a couple months ago went full steam ahead again.

The pine I got from Forks Lumber out on. 287, they got ahold of a bunch that was fresh cut and was about $2 a board foot. I haven’t checked lately but they were anticipating that supply to dry up, but who knows, could still have some.

 

[GiavaBear]

I'll have to check Forks out for sure! Thank you for the info! I've been thinking about getting some from either Sears-Trostle or ordering from the Cedar store south of town for some projects, but now I'll check them out too.
I can't wait to see the finished project pictures!

 

[Brewsit]

I'll have to check Forks out for sure! Thank you for the info! I've been thinking about getting some from either Sears-Trostle or ordering from the Cedar store south of town for some projects, but now I'll check them out too.
I can't wait to see the finished project pictures!

Sears Trostel has been great for finished wood products, for sure. I got all the ply from them, high quality stuff. Forks actually sells their pine stock to The places in town, so going straight to the source is the way to go if you have the gear to finish it.

Hopefully it’s not a whole additional year to finish it

 

[GiavaBear]

I like the live edge pieces, I'm looking to make a table top with live edge beetle kill. Gotta convince the missus to let me get a planer and I'll be set!
Did you put the same epoxy/sealer on the concrete and the wood on the countertops?

 

[Brewsit]

I like the live edge pieces, I'm looking to make a table top with live edge beetle kill. Gotta convince the missus to let me get a planer and I'll be set!
Did you put the same epoxy/sealer on the concrete and the wood on the countertops?

Yep so I sealed them initially with Thompson water seal so they wouldn’t mess with the concrete, and so the concrete wouldn’t stain the wood. Then sanded again and did a skim coat of epoxy over the whole thing. Next is a 1/8” flood coat. I also put screws in the live edge to keep the concrete and wood together.

The epoxy is FX Poxy Premium clear, pricey but worth it.

 

[GiavaBear]

Wow you're right! Pricey but it looks like it's some great stuff!
Are you going to have ventilation issues at all? I may have skipped those pictures/messages regarding venting

 

[BREWBYRD]

Awesome job, blood sweat and tears consumed are evident (and $$$)! Just some advise on the HVAC side. I built my own glycol chiller using a 1/3hp condenser and 3 gallons of glycol. Perfect for chilling wort from 120 to pitching temp and maintaining 14 gal brewtech fermenter. May I suggest you reduce to maybe 10 gallons of glycol, you should get much better results. If you are trying to chill wort from boiling, you simply need to chill glycol to about 15° ahead of time. I am using propylene glycol, the same blue stuff I use at work on commercial chillers at restaurants. Food safe at about $10 gal. Keep the posts coming and thanks so much for for serving!

 

[Brewsit]

Wow you're right! Pricey but it looks like it's some great stuff!
Are you going to have ventilation issues at all? I may have skipped those pictures/messages regarding venting

I haven’t said much on the ventilation yet. I have a large grate on the wall above the boil kettle on the wall, routed to a big hydroponic inline fan and routed outside, less than 5 feet of a run. If I end up with any issues I might upgrade to a hood but at this point I don’t think it will be necessary. I plan to crack the window right there for makeup air.

 

[Brewsit]

Awesome job, blood sweat and tears consumed are evident (and $$$)! Just some advise on the HVAC side. I built my own glycol chiller using a 1/3hp condenser and 3 gallons of glycol. Perfect for chilling wort from 120 to pitching temp and maintaining 14 gal brewtech fermenter. May I suggest you reduce to maybe 10 gallons of glycol, you should get much better results. If you are trying to chill wort from boiling, you simply need to chill glycol to about 15° ahead of time. I am using propylene glycol, the same blue stuff I use at work on commercial chillers at restaurants. Food safe at about $10 gal. Keep the posts coming and thanks so much for for serving!

I might be a little too far into that process to reduce to 10 gallons, as the ac needs the 50 to submerge the coil. I figured I could have the large container and insulate the crap out of it (it’s under the stairs behind the brewery so space isn’t an issue). I know it’s overkill but my thought was to chill 15 gallons from boiling without having the ac kick on, and then be able to lager if I want. Any reason besides it being overkill that 10 gallons would work better?

 

[hammy1983]

wow... amazing build. I see so many of these expensive and semi expensive builds yet my wife (who doesnt drink) is busting my balls about buying a brew kettle and a burner. Where the hell did I go wrong?

 

[Brewsit]

wow... amazing build. I see so many of these expensive and semi expensive builds yet my wife (who doesnt drink) is busting my balls about buying a brew kettle and a burner. Where the hell did I go wrong?

Thanks!

The wife is an avid beer enthusiast as well, so justification is in the end product. She’s usually the one dragging me to breweries (such a hard life).

 

[cubalz]

Very nicely done indeed!!! Brings back memories for me of when we had our new house built and I said that I wanted to build a 30 x 30 electric brew room in our finished basement. She said "sounds like a great idea" After a 3 months of hard work and a dump truck load of money spent, all she said was "you had better brew in that damn room at least twice a month or you will be living in it" Needless to say, it all worked out.

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

wow well done sir, thanks for sharing. Welcome to Colorado! I've been in Golden 6 years and love it out here.

 

[Dmmflys]

All I can say is bravo! Quick thought on the 4 gang 30a outlet cover. Just head to an electrical supply house and pick up a box blank. Use a hole saw to drill size of the plug where ever u need it.
Good luck with rest build keep us all posted please.

 

[bleme]

I have a ton of projects around the house that I never seem to have time for. For instance, I bought some white subway tile 3 years ago for a amazing price and it is still sitting in the corner of my garage. Maybe you want to come visit for a while?

 

[sbsmann]

Thanks for sharing all the pictures. Very nice work. Love the wash basin tile.

 

[Brewsit]

All I can say is bravo! Quick thought on the 4 gang 30a outlet cover. Just head to an electrical supply house and pick up a box blank. Use a hole saw to drill size of the plug where ever u need it.
Good luck with rest build keep us all posted please.

I actually tried that with a white plastic one and shattered the crap out of it... will probably reattempt with a metal one.

 

[Brewsit]

I have a ton of projects around the house that I never seem to have time for. For instance, I bought some white subway tile 3 years ago for a amazing price and it is still sitting in the corner of my garage. Maybe you want to come visit for a while?

Haha if someone would just take my job off my hands I would love to! Any benevolent benefactors out there??

 

[Dmmflys]

I actually tried that with a white plastic one and shattered the crap out of it... will probably reattempt with a metal one.

I did something similar and found that there are different types of plastic from different manufacturers. Some are more brittle and some more flexible.

 

[troutman]

I actually tried that with a white plastic one and shattered the crap out of it... will probably reattempt with a metal one.

Hot glue a scrap of wood to the flat side and drill the holes. Keeps if from flexing and breaking

 

[Brewsit]

Got the epoxy poured this morning, it looks awesome! Now on to finishing up the exhaust fan and getting everything ready for the pilot brew day...

 

[Brewsit]

Pretty productive day. I got the exhaust wired and set up, a big hole drilled in the side of the house and all.