Building a new house... Help with my brew room!

[cheyneco]

We're building a new house and our basement will include an 8x16 room for my cider making. It will be mostly below grade and spray foam insulated to help with temperature control, a floor drain and plumbing for a commercial sink. I know I want a window to show off the room while enjoying drinks at the adjoining bar.

What are some other essentials I should consider in the design? My goal is to set it up like a very small version of a commercial setup.

 

[MeatyPortion]

Do you like to hunt?

http://twistedsifter.com/2014/09/guy-turns-storage-room-into-rustic-cabin-man-cave/

 

[TeamAshBrewing]

Do you like to hunt?

http://twistedsifter.com/2014/09/guy-turns-storage-room-into-rustic-cabin-man-cave/

Wow, that's really cool. Is that yours?

 

[MeatyPortion]

Wow, that's really cool. Is that yours?

Nope, not mine, just something I found during searches for DIY man cave. I thought maybe something might click with OP.

 

[cheyneco]

I have seen that... That's an awesome man cave. Im not quite that outdoorsy, but I'd take it!

For this area, though, it's strictly a brew/fermentation/bottling room. I picture something along the lines of this (just the bar/brew room area):

http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/gallery

But more geared toward cider/wine, so no need for brew kettles or a vent hood or anything like that.

 

[cheyneco]

 

[MeatyPortion]

That would be sweet. Are you looking for any designs on the walls or keep it more sterile so the equipment can shine?

 

[cheyneco]

Mostly clean and sterile but I wouldn't mind of it had a cool brewery logo or something. I haven't toured many breweries so I don't know what to do with mine.

 

[madscientist451]

What's your budget for the project?
Is the cidery/winery going to include crushing & pressing? Or are you doing that somewhere else?
Does the grade slope down so you can have outside access?
I do all my apple/grape crushing and pressing outside because it makes a pretty big mess and I like to use a hose to wash everything down without worrying about what I'm spraying or not spraying. A brewery is a different thing entirely, and still presents some challenges to get clean, but not the same as cleaning an apple grinder. grape crusher or cider or wine presses.

 

[cheyneco]

What's your budget for the project?
Is the cidery/winery going to include crushing & pressing? Or are you doing that somewhere else?
Does the grade slope down so you can have outside access?
I do all my apple/grape crushing and pressing outside because it makes a pretty big mess and I like to use a hose to wash everything down without worrying about what I'm spraying or not spraying. A brewery is a different thing entirely, and still presents some challenges to get clean, but not the same as cleaning an apple grinder. grape crusher or cider or wine presses.

Oh that's a very good point. Right now I just use juice, so I hadn't even considered that. I eventually would like to press my own apples, maybe even grow the apples myself on our property.

The room does not have outside access... There is a lawn mower storage room next to it that does. I may consider moving the mower room somewhere else and extend the cider room all the way to the exterior wall. The only concern there is that the room won't be as protected from the elements, due to the grade of the land.

 

[cheyneco]

Oh, and I dont really have a budget in mind. The structure, flooring, drainage, and window will be included in the house budget. Is a standard 3" floor drain big enough?

 

[madscientist451]

I don't know why you would need a floor drain bigger than 3", but its a lot cheaper to put a larger one as the house is being built. If I was building a home cidery/winery I'd install an out door "crush pad" probably concrete, but you could dress it up with slate, which would also be used as a patio/ hang out drinking spot when entertaining. Good outside drainage is essential, but can just run away from the house. Perhaps slate or brick on the outside of the house leading into the winery area. Double doors from the crush pad to the inside so carboys and maybe barrels can be easily moved in and out.
I'd build a shed to keep the lawnmowers away from the house along with the gas cans.

 

[KartRacer54]

Nice long countertop and plenty of cabinets. A small manual rope hoist for lifting.
All items that have made my area easier to utilize.

 

[cheyneco]

Excellent tips, Thank you. I'm considering moving the mower room to another area and expanding the brew room to that area as well.

What do you use a hoist for?

 

[KartRacer54]

Cheyneco, I have to lift carboys to move into fern chamber and if I bottle I raise the bottling bucket above the countertop so that I can bottle on the counter. I also plan on using the hoist to lift the kegs to the second shelf in the upright kegerator.

 

[cheyneco]

Can you post a picture? That will definitely come in handy, especially if/when I decide to move up to larger batch sizes.

 

[cheyneco]

Not much in terms of finishes or anything exciting yet... But here's a few pics of the progress of the room so far. I ended up moving my lawn mower room so the space doubled.

It looks like on my phone that the photos are sideways... I apologize if they are!

There is a drain in the center of the room and it will be lit with 4 hanging LED shop lights.

The wire hanging off the wall is for a mini-split air unit that will keep the rooms temperature controlled separately from the rest of the house.

Just outside the room will be the bar with a viewing window into the room.

 

[cheyneco]

I guess I forgot about this. I haven't finished... But we moved in last May and I've made a lot of progress. Unfortunately I've done a lot of parts of this myself...so it's taken a long time.

Still need to finish the floors in the brew room, add a sink, stainless counters, and some more shelves. I have a refrigerator I'm going to move in for cold crashing or as a fermentation chamber, although the room is separately climate controlled from the rest of the house already.

 

[yeahfairly]

Nice Job!.......... How are you liking the concrete counter tops? Taps look Awesome......

 

[TwistedGray]

Very cool! Looks like quite a massive complex ... errrr house

 

[cheyneco]

Very cool! Looks like quite a massive complex ... errrr house

Yeah I feel the same way! We started out the process wanting 1500-2000sqft and you add a foot here, little extra room there and next thing you know you have way too much house.

I really like the concrete counter top. No one, NO ONE, would do it for me locally so I ended up doing it myself. It's not perfect and rally needs grinded/polished but the mess was just too much to handle. It looks good as is, but I may look at sealing it with an epoxy to smooth it out a little. It was a fun project though.

The taps were also a fun project. It was about $200 for all 4 with pipes from Lowes. I still haven't drilled the top of the coolers for the tap lines or built a little platform to raise the coolers, but that's really all thats left for that to be complete.

I'll get pics of the lighting in the brew room. My last brew area was very poorly lit... So this space I have 4 LED shop lights so it's super bright. I plan to put in a commercial sink for rinsing buckets and kegs.


It honestly feels a little silly making cider in such a big space. I need to start bottling again or venturing into beer to make use of some of the space. I made 45 gallons in November and have 25 gallons still in primary buckets waiting for empty kegs. I guess I can say it's bulk aging?

 

[NickTheGreat]

I like it. Well done!

 

[homebrewer_99]

Cheyneco, I have to lift carboys to move into fern chamber and if I bottle I raise the bottling bucket above the countertop so that I can bottle on the counter. I also plan on using the hoist to lift the kegs to the second shelf in the upright kegerator.

I've been thinking about a hoist system too. I'm getting too old to lift 35lbs of liquid over my head to set it on an overturned bucket for bottling. Hoisting the bottling bucket up just seems like the way to go and let gravity to the rest of the work.