Building an outdoor kichen/brew shed

[MaryB]

This shed off my deck used to be my only storage and has turned into a catch all the last 2 years since the garage was finished. Started cleaning last week(trailer load of scrap lumber moved out) but a lot to go. It is the same floor height as my deck making access easy. Plan is to replace the roll up door with a standard insulated 36" entry door with a window. Fully insulate everything, use steel liner on the ceiling and walls for easy wash down. I will be able to do my canning in there, beer brewing, the Traeger BBQ will fit through the standard door easy and I plan on interior counter space from prep and serving areas. The rear left corner is going to get a 4'x4' temp controlled cold room(I need it 62 degrees) with 6" of R board insulation in the walls to make it energy efficient. Right of that will be a large utility sink(double basin) for cleanup. Plus I will have my cooling water tank back along that wall or on the left wall so I can chill the beer wort down to 65 degrees before adding the yeast.

View from ground level, house it to the left off that step up 8x14 deck section. Right deck section is 14x12 where the shed is located. Yes it has a pile of snow, supposed to be in the 50's this weekend, the stuff can melt!

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Brew%20Shed%20construction/IMG_20170315_183205596_zpsxt6r1bwe.jpg

What a mess as I dig out what I want to save

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Brew%20Shed%20construction/IMG_20170315_183256695_zps2ab1yztz.jpg

Lot of work ahead of me this spring. I hope to have it done by July... the space is 12x16 s decent sized area. Right side under the window will be cabinets with counter space for bottling beer etc. I used to use it as my wood shop and could barely turn around in it!

[MaryB]

2 1/2 hours work with the help of 2 friends who made $20 each plus I gave one of them one of the two folding tables like the one you see in the pic. I had the tables for when I was catering BBQ, now I only need 1 for BBQ's as a prep station by the BBQ pit and most I could have got selling it is $15. He and his wife have big holiday gatherings and used to borrow one all the time so why not let him have one as a thanks.

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Brew%20Shed%20construction/IMG_20170328_181825893_zpsocidv8ke.jpg

I need to get a dumpster brought in and then move another pickup load of tools and stuff that belong in the workshop in the garage then construction can start! I had enough leftover white steel siding to do the ceiling and maybe one wall. So that will help he non-existent budget!

You know you have good friends when they wade into 20+ years of mouse droppings! I need to find where they are entering and get that sealed. Have an idea because we had a live mouse head down the eave in the back left corner.

[rancher1913]

instead of metal on the walls you might try some frp(fiberglass reinforced panels) they are food grade, don't rust and easily cleaned. thats code for commercial kitchens around here, I know you are private but you never know what you may end up doing down the road and setting it up to commercial code could enable you to go retail and make some money in the future.

[DanishM1Garand]

Nice purging of junk. I need a good purge as well.

Ive brewed beer, I'm not fussy enough to brew good enough beer to serve to others though.

[Greg S]

I'll seconf FRP.

[MaryB]

FRP is double the cost of steel and I will never go commercial. Plus it will need drywall backing... Did my time catering BBQ and it is a ton of work! I am done with 20 hour work days. Steel will outlast me so that is what I am going with! Designed the hood for over the burners to pull CO out and steam out, going to be tricky with ceiling height because the brew rig is 6'4" tall and might hit 7' when I upgrade kettles this year.

[zymguy]

whatcha doing for venting and drain ? I brew for a living and am always willing to 'talk shop'

[DLCTEX]

FRP exceeds $50 a sheet now. I can relate to going cheaper.

[MaryB]

Building a custom 140CFM vent hood from aluminum, drain will be out the wall into the garden! Plan is a small barrel to catch the drain water then a drip irrigation line to drain it across 20' of garden. I only brew twice to three times a month so not a lot of water used. Cooling water is going to be recycled and I will chill it with frozen gallon jugs of water starting the night before. 55 gallon drum f water 2/3 full then as much ice in jugs as it will hold. Since I use an immersion chiller the water will stay mostly clean, maybe swap it once in awhile.

I do 11 gallon batches and depending on how much friends end up needing I can go through a lot!

[zymguy]

Building a custom 140CFM vent hood from aluminum, drain will be out the wall into the garden! Plan is a small barrel to catch the drain water then a drip irrigation line to drain it across 20' of garden. I only brew twice to three times a month so not a lot of water used. Cooling water is going to be recycled and I will chill it with frozen gallon jugs of water starting the night before. 55 gallon drum f water 2/3 full then as much ice in jugs as it will hold. Since I use an immersion chiller the water will stay mostly clean, maybe swap it once in awhile.

I do 11 gallon batches and depending on how much friends end up needing I can go through a lot!

added benifit of re using the water is you drive the chlorine out. Cheers from northeastern Mn. (ely)

[MaryB]

Which brewery do you work for? Racking my brain to think of who is up that way... I am just a lover of good ale and I can't get that around here. Best I can get locally is Fat Tire. My house ale everyone loves including the BudMillerCoors drinkers is a simple all grain ale

16 pounds Golden Promise
3 1/2 pounds of Victory
.75 pounds of Extra dark crystal(160l)

1.5 pounds per quart mash water

60 minute mash at 153

8 gallons sparge

2 ounces Perle at 60 minutes(pellets)
2 ounces Hallertau at 5 minutes(pellets)

60 minute boil, cool to 65, yeast is just Nottingham Ale

simple recipe that pleases most who have tried it.

I don't remember the water additions off the top of my head, brew sheet is out in the garage! I use RO water and add back...

[zymguy]

im at the boathouse brewpub. That looks like a beer id drink!

[MaryB]

Feel free to use and tweak it! If you come up with a good tweak let me know! It is a sweeter low hop ale that the budmillercoors types will drink but complex enough to make me happy as a house ale. And one I always have in the pipeline, have 11 gallons to bottle this week. I need to get a 5 gallon batch of a citrus IPA made, with warmer weather coming on it is more refreshing.

The ale is Named Echo Ale for the town I live in

These are the water additions

Mash:
Gypsum 3.8 grams
NaCl(canning salt) .8 grams
Calcium Chloride 3.8 grams

Sparge:
Gypsum 4.3 grams
Canning salt .9 grams
Calcium Chloride 4.3 grams
acidify as needed...

[MaryB]

Not part of the brew shed but bottling is a major pain in the rear so I am going to kegs. Moved this fridge to the pantry today(that was a chore, it was as wide as the door! Actually wider until I pulled off the ice maker solenoid! And that was without the doors/hinges on it.) then got the door drilled. Mounted 2 taps and have a spot for a third when I order it next month. Taps are the new forward seal Intertap's that are supposed to drip less and not need cleaning as often. Yes that is rust on the door(and dirt, it was living in the front porch and got splattered when I came in this winter) that I need to clean up and then paint. Since it is buried back in the pantry nobody will see it but me anyway. Friends are buying growlers with a CO2 charger setup and a picnic tap to take beer home in too so less bottling there. Only thing I will bottle now are specialty beers that need longer aging.

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/IMG_20170404_202655553_zpsqjmnk0yi.jpg

[MaryB]

Woke up with a massive back ache so no work on the shed. I could sit on a short stool and work on the beer fridge so I drilled 2 holes in the side for the CO2 lines, assembled them with fittings, assembled the beer lines and got them mounted on the taps. I need to get the CO2 tank filled then leak test for a week to make sure it all holds pressure like it is supposed to. Next batch of beer I brew will be going in kegs!

[LaPoint]

You won't regret your decision to keg your beer instead of bottling it. I'm an infrequent brewer but I have always kegged mine. I am building a keezer (keg cooler from a freezer) that will eventually have room for 7 5 gal Cornelius kegs. I will be using a P.I.D. controller to maintain temperatures. I enjoy seeing and reading about your progress. Keep us posted Mary.
LaPoint

[MaryB]

I use a PID in this fridge to maintain fermenting temps, but with a dedicated fermenting spot(I have a line on a commercial stainless fridge with a leak in one of the coils. Since I was going to use a small window AC unit no biggie, I only need 62 degrees) coming I decided it would work well for the beer fridge.

Push to start kegging was getting pin lock kegs for $35 each with a free set of O-rings and a free set of disconnects making the kegs only $25 in price.

[Lance Boyle]

You sound like the perfect woman and neighbor! I
wish I had half your motivation.

My brother brews occaisionally but he's a hop head and
I'm not. I like ales and wheat beers. It sounds like yours is a good
brew!


I Figured one day inwould brew but my house basement isn't all that cool
being a walk out.

[MaryB]

On the wall away from the walkout make a beer cave with 2 inch R board, use 2 layers. Only has to cover the fermenters and of you have a bare concrete wall on that side it will be ground temp or close to it. Here that means 56 degrees year round and the guys use fans to pull in warmer air for ale fermenting.

I like hops but not a steady diet of them. An IPA a day is plenty for me! I usually have 2 beers with supper then 1 more before bed. Getting to old to be getting hangovers from drinking a 6 pack+ a day! I grew up drinking beer, German grandparents who served it with every meal but breakfast. Once past 10 years old the kids all had a beer with the adults then we went back to work...

[Lance Boyle]

Hmm. Might be workable. It's somewhat cool until about mid
July. I guess it depends how many weeks needed.

[MaryB]

My house ale only takes 7-10 days then can be bottled. 2-3 weeks lets it clear a bit more but cloudy beer doesn't bug me, I am not entering contests! A PID controlled fridge works well too for fermenting in. Mine was set at 62 and the fermenting wort might reach 68 which is fine for the yeast I use. IPA's are also fast fermenters unless it is an IIPA(ABV over 7%...) and can often be bottled at 7 days if you are not dry hopping in the fermenter.

[MaryB]

Got a partial CO2 fill today, his tank was half empty so didn't have the pressure to do more than 1/4 full in mine. Hooked everything up and leak tested things. Next step is clean all the lines then flush with sanitizer. I won't get beer into kegs for at least 2 weeks(brewing this weekend).

[Lance Boyle]

Huh. I must be under false impressions. My buddy used to make his and the bottled product would sit in the dark closet for a time period. My boss last year did a batch for
his son for him coming home from the Marines. I thought he said it was in the bottle
to age for 4-6 weeks. I drank the test beer before he got home and gave it my approval. A good malty taste.

I like wheat beers so a bit a cloudiness is normal.


As you you can gather I've never done it myself.

[MaryB]

Aging is needed for the high alcohol beers, under 6% you can get away with shorter time in the bottle. And dark beers usually need aging as do lagers. But simple English ales and IPA's are very good drank fresh. I am not awheat beer fan so not sure on aging for them... a good way to start is buy a kit. Northernbrewer.com makes very good kit beers. This kit says 4 weeks, probably 2 in fermenter then 2 in the bottle to carbonate http://www.northernbrewer.com/american-wheat-beer-extract-kit

[Lance Boyle]

Thank you!

[MaryB]

Little more work on the keg fridge, thanks to a member here I sourced some dummy rounds without primers that I drilled out and tapped 3/8-16 to fit the beer faucets. Still need to sand and paint the fridge(it has grease stains etc from being a garage then porch fridge) but I had to test fit them. Not mounted is the 338 lapua, that faucet is backordered into next month, then it is a M8 50 cal spotter round, then a 50 BMG. Can't decide on a color for the fridge... might go black...

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Tap%20handles_zpslbfb48q5.jpg

[MaryB]

Added a shelf over the compressor hump to hold 2 kegs with space for 2 more in front. And I can have all the shelves in the door for holding bottled beer as needed. Need to add third tap and make up 1 more gas and beer line. And find the extremely slow leak I have grrrr

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/IMG_20170414_174117498_zpsb9vhk0w6.jpg

[MaryB]

Ceiling joists cut and in place except over the roll up door(it has to be taken out before I can place 2 of them), and I started on the new floor deck because the old one was pretty chewed up from 25 years use. Going to add 2x3 furring to the walls to take them to 6" so I can use R19 insulation. The big blue roll is 8" thick fiberglass leftover from the garage build so going to cut and fit that in the ceiling and put any leftover up on top of it.

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Brew%20Shed%20construction/IMG_20170620_175849985_zpstaisrqwq.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Brew%20Shed%20construction/IMG_20170620_175858764_zps6nmxnrqd.jpg

[Lance Boyle]

25 years in that floor. It served its time well.

I could go for one of your beers. I mowed 3 acres of yard, burned one truck size brush pile and have chain sawed up a similar amount of brush and am burning the green stuff on the hot fire. Got more to do but for some strange reason my foot is going numb. Water break time! It'll have to do.

[MaryB]

Slow project, I work on it as my back pain allows. Cut all the 2x4s to frame in the new entrance door today. Will try to get them all nailed together tomorrow if I don't brew a batch of beer! Need to get that done too! Last full keg is in the fridge so I am going to be buying some beer... 2 weeks is about the minimum to have it drinkable.

[MaryB]

Door framed in and installed, 2/3 of the floor is done. Ready to start on furring out the wall studs then insulating. Need to cut insulation for the ceiling and get that up too.

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Brew%20Shed%20construction/IMG_20170624_200126761_zps88aqr82j.jpg

Floor height is perfect, BBQ pit rolls right over the door sill

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Brew%20Shed%20construction/IMG_20170624_200230700_zpsyr3ie0oe.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Brew%20Shed%20construction/IMG_20170624_200214520_zps087r6wxw.jpg

Finish cutting floor Monday when I have help for an hour, 3/4 ply is to much for my spine to lift anymore. Brew day tomorrow so that will be all I get done.

[MaryB]

Moved brew day to Monday, way to windy to have the overhead door of the garage open making it hard to control burner heat. So more work on the brew shed, furred out just under half of it, insulated 1/3. Friend is coming for the rest of the roll up door tomorrow sometime. We got the tracks out of the way so I could put new floor down anyway! Thing weighs 150 pounds so need some big muscles!

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/Brew%20Shed%20construction/IMG_20170625_190827713_zpswvbmr56o.jpg

[MaryB]

Last of the flooring cut and laid in place. I need to get it screwed down still. Then continue insulating!

[MaryB]

Floor is all in, all but 12 of the furring installed(ran out need to make a trip to town Friday or Monday(I refuse to shop on weekends! I hate crowds!). Need to get insulation up, start putting the girts up then I can start on steel which is going to be a slow project as I can afford to buy it.

[MaryB]

Soon as I find a new photo hosting site I will update the pic links. If you have stuff on photobucket you may want to get it pulled off because they are going to go all pay. They got a rather rude message from me telling them where to stick their service!

[Lance Boyle]

Lol,
I did that on the fifth. I just slammed about 300 photos into a folder on my laptop. I may or may not have already had most of them somewhere else. Any that I take with the cell phone camera come back even when I delete them due to some goofy backup software. It does the same with my contact list every so often.

I deleted every photo from photobucket except a download of Stephen Segal dressed as a cook from that movie on the battleship. They can have it. I didn't delete the account either. Just abandoned it.

[Lance Boyle]

Imagur I think is a go to hosting site. I expect they'll all go to a pay basis. Photobucket was ruined by them anyhow. Horrible 'upgraded' software. Slow and difficult so they get more ad potential. I needed to phexit several years ago.

[Smoke4320]

Pics or it didn't happen :) :)

[MaryB]

I may go back and just upload pics off my cell camera to the forum... skip the third party garbage.

[Wayne Smith]

Mary, that's what I've always done. Pics on the computer and uploaded here.

[MaryB]

Got the lock and deadbolt installed today so no more worrying about the air compressor and other tools in there while I am working. Of course the factory miss drilled the pre hung door frame... holes were 1/2 inch low. I was NOT going to take the door out and take it back! I mixed sawdust and 5 minute epoxy and filled the holes in. Let it cure for an hour then drilled and filed new holes that were the right height. As solid as factory and I use 4" screws for the striker plates so they are well anchored into the framing. You are not going to kick that door in!

[MaryB]

Insulation is all in except a strip where I need to move the electrical. And plastic on 2 walls. Ran out of plastic so at a pause until I get to town again. Ceiling insulation is held in by 6 wires per cavity then the plastic will help. Once the steel goes up it will stay put!

http://i.imgur.com/fUexiBm.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/P7VtJwQ.jpg


The entire set of pics is here now http://imgur.com/a/RLzUX

[MaryB]

What a difference insulation makes. It was 102 in there yesterday with the underside of the roof exposed(dark green steel...) and today it was 75 after a sunny morning and early afternoon. 80 degrees outside! If I decide to put an A/C in there it will only need a tiny one.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Looking good, I'm envious!

[Preacher Jim]

Mary I could move my lathe and mill and tools in that space, great job.

[MaryB]

Floor would need help for machinery, right now it is 1 1/2 inch of ply on 2x10's...

Got my Menards rebates so have an extra $38 to spend when I go to town on the 3rd! YAY! More parts lol. Get a roll of plastic and maybe 4 sheets of steel to finish the ceiling off or do most of a wall.

[Handloader109]

You know, i got to get back into brewing.... Brewed way back in the late 80s until a couple of years before we moved up here. Didn't have the time, only did one brewing in past 7 years..... Now have the perfect basement that keeps near 68 year round. Heck in the winter, I could keep my kegged English ales down here and drink with no fridge! Thanks for the spur!

[MaryB]

Times have changed in the homebrew market since the 80's. No more of the extract tang flavor most homebrew had if you buy a quality kit. Or buy quality extract and do your own recipe. I brew all grain so I have total control over the process from start to finish. Today's brew session was spot on and I hit 85% brew house efficiency(how much of the sugar did I remove from the grain) which is a tad above my normal.

[MaryB]

Finished a little framing over the door and window, had to cut some 1/2 ply to bring the headers out flush with framing. Then tacked insulation up over the door and window. And got plasti up on one more wall. Cut the ceiling and last wall plastic but I can't do the wall until I reroute the electrical and I need a new load center for that chore.

[MaryB]

Last wall vapor barrier in but left loose in the area I still need to slide a bat of insulation into, and half the ceiling vapor barrier tacked up. Working head up and swinging a hammer stapler up is really bad for my neck(fusion), and torn rotator cuffs... I need to get a battery operated stapler so I am not trying to swing in a weird direction.