Help with building size and layout of 7BBL system

[38372]

Hey guys,

I could use some help on figuring out the exact size I should build a brewery room for a 7BBL system. It is going to be just for in house sales with no outside production/distribution. I have found a lot of companies are recommending 1200 sqft. Does anyone have experience with it being this size? Any layouts for a building this size (34'x34')?

Anything would be appreciated even if its a simple link to more information

Thanks,

Scott

[mountbaldy]

Hi Scott,
I'm working on laying out a 7 BBL system right now myself. I am using an existing building so things for me are a bit different. What I did was start by using a drafting program like CAD or use the free one from Google, SketchUp. Start by laying out a simple 1200 sq ft brewing area. Build the tanks from the dimmensions of your brewhouse. Add the tanks to the drawings and see how things work. Think about how much space you'll need to get behind tanks to clean and inspect them and see what works best. By utilizing a program like that you can have a fairly good idea on how things will work. If you're struggling with understanding how the process works, I would suggest to call the manufacturer of the brewhouse. You may also take a trip to your local brewery and look to see how they are doing things. Talk to the head brewer and bar manager and see how they like the design. They should be fairly willing to help out. Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Joe Gill
Mount Baldy Brewing, LLC

[yap]

Do not forget to include space for the numerous ancillary items you will have in the brewery. It's easy to sketch out the space with tank layout as mentioned above and I certainly recommend you do that. But don't forget room for things like pallets of grain, chemical storage, room to maneuver a pallet jack or forklift around, a desk for doing notes/paperwork, a toolbox and workbench for when you have to perform surgery on a valve etc, empty keg storage (may not be an issue for you) etc.

It's amazing how the room starts to shrink once you start putting all the other "stuff" in after the tanks....