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  • New brewery ideas...

    Hey everybody...

    We've decided to expand our brewery, and in doing so, we are moving to a new building. We are in the planning stages now. We use a DME 3 vessel system, and we are going to add a 4th for seperate whirlpool.

    My question is this...we are trying to plan as best we can. Is there anything that you wish you had done or would do differently if you could again? Is there a place you wish you had a door, or a walkway, or a grist case? Is there a place that you wish you could have got a forklift, but it's too small? I have a lot of space to play with, and we need a solid floorplan before I can have the new floor poured...let it loose and brainstorm with the good ideas!! Any that we use...well, I'll send you a case of beer from the new system...

    Cheers,
    DanF
    Kiuchi Shuzo

  • #2
    Drain placement is crucial, it can ruin your day if you dont have them in the right areas. As well as drain's draining abilitys.

    Storage area, you should have a good amount of storage area, for prime materials as well as final products, give generously to both.

    Air -fresh air, especialy during the summer months. be it a window or a high tech aeration system you'll wish you have some fresh air.

    Wide passage ways betweeen areas, ie; brewhouse to fermentation bottling rooms, you never know what you will need to push through them.

    Clustering fermeters is ok, get them tight to save space, but leave room enough to get behind them and clean out ward. We have as many squeezed in our fermentation area as possible, leaving room for 3 or 4 more in the future. I have to walk under the cones almost but its right above my head. so its ok. face them in sensable directions, toward drains, leave enough room to get the manway open out.

    all in all drains are the most important thing I would say...
    www.Lervig.no

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    • #3
      hi,

      i would have a look at the equipment you are installing and make sure you have good access for maintenance. sometimes you see pumps installed under tanks to save space, but what if you ever need to work on the pump - can be a big pain (and a bit uncomfortable). if you have the space, lay everything out with good access.

      agree with squeezing the fermentation fairly tightly together - just leave enough space between tanks to walk through (say 500mm) and enough space to get a ladder up to solenoids, etc if you ever have to work on them.

      alex

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      • #4
        Forklift access-yes. My 7 foot door all too exactly matches (scrapes) the most common 84 inch forklift. There are shorter forklifts, but it'd been nice to bump the door up another inch or so.

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        • #5
          new space for the brewery

          Dan, two things. Be sure to have a huge cold room, as big as you can afford, with a giant entry/exit door. High enough to drive a double stack into, and the interior room high enough to triple stack your kegs. Also, I know you are going whirlpool vessel, but I would fabricate a hop screen for your kettle, this would allow the use of whole hops in the kettle, and after boil, the hops will serve as the best wort filter. Straining the wort thru this hop bed has many additions to the quality of your beer. Enjoy the new space. Ben Pierson

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          • #6
            So many things to think about

            6x8 will be the perfect door to fit any forklift through. When you are checking out concrete, check out a company called Xypex www.xypex.com. You will be happy you did. Walkin space is like gold!!! Drain placement is also key. Have fun with the buildout.

            Cheers

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            • #7
              great stuff

              Great stuff, guys....

              We are going to place a perimeter drain (around the entire room at the wall) as well as drains down each aisle between fermenters. We are trying to keep the fermenters away from the walls because there is such a mold problem in this area.
              It looks like we'll build a metal frame floor above the mash tun, and put the malt and grist case/mill above the mash tun. Our forklift has a 3.7m lift, so we'll put a door on the second story outside...above the mash tun. We are leaving space for silos, but bulk malt is still in future plans.

              I was also thinking of putting the unitanks on 1 foot tall concrete pads...to get the valves a little more accessable, and to help drainage. The doors are already pretty high, and another step on a ladder is nothing.

              What are your thoughts on brite tanks? Better to use jacketed tanks, or a walk in cooler with single wall tanks? All our beers are conditioned at the same temp.

              We are moving the pumps from under the vessels to beside the vessels. I have designed shrouds for them to keep moisture out and sound in! I want them to be very accessable (again with the vast mold problem here)

              I have been debating on one side platforms for the vessels, or 1/2 or full walkarounds. Any thoughts? And do you prefer your HL and CL vessels in the same room as your brewhouse, or in a seperate room? Any thoughts on boiler placement?

              cheers, mates!

              DanF

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              • #8
                hi Dan,

                I think the boiler should be kept close to the BH, for a few reasons, effiecancy, as well as acesability. you may or may not have to tend to the boiler.

                About the concrete pads to lift the fermenters, might be ok, think about welding extensions, it would look nicer....


                About the drains, the more drains you have the more you have to clean, properly placed you shouldnt need so much drains....
                www.Lervig.no

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                • #9
                  A few comments -

                  Re raised tanks on pads. Get the tanks raised on steelwork onto the main ground level, then finish off with concrete and an impervious coating, epoxy resin or decent tiles to reduce the splashing on the lower steelwork, so preventing rust, but giving the strength required.

                  Re tanks - I would always go for individually chilled and insulated tanks. Much greater flexibility over the chill temperature, you only chill when the tank contains beer, you don't freeze your socks off working in the area, and detergents and sterilants work much better at their design temperature, normally ambient or hot. If you use hot cleaning, then if the tanks are in a cold room, you have to warm the vessel up with the CIP, which then warms up the ambient air, and guess what, you have to work the fridge plant harder. With individually chilled tanks you can have a greater temperature differential between the coolant and the beer, so can cool more quickly if necessary, particularly pertinant if you don't cool with a PHE on transfer from FV. separate tanks also means a safer working are can be achieved more easily - less likelihood of CO2 build up

                  I'm sure they cost more individually, but then it is also easier to add additional tanks - just a bit of pipe work for the fridge plant instead of a new room.


                  Oh yes, the floors should fall to the drains quite steeply. I have too much experience of drains at the top of hte hill
                  Cheers
                  dick

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