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Author Topic: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project  (Read 42826 times)

Offline AmandaK

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Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« on: February 15, 2014, 03:53:06 pm »
I'm finally doing a Pimp My System thread, now that I've moved out of my long string of little apartments and into a house. Things really have come into their own here in the home brewery in the past few months, enough that I can post it even though there are constant projects and improvements.

So here goes!

The actual brewery is a 2009 Sabco Brew Magic VMS350 that we recently picked up from a friend. It has been quite a learning experience to go from a stovetop-batch-sparging-cooler-system!





Chiller is a MoreBeer 'Chillus Convolutus Counterflow Wort Chiller'. Shown here in cleaning mode.



In moving from brewing on the stovetop to brewing outdoors, water availability became a huge issue. Luckily, my mom knew this would eventually happen. She used to develop all of her own photographs as a professional photographer, so when she quit doing that, she saved her darkroom sink and temperature controlled water valve for me. :) So the sink below is a free sink. Approximately 5'-0" by 2'-0" by 5" deep. All stainless. Hot and cold water is plumbed to it and the valve can control water within 1*F. We've installed this in the garage so it makes clean up incredibly easy. It is amazing in cold weather.





The fermenter in the picture below is a 15 gallon plastic conical with stainless tri-clamp fittings. It is housed in a True Manufacturing commercial fridge that I picked up from craigslist. Dual stage temp controller controls the fridge and a little heater near the bottom. Don't mind the ridiculous amount of buckets laying around. It was cleaning day. ;)



Switching over to the basement, where we have storage and the rest of the fermenting happens. My main set of shelves are below. Picked them up from The Shelving Store a while back. I keep everything from finished beer (in bottles), to empty bottles, to Better Bottles, to a jockey box, to Beer Guns, to bottle trees, to a box of airlocks and more on these shelves. Empty bags of grain hang from the ceiling, you know, for decoration.



To the left of the shelving and below the stairs is a sour beer aging area. I am in the process of moving my sour beer aging from my parent's house to my own house, so there is nothing in here yet. Just a few trophies.  ;D



Obligatory medal/ribbon shot. The framed score sheet is from a Saison-Brett clone judged by Stan Hieronymus. To say that I'm proud of that beer would be an understatement.  8) And yes, that is the German flag on the ceiling. Ich bin 100% Deutsch.



Grain storage. Vittle Vault II. Sometimes found on amazon for $25 or so.



Lagering freezer, named Franz. He can hold four kegs. Empty Boulevard Smokestack bottles are for our wedding toast beer.





Newest freezer - 25CF, a replacement for my older keezer (Hanz - he lives with a friend now). No name yet for this one, but it's a work in progress. We are working on a collar for a through the wall tap system. I'll update with pics when we get around to doing it.



Should hold around 16-18 kegs when we finish building it out. Right now, it's all on Cobra taps.



The little wine coolers. These are tinted-glass front Vissani wine coolers that Home Depot used to sell a couple of years back. I have them hooked up to an assortment of temperature controllers. One is dual stage for the Belgians, the other two are single stage for normal beers. We use the top of the coolers as a sort of table.



A really poor shot of the inside of the wine cooler. These little guys can go down to 38*F if need be, and the one with a ferm wrap in it can go as high as I ask it to. The control is quite valuable.



And finally (for now), no home brewery is complete without a set of his and hers brewery boots.  ;D

Amanda Burkemper
KC Bier Meisters Lifetime Member - KCBM 3x AHA Club of the Year!!
BJCP Assistant (to the) Midwest Rep
BJCP Grand Master/Mead/Cider


Our Homebrewed Wedding, AHA Article

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2014, 04:07:35 pm »
Whoa  :o.   Amazing brewery, Amanda !
Jon H.

Offline Jeff M

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Re: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2014, 04:08:20 pm »
Awesome! Im jealous of how much space you have!
Granite Coast Brewing Company.
Building a clone of The Electric Brewery to use as a pilot system for new recipes!

Offline Pinski

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Re: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2014, 04:20:05 pm »
Nice Amanda! Your going to have a blast settling in. We name our kegerators too. We have Holly Day, Maybelle & Menard (the Maytags).  Glad to see the Sabco is coming around for you as well.
Steve Carper
Green Dragon Brewers
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Offline thebigbaker

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Re: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2014, 04:38:55 pm »
Wow, that is awesome Amanda!  Looking forward to you updates.
Jeremy Baker

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Offline slarkin712

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Re: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2014, 04:39:02 pm »
What you have is awesome.  Now you need an awesome bar build!  I've got to show my wife your set up for some perspective.  She can then appreciate the relatively small expanse of my brewery and bar.  Definitely jealous, but need a bigger house to get where you are.  I'm just starting a sour "program", mostly inspired by you.

Offline duboman

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Re: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2014, 04:55:25 pm »
All I can say is WOW! And my wife thinks my brewery takes up space....
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Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2014, 04:57:18 pm »
I've got to show my wife your set up for some perspective.  She can then appreciate the relatively small expanse of my brewery

+1. Good call. I think I'll show my wife this, for some perspective.    :)
Jon H.

Offline AmandaK

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Re: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2014, 05:18:03 pm »
Awesome! Im jealous of how much space you have!

Thanks guys!  I'll be posting updates to the brewery projects as they come along.

And in reality, I don't have that much space. My house is a 1500sf split level, with the brewery is in the lower basement and part of the garage. After brewing in apartments for so long, I've learned that organization goes a long way.
Amanda Burkemper
KC Bier Meisters Lifetime Member - KCBM 3x AHA Club of the Year!!
BJCP Assistant (to the) Midwest Rep
BJCP Grand Master/Mead/Cider


Our Homebrewed Wedding, AHA Article

Offline Jeff M

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Re: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« Reply #9 on: February 15, 2014, 05:28:27 pm »
Fair enough, Im looking at setting up a BBL Pilot system in a 16*12 garage, so you can understand my jealousy;) Space always seems to be enough till you play with it sketchup:D
Granite Coast Brewing Company.
Building a clone of The Electric Brewery to use as a pilot system for new recipes!

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« Reply #10 on: February 15, 2014, 05:39:23 pm »
Very nice set up Amanda. You gave me an idea on how to use those grain bags I have been saving.
Jeff Rankert
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Offline euge

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Re: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« Reply #11 on: February 16, 2014, 01:09:22 am »
Again awesome work Amanda!

I had brewing in mind when looking for my house after living in a tiny apartment.
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

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Offline Scot (one T)

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Re: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« Reply #12 on: February 16, 2014, 08:57:42 am »
Myles wears pink boots?
Scot Schaar
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Offline AmandaK

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Re: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« Reply #13 on: February 16, 2014, 04:15:39 pm »
Very nice set up Amanda. You gave me an idea on how to use those grain bags I have been saving.

A local brewery uses them as a tree skirt around Christmas time. I wish I had thought of that!

And Scot, I don't think the pink ones would fit him! :)
Amanda Burkemper
KC Bier Meisters Lifetime Member - KCBM 3x AHA Club of the Year!!
BJCP Assistant (to the) Midwest Rep
BJCP Grand Master/Mead/Cider


Our Homebrewed Wedding, AHA Article

Offline Jimmy K

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Re: Redbird Brewhouse - There's Always a Project
« Reply #14 on: February 17, 2014, 07:09:24 am »
Good lord! One Pimp my System to rule them all!
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