If you enjoy craft beer and want to try your hand at creating your own, the first thing that you’ll need to do is identify a space in your home that you can use as a brewery, and as a storage space for all the things that go into creating a working brewery. For many homeowners, the garage is the obvious space. You don’t need your brew equipment taking over the kitchen or making a mess in the living room, after all. Take a look at some tips that will help you convert your garage into a functional home brewery.
Identify Zones
Brewing is a process that needs to proceed in the correct order if you want a good finished product, and it’s easier to achieve that order when you can easily find all of the things that you need. It’s not enough just to stack your equipment in random empty spaces – you need a method to your garage layout.
Identify zones where certain items will go. For example, you may want to store all of your sanitizing and cleansing equipment in the space near the sink. Store similar items together, and try to arrange the equipment in a way that promotes a smooth flow from one step in the process to the next. You may want to draw a blueprint designating where different types of items will go before you bring them in.
Invest in Wall Storage
You’ll need shelving and hooks to keep equipment off of the ground, hang washable items to dry and keep frequently-used items within easy reach. This means that you’ll need a good wall storage system.
Slatwall is a good choice for a home brewery since you can use it to attach shelves, hooks, hanging baskets, and other items, and you can move things around as you see fit. This gives you a highly adjustable wall storage unit that you can customize for your own purposes. Just make sure that your hooks and shelves are sturdy enough to support heavier pieces of equipment.
Make Use of Existing Storage Containers
You don’t necessarily have to buy all-new storage containers for everything that you’ll need to store in your garage brewery. Look around when you’re cleaning out the garage to make space for your brewing equipment. You may already have some things that you can put to good use.
For example, an old tool or tackle box can be the perfect place to collect small items that you’ll need, such as thermometers, plugs, and bottle caps. An empty metal file cabinet can be moved to your bottling station and hold empty bottles. Just be sure that you thoroughly clean these items before using them.
Don’t forget to personalize your garage brewery with neon signs, hanging glasses, and other pub-like décor. Have fun with it! For more great garage renovation ideas, schedule your free design consultation today.