Homebrewer Dave Parry has been making us appropriately envious over the past few months. His Instagram feed has storied the build of his brew shed in his garden in North Hampshire. And showcased all the shiny kit and tasty brews within. We had to find more about his brewhaus, named The Inappropriate Brewery. 

I began homebrewing some time in 2015, and started brewing a lot in 2016. I also started doing a lot of wine kits. I attended a ‘how to mash’ course at my local brew shop in 2018 and that was it - I bought a grainfather the next month and have been at it ever since. 

Finally my wife decided that she’d had enough: build a brew shed - I’m sick of brewing stuff being everywhere. I was helped by my father-in-law to build it. We used the same style build used for the other shed we have next to it. We then spent a month getting all the quotes and timber cuts. It’s 4 frames all bolted together at the ends. There was a rough idea but not an official drawing. We started half way through August 2020 and are finishing off the last small jobs now (mid Jan 2021).

The biggest challenge building it was... building it! It’s not an off-the-shelf design, so you can’t just buy bits for it. It’s all custom and tailored. Measure, cut, fit, repeat! The most fun part was the floor - it was a pain in the arse! Trying to flow liquid resin over a freezing floor? It’s asking for trouble. But the finished product does look awesome. Your brewery logo under a clear resin - who wouldn’t want that?

I’ve had help from a few people, my father-in-law (thanks, Pete) helped me with the wood and external finish, brother-in-law (thanks, Charles) felted the roof, and a mate (thanks, Lemon) helped me with the dry lining. Then I did the rest with my son. As I said, it really was a challenge. And to pull off a job like this you need an extremely understanding wife! Mine has been great.

THE KIT

I have a grainfather system with a Fermzilla and a Fermentasaurus. I’ve just invested in two 70L pots (HLT and mash) plus two 30L and 70L stainless conicals from Brew Builder. I built a controller panel that uses a smart PID to control the HLT (hot liquor tank) and Mash (I’m an electrician by trade). And I’ve modified a maxi bar chiller to give temp control to the fermenters. It was able to drop two 30L ferments down to 2oC in under an hour!

THE BREWS

I brew lager, IPA, stout and ale. But I don’t just do beer - I also ferment a lot of wine kits. I’ve found a brand (Wine Expert) that is outstanding, so I do a lot of them. And I’m enthusiastic about sherry and make my own. I have lots of experiments bubbling away in jars.

What else do you get up to in your brewhaus? I see you have some decks… what music are you in to?

‘Yeah, I love the decks! I bought them when I was 18. I have an awesome collection of 90s classic trance. A lot of classic club and funky house. And a selection of DNB. It’s cool listening to old albums on vinyl when brewing. Looking forward to Covid being over to have my mates over for a mix and beer.’

Interesting brewery name! Is there are a story behind it? 

‘Ha, yeah! So, I’m called Inappropriate because a lot of the things I say are totally inappropriate. And the first beers I made were...rather strong, shall we say. After seeing my mates with the beers it was a joke of “him and his inappropriate beer”. The beers all had names like Faceplant, Write Off, Game Over.’

Dave’s Tips for Building Your Own Brewhaus

Make it happen!! There is a lot to think about though. Here are some of the think points:

What’s going to happen in it? 

Where are you at the moment with your hobby? 

Where are you going with this hobby? 

Do you think you’re going want to size up your gear in the future?

It needs venting and, in the winter, heat.

Is the electric supply up to the job?

Are you going to build or buy? 

Importantly, don’t try and cut corners! Pay properly and pay once. You don’t have to go overboard like I have but don’t mug yourself by doing a “that’s good enough” job. 

Follow Dave on Instagram: 

@Inappropriate_Brewery