Still here and now going all the way,,,

[Druncan]

I have been quiet, but mainly as I've been brewing and planning. So after 2 years of commercial extract brewing with 14 x 25l Cornies and exceeding our targets. We prepare to take the next big step. Love my interim Brewbuilder 50l BIAB. But big plans afoot. After we won the SIBA Best Craft beer Restaurant award in March we have looked at changing our direction. Now got prelim planning approval for a 2.5BB microbrewery in our guesthouse,,, Change of use and big demolition/rebuild. Getting quotes on breweries. Staying mainly keg (Ecofass 30l) we have problems with the ecokeg recycling system up here. Looking at a solar 600-800l non-dom RHI HLT any comments and criticism welcome!!

 

[Leon103]

I thought you were selling up. Congrats on the award

 

[simon12]

Sounds great, just a few questions as i'm interested, where do you get 25l cornies? Why did you choose ecofass? and good luck.

 

[BeerCat]

Congratulations on your award! 25l cornies sounds awesome, even better would be 30l.

 

[Druncan]

Hi all, thank you,, yes we were selling up,,,,, Then won the award and completely changed direction.
Brewery and stained glass studio.

Our cornies were from kegtopia. But he's gone off to sunnier climes,,, They are also on Aliexpress but others can advise on how to buy. My family of 14 have worked their socks off. Happy life. @BeerCat, we are looking @ Ecofass 30l with plastic/foil bags next. Got ecokegs and now 20l keykegs. Too much environmental waste for our setup. Also have some SS kegs to try.

 

[Dutto]

Welcome back! :thumb:

 

[Alside101]

Commercial extract brewing. Didn't know that was a thing. Im interested haha

 

[Druncan]

Commercial extract brewing. Didn't know that was a thing. Im interested haha

It's unusual, but when you have limited space and time it is cost effective and I am not bringing glass bottles at excessive cost to sell oot here. I only manage to do occasional steeped grains and BIAB.
But since HMRC approval in June 2016 I have sold almost 2,500 pints of my brews:hat: It's a great way of developing my brewery HACCP and QC and (apart from pesky wild Tiree yeasts) the analysis done by Brewlab has shown my QC controls appear to work. Also considering a brewhouse air filtration system to see if that helps.

 

[divrack]

quality. I'll have to come visit, being as I'm only a hop skip and a jump away at loch awe and work around oban and hebridies. grew up on inner hebs as a matter of fact, and have somewhere to stay on tiree.
if you want to go low impact, how about getting local malt, and going no-boil?
that's kind of my next experiments, so I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Druncan]

@divrack. Tiree was the grain basket for the Iona monks. But now 3 species of geese scoff everything,,, and I would have to develop a maltsters up here. So I believe in small sustainable steps. First big one for me the 'big' brewery and EEC registration for waste grain feed supply. I have run our ultra-marathon up here 4 times. One foot in front of the other is progress,,, (my mantra) Call over, got beers and I love to talk to brewers!!

 

[divrack]

you could canoe over to Port Ellen, there is a maltsters there... although it might all be peated.
what's your place called for future reference?

 

[Druncan]

Ceabhar restaurant and Bun Dubh, Crafty, Enviropunk Brewing!

 

[Clint]

You'll have that other scottish lot on your case calling it punk anything...then you'll have to brew some Roy Orbison juice or something...

 

[Druncan]

It's to late for them 'Enviropunk' is my registered trademark! and I got big plums for extras!!

 

[Druncan]

In fact them, is the only thing that grows with age other than my belly,,,, Life eh?

 

[Trom-man76]

sounds really great - the brewery expansion not your plums!!

Thinking of using the ecokeg as setting up a nanobrewery supplying couple of local pubs and cricket club - other than the disposal aspects were they easy to use, cheap! and do you buy so many outer kegs and purchase the inner plastic inserts separately? Their web site does not mention these aspects and was going to give them a ring but noticed your post

 

[Druncan]

Hi @Trom-man76 I was getting the Ecokegs from Lomond brewery. I was given my outer's and bought new inner's. I had a few problems with C02 the Sanky S and the nylon coupling leaking on the inner. Ecofass just look better for us. Not tried though. Keykegs are great and Fyne Ales are using 'Das Plus Keg' (sankey s) and it's great for us as it's Sankey fitting is metal. 24.5l Cornies are the best though,,,,

 

[Druncan]

Found a large population of 2nd hand 30l Ecofass kegs. Negotiating a deal. Will report back on the results,,,,,

 

[Clint]

Not on a ship at the bottom of the Sound of Mull are they...??

 

[Druncan]

With whiskey galore!