If you’re reading this you probably like beer as much as I do. I teamed up with my friends at Carhartt to bring you guys this awesome project I worked on, so I hope you enjoy it and make sure you check out their site to get your own gear like I wear in the video! This project was a lot of fun and one of those projects I built just for me which is always fun. Check out the video above to follow along and see the full build process!

And of course, if you liked this project and wanted to see some other cool stuff I've done, check out my website at mrfixitdiy.com!

Step 1: The Planning Stage

This project took a bit of design on the front end to make sure I had all the features I was looking for in order to call this thing “The Ultimate Homebrew Cart”. The concept was simple, I wanted a cart that could both store all the homebrew supplies involved in the brewing process and also serve as the brew station itself. I also wanted it to be mobile so that I could wheel it out when I needed it and put away when not in use. Here’s the initial concept design I came up with.

My initial plan was going to be to make this out of steel box tubing but I quickly changed my mind and decided to make it out of wood. As you can see from the initial design, I changed some things along the way in the build process to (I think) make the cart even better and more functional. Sometimes you just need a jumping off point to get yourself started and then make improvements as you go.

Step 2: Materials

I really wanted this project to be as functional as possible but also not break the bank so I decided to go with relatively inexpensive materials I picked up from Home Depot. The majority of the lumber for the frame is made from 1″x 4″ common pine boards. The drawers (which I added as one of those improvements I mentioned) are preassembled crates you can purchase at Home Depot that I added some basic 20″ drawer slides to which I also picked up from Home Depot.

I also had a kit sent over from a friend of mine with the essentials for brewing the beer itself, but seeing how this project focuses on the cart and not the beer, I'll be sticking with that side of things.

Step 3: Creating the Framework

I started by measuring and cutting the 1x4's for the base of the cart. It's going to be moved around a bit, and needs to be sturdy, so I'm going to be screwing everything into place instead of glue. I'm also going for a bit more of a palette look with open slats in between so that if there's a spill, it can run off easier.

Next I start adding the riser framing by ripping some more 1/4's and gluing together with rapid fuse and screwing in. Then, I put it all in place. I'm also deviating a bit from my plan to make space for all my bottles: I'm using some old crates from Home Depot as drawers to store bottles in. It also lets me fill them one at a time.

Then I just added some crosses braces for support, mounted the hardware to the crates, and the cross braces for both drawers.

Step 4: Building the Shelves

To get the shelves ready, I cut the pieces and assembled them as boxes. All this really leaves is setting them into place on the base and securing them with screws. I'll be sure to cut off any excess riser height later.

The shelves are spaced 14" apart which leaves enough space for the storage container or brewing supplies as well as the jugs turned on their sides.

Next I cut some scrap pieces of 4x4 as blocking and attached them on the corners on the underside of the cart. Then I attached the casters to the blocking with lag bolts.

Step 5: Refining the Cart

So with the main construction complete, it's time to sand down the whole cart. I'm also adding some peg board to the front and back of the cart as a place to hang tools and other stuff I might need when brewing.

Next, I added a dark walnut stain to the whole thing and after it dries, I'll add a few coats of spray urethane. Then, we just need to add a few finishing touches, like handles, decals, and whatever else you might want to personalize your cart.

Step 6: Finished!

And that's it! You can see on top where you make your mash and boil your ingredients. To the right I have my fermenter, and what's really cool is directly beneath that: the bottles. This makes it incredibly easy to start bottling without a lot of hassle. What's also great is that you can simply pop the locks when you're done and wheel it to somewhere out of the way to store it.

I hope you liked this project, I certainly think it's pretty cool. Now I just need to work on making a great tasting beer...

But for now, thank you so much for checking this out, and if you want to see some other cool projects I've done, click the links below!

DIY Wagon Wheel Chandelier

DIY Industrial Black Pipe Shelf

I look forward to showing you guys what cool stuff I'm making next time!