Peristaltic pumps are a type of positive displacement pump – they are excellent sanitary pumps for beverage applications because they allow you to precisely measure the amount you pump, are easier on the product than other types of pumps
How do they work?
Peristaltic pumps work on the same principle as muscles that move food inside living beings. Rollers squeeze a tube in a repeating pattern to pull and push the material through tubing.
What Are the Benefits to Using These Pumps?
You are able to dose precise amounts of liquid using a flow meter and peristaltic pump – for example: if you want to pump 8 gallons of liquid simply turn the pump on until 8 gallons is dispensed and then turn it off – no backflow to deal with and precise pumping every time.
Purgeable – you can purge oxygen from the pump to only allow inert gas or CO2 to contact your product.
Sanitary – only the internal hose touches the product being pumped.
Closed loop – peristaltic pumps isolate the product in a closed loop so it isn’t exposed to air, potential contamination and/or oxygen.
Why choose peristaltic over centrifugal?
Both stainless centrifugal and peristaltic pumps have sanitary design but where precise measurements are required, nothing beats a peristaltic pump.
Peristaltic pumps are self-priming so they can be a great choice where priming isn’t possible.
Reduce shear on your product – peristaltic pumps are gentler on produce and can reduce shear.
Using hops in the hot side brewing process has been a driving force behind so many different styles of beer in recent years. With the rise of the IPA, the quest for the perfect balance of bitterness, aroma and flavor have led to many changes in both brewing equipment and brewing processes in breweries, especially in small breweries dedicated to developing new flavor experiences for their customers.
For many years, brewers battled to see how bitter they could brew an IPA. Heavily-bittered beers required not only large amounts of high-alpha hops throughout the boil, but then even more hops at whirlpool. After the whirlpool, brewers would use a hop back with whole flower hops to add flavor and aroma while helping to filter out trub from the wort during transfer to a heat exchanger.
A few years back the whole process was uprooted again as consumer palates gravitated to IPAs with lower bitterness and more hop character, especially fruity and tropical flavors. Brewers are now using less hops earlier in the process and focusing on the whirlpool or another separate vessel to extract the desired hop flavors. “Hop Standing” became a regular process for many brewers. “Hop standing” refers to adding hops at the conclusion of the boil, after the flame, steam or electric elements have been turned off, and allowing the wort to stand in the kettle for the perfect time to extract the magic flavor and aroma while limiting isomerization of alpha acids (bitterness).
Another method to extract even more flavor and hop oil involves using a lower temperature to reduce isomerization and retain hop oils. Brew a slightly higher gravity wort and add back cooler water. Try 140-150 degrees depending on the amount of cooler water you add to reach your final gravity before whirlpool. After whirlpooling and the liquid homogenizing your temperature should still be well above the pasteurization temperature. (160 degrees). Your wort will be ready to transfer to a fermenter with all that lovely hop character.
Whether you need a hop back to filter your heavily hopped wort, a slightly larger vessel for high gravity brewing or a specialized heat exchanger to cool your wort for optimal hop oil extraction, know that the craft brewery experts at Stout Tanks and Kettles can provide solutions to all your brewery needs.
Take a look at some of the products mentioned in this post:
The only way to get that beautiful lingering fresh grain flavor of authentic continental (German) lagers is to radically reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen in your brew. For my first brew on our new Low Ox system, I brewed a Munich lager, using high quality German malts. I wanted to preserve as much of that fresh grain flavor in the beer as possible. Malts naturally contain an enzyme in called Ascorbic Acid Oxidase (AAO), which is very sensitive to oxygen. Exposure to oxygen will destroy AAO, and with it that amazing flavor in the malt we are trying to preserve. At Stout, we’ve been engineering low oxygen home brew systems with the goal of having zero oxygen in the brew. I recently made my first batch of beer using the Stout Tanks and Kettles’ 20 Gallon low oxygen brewing system. Unfortunately for me, I did not introduce enough oxygen in this particular batch. Read on to find out how that is even possible
20 GALLON LOW OX BREWHOUSE ON LEGS
Prepare the Hot Liquor Tank.
I prepped my hot liquor by preboiling the water and purging the head space with carbon dioxide. Boiling evaporates almost all of the dissolved oxygen that is in the hot liquor. Using the convenient gas fittings on the hot liquor tank, I purged the head space with CO2 to make sure no oxygen can re-dissolve into the hot liquor. I also bubbled CO2 up from the bottom gas inlet just to keep a positive pressure in the hot liquor tank so no oxygen could get back in. I have a gas manifold and check valves at the tank so I just open the appropriate gas valve when I want to purge the tank.
I cooled the hot liquor to 200F by running cold tap water through the HERMS coil (Heat Exchanged Recirculating Mash System) while simultaneously recirculating the hot liquor through the tangential inlet. We include tangential inlets on our hot liquor tanks to prevent temperature stratification. Hot water rises, so if you don’t circulate, you will end up with different temperature water at different levels in the tank, which will affect your mash temperatures.
Sample Valve on the Hot Liquor Tank
Because I wanted to make sure I could eliminate all the oxygen from the brew, I added enough Sodium Metabisulfite (SMB) to get 35 ppm in solution. SMB absorbs dissolved oxygen chemically (hint). I also added Brewtan B because I don’t have an RO system. In order to ensure that no oxygen was re-introduced into the hot liquor throughout the HLT preparation and mash, I periodically purged the head space and bubbled CO2 from the bottom gas inlet. Using the built-in sample valve on the HLT, I used sulfite test strips to confirm that I still had the amount of SMB I wanted in solution. Then I quickly cooled the HLT down to strike
To prepare for mashing, I installed a nylon mash bag in the mash tun using the 4 conveniently mounted hooks built right into the inside of the kettle. Then I placed my malt mill on top and purged oxygen from the tank with CO2 from the bottom inlet to displace as much oxygen as possible. Then I milled in my conditioned malt, while simultaneously flowing CO2 in through the bottom inlet in order to keep the O2 out. The mash bag allows me to run my vorlauf and HERMS at high flow rates without worrying about a stuck mash. My grains fell right into the mash bag.
After the grains were milled, I installed the vorlauf pipe, sparge arm, and strike water hose, which runs down to the bottom of the tun. After milling in, I quickly placed the lid on top and then installed the lid clamp, and continued purging the tank with CO2 for a short time. All 3 kettles have a VPRV (vacuum/pressure relief valve) and also a ¼” ball valve in the lid – I opened the ball valve whenever purging the kettle with CO2, which I did frequently throughout the mash.
LID WITH VPRV, 3”TC PORT, ¼” BALL VALVE
Mash-in:
Time to start brewing. Once the grains were milled, I made a point to mash in within 15 minutes to prevent oxidation of the grains – you are not guaranteed to get oxygen gas completely out of the milled grains when they are dry. I filled the mash tun from the bottom up, slowly, so I would not need to stir the grains too much. After the exact amount of water was added, I removed the 3” tri clamp cap, turned on the CO2 for a head space purge, and gave the mash a gentle stir. I don’t think the stir was actually necessary, but I’m glad I did it, because I noticed that there wasn’t enough water in the mash tun. Why would that be? Because of the mash bag – the grains did not push the mash bag out to the full diameter of the kettle, so the grains were higher than they normally would be (there was a gap between the mash bag and the edges of the mash tun). So, I had to add more water, and next time I will have to assume a higher water-to-grist ratio for my 5 gallon batches. After filling the tun with enough hot liquor, I replaced the 3” cap and purged the head space some more. Then, I used the convenient sample valve on the mash tun to grab a sample of the wort to test for SMB. The color on the test strip was the same as the HLT water, between 25 and 50 ppm (the scale is 0, 10, 25, 50, etc.). This means that I didn’t add any measurable oxygen to the water or wort yet; if oxygen is present, it consumes the sulfites and then the sulfite measurement will drop. So, no drop in sulfites means no oxygen was added. That’s great!
Rests:
During the mash, I did a rest at 145°F and then pumped the wort through the HERMS coil in the HLT to raise the mash temp to 156°F. The vorlauf pipe is a nice addition that returns the hot wort under the surface of the mash and it spreads the wort across the mash to ensure an even flow (i.e, no channeling). Because of the mash bag, I can run the vorlauf at a fairly high rate, which helps keep the temperatures even throughout the mash tun and also speeds up the ramp. After the 2nd rest, I bumped the mash up to mash-off temperatures. As a quick side note, I generally set the hot liquor tank about 10° higher than the desired mash temp when using the HERMS. I monitor the temperature gauge on the outlet of the HERMS coil to prevent overheating the wort. The flow rate and HLT temperature both affect the output temperature. A final test of the sulfites showed it was still between 25 and 50 ppm. Woo hoo! Still no added oxygen.
I again used the sample valve to get wort samples for my iodine tests for conversion. There was no need to open the mash tun throughout the process, other than opening the ¼” ball valve for venting while I was purging the head space with CO2.
FROM HOT LIQUOR TANK HERMS (RIGHT) BACK INTO MASH TUN (LEFT)Measuring output temperature of HERMS
Sparge:
I sealed the brew kettle except for the 3” cap on the lid and purged with CO2 from the bottom gas inlet before starting the runoff and periodically repeated the purging using the upper gas inlet throughout the mash runoff. My two peristaltic pumps transfer wort out of the mash tun at the same rate that they add sparge water. Since the Mash Tun is closed except for the ¼” ball valve and I am keeping CO2 in the headspace, I’m not worried about the water splashing inside the mash tun. You can’t oxygenate the wort through aeration if there is no oxygen in the atmosphere. Speaking of that, on a safety note, I made sure I have plenty of fresh air coming into my brewery since I was frequently adding CO2 to the kettles. My beer doesn’t need oxygen, but I certainly do.
At kettle full, I did yet another SMB test and got another reading between 25 and 50 ppm. Still no oxygen absorbed. The brew kettle has its own sample valve, so grabbing a sample was quick and easy without having to open the kettle. I like to turn the heat up to 200 – 205°F on my brew kettle during runoff so that I don’t have to wait around for wort to start boiling when the runoff is done.
At kettle full, I set the brew kettle temperature to 215°F to get a boil going. I figure out how many gallons I need to boil off, and use that to figure out what percent of full power to set for the elements. Brag alert: All of the electric heating control panels we provide include the ability to adjust the heat of the elements. Many other systems (commercial and homebrew) cannot do this. You can download a handy spreadsheet from our website to calculate the power you need to provide to your elements to get your desired boil rate. To avoid heat stress, I set a low evaporation rate and tried to keep the total boil time under 70 minutes. By using high quality German malts, I can get away with a lower evaporation rate than normal. With a wort pH of ≥ 5.4, and using high quality German Pilsner malt, the evaporation rate can be as low as 4% to 6% per hour. Because I did not have an aggressive boil, I only removed the 3” cap and left the lid otherwise closed. At first, though, I cranked up the heat percentage to get to a boil faster. You can guess what happened next – a boil-over! Fortunately, I noticed it right away just as the foam was rising out of the 3” TC port and cut the heat. The overflow stayed right in the lid and was easy to clean up – lucky me.
I reset the heat level for the elements and restarted the boil. During this time, I cleaned out the mash tun, which was really easy. I removed the lid clamp and lid, and lifted the mash bag out and dumped the bag of grain into a wooden bucket for delivery to a nearby farm for their goats and chickens. There was minimal residue under the false bottom. And, it was a lot easier than scooping the grains out.
SPENT GRAINS IN MASH BAGMASH TUN AFTER REMOVAL OF MASH BAG:
After the boil was done, I took another sulfite test and the levels were still at 25-50 ppm. Amazing – I didn’t expect that. I did my normal whirlpool routine in the brew kettle using the built-in tangential inlet, and pumped the wort into my trusty 7.3 gallon stainless steel conical fermenter. I still use the very first conical fermenter we ever produced. Another sulfite test and I got the same results. This means that I made a batch of beer and introduced practically NO measurable oxygen throughout the entire hot side process. I was really happy about that. Our products work extremely well. Maybe too well, because here is where things went a little bit sideways. Not too bad, but enough to affect the final result.
I thought I would be able to get the wort down to my pitch temperature of 42°F by chilling my tap water further by filling the hot liquor tank with ice and water and running my tap water through the HERMS coil in the hot liquor tank after passing through my all stainless steel counter-flow chiller. I hadn’t tried it before, and I paid the price for my guess. It dropped the temperature, but not nearly enough. I got my wort down into the 60’s (°F). So, I turned on the peltier coolers on the fermenter and waited an hour, but I could wait no longer. This is a delicate moment in low oxygen brewing. The yeast need some oxygen in the wort for the first phase of their growth cycle, but we don’t want too much exposure to oxygen to destroy the AAO enzyme and ruin that beautiful lingering fresh grain flavor in my Munich Helles malt. Fermentation needs to start within 6-8 hours in the fermenter in order to prevent oxidation at this stage.
I pitched my 2 liter yeast starter and then oxygenated the wort using my wand for about 60 seconds. Normally, I oxygenate for 20-30 seconds for a 5 gallon batch, but because of all the sulfites still in the wort, I decided to oxygenate longer to make sure that the sulfites didn’t steal all of the O2 from the yeast. I did another sulfite test and the measurement was still near 25 ppm. So, I oxygenated for another 60 seconds or so and tested again. The sulfite levels hadn’t noticeably dropped. I repeated this one more time, then decided enough was enough. I sealed the fermenter and let nature take its course. I concluded that the SMB and yeast would have to fight it out for all the oxygen I introduced.
At this point, I started to suspect that my sulfite test strips were defective, because they were showing so little oxygen uptake. I couldn’t believe our system worked so well keeping oxygen out. So, I took a sample of fresh water and tested that. It read 0 ppm, so I concluded the test strips were just fine. Later on, I conferred with Bryan Rabe at the low oxygen brewing website and he confirmed that he measured < 0.1ppm total O2 uptake using his Stout Tanks and Kettles’ low oxygen system. He’s got a DO meter and can check it more accurately than I can.
The bottom line is that it ended up taking almost 24 hours for the fermentation to start, which meant that the oxygen I added to the wort had ample time to do its evil work. I performed the remaining steps according to plan, but the damage was already done. The beer is actually really good, but it lacks the lingering, fresh grain flavor I covet.
So, why did I say that I didn’t add enough oxygen to my brew at the beginning of this blog? Because I added 35ppm of SMB thinking that my process would be adding oxygen that needed to be “consumed” by the sulfites. But, our low oxygen tanks did their job and the process didn’t add any measurable oxygen to the wort, which left a lot of sulfites hungry for oxygen. I tried to compensate by adding extra oxygen when I pitched, but I probably didn’t add enough satisfy the sulfites and to get the yeast going quickly enough. While the wort was in the fermenter, it had enough time to absorb enough oxygen to destroy the Ascorbic Acid Oxidase (AAO) and the lingering fresh malt flavor it provides. The better solution to this problem will be to trust our low ox equipment, and not add nearly so much SMB, if any at all. That way when I oxygenate the wort, the yeast will have enough oxygen to quickly replicate and consume the oxygen before it can destroy the fresh lingering grain flavor I am after.
So, here are my takeaways after brewing my first batch with my Stout Tanks low oxygen brewing system:
Trust the equipment. It is designed to keep oxygen out of the entire brew process.
Don’t add any Sodium Metabisulfite, or add very little (perhaps a few ppm only). It’s better to keep the oxygen out than it is to absorb it with SMB.
Larger yeast starter. Use a 3 liter starter to ensure that the batch takes off faster. I realized too late that my starter wasn’t going to be big enough, and hoped for the best. Hope is not a good strategy.
Give us a call if you would like to learn more about low oxygen brewing. We would love to talk with you about how you can start your own low ox brewery.
Part of the magic of Kombucha is the flavor of the tea. Kombucha brewers will use different varieties of tea, and brew it in different strengths. Most kombucha brewers like to have the water temperature of their tea to be slightly below boiling point to get the best flavors. Once the tea has fully steeped, most brewers like to add sugar to their tea while it is still hot. Why? Because it is easier to dissolve sugar in hot water.
Stout Tanks and Kettles sells brew kettles heated by electricity, steam, natural gas or propane. Energy efficiency is a big priority for us, and getting your water hot when you need it is important. Many of our electric brewing systems come with controls that can heat the water on a timer so that your brew day can start early. Some brewers like to boil their water for a while first to evaporate off the chlorine that many municipalities add to the water. The chlorine can affect flavor and kill some of the beneficial bacteria in your SCOBY.
Most brewers will brew a highly concentrated tea, and then dilute it with cold water to bring the temperature down to a range that will be comfortable for the SCOBY. Depending on the volumes of your brew, it may be necessary to use a counter flow chiller, a plate chiller or other heat exchanger to bring the temperature down quickly. Heat exchangers allow you to recapture the heat of your tea and use it to brew another batch, increasing your energy efficiency, lowering your carbon footprint and increasing the amount of Kombucha you can brew in a day. A heat exchanger allows you to quickly get your tea down to the optimal temperature for your particular SCOBY.
Bacteria and Yeast thrive in slightly different temperatures. Bacteria like it cooler. Yeast like it warmer. The temperature range to make them both happy is between 78º and 82º F. If you can control the temperature in your fermentation vessel, you can favor either side of the symbiosis. If you want to favor the bacteria, drop the temperature a few degrees. The bacteria will generally be active between 65º and 80º F. If you want to favor the yeast, raise the temperature of the Kombucha between 75º and 85º F.
Many of our fermenters are jacketed, which means that the tanks are wrapped in a stainless steel jacket that allows you to pump cooled or heated glycol around the tank, which allows you to control the temperature inside the tank. Home brewers will often rely on the air temperature of the room where they brew Kombucha to control the temperature of fermentation, but at larger volumes its just not possible to control the liquid temperature of the Kombucha by controlling the air. At commercial scale, it is just more energy efficient to directly cool or heat the liquid.
In most fermenters, yeast usually gain the upper hand. They are first in the fermentation process, and fermentation actually releases heat, further encouraging the yeast over the bacteria. If the yeast get the upper hand in your SCOBY, they will produce more alcohol than the bacteria can digest. This can make it hard to maintain the flavor profile you want, and to get the alcohol by volume (ABV) down to legal limits. Your SCOBY will become dominated by yeast over time, leaving the bacteria weaker. In most breweries, a glycol chiller will help keep your Kombucha at the perfect temperature.
We also can provide complete automation of your brewery, from controlling the heat in your tea brew kettle, to maintaining the temperature in your fermenters, and running the pumps that move your Kombucha from brew kettle to fermenters to your bottling or kegging system.
Many homebrewers have tried to create lagers with that “true German flavor” but never actually achieved it. Another way to describe the elusive taste is “fresh, lingering grain flavor”. Brewers try decoction mashing, triple decoctions, melanoidan malt, flaked barley, and so on without success. If you want to make authentic continental lagers, then a proven method is to eliminate oxygen from your brewing process starting with your brewing water and unground malt and ending with wort in the fermenter with less than 1 ppm of dissolved oxygen. This is called Low Oxygen Brewing.
There is a lot of information about Low Oxygen Brewing on the internet, so we won’t repeat it here. Suffice it to say that it requires keeping the dissolve oxygen below 1 ppm throughout the entire brewing process in order to preserve the fresh, lingering grain flavor so it gets all the way into your beer.
At Stout Tanks and Kettles, we have partnered with the Low Oxygen Brewing team to develop a brewing system that gives you the ability to practically eliminate oxygen pickup.
Here are the features of the Low Oxygen Brewing System, kettle by kettle.
Sealable lid to keep oxygen out of the kettle during the brew, with 2-4 psi pressure capacity.
(4) upper hooks hold a mash bag (not included) to allow fast vorlaufs without getting a stuck mash and super easy and fast cleanup – just lift the bag out and empty the grains into your disposal bin.
Lower CO2/N2 gas inlet for purging tank of oxygen.
Upper CO2/N2 gas inlet for purging tank of oxygen.
Sample valve for sampling and testing wort during the brew without introducing oxygen into the kettle.
(4) recirculation fittings at top of mash tun so you can connect your strike water hose, sparge arm and vorlauf pipe, then seal the mash tun and leave it closed until you are done mashing (the 4th fitting is for your upper CO2/N2 gas inlet).
Lid port for venting CO2/N2 when purging.
Lid port for pressure relief valve.
3” TC lid port for viewing the mash, venting and adding additives with the lid on.
Bottom drain outlet maximizes drainage and improves mash tun performance.
False bottom.
Thermowell
All TC ports and fittings with (2) 1” butterfly valves.
(2) stainless steel bars for neatly mounting your pump underneath the kettle (kettles with legs).
Sealable lid to keep oxygen out of the kettle during the brew, with 2-4 psi pressure capacity.
Lower CO2/N2 gas inlet for purging tank of oxygen.
Upper CO2/N2 gas inlet for purging tank of oxygen.
Sample valve for sampling and testing wort during the boil without introducing oxygen into the kettle.
Lid port for venting CO2/N2 when purging.
Lid port for pressure relief valve.
3” TC lid port for venting and monitoring kettle with lid on.
External sight glass allows you to monitor water level without opening the kettle.
Whirlpooling Features
Tangential inlet with 1” TC butterfly valve for whirlpooling wort at the end of the boil.
5” tall trub dam to keep hops and trub out of your fermenter.
Conical bottom to keep more hops and trub in the kettle and out of your fermenter.
Wort outlet with 1” TC butterfly valve.
Bottom cleanout port with cap for easy draining and cleaning of the kettle.
Ports for your element, float switch, and thermowell (thermowell is included with kettle).
All TC ports and fittings with (2) 1” butterfly valves.
(2) stainless steel bars for neatly mounting your pump underneath the kettle (kettles with legs).
Our Low Oxygen Brewing Systems (LODO) are currently THE ONLY QUALITY LOW OXYGEN KETTLES ON THE MARKET. These low oxygen brewing systems provide the ability to seal off oxygen from water and wort, and also minimize oxygen uptake throughout the brewing process.
Improve the overall quality, flavor, and freshness of your beers, even IPAs
Preserve the fresh malt flavor
Obtain the lingering fresh grain flavor you only find in fresh Continental style
By properly using the provided CO2/N2 purge ports, pre-boiling your hot liquor, purging or flushing your hoses, spunding your beer, etc., you can eliminate the use of Metabisulfite in your brewing process and achieve sub 0.1ppm dissolved oxygen levels.
It costs a lot of money to open a brewery, and you might ask, “Do I really need to spend all that money?”.
Some brewers look for immediate savings is in the brewhouse by eliminating a hot liquor tank. Do you need a 3-vessel brewhouse, with a mash tun, brew kettle and a hot liquor tank? Or can you get by with a 2 vessel brewhouse, just the mash tun and the brew kettle? Some people claim that the hot liquor tank (or “HLT”) is just a glorified hot water tank anyway, and you can brew beer just fine without it. Other’s claim that the hot liquor tank is an essential part of their brewing process, and it would be hard to brew without it.
So, can you get buy without a hot liquor tank? The answer, of course, depends. There are plusses and minuses. Tradeoffs must be considered before decisions are made.
One common strategy to replace the HLT is to install an on-demand water heater, otherwise known as a tankless water heater. The up-side of an on-demand water heater is they can be very efficient at heating water. Most of them run on natural gas and are almost or over 90% efficient with their energy. Because natural gas is a low-cost source of energy, the cost of raising the temperature of your strike water from ground temperature to your mash-in temperature can be every economical. So getting hot water from a tankless heater can be pretty cheap.
By eliminating the HLT from your brewhouse, you have saved the cost of one vessel, which can be a significant investment. But what are the down-sides? What do you give up when you eliminate the hot liquor tank?
One of the big things you give up is time. Many tankless water heaters are limited in the volume of hot water they can produce. When mashing in, it can sometimes take quite a while for a tankless heater to reach your strike temperature. The higher the temperature you need for your strike water, the longer the tankless water heater will hold the water in the heat exchanger. Tankless water heaters will reduce the flow of water until the water hits the target temperature. Depending on your starting groundwater temperature, the actual gallons per minute (GPM) of your tankless water heater can be significantly below the stated rate.
At 4 gallons per minute, it will take almost 25 minutes to fill a 5 BBL mash tun completely. How long does your mash last, and how long will it take to fill the mash tun?
Another thing you give up is precision mashing. Many of our brew houses come standard with HERMS coils. HERMS stands for Heat Exchanged Recirculating Mash System. With a HERMS coil you recirculate your wort through a heat exchanger coil in the HLT. You can precisely control the temperature of the mash by how quickly you recirculate the wort through the HERMS coil, and by how hot you keep the water in the HLT.
Some brewers like to step mash. Step mashing is raising the temperature of the mash in stages. This is much easier with a HERMS coil in your hot liquor tank because you can precisely control each step of the mash. This is hard to do with a tankless water heater that has only a single temperature setting.
Another tradeoff is volume. Many brewers opt for an oversized HLT simply because it is handy to have a lot of hot water around for clean up, especially if you are using a CIP cart. The pump on your CIP cart drawing from an HLT can give you a large volume of hot water fast. Sometimes faster than any water heater can.
An electric HLT can also provide convenience. With a Stout Tanks and Kettles electric brewing system, it is possible to set your HLT on a timer so it can start heating your water overnight while you sleep. Your HLT can be automatically making hot water while you are still at home making your coffee. You can show up in the morning to hot strike water, ready to brew beer.
HLT’s can also save energy. At the end of your boil, when you run your beer through the heat exchanger on the way to the fermenter, you can put all of that heat back into your HLT for your next brew. For those brewers that double batch, or brew back to back days, this can save a significant amount of energy. Heating your strike water can be almost half of the energy you use in your brewery.
Finally, and HLT makes it easier to treat your water for Ph, minerality, chlorine and other impurities. For brewers who treat their water, the HLT can be very helpful.
So in the end, whether you build your brewhouse with 2 vessels or 3 is really about your personal preferences. Many great beers have been brewed without a hot liquor tank. And for cash strapped start-ups, getting started can be better than waiting until you can afford the perfect brewery. But if you can afford it, the HLT can make your brew days easier and more enjoyable, and help you make great beers.
They came… they sampled… breweries were crowned. Here some quick stats to review before we go over the winners of the 2018 Great American Beer Festival: (data courtesy of the Brewers Association)
32nd edition of the GABF competition
8,496 entries plus 101 Pro-Am and 49 Collaboration entries
2,404 breweries in the competition from 49 states plus Washington, D.C. (no Mississippi)
293 judges from 13 countries
Average number of competition beers entered in each category: 83
Category with the highest number of entries: Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (391 entries)
280 medal-winning breweries (including Pro-Am and Collaboration)
306 total medals awarded plus three (3) each for Pro-Am and Collaboration
537 first-time GABF entrants
31 first-time GABF winners
AND NOW… THE GABF 2018 Winners (in alphabetical order):
What is the best heat source for your brewing equipment?
This long debated question has no simple answer. There IS no “best” heat source. Our brewing equipment is designed to work with all kinds of heat sources and our recommendations are based on your brewing needs and setups. Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages, which we have outlined below for your convenience.
Highest efficiency: 100% of heat generated is transferred to the water or wort
Excellent control of the brewing process. (Note: our control systems provide pinpoint accuracy in temperature control).
Predictable cost
No concerns about carbon monoxide, open flames or explosive gases
Can be highly automated if desired
Disadvantages:
Cost of electricity is typically higher than gas, BUT it is often offset by much higher brewing efficiency.
Up front cost is usually higher than gas fired, but lower than steam boilers and steam piping.
Your building needs to have enough amperage available to heat the kettles and operate everything else (varies according to the system size).
DIRECT FIRE BREWING SYSTEMS:
The popular choice for home brewers and small commercial operations.
Advantages:
Can be lowest upfront cost (depending on installation)
Many brewers are accustomed to gas fired kettles
Some brewers prefer the caramelization that can occur with gas fired systems
Disadvantages:
Probably the highest long term cost; gas is typically only 25% to 50% efficient
You will likely need to provide make-up air and provide an exhaust system for your direct fired gas system. (your city may require a professional mechanical engineer to provide a plan for your building and installation)
Some buildings will need fire suppression systems
In some states (e.g., CA and TX), the emissions regulations and requirements on gas burners result in significant added costs and reduced efficiencies
STEAM BREWING SYSTEMS:
The popular choice for pro brewers and large commercial operations.
Advantages:
When combined with direct fire boiler, you get good (but not best) efficiency and low energy cost
Disadvantages:
Highest cost of brew kettles and heat source (boiler system)
Generally, not very cost effective at a small scale
In some states (e.g., CA and TX), the emissions regulations and requirements on gas boilers result in significant added costs and reduced efficiencies
If you are still unsure as to what system will work best for you and your brewery setup, please call us directly at (503) 372-9580 to discuss options, or take a look at some brewing equipment options for brewing by the barrel or brewing by the gallon.
Prevents channeling of your mash bed (a common problem with using a hose for your vorlauf).
Avoids hot side aeration during vorlauf by eliminating splashing when recirculting your mash wort; the outlet is submerged just an inch or two below the liquid level.
You don’t have to keep worrying about your grain bed and moving grains back to level the bed.
Adjustable length works for many recipes.
How to use:
Loosen the nut, then adjust the length of the pipe so that the outlet is about an inch below the liquid level of your mash.
When running your vorlauf, check that you are not splashing your wort – adjust the length as needed to prevent splashing and hot side aeration.
After mash in, attach the vorlauf pipe to your mash tun’s upper re circulation fitting.
Choosing the Correct Size.
What size will work best for your brewery setup? Check out the following available sizes and call us directly with any questions. We are committed to helping you make delicious craft brews and are here to help in any way that we can.
As a coffee roaster or café owner, it is up to you to manage the variables in your coffee to create the perfect cold brew recipe. The variables include:
Origin of coffee
Roasting style
Grind size
Water temperature
Brew time
Water chemistry
The origin of the coffee and the roasting style are at the heart of the magic of coffee. Sourcing and roasting the right coffee for your cold brew flavors will have the biggest impact on the quality of your cold brew.
Most roasters start out with the largest grind size they can to maximize the flavor that makes it to the coffee. Set your grinder to the largest size you can, and work backward from there. Most coffee brewers have found that the larger the grind size, the more control they have over the flavor of the cold brew. The volatile chemicals that make up the flavor and aroma of coffee are very evanescent. They combine quickly with oxygen. Oxidation can quickly change the flavor of the coffee.
How do you prevent this?
By choosing a larger grind size, you are limiting the surface area of the coffee bean, and thereby reducing oxidation of the coffee. Because water is such a good solvent, it can soak deep into the bean and bring those flavors out into the cold brew. The magic is in the time that it takes for water to bring those flavors out of the bean.
Size Matters.
The grind size will have an impact on the type of filtration system you want for your cold brew system. The size of particle you put into your cold brew will affect the clarity of the brew. Our cold coffee systems are designed to manage particle size so that you can control how clear your cold brew looks in the glass. We use a number of filtration systems that can filter your coffee down to a parcel size of 1 micron, if necessary.
Other Factors to Consider.
Time and temperature are also big factors to balance. The greater the temperature of your brew, the less time it takes to brew. The colder the brew, the longer the brew time. Of course heat also affects the rate of evaporation of the volatile coffee flavors, and the rate of oxidation.
What is “Warm Bloom?”
Some brewers like to use a “warm bloom” to their cold brew, where they start with water slightly above room temperature to pull flavors out of the bean more quickly. After the warm bloom, the brew is allowed to cool to room temperature. Room temperature varies from room to room, and from day to day, and from during the time of day.
Temperature Options
If you can’t control the air temperature in your brewery you might consider controlling the temperature of the brew. We sell glycol chilling systems as well as electric or direct fire heat that can help you control the temperature of your cold brew. Depending on the size of your cold brewery, it might make sense to consider adding temperature control to your cold brew system.
Water Chemistry
The chemistry of the water will also have an impact on the flavor of cold brew. The Ph of your water and the mineral content of the water will vary the flavor of your coffee. We can help you develop a reverse osmosis filter system or other water treatment system to manage the flavor of your cold brew.
We are here to help.
Talk to us about how we can help you control the temperature in your system. Check out our Cold Brew Coffee Systems and call us directly with your specific questions.
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