COMMERCIAL BREWING EQUIPMENT

There are many reasons why a commercial brewery needs premium quality brewing equipment. Commercial breweries expand their premises and experiment with new beer recipes all the time. When they do this, they need to ensure they have access to the latest brewery technology; equipment that has been manufactured to the strictest, highest international standards in the world. On top of this essential criteria, all commercial breweries operate according to an extremely tight budget.

Premium quality equipment and supplies are required when a commercial brewery needs to expand the current brewery facilities or extend operations to another site. When a new division or different site location are planned, commercial brewers need a specialist in brewery design, manufacture, transport, and installation to undertake the commission. The company they choose for this must also be able to complete the job in time and within budget.

Why YoLong Industrial is the Preferred Commercial Brewery Equipment Supplier

Because YoLong Industrial is the top 3 of APAC commercial brewing equipment fabricator and a preferred supplier and manufacturer of the Brewers Association, BFBi, and Independent Brewers Association, we are the name that comes to mind for all your macrobrewery and commercial brewery equipment requirements (numbers greater than 6 million barrels per year).

YoLong Industries understand that all beer production, outside of the non-distributed home brews, is commercial beer. It is only a matter of volume that differentiates between a microbrewery (less than 6 million barrels per year) and a macrobrewery (greater than 6 million barrels per year).

There are many beverage companies that produce and distribute commercial beer products and a range of craft beers as well. The difference between the two processes are always:

• Volume
• Size of equipment used to produce the beer batches
• Price point at sale
• Degrees of automation

Commercial Beer Production Processes

YoLong Industrial recognize that the beer-making process is an art. It takes time, perseverance, and more than a bit of experimentation to discover that perfect beer flavor. When the brewmaster has found the right mix and beer flavor profile, they need excellent commercial brewery equipment to be able to replicate it over and over again. This will ensure that the brewery is always delivering the same high quality product to the consumer.

Malt Handling System

The first step in the beer production process is creating the malt from barley. The grains are steeped in a malt handling system for one to two days, and then cooled in humid air conditions in order for germination to occur over the next 3 – 7 days. The grains are then dried out in a kiln for up to one week, with a following rest period of 3 weeks. This is when the barley grain becomes malt. Depending on how much grain you are dealing with, the size of the malt handling system will correlate to it.

YoLong design commercial malt handling systems for a range of budgets and uses, because one size does not fit every requirement.

Every individual distiller’s and brewer’s situation has to be looked at as a unique case by case basis. Using a repurposed malt handling system is never advisable as trace residues could impact your end product’s flavor profile, so new malt handling systems are commissioned and designed for a range of uses and budgets.

If you want a malt handling system that has been designed to go the distance, factoring this vital piece of equipment into your budget and inventory is essential.

Custom Brewhouse

YoLong custom brewhouse equipment ranges from 20bbl up to the greatest volume size commercial vessels available. The malt that was developed in the malt handling system is relocated to the brewhouse. This is where the malt is added to mash tuns, (as many as the production volume requires: 3,4, and 5 vessel configurations) and the mash is heated for two to three hours.

After the heating process, the malt passes into the lauter tuns. It is here that the malt grains are processed and the mix converts into a liquid called wort. The wort is sieved by the lauter tun and then the mix passes into the wort kettle where it is boiled. During this process, the wort separates out from the grain over 2 – 4 hours. The grain residue is not left to waste: as part of the recycling process, the grain is sent to local farmers to feed their cattle.

Cellar Tanks

The wort is now ready to be placed into fermentation vessel cellar tanks that range in size from 20bbl to 200bbl, depending on the production volume required by the commercial brewery. These vessels can hold hundreds of thousands of liters/gallons of liquid. The fermentation process takes between 18 to 28 days. Having more cellar tanks means increased production across the board.

Why Do Commercial Breweries Need Hot and Cold Liquor Tanks?

The cold liquor tanks in a brewery are used as buffer tanks. They contain cold water that is used as a cooling mechanism to bring the boiling wort down to the ideal temperature for fermentation to occur. It is essential to have an experienced commercial brewery equipment manufacturer size the hot and cold liquor tanks properly, so they are sufficient to support the brewing system with the correct quantities of water, and at the correct temperature.

Are Heat Recovery Systems a Cost-Saving Opportunity?

According to statistics and data released by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2003, and supported by similar energy consumption officials all over the world, commercial beer production costs can be significantly reduced by the implementation of heat recovery systems in commercial breweries. This is good news for lower production costs and the environment.

Portable Pumps and Flowmeters

The flow and thermal energy measurements for the commercial beer brewing process are necessary in both the cold process areas and the brewery. This equipment carries out systematic checks on every installed component and measures the process’s performance and inspection parameters. Portable pumps and flowmeters are indispensable tools to optimize the water consumption and thermal energy.

Energy Saving Devices

YoLong Industrial produce state of the art energy devices that enable the recycling of thermal energy during the brewing process. This can save on energy costs and the use of government funded power sources. Utility optimization in the commercial brewery process is based on modern energy-integration methodology. It’s best for the commercial brewery and the environment. Lowering the carbon footprint of the beer-making process is constantly being improved upon at YoLong.

Fully Automatic CIP Stations

Commercial breweries deal with huge volumes of product every day. In addition to this, the area and equipment have to reach the highest standards of hygiene + efficiency. No one understands this process better than YoLong Industrial. We design, manufacture, and install fully automated commercial CIP (Cleaning In Place) stations that clean the interior surfaces without the need for disassembly.

The interior of all tanks, pipes, and vessels are cleaned automatically without manual labor. This is a major labor and cost efficient commercial equipment to install. Because the brewing vessels, pipes, and packaging equipment are closed systems, frequent cleaning is necessary to maintain the chemical and microbiological quality of the beer.

YoLong Industrial present an automatic cleaning process that is extremely comprehensive and elaborate. This will provide the commercial brewery with sufficient control of energy, running costs, time management, and product consistency.

Hop Storm: The Hop Delivery System

The hop storm is the ultimate hop delivery system. Brewers are forever reinventing the palate of how beer should taste, and therefore, the mechanisms through which hops are added to the beer are changing all the time as well. When hops are added to the mix after the boil, they contribute a far more aromatic flavor. There are many names for the different hop delivery systems used by commercial brewers today. But they all add up to a fragrant, less bitter beer product that is helping change the profile of modern beer tastes.

Yeast Propagation System

Commercial yeast propagation equipment produced by YoLong Industrial is engineered to produce ideal yeast propagation under the most sterile conditions. This is an essential component of the beer production process. It plays a critical role in how the beer will taste, its quality, and how easily the mix will be filtered. Choosing the correct strain of yeast, propagating healthy yeast cells, and utilizing the surplus yeast is possible with a custom automated yeast propagation system.

Beer Filtration Commercial Equipment and Supplies

Some commercial craft beers have produced cloudy beers in past, and the consumer has found them to be a refreshing change to the norm. But it is still the accepted practice to use a beer filtration system to clarify the product to acceptable commercial industry standards. This is done by using a beer filtration system to filter out yeast clumps called flocculation.

Although flocculation is an important and desirable characteristic of brewer’s yeast, the aggregation of yeast cells into clumps that drop to the bottom of the fermenter vessel will leave a clear beer behind. If, however, the beer has remaining low flocculation wild yeast still in suspension, commercial beers will automatically filter this out before bottling or kegging can take place.

Bottle Preparation

Keg Washing and Filling Line/Bottle Washing and Filling Line Purchase and Installation

While the beer is fermenting, in the interim, commercial beer production continues with bottles being prepared to receive the final beer product. YoLong Industrial commercial bottle washer and filler line can process between 40,000 to 45,000 bottles per hour. That is sufficient to fulfil the production needs of any brewery.

The bottles and kegs are inspected for quality and cleanliness by a bottle inspector or a PVI machine. They are picked up and sent back if they do not meet the production health and safety parameters.

Filling Up and Sealing the Kegs/Bottles

When the bottles are ready, and the beer has fermented to perfection, the last steps in a commercial brewery beer production line is to label the bottles. Over 1,500 bottles can be labelled every minute. 3 checks take place concurrently:

• Bottle contents fill height is correct
• Labels are straight
• The bottle caps are checked for attachment security and fastness

Now the only thing left is to pack the beer into crates and load them into the transport trucks, awaiting delivery to the eager distributors and consumers all over the world.