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The reason that breweries need large hot water tank

  • Feb 27, 2024
  • 140
  • tiantai
Beer brewing involves using hot water, usually at a specific temperature. “Flushing” is used to soak the grains at a specific temperature to release the sugars. The sugar is then rinsed away using a “squirt” of water. This is the stage where a hot water tank (HLT) is used. This is the source of the hot water that becomes beer. It plays an important role to get stable beer.
 

What Is A Hot Water Tank?

A hot water tank is a large insulated vessel that stores and heats water to a specific temperature. These tanks are usually made of stainless steel and capacity can be customized according to real brewing demands. Water tanks are usually equipped with heating elements and temperature controllers to ensure that the water is heated to the required temperature and maintained at that temperature for as long as required. The heating can be steam, electric or direct fire.
 

What Does A Hot Water Tank Do?

The hot water tank is used to storage hot water, which recycled from heat exchanger. The recycle hot water can be used for mashing or sparging. In home brewing field, the hot water tank also can be used to maintain a specific temperature while soaking the grains. This is usually done by using heat exchange coils placed in the tank. In the brewing world, it’s known as a heat exchange recirculating mash system. Mash thickness is considered a very important factor in the brewing world and I see many brewers paying a lot of attention to this. Brewing beer in a consistent manner should always involve a procedure that can be repeated. Several factors should be considered throughout the brewing process, as they play an important role in the taste and quality of the beer. These factors include the amount and temperature of the grain, the amount and temperature of the impingement water, the air temperature, the temperature and size of the container used, and finally the degree of temperature loss due to poor mixing and insulation.
 

Does A Brewery Need A Hot Water Tank?

If the brewer brews once a day, budget considerations may make it ok without a hot water tank. We can then recycle the hot water into MLT (the tank needs to be cleaned in advance). Hot water is available for use the next day. It will be cooler and colder after one night, but at least we saved water and energy.
 
If the brewer brews twice a day, to save mashing time, it is best to have a hot liquid tank in order to be ready for second brew. We normally design the hot water tank 2 times bigger of brewhouse capacity.


Hot Water Tank
 

Why Do Brewery Equipment Need Larger Capacity Hot Water Tanks?

Larger capacity hot water tanks (HLTs) in breweries can provide a variety of advantages, depending on the size of your brewing operation and your specific brewing process. HLT is a key component in the brewing process, used to heat and store hot water for various purposes, for mashing and sparging.
 
Batch size: If you are brewing larger quantities of beer, you need more hot water to mash and squirt the grains . A larger HLT ensures you have enough hot water to cover the entire batch.
 
Mashing and sparging efficiency: A larger HLT helps maintain consistent temperatures during mashing and sparging, which is crucial for obtaining high-quality wort. It ensures you have enough hot water to reach your target mashing temperature and volume, converting starch into sugar more .
 
Versatility: The water-to-grain ratio can be adjusted and different mash configurations achieved to create a wider range of beer styles.
 
Consistency: With a larger HLT, the same brewing process and recipes can be repeated batch-to-batch, resulting in consistent beer quality.
 
Time efficiency: Larger HLT can save time during the brewing process. Water can be heated and held in the HLT while other brewing tasks are performed, reducing downtime and brewing time.
 
Energy efficiency: Reduces the need to reheat water during brewing. By heating large amounts of water and maintaining it at a constant temperature, you reduce heat loss and save energy costs.
 
Brewery expansion: If the brewery capacity is expected to be expanded in the future, investing in a larger HLT always is a better thing in the long run.
 
Water treatment: Some breweries must treated water for brewing. Larger HLTs can store larger volumes of process water, ensuring adequate water volume for each batch.
 
Cut Thermal Shock: A larger HLT helps prevent rapid temperature swings during the brewing process. Rapid temperature changes can affect enzymes and the quality of your beer.

 

Why Is A Hot Water Tank Important To A Brewery?

Stable quality: To produce beer of stable quality, the brewing process must be controlled. This includes the temperature of the hot water used in various stages of brewing. With a hot water tank, a brewery can ensure that the water is heated to the right temperature and maintained at that temperature throughout the brewing process.
 
Efficiency: Hot water tanks enable breweries to heat large amounts of water . By heating and storing water in tanks, breweries can save the time and energy needed to heat water on demand.
 
Safety: Brewing beer requires high temperatures, which may be dangerous if not managed . Hot water tanks are designed to be safe to use and have built-in safety features to prevent overheating or other hazards.
 
Increased Capacity: With a hot water tank, breweries can increase capacity and brew larger batches of beer. This is especially important for breweries looking to expand operations and increase production.
 
Tiantai provides turnkey solutions on brewery equipment, winery, distillery, kombucha equipment, if you are looking for build a brewery, kindly contact Derrick to get your brewery solutions.
 
Derrick
Sales Manager

[email protected]
Tiantai Beer Equipment

Tags : beer brewing    breweries   
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