Beer, an ancient alcoholic beverage with a history spanning thousands of years, has evolved to become the most widely produced and distributed alcoholic beverage worldwide. Beer festivals have also become a cherished tradition around the globe. In this article, let’s explore some interesting facts about beer with the engineers from ACE Craft.
Ingredients
Beer is a carbonated, lightly alcoholic fermented beverage made primarily from malt and water. It also contains hops (including hop products) and is fermented by yeast.
Brewing Process
The brewing process of beer can be divided into several stages: wort manufacturing, wort processing, wort fermentation (also known as beer fermentation), beer filtration, and other production processes.
Wort Making
The production of wort involves various processes. These include crushing the raw materials for beer production, such as barley malt and rice; gelatinization and liquefaction of the ingredients; saccharification of raw materials; mash filtration and wort washing; wort boiling and hop addition; and separation of the boiling wort through swirling. The wort is then processed further, including cooling and oxygenation.
Wort Processing
Wort production follows a batch production method. The equipment used for making wort includes pots, tanks, pumps, pipes, and heaters. Depending on the combination of pots and tanks, the production capacity varies. It can range from 2-3 batches per day for two-vessel combinations, 3-5 batches per day for three-vessel combinations, 5-6 batches per day for four-vessel combinations, and 6-7 batches per day for four-vessel combinations with staging slots.
Additionally, in the early stages of beer fermentation, aerobic respiration and yeast cell proliferation occur, followed by anaerobic fermentation. Yeast utilizes the nutrients in the wort to produce alcohol, fusel oil, organic acids, and more. Traditional fermentation consists of main fermentation and post-fermentation stages. To improve fermentation efficiency, cone-type fermentation tanks are commonly used, allowing for one-pot fermentation. This method offers advantages such as low investment and energy consumption, simplicity of operation, and suitability for brewing different types of beer while ensuring high-quality results.
Beer Filtration
Beer filtration can be achieved using various forms of diatomite filters (plate and frame type, candle type, disc type). This process effectively removes suspended solids, improves the appearance and colloidal stability of beer, enhances the stability of biological components, minimizes wine loss and carbon dioxide loss, prevents pollution and oxygen absorption, and does not affect the flavor of the beer.
Beer Filling
The primary principles of beer filling are to minimize oxygen contact, prevent carbon dioxide loss, and ensure strict aseptic operation. Beer can be filled in bottles (glass or polyester plastic), cans, or barrels. Different filling methods include pressure filling, vacuum filling, carbon dioxide filling, and secondary vacuum filling. The choice of refrigeration equipment, steam production equipment, compressed air production equipment, etc., depends on the production scale and investment capacity. Opting for energy-saving production equipment reduces initial investment but lowers later production and operation costs. Conversely, choosing cheaper production equipment reduces initial costs but increases ongoing production and operation expenses. Designers must calculate the investment recovery period of energy-saving production equipment based on the production scale and carefully select equipment configurations that offer high cost performance.
Conclusion
As one of China’s most professional brewery equipment manufacturers, we at ACE Craft use high-quality food-grade 304/316 stainless steel containers. The thickness of the sheet used is determined based on the container scale. We provide incoming inspection reports for raw materials and offer turnkey solutions, including 3D plant drawings. For further details, please visit our service page. We look forward to the opportunity to cooperate with you.
If you are planning to open or expand a brewery, feel free to contact us directly. Our engineers will design and manufacture brewery equipment tailored to your brewing process. We also provide complete turnkey solutions and personalized recommendations for brewery expansion.
