Brewing + Distilling Center - Professional Brewing/Distilling Technology
Brewing Engineering II
BREWERY REQUIREMENTS AND SIZING
BREWERY REQUIREMENTS
UTILITIES
Electrical 20 - 35 kWh/bbl (Brewpubs 10-15 kWh/bbl)
Natural Gas 2 - 3.7 Thermos/bbl (Brewpubs 1.3 therms/bbl)
Water 6 - 8 BBL's water/bbl beer produced (Brewpubs 3 bbl / bbl)
Refrigeration 10 - 20 BTU chiller capacity/bbl yearly capacity
Direct Fired Brew Kettle 25,000 - 30,000 BTU/bbl Cast Wort
Water
· Main water supply to brewery is recommended to be 60 psi @ 25 GPM. Uniform water flow to the brewhouse is critical and should not be affected by water demand elsewhere in the building.
· Hot and cold hose bibs are required in all brewery spaces and lab areas.
· If kegging or bottling will be done, a water supply will be needed in these areas.
· Filtration may be needed for city water. A water analysis will be needed to determine if a filter is required.
Water Usage Breakdown for Pub Breweries:
Usage & output per 10 BBL, average (pub brewery)
10 BBL in product
12 BBL Cooling-reclaimed
1 BBL Evaporated
2.5 BBL With spent grain
8.5 BBL To sewer
33 bbl TOTAL
Drainage
· Drains are required in the brewhouse, fermentation, walk-in cooler (if applicable), boiler room, and any other areas where water and spillage may occur i.e. kegging/bottling.
· Floors should have a recommended pitch of ¼” per foot towards drains.
· Recommend 4″ channel drains with stainless steel or fiberglass grating. All drains should be sized adequately to handle 4-6 barrels of effluent for every 1 barrel of beer produced.
Finish
· Brewery floors should be sealed and resistant to both mild acids and strong alkalines.
· Due to the nature of the brewing process, walls and ceilings should be washable.
· All floor penetrations for transfer lines, steam lines, flex auger etc. should be curbed to prevent overflow.
Electrical
· Standard electrical for brewery equipment is 208VAC, 3 phase, 60 hertz, 4 wire.
· A 200 Amp service is recommended for the brewery area, this would include such things as a boiler and glycol condensing unit.
Space Requirements
Average production brewery with bottling = 1.25-1.75 ft2/BBL/Year
Minimum production brewery start-up size requirements: 5,000 ft2 industrial space with 20' ceilings, loading dock, good truck access, 3 phase power, city gas main
Average pub brewery plant with in-house sales only 0.5 – 1 ft2 / bbl of annual capacity
Minimum brewpub size requirements: 3,000 ft2 in retail area with ample parking and/or high foot traffic
Brewery only: 3 or 5 bbl system = 300-500 ft2, 7,10 or 15 bbl system = 550 – 1200 ft2
Sacked malt storage .15 - .25 ft2/bbl of annual capacity
Ceiling Heights
· For planning purposes, newly constructed buildings are recommended to have 12′ to 14′ ceilings in the brewhouse area with 9′ to 10′ in the fermentation and serving area. Microbreweries will require additional ceiling height due to the larger sizes of the vessels.
Venting
· Typically a flue is needed for the venting of the steam from the brew kettle.
· If a steam fired system is selected an exhaust flue is required in the boiler room for the gas fired boiler.
· If a direct gas fired system is selected an exhaust flue will be needed in the brew house area for the kettle firebox exhaust.
· Make-up air is required in the boiler room on a steam-fired system and in the brew house area for a direct gas fired system.
· Air conditioning is recommended in all brewery spaces.
Additional Requirements
· For unloading and installation purposes a forklift should be on site when the brewing equipment arrives. Forks should be extendable and padded to protect the equipment.
· All electrical conduits and wiring be run and ready to connect to equipment.
· All drains, plumbing and water lines are prepared to accept brewing equipment.
· If natural gas lines are required, they should be run to the appropriate locations in the brewery.
· An entryway into the building to accommodate the largest vessel.
Annual production = Brewhouse size X Number of brews per week X 50 weeks per year
Example: 10 bbls X 3 brews / week X 50 weeks / year = 1500 bbls / year
Fermenters required = Brew house size X vessel cycles / yr (to meet annual production)
BREWERY SIZING
Example 1 – Sizing for a Brewpub:
Parameters:
1000 Bbls per yr; 75%ales, 25%lagers; 50 brewing weeks / yr
14 day ales / 28 day lagers with full fermentation / ageing in fermenters
Ales – 25 cycles / fermenter / yr (50 brewing weeks / 4 week fermentation + ageing)
Lagers – 12.5 cycles / fermenter / yr (50 brewing weeks / 4 week fermentation + ageing)
6 beers on tap
Calculate system size and number of fermenters
for a 3.5 barrel system making 1000 Bbls / yr:
3.5 bbls X 50 brewing wks / yr = 5.8 brews / wk
for a 7 bbl system making 1000 Bbls / yr:
7 bbl / 50 brewing wks / yr = 2.9 brews / wk
for a 10 bbl system making 1000 Bbls / yr:
10 bbl / 50 brew wks / yr = 2 brews / wk
for a 15 bbl system making 1000 Bbl / yr:
15 bbl / 50 brewing wks / yr = 1.3 brews / wk
Brewing less than twice a week, system is oversized. More than 3 times per week, undersized.
7 to 10 bbl recommended for this example
Number of fermenters required
Projected 750 bbls ales (75%) & 250 bbls lagers (25%)
For 7 bbls system
Ales – 750 bbls / yr (7 bbls X 25 cycles / yr ) = 4.2 = 5 tanks
Lagers – 250 bbls / yr ( 7 bbls X 12.5 cycles / yr) = 2.8 = 3 tanks
Total – 7-8 fermenters to produce 750 bbls ales and 250 lagers
For 10 bbl system:
Ales – 750 bbls / yr (10 bbls X 25 cycles / yr) = 3 tanks
Lagers – 250 bbls / yr (10 bbls X 12.5 cycles / yr) = 2 tanks
Total – 5 fermenters to produce 750 bbls ales and 250 bbls lagers
Number of serving vessels – Equals number of beer styles one wishes to serve via tank to tap
Note: Number of beer styles may increase through kegging and or bottling
System recommendation: 10 bbls system with 5X10 barrel fermenters and 6X10 servers
Choosing the 10 bbls system over the 7 bbl has these advantages
-good utilization of manpower (2 brews / wk)
-reduced floor space (5 tanks vs. 8)
-better priced / more economical (fewer tanks)
-better expansion capabilities
-meets all system reqs
Note: Double sized fermenters (and conditioning tanks may half the number of vessels required to meet annual production
Note: All calculations assume 50 brewing weeks / yr
Sizing for a Microbrewery
Proper sizing for a microbrewery should always allow for future expansion. Many micros will start out with possibly single size fermenters and as demand increases, double or even triple size fermenters (and bright tanks) are added. Labor and available space will generally determine the appropriate time to expand to a larger brew house. You have properly sized your brewery if you can get 5 to 10 years out of your initial brew house.
Example: Parameters: 3000 Barrels per year; 75% (2250 bbl) Ales, 25% (750 bbl) Lagers
50 brewing weeks / year 14 Day Ales / 28 Day Lagers with full fermentation in fermenters
Ales - 25 cycles/fermenter/year (50 brewing weeks / 2 week fermentation)
Lagers - 12.5 cycles/fermenter/year (50 brewing weeks / 4 week fermentation)
Produce 4 different styles of beer
How to calculate system size and number of fermenters:
Select system size:
20 Barrel system 3000 bbl/year / 20 bbl system / 50 brewing weeks/year = 3 brews per week
30 Barrel system 3000 bbl/year / 30 bbl system / 50 brewing weeks/year = 2 brews per week
40 Barrel system 3000 bbl/year / 40 bbl system / 50 brewing weeks/year = 1.5 brews per week
Comment - One must look at the labor component in selecting a system size.
Most properly sized microbreweries brew 2 - 3 times per week in their first couple of years of operation. Brewing less than once a week, the system may have been oversized to start with.
Calculation of number of fermenters required:
Projected: 2250 bbls Ales (75%) & 750 bbls Lagers (25%)
Ales ------>2250 bbl/year / 25 cycles/year = 90 bbls fermentation capacity
Lagers ------>750 bbls/year / 12.5 cycles/year = 60 bbls fermentation capacity
Total ------> 150 bbls fermentation capacity
For 20 bbl system 8 x 20 bbl fermenters are required
For 30 bbl system 5 x 30 bbl fermenters are required
For 40 bbl system 4 x 40 bbl fermenters are required
System Recommendation :
30 Barrel system with 5 x 30 bbl fermenters and 1 x 30 bbl bright tank.
This will comfortably allow for future expansion.
**Note: The use of double or triple sized fermenters and conditioning/lagering tanks will reduce the number of fermenters required to meet annual production.
Estimated Annual Production: Proper sizing for a microbrewery should always allow for future expansion. Many micros will start out with possibly single size fermenters and as demand increases, double or even triple size fermenters (and bright tanks) are added. Labor and available space will generally determine the appropriate time to expand to a larger brew house. You have properly sized your brewery if you can get 5 to 10 years out of your initial brew house. Brewing more than 3 times a week, the system may have been initially undersized, particularly if future expansion is anticipated. For this example, either of the above systems would be recommended. However, if future sales are anticipated to be, say over 5000 bbl/yr, then the larger systems would be preferred.
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