How to chose the suitable brewhouse for your own brewery

I think brewing equipment is built very differently than other products – we need to build it to each brewer’s unique brewing intent – a most modern design may be adopted by one brewer, but the most traditional design may also be preferred by another brewer. We don’t usually tell our customers which design is the best, because the best design is the one that works best. Another feature of brewing equipment is that many good ideas come from many brewers in action, so the development of brewing equipment has a more reliable and broadest base of quality and power sources than in other fields. That’s one of the things I personally love about this industry – the creativity, the passion, the constant sharing.

Well, some of our customers ask us to recommend the most suitable brewpubs, often they are new to beer brewing or are already used to using home brewing kits. So, here are some of my thoughts for you to share.

Normal 2-vessel brewhouse: Below 1500L.

A. Mash/lauter combined vessel+ kettle/whirlpool combined vessel
B. Germany style: Mash/kettle combined vessel+lauter vessel. The mash/kettle combined vessel also include the whirlpool function.

Main features.
Simple equipment, so the investment is small
Simple piping design, easy to operate.
Smaller total height of the brewery, suitable for situations with restricted ceilings
Main disadvantages.
Suitable for infusion saccharification (in design A the saccharification temperature is increased by mixing with hot water of different temperatures, in design B the saccharification temperature is increased by direct heating.
If you intend to use the decoction method, then it has limitations and requires more design modifications.
It only allows for two batches to be brewed per day and the brewer needs to work into the evening.

3-vessel 2 body brewhouse

A. Mash/lauter/hot liquor combined tank+kettle/whirlpool tank
B. Mash/lauter/whirlpool combined tank+ kettle
C. Lauter/whirlpool combined tank+mash/ kettle vessel
Other customized design such as mash/kettle/whirlpool/hot liquor combined tank+ lauter
Etc.

Main features.
Saving of installation area
For A, the equipment budget is saved because the hot liquor is combined under the wort/fermenter.
③For B,C, the wort can be filtered by natural gravity, at which point the whirlpool vessel acts as a buffer tank to hold the wort, so only one pump is needed in the kettle to provide hot water for the splash.
For C, the main consideration is the requirement of German style saccharification.
For B, even the hot liquid tank can be saved because the kettle will provide hot water for the saccharification if we operate flexibly.
The disadvantages are
The equipment is taller, so the ceiling has to be higher.
Some designs are not possible, for example, for a normal 2- or 3-cylinder brewery, the hot liquor tank can be double or triple the size, but for this design, the hot water tank is mostly the same size as the brewery.

3 vessel brewhouse: more used in 1000L-3000L
A. Saccharification tank + percolation tank + kettle & whirlpool
B. Molasses/fermentation tank + kettle vessel + whirlpool vessel
C. Mash/distillation tanks + stills + whirlpool vessels

Main features.
Suitable for 2-3 batches per day. Example.
For A,B, the second batch of wort can be started in the mash tank while the first batch of wort is in the swirling process.
For C, the second batch of wort can be started while the first batch of wort is in the swirling and wort cooling process.
A and B are suitable for infusion and decoction saccharification.
Disadvantages.
Higher budget due to the addition of additional vessels.
Larger installation area.

4-vessel brewhouse: more used above 2500L

Mash tun+ lauter tun+ kettle+ whirlpool

Main features.
Suitable for brewing 3-4 batches of product per day.
Therefore, a 4-vessel brewer is recommended when there are recent expansion requirements based on the same brewhouse.
Suitable for infusion and decoction saccharification.

The disadvantages are
Higher budget due to the addition of additional vessels.
Larger installation area.
The boiling pot is suitable for large volumes.
It can be used as a buffer tank to hold the wort after percolation. In this case, the wort from the first and second batches are cooked together in the boiling pot.
It can be used as a steaming spout for starter/corn, etc.