Beer brewing is a complex and delicate process. The stability and hygiene of brewing equipment directly affect the quality, flavor, and production efficiency of beer. Reasonable equipment maintenance and care can not only extend the service life of the equipment but also reduce the failure rate and ensure smooth production progress. In this article, we will discuss the importance of properly maintaining beer brewing equipment and provide tips and best practices to help you keep your equipment in optimal condition.
Table of Contents
Main components of beer brewing equipment
Before maintenance and care, you first need to understand the main components of beer brewing equipment, which include:
- Crushing system: used to crush malt to facilitate the mash
- Mashsystem: responsible for converting starch in malt into sugar and removing impurities.
- Fermentation system: provides a suitable environment for yeast to convert sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
- Cleaning system: used to automatically clean the inside of the equipment to prevent contamination.
- Filling system: fills and seals beer for storage and sales.
Equipment maintenance focuses on different links, so reasonable inspection and maintenance are required for each part.
Why should we maintain beer brewing equipment?
- Equipment maintenance can ensure the quality and taste of beer is stable. During the brewing process, residual malt residue, yeast sediment, and scale may affect the flavor of the next batch of beer, or even cause bacterial contamination, resulting in abnormal fermentation or beer deterioration. Through regular cleaning and maintenance, the sanitation of the brewing environment can be guaranteed, and the pure taste and consistency of the beer can be ensured.
- Maintenance can extend the service life of equipment and reduce the cost of repair and replacement. Brewing equipment is usually composed of components such as stainless steel, rubber seals, pumps, and piping systems, which are prone to corrosion, leakage, or blockage after long-term use. If not inspected and maintained in time, these problems may aggravate the aging of equipment, eventually leading to expensive repair costs, or even the need to replace the entire set of equipment.
- Maintenance can improve production efficiency and reduce downtime. Unstable equipment operation may cause interruptions in the production process, such as uneven heating of the mashsystem, poor sealing of the fermentation tank, and failure of the packaging machine, which will directly affect the production progress. Regular inspection and maintenance of equipment can reduce the failure rate, ensure production continuity, and improve overall efficiency.
- Regular maintenance is an important part of complying with food safety and production regulations. Beer production belongs to the food processing industry, and countries have strict requirements on the hygiene and safety standards of food production equipment. Keeping brewing equipment clean and in good condition can avoid contamination risks, ensure that production complies with food safety regulations, and reduce compliance risks.
What are the main aspects of beer brewing equipment maintenance?
Carry out daily equipment maintenance and inspection
This is the focus of equipment maintenance. Routine inspections are performed once a day to ensure that all parts of the equipment are operating normally and that the pipes and circuits are unobstructed. If aging parts are found to be rusty during the inspection, they should be replaced in time.
Maintenance steps for beer production equipment
- It is forbidden to use cleaning agents or disinfectants containing Cl to clean the equipment.
- When the equipment is not used for a long time, please clean the equipment thoroughly before stopping the craft beer equipment, and close the valve after the water is used up. After the equipment is not used for a long time, please clean the equipment thoroughly before using it again, and it can be cleaned multiple times.
- The heat exchanger should be disassembled and cleaned after long-term use or long-term non-use. It is strictly forbidden to use a metal brush when cleaning, and it is strictly forbidden to bend, twist, step on, and squeeze the heat exchanger plate. The gasket should be replaced in time.
- The equipment should regularly check the wiring and grounding of each motor and pump to ensure that the wiring is accurate. Check the oil level of the reduction motor and hydraulic equipment, and regularly add lubricating oil to the stirring motor according to the instructions. Regularly check whether the connection parts of the stirring and tilling blades are tight. The pump used in the beer equipment shall not run idle or run idle. If the pump is found to have oil leakage, the pump seal should be replaced in time.
- Check whether there are foreign objects or impurities in the crusher hopper regularly, check whether the fasteners on the crusher are loose, the tightness of the crusher drive belt, and the reliability of various safety protection devices. Clean damaged grinding rollers regularly.
- Check whether the pressure gauge of the steam heating equipment and the safety valve of the craft beer equipment is normal regularly, and ensure that the drain valve is unobstructed; when the liquid level is lower than the specified level, heating must not be turned on! When the equipment is running, high-temperature warning signs such as steam and wort should be hung above the pipeline and mash equipment to avoid burns.
Maintenance of beer fermentation equipment
- If there is air leakage at the joint of the air inlet and outlet pipes, and the problem is not solved after tightening the joint, the packing should be added or replaced.
- The pressure gauge and safety valve should be checked regularly, and the fault should be replaced or repaired in time.
- Electrical equipment such as electrical appliances, instruments, sensors, etc. are strictly prohibited from direct contact with water and steam to prevent moisture.
- When the equipment is out of use, it should be cleaned in time to remove the remaining water in the pipes, tank covers, and hand-hole screws to prevent the deformation of the sealing ring.
- If it is not used temporarily, it should be emptied and the remaining water in the water tank and each pipeline should be drained.
Auxiliary maintenance of beer equipment
After the heat exchanger has been in operation for a long time or has not been used for a long time, it should be disassembled and cleaned, the cleaned parts should be installed in place, and the aging sealing gaskets should be replaced in time. Regularly check the wiring and grounding of each motor and pump to ensure that the wiring is correct. The pump used in the beer equipment must not run idle or run idle. If the pump leaks, the pump seal should be replaced in time. Check the oil level of the reduction motor and hydraulic equipment, and add lubricating oil to the stirring motor regularly according to the instructions.
Key to Maintaining and Cleaning Beer Brewing Equipment
Daily cleaning is key
Beer dispensing requires regular cleaning and maintenance. Beer equipment is prone to breeding bacteria, which can affect the taste of beer and leave customers dissatisfied. The spigots on the taps should be cleaned with hot water after daily use. One of the main culprits for bad-tasting beer is dirty beer pipes. The Brewers Association recommends cleaning beer pipes every two weeks or after each keg of beer is served. Before you complain that this sounds too frequent, the longer you wait to clean your pipes, the more thorough the cleaning will need to be, and the greater the risk to beer quality. Don’t stress, with a convenient beer pipe cleaning pump on the market, cleaning your system has never been easier.
disinfect
After cleaning comes sanitizing, which eliminates those nasty bacteria and microorganisms that can spoil your beer and leave a bad taste in your customers’ mouths. The most effective way to disinfect all system parts that come into contact with beer is to use a high-quality beer line cleaning chemical.
Check for wear and tear
Quality control and maintenance are also important. Regularly check your equipment for signs of wear or damage, such as cracks, corrosion, or leaks. Small problems in the brewing process can quickly become big problems that affect the taste and safety of your beer.
Regular Deep Cleaning
Your daily and weekly maintenance routine is essential, but it’s also very necessary to perform a deep cleaning once in a while. Deep cleaning involves disassembling components such as faucets, valves, and connections, where residue can build up over time. Soaking these parts in a cleaning solution will help remove stubborn deposits and ultimately ensure the longevity of your beer equipment and dispensing system.
FAQ
What should I do if the fermentation tank has an odor?
It may be due to incomplete cleaning or poor sealing. Use the CIP system for deep cleaning and check whether the sealing ring is intact.
How to solve the blockage of the Lauter tun?
Adjust the malt crushing degree to avoid too much fine slag, and clean the filter plate regularly to keep it unobstructed.
What is the reason for the decline in cooling system efficiency?
It may be due to blockage of the heat exchanger or insufficient refrigerant. The heat exchanger needs to be cleaned and the operation of the refrigerator needs to be checked.
What should I do if the CIP cleaning effect is not good?
Check whether the spray ball is blocked, ensure that the concentration of the cleaning liquid is appropriate, and replace the cleaning liquid regularly.
What should I do if the filling equipment does not seal tightly?
Check whether the filling equipment sealer is worn or improperly adjusted, replace parts if necessary, and recalibrate the equipment.
How to extend the service life of the equipment?
Perform regular maintenance, clean on time, check the wear of key components, and do a good job of lubrication and anti-corrosion.