steam heating in beer brewing (understanding steam heating system)

Let’s talk about the heating method of brewery equipment when brewing beer.Heating is an important step in the mashing of beer. The heating methods used in breweries are divided into direct fire heating, electric heating, and steam heating. And steam heating is a popular choice for brewers. Especially the industry standard for brewing systems of 15bbl and above. Using a separate boiler to heat water with gas to generate steam, a typical steam brewing system would use a jacket over the brewhouse vessel. Use steam to circulate through the jacket around the kettle. This is the easiest and cheapest way to heat with steam.Today, the engineers of Micet craft will discuss the steam heating method with you.

Steam heating

Steam is a popular heating method in craft beer, especially for breweries 15bbl and above. Steam can be used as part of the sterilization step and can also be used to heat the caustic. Sterilize the air during aerating the wort—Most brewers use pure oxygen to aerate the wort on the way to the fermenter.

Working method of steam heating

In most mash plants, you can regulate the flow of steam into the vessel, like controlling a gas flame on the top of a stove. With a steam-heated brewing system, there are three alternative methods you can use to heat your brewing tun, we’ll start by looking at the internal piping.

Internal piping

Increase the evaporation rate during the boil – this can shorten the boil time.
Studies suggest seeing increased hop utilization and hop disruption, some further research needs to be done to confirm this.
The vigorous boiling and evaporation rates reduce the possibility of DMS in the final beer.
Reduced incidence of caramelization in the kettle tun due to wort movement compared to some other systems.
Increased movement in the wort tun – this may mean less energy input.
Shorten brew time – it is more effective than using the steam jacket alone.

When using exhaust pipes, the efficiency comes from the large amount of heated area they represent; plus the small amount of heat lost to the atmosphere. The increased evaporation rate is explained by higher heating efficiency as well as increased wort movement.

How the internal piping works

An internal drain, placed inside the brewing kettle, uses convection to force the wort through the tubes inside the drain, where it is heated by the steam. There are no moving parts in the duct, it works by convection (heat rise). Like the jacket, the steam can be controlled. It has a wort sprayer that prevents overflowing and promotes wort movement.

External heating tube

External heating pipes are used in larger breweries because they are expensive. But there are also smaller 500 liter breweries that use external heating pipes. The wort is pumped through the EWB, gets heated and returned to the pot on a spreader pan/cone above the wort surface. The wort is pumped at a rate of 8 to 10 times the volume of the kettle per hour.

crush

When using steam in a mash bucket or mash mixer (depending on your mash tun setup), the container usually has a steam jacket like a brew kettle. Inside the mash, a bucket is an agitator or paddle that mixes the grains and water and ensures an even mix. A steam jacket combined with agitation enables efficient heating.

Step mashing

With step mashing, You can increase the temperature of the mash during the mashing. This allows you to brew a more stylized beer and helps flow from the lauter tun to the kettle tun.

Precautions： If you have a separate lauter tun, usually it’s not heated. You can increase the mash temperature in the mash tun to around 78°C before filtration.

The advantages of steam heating

rapid heating

When using the steam jacket, the “heated area” is large. Bottom and side jackets are available with optional piping. The wort can be accelerated and boiled for a good evaporation rate.

Even distribution of heat

The large heated area results in a more even heat distribution, so there is less chance of scorching/blocking, ensuring a high-quality wort. Also, the cleaning process after steam heating is easier than using direct fire heating or electric heating.

Versatility

Steam can be used in a brewery for many tasks. From cleaning kegs to sanitizing compressed air for wort aeration.

control

According to the settings of the mashing tun, steam can be controlled, making procedures and processes easier to replicate.

long lasting and potential scalability

With proper boiler maintenance and preventive maintenance, boilers can last a long time, providing a reasonable investment. If an electric steam generator is used, it can be run in sequence.

Disadvantages of steam heating

cost

Boilers are expensive to install up front, and they must a lot of maintenance to keep the generator in top condition. Also, a steam generator is required, which is another expense. Thus, it will increase the total cost.

Regulation

Depending on where the brewery is located, local regulations may not allow boilers to be installed inside the brewery. Before opting for steam, make sure your location is allowed.

safety

On smaller brewing systems, an electric steam generator may be the best option if you want to use steam heating. Steam generators are presses, which are very dangerous and must be operated !

Get a turnkey solution for craft breweries

The above-mentioned are the comprehensive description of the process of steam heating and the advantages and disadvantages shared by engineers of Micet Craft. Contact us if you are planning and ready to build a brewery. The professional engineers of Micet craft will make the perfect beer equipment plan for you and help you realize your dream. Micet Craft looks forward to cooperating with you!

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