Page 17 - Beverage MasterFebMarch 2021_Update

Craft Brewery

While stainless steel is tough, Silva warns that it yeast without having to expose the yeast to extra
is not invulnerable, which is why proper cleaning is oxygen, or lifting the bring to shake the yeast to
a must. He considers heat as the best sanitizer but keep it activated.”
also recommends commonly used over-the-counter
products for general cleaning and heavy-duty san- A brewery’s size dictates what tanks and tank
itizing. The exception is any product with chlorine systems it should use in its operations. Growth
bleach. has a lot to do with the clients’ equipment choic-
es. “Most systems in breweries range from three
Silva and other experts agree that using chlorine and a half barrels to 30 barrels,” said Silva. “For
bleach on stainless steel is a recipe for disaster. Not instance, if you have a five-barrel brewhouse sys-
only is its use potentially dangerous to the health tem, you would yield five barrels of beer. As the
of workers, but chlorine bleach can also damage brewery starts to grow or gain more popularity, the
the invisible chromium oxide layer that protects brewery might start looking into doubling the size
stainless steel from stains and rust. If the layer is of [its] tank by going to a 10 barrel. Then, on brew
breached, rust can form on the surface, making days, the brewer will brew the same recipe twice,
way for what the industry calls pitting corrosion. usually the more popular recipe, making 10 barrels
Instead, proper cleaning with the right products can of product and storing it in the bigger vessel for fer-
benefit the stainless steel tank and its invisible pro- mentation, streamlining their process. This is called
tection shield, that all-important chromium oxide double-batching. Most breweries will double the
layer. size of the tank to the size of their brewhouse.”

Experts say that brewers need to factor in the
initial capital costs and maintenance expenses
when selecting tanks and tank cleaning equipment.
Additional costs include water and chemical con-
sumption needs. As with any industrial process,
safety precautions should be exercised when clean-
ing and sanitizing tanks and using tank cleaning
equipment. One of those precautions includes
using standard PPE when using chemicals or when
using water at high temperatures.

Shared information about tanks and tank cleaning
equipment is helpful to craft brewers looking for
affirmation on how some products and methods
have worked for others.

Additional resources are available through the
Master Brewers Association of America, a nonprofit
organization with more than 4,000 members in 25
regions from more than 50 countries. The orga-
nization offers many professional development
opportunities and technical information, including
safety in cleaning and sanitizing tanks. Here is thier
website link...

https://www.mbaa.com/Pages/default.aspx

CraftMaster Stainless has created some innovative
products for craft brewers. “We have a very unique
½ barrel yeast brink (shown above). We designed
it to be user friendly by adding rolling casters, an
oversized yeast outlet, large 6-foot manway open-
ing [and] CIP ball for easy cleaning,” Silva said.
“[There’s] also a unique stir paddle to agitate your

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