Page 28 - Beverage MasterFebMarch 2021_Update

Craft Brewery
clamp crimp elbows to reduce hose trip hazards
and end damage to hoses used on manifolds. With
the level of safety concerns and cleaning processes
being updated daily, providing safe assemblies and
best practices to help the brewing community meet
or exceed their safety requirements is our goal.”
When to use Different
Types of Connections
Experienced brewers know the best parts and
accessories for different purposes, such as brew-
ery suction and discharge applications. Concerning
hoses, vinyl hoses are easy to obtain and use, but
they can curl easily and accumulate residue inside.
Reinforced vinyl hoses are stiffer but aren’t the
best at handling high temperatures. For less curl-
ing and high-temperature resistance, many prefer
silicone hoses. Good qualities in a brewery hose
include flexibility, lightweight design, durability,
ability to easily bend around brewing equipment,
purity so that smells and tastes aren’t affected and
a smooth structure that’s easy to clean.
For tubing, transparent tubes are good choices
for seeing what is collecting inside the tube and
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perhaps even causing contamination. Tubes should
withstand high temperatures and have thick walls
for high pressure. Beverage-specific tubing is also
designed to prevent curling.
Brewers often use tri-clamp fittings to move
unprocessed beer from one place to another, lead-
ing to many variations being sold on the market
today. Tri-clover, Camlock, Blichmann NPT and
Quick Connect are the most commonly used con-
nection types. Tri-clover fittings are sanitary, have
a separate silicone seal and a tri-clamp that holds
the pieces together. Blichmann NPT connectors
require screwing in with each use, so they aren’t
as quick to use, but they have a plastic sleeve that
allows brewers to connect it without gloves, even
when hot, and to connect and disconnect without
leaks. Meanwhile, Camlocks are made from stain-
less steel, have a water-tight seal and are quick to
connect and disconnect.
The Importance of Hoses, Tubes,
Clamps and Connections
These small details add up when operating com-
plex brewing machines and trying to make the best
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