Material utilisation of vapour condensate arising from beer wort boiling has been achieved in commercial-scale operations in a number of breweries in recent years. This paper is a review of the state-of-the-art.

This article describes a Keraflux-membrane system for recovery of beer from excess yeast. Its performance capabilities are documented on the basis of statistically evaluated data.

In the following article the author summarises his work on heat transfer in Unitanks. The engineering aspects involved in sizing cooling areas for a Unitank are discussed and the different inputs to be specified by the brewer and the designer, essential to arrive at a satisfactory solution, are listed. The implications of varying the inputs on the final result are explained with illustrations in specific cases. Basic heat transfer equations, theories involved and a stepwise procedure to solve the problem are included. Results from a computer based programme developed for this application are tabulated and the utility of such a model for an optimum solution is explained.

The pivotal role of plate coolers is oftentimes not appreciated, and the associated operating costs related to driver power requirements for supply of refrigeration and reheating energy requirements underestimated. This finding is based on measurements on 56 plate coolers installed in industrial operations. Basics of wort cooling, possibilities for optimisation and sizing examples are presented in this article.

Apart from the established process applications for separators in breweries such as hot wort clarification, beer recovery from excess yeast or beer preclarification ahead of filtration, there are process operations which heretofore were possible only in smaller and medium capacity ranges, such as e.g. cold wort separation or polishing clarification of beer. Westfalia Separator AG has moved high-capacity separation up to another level with the CSA 500 model. While achieving the same separation cut as previous models, the capacity range has been tripled.

In view of the brew cycles required, the lautering process is the bottleneck in production in many plants. Gone are the days when brewing was a bit like concoction of magic potions and mainly a matter of intuition, as was oftentimes the case well into the 19th century. Specifications for process automation in the brewhouse are therefore growing increasingly complex, particularly when controlling a lauter tun bottleneck process.

Besides guaranteeing process safety, brewers have to produce high extract yields and demonstrate great flexibility in terms of raw material quality, variety of recipe and process techniques. Further, process automation seeks to minimise constant personal supervision by brewery staff.
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Development trials for new boiling systems have shed new light on the issue of foam. The numerous analyses made in the last few years in order to test new technologies have shown that many common assumptions on the topic of foam are difficult to put in practice.

The level of coagulable nitrogen has hitherto been the parameter for good or poor beer foam. However, it should at most be used as an indicator.

A high value for coagulable nitrogen in cast wort is no guarantee of satisfactory foam indices in the finished beer. A low value is just as unlikely to result in poor foam indices. With a coagulable value of 1.3 mg/100 ml in the cast wort, foam indices of over 130 Ross & Clark (R. & C.) can still be obtained. By contrast, coagulable N values of 2. & C. 1 and 2).
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This article contains tips, suggestions and guidelines for easy-to-use capacity determinations.

In general, the brewhouse is regarded as the determining indicator for production capacity of a brewery. This can lead to wrong conclusions if other production areas such as fermenting room and storage cellar, filling section or energy utilities and water supply are no longer suitable for the technology being used or if the basis for the original design is no longer valid.

Criteria for evaluating capacity

Peak output months

In Germany as well as in Central Europe, peak output months are usually June, July and August, each accounting for 10.5 to 11.5 % of overall annual output.g. Any general turnarounds required are usually carried out in November.
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By using mixed gas, dispensing problems caused by excessive carbonation of the beverage can be avoided. Here, mixed gas is a mixture of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N2).

The problem of excessive carbonation arose when compensation devices in the form of compensator taps or line compensators in the vicinity of taps where introduced. Possibilities for using mixed gas are described and discussed below, and calculations based on practical examples are presented.

Saturation pressure

The equilibrium pressure in a keg resulting from the CO2 level set in the brewery at a certain temperature is referred to as saturation pressure. In optimised draught beer dispensing, saturation pressure should remain constant over the entire dispensing period. Rammert et al.
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In 1873, Carl von Linde provided proof at the International Brewing Congress held during the World Fair in Vienna that direct cooling of air or a liquid with a refrigerating machine with high efficiency was more favourable in cost terms than the small refrigeration units used up to then for production of ice. Shortly thereafter, the first NH3 refrigeration plant was installed and operated at Spatenbräu in Munich. This was followed by an installation at the Dreher Brewery in Triest in 1877.

With few exceptions, refrigeration in breweries is nowadays provided by compression refrigeration plants (CRP) driven by electric motors.

The absorption cycle is the oldest refrigeration process, known since 1777 (1). Y.
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Driven by competitive pressures, most breweries have reached an energy utilisation efficiency which could be improved only by major investments. Replacements with higher energy efficiency equipment need long-term planning.

The average amounts of energy and water consumed in breweries are well known. They are published annually, based on surveys done in breweries of different sizes (1).

Consumption figures

Such figures are of course of general interest. They provide a certain reference framework within which brewery-specific consumption figures move in most instances. They can be noted but it is difficult to draw conclusions relevant to one’s own specific situation. Companies not surveyed try to find out how they are positioned within the framework.
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