When it comes to producing a quality craft beer on any scale, from small batch specialty beers to moving into a larger market and producing large batch runs, each component of the brewhouse system has to work effectively, efficiently and with quality control.
Unfortunately, often corners are cut in some of the equipment, which can lead to inconsistency in the end product. A good example of an area where a startup brewery may try to save money is in choosing cheap beer filling equipment.
The choice of beer filling equipment does have an impact on the aesthetic properties as well as the taste of the beer. If there are differences in the oxygen in the beer, if there are issues with overfilling or underfilling or if there are other issues that lower the shelf life of the brew once it is in the bottle, can or keg, all the hard work at the front end of the brewhouse is not reflected in the taste.
Controls and Consistency
Taking advantage of automation with beer filling equipment is always an important factor in consistent quality. Using industry recognized controlled automation systems by Allen-Bradley, which provides PLC (programmable logic controllers), adds quality control and precision to all aspects of the filling operation.
These systems also allow for automatic programming. This allows the brewmaster to set the filling requirements of each bottle, can or keg size and capacity to precision filling with just the touch of the control screen.
Maintenance Requirements
As with all equipment in the beer making process, look for equipment that is designed to last. Stainless steel systems that offer everything from washing and rinsing, filling and a crowner for bottled beer are going to provide seamless operation with very limited maintenance and downtime on the system.
