Heating System
The source of heat is the heart of your brew house. Whether electric, steam, or direct/indirect fire is the best for your brewery depends on a range of factors. Your brew house size, the available utilities, and the initial and ongoing costs all need to be considered when deciding on a heat source. Check out our
VBC2020 Webinar on selecting the heat source for your brewery, or keep reading for an overview.
Electric
Since 2003, we've been pioneers in electric brewing. Our turnkey electric systems are available in up to 15 BBL brew houses with varying levels of automation to fit your style and budget. Why electric? (visit
our blog for more on electric brewing.) You might be used to brewing on a direct fire or steam system, but electric brewing has many advantages:
- Electric heating is nearly 100% efficient. Because the heating element is submersed in the strike water or wort, all of the heat energy is transmitted directly to the liquid, not lost to heating your brewery
- Electric heating enables a compact and flexible design, great for small spaces
- Low equipment and installation costs
- Precise control for a high level of repeatability and automation
- No carbon emissions at the brewery
Steam
Steam systems are widely used for brewing systems of all sizes. We offer turnkey steam brew houses up to 30bbl with varying levels of automation. The steam systems have many advantages:
- Go-to heat source for larger brew houses
- Flexible design for tank placement
- Higher efficiency (compared to direct fire)
- Larger heating surface area than a direct fire system
- Higher level of automation and repeatability than a direct fire system
- Ideal for spaces with limited electrical power
Our turnkey systems include low-pressure boiler sized from 5 HP to 40 HP to meet your steam demands, and come with optional return/feed unit and blow down separator to provide a full steam solution.
Direct & Indirect Fire
A lot of brewers want a more traditional heat source, and Direct (up to 10 BBL) and Indirect Fire (up to 15 BBL) systems are a great choice. Ideal where the requirements for electric or steam hear are not available, and because they don't require a boiler, they come with a lower up-front equipment and installation cost compared to steam.
Contact us for a consultation as you start planning your brewery, and one of our Sales Systems Specialist will help you decide which heat source is right for you.
