You may have noticed, we are in the midst of a creative project here, putting together our series about building your brewhouse!
Here at Bespoke Brewing Solutions, we believe in empowering people in the industry with knowledge.
We pass on all the information we can – to help our brewers learn and the industry flourish.
We hope you enjoyed our previous blogs in this series, regarding brewery layout, design and electrical requirements.
Next up is Part Two of our utilities section – we will be looking at what to consider for all your brewery water requirements.
Volts and Hertz Brewery Water/Liquor Terminology
When I first entered the craft beer industry I was a bit confused as to why I kept hearing the term liquor on numerous occasions.
Terms like liquor mixing, hot liquor tank, cold liquor tank, etc. all lead me to believe beer was actually spiked with a spirit to get its ABV!
To my relief, liquor is a term used in the industry for water and as you will find, it is the main building block of beer and an essential part of the brewery.
Under pressure!
While searching for a location for your brewery it is important to consider the amount and pressure of the main water lines coming into the building (and subsequent rationing of the supply into the different areas of the site.)
If you are trying to fill your 1000L hot liquor tank or wash down your floor via a 19mm ID pipe with 1 bar of pressure behind it, you might be waiting for a while – or not seeing much of a difference at all!
There are ways to work around this, but you must consider that there are other parts of the business which will need to tap into this resource. The timing of the different operations within your business is a good way to manage this.
For instance – if the brewery team is working early mornings and the kitchen or bar staff are not there until brewing is pretty much complete, then they can coexist very well.
Pro Tip: Usually city water pressure should be enough for floor spray down. While I have ever had to consider hose size for this application, investing in an upper end water nozzle is worth the money spent. My favourite is Strahman 🙂
Water Filtration and Chemistry
Water is the building block for your beer.
It is always amazing to us that more breweries aren’t allowing their beer to start off the gate in the optimal position.
Water chemistry can be tricky – and complex. Here we will only discuss the tip of the iceberg, but we always ensure we enter into a deeper conversation about this with clients.
The terms ‘hardness’ (the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium) and ‘alkalinity’ (the amount of carbonate and bicarbonate) are two of the most important considerations when it comes to getting your water chemistry right.
As a general rule, your brewing water should have low to moderate levels of hardness and alkalinity. But this will vary depending on the style of beer you are brewing.
The base chemistry of the water coming into your building will help determine the following:
- What filtration route you will take to get your water into the best state and ready for the different styles of beers you will be brewing. We have had clients go all out and put in an RO system into a buffer tank to be used for brewing. Most cases a small particle and active carbon filter will be sufficient, but note that you will want to send your water post filtering for testing to see where you stand.
- The different types and concentrations of brewing water additives like salts and acids to help balance the pH or mineral composition of your water.
Pro Tip: Most public water systems will have a specifications sheet for the water chemistry they are aiming to hit and work within a range of their goal. You can start from here to determine what filtration you will need to invest in.
A Bespoke Solution
There is a lot to think about with respect to your brewery’s water requirements.
This is because you also need to consider both flow and composition – with the former being a show stopper in some instances. It can be an uphill battle if they are lacking for sure.
The beauty of combining forces with Jennifer Talley and Talley Fermentations is we are now able to put together consulting packages to help you with all aspects of your brewery and water composition.
This can help take your beverages to the next level. Make sure to drop us a line if we can help in any way.
