The Difference Between Brite Tanks & Unitanks
Even the smallest details can make a huge difference in the brewing process. Every small change you make to your brewing process can create a butterfly effect somewhere down the line and completely change the product. That’s why you must be so careful while making decisions regarding your process and equipment. Even a decision that seems inconsequential, such as what material makes up your equipment, can have long-reaching effects on your brewing that won’t show up until much later.
The sensitivity of the brewing process is why equipment for it is so important to take seriously. Take the kind of equipment you will use to store your beer while it ferments or matures, for example. You might find that there are far more things to consider than you originally thought as you look at your options. We want to help make this decision a little easier to understand. For fermentation, aging, or maturation, brite tanks and unitanks are both good choices. But there are certain factors to consider that might make one better than the other. Here, you’ll learn about the difference between brite tanks and unitanks so that you can make a more informed decision.
What Is a Brite Tank?
Between brite tanks and unitanks, you could argue that brite tanks have a simpler design. Perhaps the biggest and most immediate difference between brite tanks and unitanks is their overall shape. Brite tanks have a very simple cylindrical design with a flat bottom. The flat bottom doesn’t lend itself as well to the fermentation process as a unitank’s conical bottom, but brite tanks are still great for storing beer while it matures or holding a beer while you wait to package it.
What Is a Unitank?
As we mentioned already, the major difference between a unitank and a brite tank is the shape of the bottom. Unitanks are also cylindrical holding tanks, but the bottom has a conical shape rather than a flat form. The cone shape allows yeast to accumulate in one area at the bottom. This feature makes unitanks excellent options as fermentation and aging tanks because you can easily filter the yeast out later after the fermentation finishes.
Advantages of Using a Brite Tank
Brite tanks offer a few useful advantages over a unitank that might make you decide that they’re the best choice for your brewery. Here are some of the most significant benefits that brite tanks offer.
Better Beer Clarity
The benefit is directly in the name of the tank. Brite tanks are usually the destination for beers after they have spent time fermenting in a separate tank. Because the yeast becomes filtered out before transferring into the brite tank to age, your final product is a much clearer beer than it would be if you allowed it to age with leftover yeast. Some breweries prefer this clearer quality. This is why they choose brite tanks for their aging processes.
Larger Production Potential
For brewhouses that produce larger quantities of beer, brite tanks may be the way to go. Usually, larger brewhouses ferment their beer in one area and serve or package it in another. By using a brite tank, you transfer the fermented beer out of the fermenter it occupies, freeing up that fermenter to take in and start on another batch while you serve or package directly from the brite tank. This means you can make more batches in less time.
Cheaper As Replacements
There will eventually be a time when you need to replace the tanks that you use for fermenting and aging. When this happens, brite tanks tend to be cheaper overall since they have a simpler design and serve only one function. Replacing a unitank will cost you far more money than replacing a brite tank. So if you run on a tight budget, a brite tank may be a wiser investment in the long run.
Advantages of Using a Unitank
The advantages of using a unitank instead of a brite tank really come down to its versatility. Because you can use it for multiple parts of the brewing process, it can cut down the costs of separate pieces of equipment that some people consider unnecessary middlemen. Here are some of the best benefits of deciding to buy a unitank instead of a brite tank.
Simpler Brewing Process
If you want your brewing process to be a simpler affair, you may decide to use unitanks to help. You can save money when you start your brewery by carrying out fermentation and maturation in the same tank. You can also save on space since you don’t need two separate tanks. This also means the beer doesn’t have to move around as much as it would if you had to transfer it into a separate tank, saving everyone time and effort.
Less Risk of Contamination
One of the most critical things to consider when brewing is the risk of contamination that outside organisms or the air itself can pose. Even the most sophisticated pump system a brewery can have will allow small amounts of oxygen into the beer as it moves around from tank to tank. The less you move your beer around, the safer it will be. This is where unitanks become very useful. If you worry about oxygen or microorganisms contaminating your beer as you move it, having a unitank can eliminate that risk.
Which One Is Right for You?
In broad terms, brite tanks are a better choice for breweries with a larger scale, while unitanks can benefit smaller operations and microbreweries more. Unitanks save a ton of space for smaller operations and require less labor to create your beer and maintain productivity. Brite tanks’ larger size and ability to free up fermenters make them a good choice for bigger brewhouses that want to continue expanding.
If you need quality brewing equipment for your operation, such as a stainless steel brite tank, Craftmaster Stainless Inc. has everything you need. Whether you’re just getting started or you want to grow even larger, we can help you reach your goals.
