A Guide To the Different Types of Brewing Tanks

To the uninitiated, brewing equipment can sometimes seem confusing because of certain processes that overlap depending on what kind of tanks you use. While there are certainly pieces of equipment that do double duty for some of the steps, each individual piece of brewing equipment brings benefits to your brewing process that you can’t get anywhere else. Whether you’re looking to expand your brewery into new ventures or you need to get your feet on the ground floor, your various brewing tanks will be a critical element in your success.

Brewing tanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the kinds of beer you want to create will determine the tanks that will help you the most. To give you a better idea of what your options are, we wanted to create a guide to the different types of brewing tanks. The better you understand your equipment, the more advantages you give yourself when it comes time to expand your brewery or your beer options.

Brite Tanks

There aren’t many beers that taste good when they’re flat. That perfect amount of carbonation can make a decent beer into a fantastic one. To that end, you’ll need to carefully control the carbonation of your beer if you want to make the best final product possible. Brite tanks are crucial components in the brewing process for creating the right amount of carbonation, as well as keeping it carbonated for long periods of time. A brite tank will be one of the last stops your beer sees before you bottle it or serve it up for consumption.

You have some options for different kinds of brite tanks. Here at Craftmaster, we offer both jacketed and single-wall brite tanks that have slightly different purposes. The jacketed brite tanks give you unparalleled accuracy when it comes to keeping your product at the right temperature for bottling or consumption. Single-wall brite tanks are suited more towards hosting people at your brewery. You can absolutely rely on single-wall brite tanks for storage, but their real strength is their ease of use, allowing you to pull straight from them for a glass of the freshest beer your customers can get.

Unitanks and Fermentors

Fermentation and maturation of your beer are crucial steps that ultimately create the final taste and texture of your brews. In the past, fermentation tanks were always completely separate from the tanks you would use for carbonation and maturation. Unitanks can fill both roles and allow you to save on space and cost of operation while using just one tank. Unitanks give you the option to carbonate your beer after most of the fermentation has finished.

Like the brite tanks we’ve already talked about, unitanks often come jacketed to ensure that you have full control over the temperature of the liquid inside. The conical shape at the bottom of these tanks allows you to separate the yeast from the beer much easier than with a standard cylindrical tank. A unitank might be the perfect option for a brewery that is just getting started. They don’t take up as much space and allow you the flexibility to use them however you see fit.

Yeast Brinks

If you run a larger brewery, or you just want to save money however possible, a yeast brink can be immensely helpful. These tanks allow you to cleanly and safely store and transport yeast between multiple batches. Yeast brinks are pressurized to keep the re-pitched yeast safe for future use in more batches. If you find yourself constantly buying new yeast, a yeast brink can be a huge help in ensuring the consistency of quality between batches while saving you a ton of money in purchasing new yeast cultures.

Kettles

Large industrial kettles are going to be your go-to for boiling large quantities of your wort. Very basic kettles that have open burners beneath them do exist, but these tend to be less reliable and can char your wort if you don’t watch it very carefully. Burnt wort is one ingredient that won’t make beer taste how you want it to. Instead, you’ll want to upgrade to a kettle that uses steam to boil your wort. Investing in a kettle that you can easily keep clean and which reliably boils your wort will lead to a lot more success in the long term.

Mash Tun

The proper balance between malt and water early on is one of the most important aspects to focus on. We couldn’t create a guide to the different types of brewing tanks without mentioning the mash tun. As your brewery grows, a mash tun is essential for starting off a brew the right way. Without a reliable mash tun, you could spend a lot of time and effort on a beer that simply won’t end up with the taste you’re hoping for. Craftmaster Stainless can help you find the perfect mash tun setup for your brewery if you aren’t sure about the size you need.

Lagering Tanks

For a true and proper lager, you’ll need a specialized tank that helps develop the flavor in the correct way. That’s where a horizontal lagering tank comes in handy. The bottom of the tank has a large surface area that creates the proper conditions for brewing a lager the right way. Because it’s horizontal, a lagering tank also has more surface area available at the top of the liquid inside. Both factors help create the lager you’re looking for.

Storage Tanks

Depending on the setup of your brewery, your storage tanks and brewing tanks could be one and the same. However, larger operations that need to churn out more product at a faster pace could cripple themselves if they rely on their fermentors to also serve as storage tanks. Separate storage tanks give you plenty of room to hold finished product, while also freeing up space in your other brewing tanks to create more batches.

No matter what you need, be it a small yeast brink or a giant stainless-steel unitank, Craftmaster Stainless has you covered on all fronts. Our brewing equipment helps your products stay fresh and are easy to clean and sanitize. Contact us as soon as possible to start getting your brewery running more efficiently than ever before.