What Beer Equipment Do You Need To Open A Micro-brewery?

With the rise of global craft beer culture, more and more entrepreneurs, bar owners and even beer lovers have joined the craft beer industry and opened their own micro-craft breweries. Compared with large industrial breweries, micro-breweries have lower investment thresholds, flexible operations, and diverse styles, and are deeply favored by young markets and regional consumer groups. So, for someone who is new to the craft beer field, what beer equipment do you need to configure? What functions do these equipment have? How does the rationality of configuration affect production efficiency and product quality?

Basic characteristics of micro-brewery

"Micro" is a relative concept, usually referring to breweries with a daily production capacity of 200L to 2000L, targeting local markets, niche consumer groups, catering packages or private label bottle sales. It is significantly different from large industrial breweries:

Limited production capacity but diverse categories

Compact equipment structure, easy to operate and maintain

On-site brewing, enhanced interactive experience

Quality and flavor are the core selling points

Therefore, the equipment required for micro-brewery must not only meet the basic process flow, but also take into account flexibility, space utilization and scalability.

Core process flow of craft beer brewing

Before selecting equipment, we need to first understand the core brewing process of craft beer in order to reasonably match the corresponding equipment:

Milling: crush the malt into a particle size suitable for saccharification;

Mashing: Mix malt with water and convert starch into sugar by heating;

Lautering: Separate the saccharified wort from the grain residue;

Boiling: Add hops and sterilize at high temperature;

Whirlpool: Separate the precipitate (heat coagulant);

Cooling: Rapidly cool the wort to the fermentation temperature;

Fermentation: Add yeast to start alcohol fermentation;

Maturation: Make the wine stable and rich in flavor;

Filtering & Packaging

From this process, it can be seen that the equipment layout of a microbrewery should cover all links from raw material processing to finished product bottling.

Main equipment configuration of micro-craft brewery

1. Malt Mill

Function: Grind dry malt into coarse particles suitable for saccharification.

Type: Roller mill is commonly used in craft beer production, with adjustable spacing.

Recommended configuration:

Distilleries below 300L can choose manual or small electric mills;

For 500L and above, it is recommended to choose frequency conversion controlled, high-efficiency and low-noise electric mills.

2. Mash & Lauter Tun

Function: Complete the three key processes of saccharification, filtration and boiling.

Common structures:

Integrated saccharification pot (for less than 200L)

Double-vessel combination: saccharification pot + filter tank (mainstream configuration)

Three-vessel combination: saccharification pot + filter tank + boiling pot/vortex sedimentation pot

Equipment features:

Built-in heating system (steam, electric heating or direct fire)

With stirring device, temperature control system, filter bottom plate

Thick insulation layer, effective temperature control, and improved saccharification efficiency

Selection suggestions:

200L daily output can use integrated machine or compact two-vessel system;

3-vessel independent system is recommended for more than 500L to improve efficiency.

3. Hot Liquor Tank

Function: Provide hot water required for saccharification, rinsing and cleaning.

Configuration suggestions:

The capacity is 1.5~2 times that of the saccharification pot;

Equipped with automatic water replenishment system and temperature control system;

Good insulation and energy saving.

4. Sterilization cooling system (Plate Heat Exchanger)

Function: Rapidly cool the wort from 100℃ to fermentation temperature (about 18℃ or 12℃).

Features:

Stainless steel plate heat exchanger;

Partitioned cooling design, supports cold water + ice water or cold water + tap water combination;

Equipped with yeast addition port and oxygen interface.

Notes:

Cooling efficiency determines the fermentation quality, and regular cleaning is required to prevent clogging.

5. Fermenter

Function: Alcohol fermentation is a key stage in flavor formation.

Common specifications: 200L / 300L / 500L / 1000L

Structural requirements:

Cylindrical cone bottom, with sewage outlet, sampling port, temperature control system;

High internal polishing precision to avoid residual bacteria;

Outer layer insulation, equipped with cooling jacket.

Selection suggestions:

The conventional fermentation cycle is 715 days, and the recommended number of tanks is 23 times the saccharification capacity.

6. Bright Beer Tank

Function: Mature and stabilize the wine body, ready for filling.

Configuration features:

Can store wine under pressure to facilitate carbonization of carbon dioxide;

Equipped with pressure gauge, exhaust valve, sampling port, etc.

7. CIP cleaning system (CIP Station)

Function: Clean and disinfect equipment pipelines to avoid contamination by bacteria.

Configuration:

Acid tank, alkali tank, hot water tank, recovery tank;

Equipped with centrifugal pump, pipeline, spray ball head, valve control.

8. Control system (Control Panel)

Function: Automatically control the temperature, pressure, flow, stirring and other parameters of each link.

Type:

Manual type (suitable for less than 200L);

Semi-automatic (temperature control/stirring control);

Fully automatic PLC system (for large or export equipment).

Opening a micro-brewery is an entrepreneurial exploration that combines creativity and quality. Choosing the right beer equipment is not only related to production efficiency and beer flavor, but also directly determines the starting point and direction of brand development.

The equipment does not need to be the largest, but the most suitable; the investment does not need to be the most expensive, but the most stable. Treat every detail of the brewing equipment with a craftsman's spirit, and you will reap your own unique hop road.