4 Considerations For Liquor Tank Design

When designing a new brewhouse, the main focus tends to be on the “sexy” portion of the brewing system…the brewing platform vessels.  That is the fun stuff that plays into a brewer’s dreams and we get it, but we also advise that you don’t take the design of your Hot Liquor Tank (HLT) and Cold Liquor Tank (CLT) for granted.

"There are multiple advantages to a well-designed liquor tank system that can benefit you for years to come”, says Brian Sprinkman, President of Sprinkman Brewing Systems. “Properly designing the placement and functionality of these workhorse tanks should not only include today’s brewing plans, but also future expansions to your operation.”  With that, here are four things to consider for your next liquor tanks:

1. Size tanks properly – These hot and cold water tanks need to be sized properly to sufficiently support a brewing system with water at the quantity and temperature needed. In most cases we like to see these at 2.5x the brewhouse size and never less than 2x the brewhouse volume.
2. Use external heat exchangers – Instead of steam-jacketed tanks, leveraging external heat exchangers allows for adding water at temperature and never blending water that has been heated or cooled with ambient water.In addition, remote heat exchangers also allow you to adjust the returning cold liquor from your wort heat exchanger to exactly match the temperature inside your HLT.
3. Automation – By integrating the hot and cold liquor tanks with stainless steel piping and automated valves the brewer can easily recirculate, heat or deliver it to the brewhouse without leaving the platform.  Put the tanks in “auto” mode and they are at temp when they hit the brewery!
4. Minimize mechanical runs – When laying out your system, chances are your mechanical contractor is already bringing steam to your brewing platform.  Consider putting your HLT heat exchanger near that drop to reduce the mechanical install bill.  This assumes your water tanks are close to your brewing platform.

Whether it is designing your HLT and CLT, installing process piping or automating a variety of functions in the brewing process, Sprinkman can help you stay ahead of your brewery’s growth. Just contact your Sprinkman Brewing Systems representative and let us know how we can help you today!