What equipment is needed to brew beer?

1. The origin and cultural heritage of beer

Human exploration of fermented beverages can be traced back to the Neolithic Age. Around 3500 BC, the Sumerians in Mesopotamia first realized the original brewing of malt liquor by soaking, germinating, drying, and adding natural wild yeast to barley. In the Middle Ages, European monasteries became the center of preservation and innovation of brewing technology. Monks created two major schools of Lager and Ale based on seasons and raw materials. After the Industrial Revolution, with the application of heat exchange technology, steam power and stainless steel containers, beer production entered the era of large-scale mechanization. At the same time, there are records of fermented beverages such as rice and potatoes in ancient China, which provides a historical model for the diversification of modern craft styles. Today, the global craft beer trend not only carries a thousand-year heritage, but also continues to integrate contemporary craftsmanship and personalized consumer needs, presenting a unique charm that combines cultural heritage and technological innovation.

2. Panorama of brewing process

1. Malt preparation and crushing

First, high-quality two-rib malt barley is selected for soaking, germination and drying to obtain malt with good enzyme activity and flavor base. The crushing process requires the separation of malt husk and endosperm but not excessive crushing to retain the particle structure and ensure sufficient contact between starch and enzyme.

2. Mashing

Mix the crushed malt with hot water of appropriate temperature (usually 62-68℃) in the mash tun, and activate different enzyme systems by step-by-step heating to efficiently convert starch into fermentable sugars. Precise control of temperature, pH and stirring time determines the fermentation potential and flavor profile of the wort.

3. Decanting

The saccharified mixture flows into the lauter tun, and the clear wort and the spent grains are quickly separated through the bottom conical filter plate or stirring circulation system. This step requires the retention of a minimum of suspended particles and the maximum recovery of soluble sugars to improve the juice yield and product purity.

4. Boiling & Hopping

The wort is boiled in a brew kettle for 60–90 minutes, mainly for sterilization, concentration and protein precipitation. Hops are added in stages according to the recipe requirements - early to increase bitterness, mid-to-late to increase aroma - and trub is removed by cyclone sedimentation in the whirlpool after boiling to optimize the subsequent fermentation environment.

5. Wort Cooling

The hot wort after boiling needs to be quickly cooled to the fermentation temperature (10–20℃), and plate heat exchanger or glycol cooling system is often used to achieve efficient heat exchange. The temperature drop rate and stability directly affect the yeast activity and fermentation consistency.

6. Fermentation (Primary & Secondary Fermentation)

The cooled wort is transferred to a fermentation vessel or unitank fermenter and inoculated with selected beer yeast. The primary fermentation generally lasts 5–10 days, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide depending on the yeast type and temperature conditions. Secondary fermentation (maturing) can be completed in the same tank or moved to the bright beer tank for low-temperature aging to improve the clarity and taste stability of the beer.

7. Clarification and carbonization

In the bright beer tank, secondary carbonization is completed by injecting CO₂ at constant pressure or adding packaging materials containing carbonized yeast. Clarification can be achieved by physical and chemical methods such as frozen sedimentation, gelatin or diatomaceous earth filtration to ensure visual and taste quality before packaging.

8. Packaging (Bottling, Canning, Kegging)

Choose bottling, canning or keg systems according to market demand. Fully automatic packaging lines combined with online inspection and aseptic filling technology can extend shelf life, reduce the risk of secondary contamination, and achieve batch traceability and personalization through printing or labeling equipment.

3. In-depth analysis of key equipment

Mash Tun and Lauter Tun

Modern brewing mostly uses jacketed or internal spiral stirring mash tuns to achieve precise temperature control and uniform saccharification. Lauter tun needs to have both high permeability and low blocking risk. Conical bottom or plate-and-frame filter structure can be used to improve separation efficiency.

Brew Kettle and Whirlpool Tank

The boiling kettle needs to be resistant to high pressure and high temperature, and has a steam or electric heating jacket design; the whirlpool tank should be equipped with inlet and outlet ports and slag discharge valves to quickly separate solid suspended slag after cyclone sedimentation.

Wort Chiller

The plate heat exchanger occupies a small area and has high efficiency; while the centralized glycol system is suitable for large-scale parallel cooling of multiple tanks, and can be combined with online temperature inspection to ensure the stability of each batch.

Comparison of fermentation tank types

Cylindrical-Conical Fermenter (conical bottom fermentation tank): The conical bottom is conducive to yeast sedimentation and recovery, and is widely used in craft brewing and commercial production.

Unitank Fermenter (integrated tank): It integrates fermentation and maturation, reduces tank moving and pipeline investment, and is suitable for limited space or multi-variety small batch production.

Stainless Steel Pressure Fermenter: Positive pressure can be maintained inside the tank, enabling online carbonization and aseptic sampling, shortening the production cycle.

Bright Beer Tank: Dedicated to secondary carbonization and clarification, it must be equipped with a pressure gauge, cooling jacket, and sampling valve.

Auxiliary systems

CIP (Clean-In-Place) system: Cleans and disinfects the equipment and pipelines of the entire plant in an automated cycle, taking into account both cleaning efficiency and water conservation requirements.

MES / BREW management software: Realizes the digitization of the production process, batch data collection and traceability, and provides data support for quality control and continuous improvement.

Gas / steam system and heat recovery: Recover boil-off steam or waste heat for saccharification heating or tank washing consumption, reducing energy costs and carbon emissions.

4. Equipment selection and return on investment

Equipment budget range divided by production capacity

Nano Brewery (1–3 BBL): approximately $15,000 to $75,000. Basic configuration includes a single-pot mash tun, 1-3 fermenters, and small cooling and packaging equipment, suitable for start-ups or direct brewing in bars.

Microbrewery (5-15 BBL): about $50,000 to $250,000. Complete brewhouse, 3-6 fermenters, bright tanks, and basic semi-automatic packaging lines to meet small market supply and small batch multi-variety needs.

Regional Brewery (15-60 BBL): about $200,000 to $1 million. Automated brewhouse, CIP system, 10+ fermenters, fully automatic packaging and storage facilities, for regional markets and brand expansion.

Large-Scale Brewery (60+ BBL): $1 million to tens of millions of dollars or more. Large production lines, multiple workshops in parallel, full process automation and smart factory solutions, for the national and even global markets.

Return and selection suggestions

Balance between capacity and flexibility: Modular design can be adopted in the early stage, with reserved upgrade interfaces; fermentation and packaging capabilities can be added later based on market feedback.

Automation level: Compare manual operation costs with equipment depreciation cycles, and reasonably configure PLC, CIP and MES systems to ensure production consistency.

Energy and environmental protection: Give priority to heat recovery, wastewater treatment and renewable energy solutions, which not only meet regulatory requirements, but also reduce medium- and long-term operating costs.

Suppliers and services: Choose equipment manufacturers with industry experience, global cases and localized after-sales teams to ensure rapid production and stable operation.

5. Key points of production and quality control

Precise control of temperature and pressure

From saccharification temperature, fermentation temperature to maturation pressure, the control accuracy of ±0.5℃ and ±0.1bar must be maintained to ensure enzyme activity and yeast metabolism stability.

Strict hygiene management

The CIP system should cover all tanks, pipes and valves, and regularly verify the cleaning effect to eliminate wild bacteria and cross contamination.

Yeast and fermentation monitoring

Regularly perform yeast activity detection, cell count and purity analysis, and combine online dissolved oxygen, pH and CO₂ monitoring to adjust the fermentation process in real time.

Water quality and formula standardization

Test the hardness, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS) and ion composition of raw water, and use RO reverse osmosis, mineralization addition or activated carbon filtration when necessary to ensure controllable water quality.

Data-based production management

Introduce MES or professional BREW software to achieve formula management, batch traceability and key parameter alarms, helping the team to quickly locate abnormalities and continuously optimize.

Six, tonsen company equipment advantages

tonsen company focuses on the research and development and manufacturing of commercial and industrial brewing equipment, forming a full range of products from 1 BBL to 2000+ BBL. Its core advantages include:

Food-grade stainless steel and high-precision welding: SUS304/316L is fully adopted, and the inner wall is mirror polished to ensure corrosion resistance and easy cleaning.

Modular and customized design: mash tun, lauter tun, brew kettle, fermentation vessel, unitank fermenter, bright beer tank and other modules can be customized according to customer production capacity and budget, and support turnkey for the whole plant.

Energy-saving and environmental protection technology: self-developed heat recovery system and closed-loop CIP, energy saving can reach 15%-25%, and equipped with wastewater pretreatment and waste heat utilization solutions to meet environmental protection regulations around the world.

Automation and digitalization: integrated PLC control, CIP automation, MES batch management and remote diagnosis to improve production efficiency and quality stability.

Excellent cost performance: compared with the same specification equipment on the market, tonsen can reduce equipment investment by 10%-20% on average, and provide flexible installment payment and lease repurchase solutions.

Global service network: localized installation, commissioning and training team, 7×24 hours remote technical support to ensure rapid equipment launch and continuous stable operation.

6. Conclusion: Building the future of craft beer

At present, the beer market is undergoing a transformation and upgrading from large-scale industrialization to diversified craft beer. For entrepreneurs and existing producers, scientific and complete process flow, strict quality control and efficient and energy-saving brewing equipment are the key to success. From mash tun to unitank fermenter, from brewhouse system to bright beer tanks, every link contains the ultimate pursuit of technology and details. Choosing equipment from tonsen, a company with mature technology and high-quality services, can not only guarantee the reproduction of world-class flavors, but also seize the initiative in energy saving, cost reduction, automation and scalability. In the future, the craft beer market will continue to innovate in the direction of intelligence, customization and sustainable development. tonsen looks forward to working hand in hand with industry partners to jointly brew a more attractive new era of beer.