Bright Tank VS Unitank: Which To Choose?

There are many fine details in the brewing process of beer, and every detail affects the quality of the final beer. Which hops would you use? How long will you keep them in the wort? What materials do you plan to use to make your brewery equipment? One of the issues turns our attention to the end of the brewing process, which is when the beer is fermenting or needs to go somewhere to mature. Then, the question became where to store it, which got the winemaker into a dispute between unitank and bright tank. Which one should I choose in a brewery? Micet Craft is here to solve this problem.
In addition, people may refer to unitanks according to their different names. There is a client from Ying, he called them DPV (dual-purpose vessels). Although we have been in the brewery equipment industry for 15 years, we have never heard the term.

Description of the three tanks

When ordering equipment, the main debate about cellar equipment is: what type of container does your brewery need, and how many containers are needed. Let’s first understand the three types of tanks in the cellar equipment:

Fermentation tank (FV)

FV is the place where you ferment the wort (sugar) you make into alcohol. Usually, a part of the sugar remains after the fermentation. In addition, carbon dioxide is a by-product of the fermentation process.

Bright tank (mature container)

In the traditional German beer brewing process, the beer that has undergone preliminary fermentation and cooled to 32-39.2°F (0-4°C) is transferred to a separate container for maturation. This single container is the bright tank. The maturation time is traditionally about 28 days, and the proteins and polyphenols that cause turbidity are allowed to flocculate and sink to the point of a bright tank. Of course, as time goes by, the beer will become fuller and the taste will become more delicate. You can also use it as a service tank.

Unitank

Unitanks are to prevent carbonated fossils above the cone on the basis of the fermentation tank, which is used to aerate the beer to be packaged. Therefore, beer can be fermented, matured, purified, and carbonated in one tank.

Advantages of Unitank

Simple

The ability to combine fermentation and maturation steps simplifies the brewing process by eliminating one step. Therefore, the brewery can purchase less equipment, thereby saving the brewery’s capital and space. At the same time, it saves workers’ time and labor. Workers do not have to spend time moving beer from one point to another and can dispense beer directly from unitank.

Reduce pollution risk

Every time beer is taken out of the jar, it will be exposed to the open air, thereby producing dissolved oxygen. Of course, although sanitary beer pumps are used in large breweries to transfer the beer, oxygen may also enter the beer. If you plan to pack and distribute beer in bars, this can become a big problem. In addition, beer may also be exposed to other contaminants, such as microorganisms. Although these organisms do not usually destroy beer directly, they can lead to some unpleasant beer, which is not what you want. The use of unitank can reduce this risk of contamination.

Flexibility

If you can organize the brewing process scheduling, you can produce more types of beer in fewer tanks. In addition, you can also plan to add some special bright tanks in the future to ensure that you can brew very good beer in emergency situations.

Disadvantages of Unitank

Beer is not clear

If you want to brew clear beer, then using carbonized fossils for carbonation may be a problem. When carbonized fossils are used for carbonation, some yeast and hops will be stimulated, resulting in unclear beer.

More impurities

Because your fermentation and maturation are carried out in one tank, there will be sediment, protein, and yeast sticking to the side of the container in the tank. They may fall off and enter the beer, affecting the flavor of the beer.

Higher cost

The cost of a unitank is much higher than that of beer fermentation tanks of the same size. In addition, unitank will take up more space. The bright tank is usually at a 5° angle, so it occupies less space per volume than unitank. In addition, if you transfer the beer to a special bright tank for maturation, it will greatly reduce your capital investment. Because you only need a bright tank to meet your production needs.

Advantages of Bright tank

Greater beer production

Some breweries brew a lot of beer, and they divide brewing and packaging into two separate operations. Under these circumstances, beer fermentation and beer supply need to be carried out in two separate areas of the brewery, which makes unitank, not in line with actual production requirements. By transferring beer from the fermentation tank to the bright tank, it is easier to pack and free up the fermentation tank for the next batch of beer, allowing the brewery to produce larger quantities of beer.

Improve clarity

Bright tanks are also called “Brite tanks” because the beer they produce is crystal clear. When beer enters the Bright tank from the fermentation tank, the yeast is first filtered out. Before further maturation and carbonation, this additional layer of filtration will produce a clearer beer, which is a beer style preferred by some breweries.

Save budget

If your brewery needs to convert several fermentation tanks into unitank, then the cost of it will be much greater than the cost of buying a bright tank.

Disadvantages of Bright tank

Take up space

Using the bright tank to mature the beer means that you need to purchase an additional large tank (usually the capacity of the bright tank is twice that of the fermentation tank). This may not be a better choice for a brewpub with an inch of money. However, if conditions permit, please consider equipping a bright tank.

Increase pollution risk

As we mentioned above the advantages of unitank, the use of a bright tank requires the transfer of beer from the fermentation tank to the bright tank. In this process, there is a risk of infection and oxidation of beer, which may cause subtle changes in beer flavor.

How to choose?

When To Choose a Unitank

Unitanks is the perfect choice for microbreweries or brewpubs. For these facilities, space is often limited, the brewery isn’t producing as many barrels of beer, and the emphasis is less on packaging and more on serving brews directly. Unitanks work well in these contexts because they save space and labor without muddling the productivity of a separate packaging team.

When To Choose a Bright Tank

Brite tanks are better for larger-scale productions, especially productions that rely on packaging and shipping much of their product. Brite tanks allow you to leave more fermenters open at a time. And because brite tanks can carry more liquid in them at a time, they lend themselves to larger beer outputs. Generally, if you’ve gone over the edge and are brewing more barrels than a microbrewery, it may be a good idea to look at a brite tank.

Every brewer has his own opinion on this. However, the engineers of Micet Craft are more inclined to have a bright tank in your brewery no matter what beer style you brew. The reason is:

You can brew a stubborn beer that is not easy to remove. Beer that is not easy to clean can be transferred to a bright tank for maturation and preservation of the beer.
If you’re adding adjuncts to beer, I like to transfer to bright tank before packaging. It ensures the beer has a proper homogenous mix (flat bottom dish). Also, it’s easier to double-check CO2 and gas if needed.
You know the exact volume of beer you’ve available to package.
If you’re in a rush and need a tank to brew too. Sending a beer to a bright tank frees up a unitank for the brew. Also, if you’re short of beer, you can quickly clear a beer to have it ready in time (not ideal).

These are just the opinions summarized by Micet Craft based on years of experience. If you have other opinions, we will be more than happy to listen to your suggestions.

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