Fermentation Tanks 101: Everything You Need to Know About the Heart of Brewing

Fermentation tanks are also called fermentation vessels, which store wort and ferment the wort into beer. Even in the humblest home-based brewery, the fermentation tank is an essential part. Almost any container that can hold liquid can become a potential fermenter.

Using different yeasts in the fermentor can ferment different products. Using brewer’s yeast can ferment the wort into beer. This is because, during the fermentation process of brewing beer, yeast converts sugar into alcohol. You can also convert biomass into biogas in a fermenter. It is worth noting that a key factor in the fermentation process is the amount of oxygen. If there is no oxygen (anaerobic conditions), yeast will convert more sugar into alcohol. If there is a lot of oxygen, this will first cause the yeast to multiply. This is why fermentation needs to be carried out in a closed space (fermentation tank).

How many fermentation tanks do I need?

How many fermenters are needed depends on the daily output of your brewery. If you don’t have the right number of storage units, then a large brewhouse capacity is useless. The number of storage units determines the output of your brewery. Most craft beer takes 3-4 weeks to mature, so you need to buy a suitable number of beer fermentation tanks according to your daily output. If you still don’t know how many fermenters you should buy, you can contact Micet Craft. We will provide you with solutions based on your brewhouse capacity and daily output.

What is the difference between a fermenter and a Unitank?

Developments continued during the late 1800s with upright cylindrical vessels, some with sloping or conical bottoms. In the 1960s a breakthrough in technology advanced a new principle—primary fermentation and maturation could be carried out in the same vessel. Such tanks are called ” universal tanks” or unitank.

It has been commonly accepted in the brewing industry that cylindroconical tanks have many advantages over all older tank designs:

They cut the need to move beer while in process. which is a huge advantage on beer quality, process times, space use, and production economy.
Cleaning, sanitization, and microbiological control are far superior in cylindroconical tanks compared with older tank designs.
They can be individually and affordably insulated.
The degree of automation required in larger, modern breweries is much easier and less expensive than with older tank designs.
Collection of CO2 during primary fermentation for regeneration (and reuse/sale) is easy in cylindroconical tanks as opposed to the old open fermenters.
Cropping yeast is efficient, more selective, and more sanitary in cylindroconical tanks than in the older tank types.

But, the main difference between unitank and modern fermenters is whether it has carbon rods. The unitank with carbon rods can ferment and mature beer. If you own a unitank, then you don’t need to buy a more bright tank. Fermentation tanks without carbon rods can only ferment beer, so you need to buy a suitable number of bright tanks.

Why do breweries use copper tanks?

Copper is a valuable metal in the construction of breweries, but it is now basically replaced by stainless steel. Copper can be forged to form thin sheets, which makes it easy to connect large brewing vessels to make leak-proof seals. Copper is also a good thermal conductivity material. In an age when direct heating was common, copper was the metal of choice. Also, a small amount of barrel is also a nutrient needed by yeast. Wort is weakly acidic, it can dissolve a small number of copper barrels to keep the yeast healthy. In the fermentation process of beer, the role of copper is to reduce the concentration of hydrogen sulfide, which is a gas with the smell of rotten eggs.

Of course, copper also has its shortcomings. It is much more difficult to clean than stainless steel. Although copper is ductile, it is relatively soft and does not have the structural strength of steel. Although the appearance of the brewhouse is made of copper cladding for aesthetic reasons, the interior of the container is almost all stainless steel.

Humans, like yeast, need trace amounts of copper (1-2 mg per day in a healthy diet) to maintain normal cell function. In recent years, the toxicity of copper and its impact on beer production has been the focus of attention. Whether this is an issue worthy of attention is still very controversial. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limits the copper content in drinking water to 1.3 mg/L. High concentrations of copper are toxic to humans and many microorganisms including yeast.

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Micet Craft is a professional manufacturer of brewery equipment. We can provide you with a complete turnkey solution for the brewery, as well as advice and equipment for your expansion plan. If you want to know more about brewery equipment, you can contact us directly. Our engineers will provide answers to your questions.

What are fermentation tanks?

How many fermentation tanks do I need?

What is the difference between a fermenter and a Unitank?

Why do breweries use copper tanks?

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