In many ways, steam boilers are the unsung heroes in breweries. Even the best breweries in the world wouldn’t be able to get anything accomplished if they didn’t have a top-notch boiler system in place. Let’s take a closer look at all the ways steam boilers make the process of brewing and bottling beer possible.
Brewing Process
Wheat and barley aren’t the only key ingredients in making beer; heat is also a necessity. Brewers need to be able to dictate temperature so that the various ingredients in a beer react a certain way and create the kind of flavor they want. To do this, they need their boiler to heat water at a specific temperature. As a result, brewers sometimes require large amounts of steam while other times not so much. This is one reason why many craft breweries are gravitating toward smaller, modular boilers like the ones manufactured by Miura. Our boilers can reach peak steam production in just a few minutes but don’t need to be running idle when they’re not needed.
Sterilization and Sanitation
Steam boilers in breweries don’t just contribute to the beer-making process. There’s also the matter of cleaning and sterilizing the tools and equipment that are used to brew up delicious batches of beer. Breweries have a few different options for going about this, including the use of dry heat or chemicals. However, steam is the best way to kill spores and bacteria that could linger on important brewing tools. Most hospitals use steam from their boiler inside an autoclave sterilizer to ensure lab and surgical tools are free of harmful germs and bacteria, and breweries can also use the steam from their boilers to ensure their equipment is properly sanitized. If a brewery is already getting steam from their boiler during the brewing process, there’s no reason not to also use it during the cleaning process.Cleaning Kegs
In addition to cleaning the equipment used to make the beer, steam is important for cleaning the device used to transport the beer, namely kegs. If kegs aren’t properly cleaned, the beer you worked so hard to create can be contaminated with a substance that’s not in the recipe. Unfortunately, hot water just isn’t good enough when it comes to cleaning kegs. This is another instance where steam from your boiler comes in handy. Steam is the ideal way to sanitize kegs before transferring your beer into them for transport. Without steam from your boiler, you may have to settle for using chemical cleaners, which can get the job done but aren’t ideal.When it comes to both brewing and cleaning, a steam boiler is an essential part of any brewery. Contact Miura today to learn why our boilers are perfect for breweries of all sizes.
