More craft breweries are discovering that the quick-firing modular design of Miura boilers offer a great fit for their unique steam needs.
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This includes Gambrinus Company Breweries, who now have Miura boilers installed in no less than three of their breweries:
- Bridgeport Brewery in Portland, OR
- Trumer Braurei in Berkeley, CA
- Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, TX (producer of the famed Shiner Bock and other Shiner brews!)
Gambrinus’ relationship with Miura began seven years ago when the aging fire-tube boiler at Bridgeport Brewery needed to be replaced. After researching and entertaining numerous bids, the brewery went with the Miura LX-200 for its compact design and features. The results were so satisfactory that the company soon had a Miura LX-200 installed at Trumer, and an LX-200 and EX-200 installed at Spoetzl Brewery.
Why is Miura such a popular solution for the brewing industry? While craft brews in general are taking the beer industry by storm, individual breweries face a unique set of challenges, including limitations on space, limited budgets and an ongoing need for steam for multiple applications. Miura’s compact, energy efficient design and unique steam-on-demand capabilities help solve many of these problems for craft breweries.
Compact, Modular Design
Jaime Jurado, Director of Brewing Operations for The Gambrinus Breweries, explains that Miura’s capacity to connect multiple boilers in a modular arrangement make it easy for craft breweries to add steam power as production needs increase. “We like the fact that Miura’s design makes it easier if you want to add another boiler in the future,” he says. “Two Miura boilers tie into the same manifold, so it’s truly modular.
Quick-Firing
Unlike conventional boilers that can take a long time to come up to pressure, Miura boilers go from cold to steam-producing in about 5 minutes — a feature breweries find exceptionally useful.
“We have irregular needs for hot water for cleaning our tanks and our lines,” Jurado explains. “We can get full steam from our second Miura boiler in about five minutes, whereas with the old boiler it would take hours before it could provide steam.”
Energy Savings
Since Miura boilers don’t need to be fired all the time to produce consistent steam, they save users an average of 20 percent per year on energy bills. However, Jurado estimates their savings are much more.
“With two Miura boilers,” he says, “we can choose between having them both fully fired or having one of them shut off and completely cold to the touch, instead of being on all the time. That tells you right there that we’re saving about half the natural gas we were using before.”
Lowered Emissions
Miura boilers are known for their low carbon footprint — releasing far less CO2 and nitrogen oxides into the environment than their conventional counterparts. In particular, this makes it easy for Trumer Braurei to remain in compliance with California’s strict emissions standards. “Choosing Miura boilers for all our breweries also prepares us for the day when other states adopt stricter emissions standards as well.”
Jurado feels that choosing Miura boilers gives Gambrinus Company Breweries a competitive edge in a highly competitive industry.
“A lot of today’s most prestigious craft brewers are choosing Miura boilers,” he says. “As far as we can determine, Miura is the most energy-efficient steam provider that we can find.”
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