Producing in excess of 25,000 barrels of ale per year, Asheville, NC-based Highland Brewing Company is North Carolina’s largest brewery of fine craft beers. A key turning point in the company’s output, however, occurred when they decided to expand their production capacity—which required a new boiler. Their choice of the Miura gas-fired LX-100 boiler has proven to be pivotal in their goals; since installing it, Highland reports that they’ve been able to increase output by 20 percent while actually reducing their energy costs by $1200/month.
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Why Choose Miura?
According to Kevin Wheeler, Highland’s Director of Operations, the choice of a Miura boiler came down to a reputation that preceded them. ““When we decided to increase our brewing capacity,” he says, “we spoke to other craft brewers and learned of Miura’s great reputation. Miura met our needs in terms of energy savings, on-demand steam, low emissions, and a smaller footprint.”
A Multi-Faceted Solution
Craft breweries have a unique set of needs when it comes to on-demand steam. For Highland Brewing Company, their Miura boiler meets those needs with remarkable efficiency while furthering the company’s goals and priorities. In fact, Wheeler says it serves as an optimal solution on multiple levels:
- Flexibility for varying demands. Miura’s state-of-the-art design allows it to go from a cold start to producing steam in five minutes, rather than taking hours to heat and needing to remain powered up through slow output times. “Sometimes we need lots of steam; other times we don’t. A conventional-style boiler would need to run constantly to maintain its peak output level. With the Miura LX-100, however, we can shut it off all weekend, blow it down, drain it out, and save gas. On Monday morning we turn it on and have full steam by the time we walk over to the brew house.”
- Lowered energy costs while increasing output. Despite the fact that Highland installed their Miura LX-100 to help them boost their production, Wheeler says they’re actually saving money on their energy bills due to the boiler’s unique energy-efficient design. “We have saved on our gas bill dramatically with our Miura boiler,” he says. “In the year and a half since we’ve had it installed, it has probably already paid for itself in energy savings.”
- Environmentally responsible. One of Highland’s top commitment as a company is to pursue environmental sustainability as much as possible. Since Miura boilers emit far less greenhouse gases like CO2 and nitrogen oxides than their competitors, the choice of the LX-100 fell right in line with company priorities. “We are just an hour from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and acid rain is a huge concern for us here,” says Wheeler. “We like to ‘walk the walk’ as well as ‘talk the talk’ about being environmentally responsible, and our Miura boiler helps us do that.”
With lower overhead costs and increased production, Miura boilers have empowered Highland on a trajectory for growth. “The Miura LX-100 has been a great asset for us,” says Wheeler. “I would recommend it to anyone.”
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