A Detailed Guide to Stainless Steel Beer Tanks ⋆ Life With Heidi

How much do you know about beer brewing? The brewing tradition is over 7000 years old with Mesopotamian origins. Wooden casks were primarily used for production and storage.

Nevertheless, stainless steel beer tanks have proven more convenient and cost-effective. While there’s no apparent connection between brewing and this metal, both technologies managed to merge into an industrial process that brought major changes in the production of one of the most popular beverages.

There are various beer tanks available for purchase, such as https://abs-commercial.com/100-bbl-fermenter/, fully equipped and ready for service.

The following guide will introduce you to these tanks.

Table of Contents

Benefits

Beer tanks made from stainless steel have proven more durable and long-lasting compared to wooden tanks. This material provides greater resistance to corrosion in comparison to ordinary steel. It resists oxidation and doesn’t require internal and external coating. Stainless steel contains high chromium levels that form an invisible coating over its surface, thus protecting it against corrosion and stains.

Unlike other types of materials, it can be applied in all beer production stages, including fermentation, mixing, storage, and treatment. These tanks are more long-lasting than ordinary tanks without being affected by any vulnerabilities.

The safety and quality of the product are guaranteed, as stainless steel keeps the stored items in the best possible condition. There’s no risk of freezing, rust, or cracking. It offers ductility through a wide range of pressures and temperatures. Another benefit of this material is its recyclable nature, which makes it environmentally friendly.

Stainless steel production relies on the use of natural energy and resources after the production process experienced some major advancements. The new tanks consist of sixty to seventy percent recycled material, which accounts for their biodegradable and recyclable nature. Consequently, it helps beverage producers reduce their carbon footprint. Read more about the effects of carbon footprint.

Stainless steel storage tanks are eco-friendly and completely recyclable, meaning they can easily be sold to collectors of scrap metal. Another incredible benefit of using such tanks is their hygienic character and ease of cleaning. They aren’t porous or susceptible to mold and bacterial growth.

Since microorganisms thrive in beer, high-level hygiene is an absolute must. Hence, stainless steel is used extensively not just in tanks but in pumps, valves, piping, and heat exchangers, all of which need to remain perfectly clean. This material can be sterilized easily and doesn’t contaminate or flavor the product in any manner. As a result, beverage producers won’t have to worry about the hygiene of the beer stored in such tanks.

In addition, stainless steel storage tanks are mobile, not fixed in a particular spot. Their mobility allows manufacturers to move them easily upon changing their location by using a forklift. This material is also more appealing than others used for the same purpose, thus making any production plant look good.

In terms of cost-effectiveness, stainless steel is much more affordable when compared to copper. However, the latter is known to eliminate sulfides, which have a negative impact on the taste of drinks and make hangovers worse. Therefore, copper is still used in small-scale operations that might require custom forged parts.

Stainless steel beer tanks are used more in large-scale operations. The same effect of removing sulfides can be achieved in these tanks by using a copper mesh. Additionally, containers made of this material have a longer lifetime and require fewer repairs. This feature reduces the total cost of ownership.

Different types of tanks

There’s a variety of beer tanks designed for the primary and secondary fermentation process, as well as those for the preparation of finished beer and its storage. Stainless steel cylindrical fermentation tanks are used for beer fermentation. They are equipped with an inspection door and optional glass to allow brewers to monitor the process of fermentation.

There are cylindrical-conical fermentation containers as well. They come with an inspection door sanitizing shower and armatures for yeast and beer discharge. Consequently, yeast is separated from beer easily. In contrast, maturation tanks are designed for maturation, the second stage of the fermentation process.

Besides an inspection door and a sanitary shower, an adjustable pressure valve and special fittings are provided as well. These fittings are used for filling and draining beer. There are modular cylindrically-conical pressure containers, which are incredibly versatile. They are designed for all operations, including fermentation, carbonization, maturation, flotation, filtration, bottling, etc.

Conversely, cylindrical containers are used for the temporary storage of beer and for filling this drink into bottles. There’s an adjustable pressure valve, vacuum valve, and special armatures for filling and draining beer.

Facts about stainless steel and beer brewing

Stainless steel tanks have replaced the oldest brewing wooden casks, as they require less space. They cost less and are much easier to clean and maintain owing to the use of sterilization techniques and high-pressure scrubbing. They can also be built to larger sizes in comparison with wooden casks.

Furthermore, the use of stainless steel in brewing puts an end to battery corrosion, which occurs when two metals or one metal and a contaminant like dirt are close to an electrolyte solution, such as beer. In such cases, an electrical current flows through the solution and creates a chemical battery. Consequently, the metal that’s more active eventually ionizes.

The ions, in combination with oxygen, create galvanized corrosion. Nevertheless, stainless steel provides less conductivity compared to other metals in the brewing process. Its resistant coating fights oxidation and stops galvanic corrosion. The following link, https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-oxidation-in-chemistry-605456#:~:text=Oxidation%20is%20the%20loss%20of,%2C%20molecule%2C%20or%20ion%20decreases., explains oxidation and provides examples.

The largest part of brewing equipment is made of stainless steel, from the piping to storage. The beer cooler is a device produced from steel tubes, which contains smaller inner tubes. Brine and ammonia usually flow through the outer tubes, whereas beer flows through the inner ones. The outcome is a cooling process that takes place when brine or ammonia absorbs the heat from warm beer and it cools it to a pre-determined temperature.

Moreover, this material is used in the brewing process because of its ability not to produce off-flavors. Beer is corrosive to transport lines and storage tanks due to its acidic nature. It contains many living organisms that trigger corrosion and fouling. Nevertheless, the resistance to corrosion of stainless steel keeps the unusual flavors out.

The invention of the steel beer cans in 1935 played a crucial role in the creation of the home-based consumption market of this beverage. As a result, breweries shifted their focus from bars to the growing market of home consumption.