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Pro's Cons, steam heating vs. electric heating vs. direct fire.

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  • Pro's Cons, steam heating vs. electric heating vs. direct fire.

    I'm looking to put in a 5BBL brew house in Pub I'm opening. I'm in the process of finding a brewer who will ideally guide me through this process as I am very green on the subject. I'm in the budgeting phase and was hoping to get some insight on the pros and cons of steam heating vs. electric heating vs. direct fire. Any and all information welcome. New to the forum and appreciate the help. Thanks so much.

  • #2
    Steam!

    Steam is amazing. I had it on my last system, and miss it now while working on direct fire. Steam jackets give extremely even heat, no kettle caramelization, and you don't have the insipid, awful black char building up on your tanks from direct-fired gas. Plus, the boiler can double as a pretty wicked hot water heater if you set your system up that way. If/when I make my own place, it'll be steam, no matter the cost (if I can't afford it, I'm not opening). No experience with electric.

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    • #3
      Steam is great for quick heat, and it is easier on the equipment. However steam is the most expensive option up front. With direct fire if you have your jet properly calibrated is also quick, and a properly calibrated jet should not scorch. The idea of whether or not kettle caramelization is a pro or a con is a totally subjective matter. I happen to prefer gas fired systems because I find the mild kettle caramelization to be a good thing, I also prefer them because I hate boilers! I have never worked on an electric system, but I don't think I would want to use one for anything over 3bbls. I have heard too many issues people have had with the elements.

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      • #4
        I've used all 3 types over the years.
        Personally I like steam the best. For me it seems to heat faster and be easier to use. That being said it is much more expensive and boilers can be a real PITA to maintain. Plus it likely means one more inspector coming to visit every now and again.
        I've worked with a few direct fire systems and when well built they can be great. I've also worked with one that had a lot of scorching if you werent careful and had a kettle that took an absurd amount of work to get clean again thanks to the excessive heat on the floor of the kettle.
        Electric is my least favorite. It'll make perfectly good beer. But the elements need replacement pretty regularly, are a pain to clean and from what I've used don't exactly save any money in utility costs.

        That being said any of the systems can make very solid beer - for the most part if I were buying equipment I'd be more concerned about getting well built well designed equipment from a manufacturer that knows the industry and what we need. Also depending on the location you're looking at you may well be limited to one or two options simply based on the building, local codes, etc

        Cheers and Good luck
        Manuel

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        • #5
          Thanks!

          Thanks for the help all, truly appreciate it!

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