10 bbl system to hit 1000 bbl a year

[CascadiaHB]

Hey all,

I currently run a 1.5bbl brewery that also is a homebrew supply store (drink while you shop). The brewery has been going well and I cant keep up so we are going to drop the homebrew supply side and focus on the brewing. We are looking at a 10 bbl brewhouse setup with a large taproom. The focus will be pint sales with a bit of keg sales

I am trying to figure out how many FV and BT I need to hit the 1000 bbl a year mark. Any suggestions?

[foestauf]

How many days will a product sit in fermentation? 14? How many days are in a year * # of FV / fermentation days = # turns. * 10bbl. Theoretically that would be your maximum throughput. Assume slack of so maybe * .9 and you're right there.
The short answer is 5FV and one BBT can get you there at 10bbl you're brewing every second or third day.
Good luck!

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[jebzter]

A 5:1 FV to BBT ratio is pretty high, I like to use 3:1, gives you a little flexibility if a beer isn't dropping clear. If you are going to filter, then this isn't a problem. Similar to the previous calculations, it is going to be based on the styles of beers you produce, ales average 14 days, sometimes faster, sometimes longer, lagers are 28 days minimum. Each lager tank gets 1 turn per month, the others 2 turns. Also remember that you do not get 100% yield out of your tanks, there are losses, especially with dry hopped IPA's, so that is another issue. Even with filtration, you are probably looking at 10-15% loss for non dry hopped and 20% for moderately dry hopped beers.

[CascadiaHB]

Thanks for the reply, kinda what i thought. I may end up having to do 2 FV at 10 bbl and 1 FV at 20 bbl for doible batches. Of course that means i need a 20 bbl BT. Many breweries i have talked with do double batches

The plan is to have just a few flagships with many seasonal and roatating beers as possible

Tricky part is the beer is ready when it is ready. If thatbis 10 days then good, if that is 17 days then that is just what the beer needed. At this point all i can get is averages and educated guesses

[Red Bison]

Have you considered Unitanks at all? Save some money on Brites and just buy more FV/Uni's

Thanks for the reply, kinda what i thought. I may end up having to do 2 FV at 10 bbl and 1 FV at 20 bbl for doible batches. Of course that means i need a 20 bbl BT. \

[CascadiaHB]

Have you considered Unitanks at all? Save some money on Brites and just buy more FV/Uni's

I have thought about this a bit. It seems like it would be easier/flexible to have all uni's.

Do you run with uni's?

[Red Bison]

Do you run with uni's?

I'm just about to order tanks. I don't see any downside really. Considering that Uni's and Brites are the same (if not, similar) cost. Instead of 4 FV and 2 BT, you could do 5 or 6 Uni's. Having at least one extra than you calculated will give you some flexibility for a slow fermentation. This is just from what I have found online. I'm sure someone experienced with Unitanks will chime in.

[Crosley]

I have 3 unis and would much rather have 3 fv and one Brite. The unis do work, but there are definitely downsides to it.

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[vorlauf ninkasi]

I have 3 unis and would much rather have 3 fv and one Brite. The unis do work, but there are definitely downsides to it.

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what r the downsides with a uni vs a brite ?

[TGTimm]

We use 9 unis from 35 to 110bbl, and two brights. The brights are used for bottling only. We make both ales and lagers.

[jebzter]

Having brites does the following for you:
1. You can clear your FV out up to a week early if your schedule permits, and then you're fermenting again faster
2. BBT are not as tall as unitanks, settling time is faster because of this.