Coldblock - challenges and solutions
Professional equipment for the fermentation process
A consistent, reliable and effective fermentation process relies on equipment that guarantees high-quality yeast management, hygienic design and accurate control of the process variables.
Our cold block process solutions help overcome common issues to unlock the full potential of your commercial brewery process line.
Yeast management
Challenge
- Need for yeast propagation, storage and recovery
Solution
Outcome
- Healthy yeast alternative with high viability and vitality
- Correct pitching
- High flexibility for propagating, storing and pitching different yeast strains
Challenge
- Ensuring the supply of uninfected, freshly propagated, high-quality yeast
Solutions
- Alfa Laval SCANDI BREW line of yeast agitators
Outcome
- Yeast with high viability and vitality
- Correct pitching
- Homogenous yeast slurry
- More flexibility for propagating, storing and pitching different yeast strains
Fermentation and maturation
Challenge
- Foaming issues when wanting to improve fermenter utilization
- Repeatability of fermentation process
Solution
- Alfa Laval Rotary jet mixers installed in fermenters
Outcome
- Less foaming allows increased use of overall fermenter capacity
- Homogeneous distribution to prevent premature settling of yeast
- Uniform temperature and CO2 levels
- Consistent and shorter fermentation time
Challenge
- Long overall process time in fermenters
Solution
Outcome
- Energy efficient crash cooling
- Desired temperature reached while transferring green beer
Challenge
- Subpar hygiene in fermentation systems and interconnecting transfer lines
Outcome
- Product contact areas effectively and reliably cleaned
- Optimization of uptimes
Challenge
- Long sedimentation process time
- Beer loss
Solution
Outcome
- Reduced maturation time (no need to wait for yeast to settle)
- Reduced beer losses
Challenge
- Excess yeast
Solution
Outcome
- Recover up to 88% of your beer from yeast bottom
Dry hopping
Challenge
- Low yield
- Repeatability
- Extended process time when dry hopping on a large scale
Outcome
- Maximized use of hop
- Accelerated dry hopping process
- Improved downstream clarification
- Improved hop removal
Beer sampling
Challenge
- Inconsistent, unhygienic and time-consuming product sampling
Outcome
- Increased sampling quality and frequency
- Reduced time spent taking samples
Cleaning
Challenge
- Long and costly cycles
- High energy and chemical usage during cleaning sequences
Outcome
- Customized, verifiable system
- 30% saving in cleaning time and chemical consumption
- Reduced energy for hot (up to 70%) and cold CIP (up to 50%)
- Optimal recovery and re-use of cleaning fluids
- Automated operation
Coldblock overall design
Challenge
- Safe operation of large vessels (yeast management, fermentation, bright beer tanks)
Solution
Outcome
- Integrated safety systems
- Consistent, repeatable and hygienic operation
Challenge
- Suboptimal cold block design
Outcome
- Avoidance of contamination
- Optimization of pumps and lines
- Optimization of complete process and utilities
- Increased level of process flexibility