Practical engineering answers for restaurant-breweries and small-scale producers

If you run a brewpub, your energy costs are likely your third biggest expense after raw materials and labor. And unlike grain prices, you can control them – with the right equipment choices. Here are the most common questions we hear from pub owners searching for efficient systems.

Question: “Does a hot liquor tank really need insulation? It’s just holding water.”

Absolutely. A naked stainless HLT loses 1–2°C per hour. Over a brew day, that forces your heating elements to re-fire repeatedly – adding 10–15% to your electrical bill. Our HLTs come with 50mm polyurethane foam insulation and a mirror-finish outer jacket that reflects radiant heat. The result: temperature drop of just 0.3°C/hour.

Question: “What is a heat recovery coil and do I need one?”

When you cool wort from 95°C to 20°C, you dump massive heat into your groundwater (or glycol). A heat recovery coil captures that thermal energy and pre-heats your next batch’s strike water. A typical 10hL brewpub saves 8–12 kWh per batch – about €1,500 per year in electricity. Payback is usually under 18 months.

Question: “My mash mixer overheats at the bottom. Is that normal?”

No – it is a sign of poor steam jacket design. Many budget mash tuns have a single continuous jacket that creates hot spots. Our mash mixers use divided, independently controlled zones – lower zone for initial heating, upper zone for temperature maintenance. Combined with a slow-speed rake (12–15 RPM), you get uniform mash temperature within 0.5°C.

Question: “How do I know if my kettle is wasting steam?”

Check your condensate return. If you see visible steam leaking from the exhaust stack, you are losing money. A well-designed kettle has a stack damper that closes during idle periods and an inverted bucket trap that returns condensate to the boiler. We include both as standard – they reduce steam consumption by 18–22%.

The question every pub owner forgets to ask

“Can my brewhouse run on both electric and steam heating?” – Yes, if the design includes dual flanges. This future-proofs you against energy price swings. Many of our clients start with electric (lower capital) and later add a steam boiler without modifying the kettle.

Energy efficiency is not a compromise

You do not have to sacrifice beer quality to save money. Smart engineering simply recovers energy you are already wasting.

→ Send us your average monthly electricity and gas bill (in kWh or local currency). We will return a one-page report showing exactly how much a heat recovery system + insulated HLT would save your specific brewpub.