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.

• Need for yeast propagation, storage and recovery

• Alfa Laval yeast management systems

• Healthy yeast alternative with high viability and vitality
• Correct pitching
• High flexibility for propagating, storing and pitching different yeast strains

• Ensuring the supply of uninfected, freshly propagated, high-quality yeast

• Alfa Laval SCANDI BREW line of yeast agitators

• Yeast with high viability and vitality
• Correct pitching
• Homogenous yeast slurry
• More flexibility for propagating, storing and pitching different yeast strains

• Foaming issues when wanting to improve fermenter utilization
• Repeatability of fermentation process

• Alfa Laval Rotary jet mixers installed in fermenters

• 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

• Long overall process time in fermenters

• Alfa Laval Beer cooler

• Energy efficient crash cooling
• Desired temperature reached while transferring green beer

• Subpar hygiene in fermentation systems and interconnecting transfer lines

• Alfa Laval Rotary jet heads
• Alfa Laval SCANDI BREW tank components
• Alfa Laval Mixproof valves

• Product contact areas effectively and reliably cleaned
• Optimization of uptimes

• Long sedimentation process time
• Beer loss

• Alfa Laval BREW series separators

• Reduced maturation time (no need to wait for yeast to settle)
• Reduced beer losses

• Excess yeast

• Alfa Laval BRUX beer recovery system 

• Recover up to 88% of your beer from yeast bottom

• Low yield 
• Repeatability
• Extended process time when dry hopping on a large scale

• Alfa Laval Iso-Mix External Drive (IMXD) 

• Maximized use of hop
• Accelerated dry hopping process
• Improved downstream clarification
• Improved hop removal

• Inconsistent, unhygienic and time-consuming product sampling

• Alfa Laval Centralized sampling system

• Increased sampling quality and frequency
• Reduced time spent taking samples

• Long and costly cycles
• High energy and chemical usage during cleaning sequences

• Alfa Laval Rotary jet heads
• Alfa Laval Cleaning-In-Place systems (CIP)

• 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

• Safe operation of large vessels (yeast management, fermentation, bright beer tanks)

• Alfa Laval Tank top plate system

• Integrated safety systems
• Consistent, repeatable and hygienic operation

• Suboptimal cold block design

• Alfa Laval Brewery projects for best engineering practice 

• Avoidance of contamination
• Optimization of pumps and lines
• Optimization of complete process and utilities
• Increased level of process flexibility