Your brewhouse is the heart of your brewery. Every piece of equipment—from mash tuns to fermenters—affects beer quality, production speed, and operational efficiency. Choosing the right setup upfront saves headaches, downtime, and money. Here’s how to select the right brewhouse equipment for your brewery, including the dreaded math.

1. Mash Tuns: Where Brewing Begins

What to look for:

• Material: Stainless steel is non-negotiable for durability and sanitation

• Capacity: Match your batch size goals (small batch vs. high-volume). See sizing calculations below.

• Heating System: Steam, electric, or direct fire, depending on space and workflow

• Automation Level: Manual vs. semi-automated vs. fully automated

Our advice: A properly sized mash tun ensures consistency. Undersize it, and you’ll waste time. Oversize it, and you’ll waste money.

2. Lauter Tuns / Mash Filters

• Purpose: Separate wort from grain efficiently

• Design Options: Traditional lauter tun with false bottom or mash filter

• Flow Control: Look for adjustable flow to reduce grain compaction

Pro tip: Slow wort separation = longer brew cycles = lost revenue. Choose the system that fits your volume and staff skill.

3. HLT, Kettles & Boiling Systems

• Material: Stainless steel with proper insulation

• Capacity: Slightly oversized for wort expansion and foam control

• Heating Options: Direct fire, steam, or electric

• Features: Sight glasses, whirlpool ports, and CIP (clean-in-place) options

Remember: A boil isn’t just heat—it’s precision. Consistency here = consistent beer = repeat customers.

4. Fermentation Tanks

• Material: Stainless steel with conical bottoms for yeast collection

• Temperature Control: Jackets or coils for accurate fermentation

• Size & Count: Enough capacity for planned production and scheduling flexibility

• Pressure Rating: For ales vs. lagers or carbonation control

Fermentation tanks are the brewery’s engine. Invest in quality, and your beer consistency improves drastically.

5. Bright Tanks & Conditioning Tanks

• Purpose: Clarify, carbonate, and condition beer before packaging

• Features: Sampling valves, carbonation stones, and racking ports

• Material: Stainless steel with proper CIP access

Consistent carbonation and clarity = professional beer. Don’t cut corners.

6. Pumps, Hoses & Piping

• Durability: Sanitary stainless or food-grade hoses

• Flow Rate: Match pump size to your brewhouse volume

• Ease of Cleaning: CIP-compatible where possible

 A clogged line or weak pump = wasted time and spoiled batches. Spend on reliability here.

7. Optional Brewhouse Upgrades

• Automation panels for temperature and flow control

• Grain handling systems for efficiency

• Kegging or bottling integrations

• Energy-efficient boilers or chillers

Upgrade where it multiplies efficiency or reduces labor. Everything else is vanity.

8. Quick Brewhouse Selection Checklist

Mash tun: material, size, heating method

Lauter tun / mash filter: flow control, capacity

Boil kettle: size, heating, features

Fermentation tanks: temperature control, conical bottoms, volume

Bright tanks: conditioning and carbonation features

Pumps & hoses: flow rate, durability, cleanability

Optional automation & grain handling upgrades

BREWHOUSE SIZING: How Big Should Your System Be?

Choosing brewhouse size isn’t guessing—it’s reverse-engineering your sales target, brew cadence, and cellar capacity. Use the steps and quick formulas below to right-size your system without overbuying.

Start With Annual Production → Pick Brewhouse Size

Inputs

• Target BBL per year (barrels you plan to sell)

• Operating weeks (usually 48–50)

• Brew days per week (e.g., 2–5)

• Turns per brew day (1–3 complete brews/day)

• Yield to FV (typ. 0.92–0.95 after kettle/whirlpool losses)

Core formula

Example (taproom-first):

• Target 800 BBL/yr, 50 weeks, 3 brew days/wk, 1.5 turns/day, 0.93 yield

• Weekly output = 800 / 50 = 16 BBL/wk

• Brewhouse size ≈ 16 / (3 × 1.5 × 0.93) = 3.8 BBL → buy 5 BBL (headroom)

Rule of thumb buckets

• 3–5 BBL: small taproom, single shifts, 1–2 turns/day

• 7–10 BBL: growing taproom, light distro, 2 turns/day on busy weeks

• 15–30 BBL: production with wholesale, palletized logistics

CELLAR SIZING (Fermenters & Bright Tanks)

Fermenters, not the kettle, cap your throughput. Fermentation days dictate how much beer-in-process you can hold.  See Fermenter Sizing Quick Reference below.

Inputs

• Fermentation days (ales ~10–14; lagers ~21–35)

• FV fill fraction (FV usable headspace; use 0.90 for safety)

Core approach

Quick ratios (work well in practice)

• Total FV working volume ≈ 2–3× your weekly production (ales).

• Bright tank (BT) capacity ≈ 0.5–1× your weekly sales, depending on package-on-demand vs. taproom.

Example (continuing 5 BBL, 16 BBL/wk, ales @ 14 days):

• Total FV working volume ≈ 16 × (14/7) = 32 BBL

• Using 10 BBL FVs (fill 90% → 9 BBL each): 32 / 9 ≈ 4 FVs

• BTs: two 10 BBL BTs (or one 10 + one 5) works well for taproom draft.

Remember: Add at least one extra FV for seasonal/long fermentations and schedule slippage.

Fermenter Vessel (FV) Sizing Quick Reference

Key Notes

• Working Volume: Assume 90% fill (FV_nominal × 0.9) to leave headspace for krausen.

• Double-Batching: Common to run two brews into one FV (e.g., 5 BBL brewhouse into 10 BBL FV).

• Rule of Thumb: Fermenter capacity = 2–3× your weekly brewhouse output.

• Bright Tanks (BTs): Plan 0.5–1× your weekly sales volume for packaging and draft-ready beer.

• Extra FV: Always budget at least one extra FV for lagers, seasonals, or unexpected delays.

Example in Action

• A 5 BBL brewhouse brewing 3 days/week, 1.5 turns/day = ~20 BBL/week.

• With a 14-day fermentation, you need ~40 BBL of FV capacity.

• Four 10 BBL fermenters (usable ~9 BBL each) = 36 BBL working volume, plus one extra FV for safety.

Remember: The brewhouse sets your pace, but the cellar sets your ceiling. If your FVs are undersized or too few, you’ll choke production—even if your brewhouse can handle more turns.

Mash/Lauter Limits (Will Your Recipes Fit?)

Grain bill capacity is a hard ceiling. Check your max OG beers against mash tun volume.

Handy approximations

• Grain absorption: ~0.12 gal/lb

• Grain displacement: ~0.08 gal/lb in the mash

• Liquor-to-grist ratio: 1.25–1.5 qt/lb (≈ 0.31–0.375 gal/lb)

Mash volume estimate

Grain bill estimate by gravity (quick)

• ~20 lb/bbl → ~1.048–1.052

• ~25 lb/bbl → ~1.058–1.062

• ~30 lb/bbl → ~1.068–1.072
  (assumes brewhouse efficiency in the 70s% range)

Example (5 BBL batch, 1.060, ~25 lb/bbl → ~125 lb grain):

• Strike water (1.3 qt/lb): (1.3/4)×125 ≈ 40.6 gal

• Displacement: 0.08×125 ≈ 10 gal

• Mash volume ≈ 50–55 gal plus headspace for stirring/sparge.
  Confirm your mash/lauter tun working volume (with false bottom) exceeds this comfortably.

Remember: If your “flagship” doesn’t fit the tun, either increase L:G ratio, plan parti-gyle, or scale batch size.

Kettle/Whirlpool Sizing & Losses

• Kettle evaporation: 6–10% per hour (plan 60–90 min boils)

• Trub/hop loss to whirlpool: 3–8% (varies with hop load)

• Headspace: Size kettle to 120–130% of brewhouse size to handle hot break and boil-off.

• Yield to FV: Plan 0.92–0.95.

Remember: High-hop SKUs need more whirlpool loss budget—or you’ll miss target volumes.

Utilities: Steam, Electric, Water, Chilling (Rules of Thumb)

These are planning ballparks, not stamped engineering calcs.

• Steam boiler: ~ 1–1.5 boiler HP per BBL per turn for ale-style duty cycles

  • 1 boiler HP = 33,475 BTU/hr

  • 10 BBL brewhouse doing 2 turns/day → spec 15–20 BHP is a common starting point

• Electric brewhouse: check element watt density; ensure panel capacity (often 50–100A+ per kettle zone at 240–480V, varies widely).

• Hot liquor tank (HLT): ≥ 1.0× brewhouse size (1.5× is comfortable for back-to-back turns)

• Glycol chiller for fermentation: very rough ~1 ton per 10 BBL of actively fermenting ale, or:

  • Tons ≈ 0.1 × Total_active_FV_BBL (conservative for small systems)

• Cold room load (walk-in): add 1–2 tons for a small taproom (verify by volume/insulation/door cycles).

Remember: When in doubt, oversize the chiller slightly and keep spare pump capacity; fermentation heat spikes are unforgiving.

Put It Together 

Goal: 1,000 BBL/year, 50 weeks, ales, taproom-heavy

• Brew days/wk: 3

• Turns/day: 2

• Yield to FV: 0.93

Math

• Weekly need = 1,000 / 50 = 20 BBL/wk

• Brewhouse size ≈ 20 / (3 × 2 × 0.93) = 3.6 BBL → choose 5 BBL system

• Weekly hot-side output @ 5 BBL = 5 × 3 × 2 × 0.93 = 27.9 BBL/wk (headroom to build inventory, seasonals)

• FV working volume for 14-day ales: 27.9 × (14/7) = 55.8 BBL

• With 10 BBL FVs (fill @ 90% → 9 BBL each): 55.8 / 9 ≈ 6 FVs

• BTs: 2×10 BBL (or 1×15 + 1×10)

• Chiller: active FVs (assume 4 simultaneously) → ~ 4 tons minimum; spec 5–7 tons for comfort + cold room.

• HLT: 7.5 BBL (1.5×)

• Kettle: 6–6.5 BBL gross to allow boil headspace

Remember: If you won’t run 2 turns/day often, consider 7–10 BBL brewhouse with fewer brew days—same weekly volume, less labor.

Bottom line: Size the brewhouse to your weekly volume and realistic turn count, then size the cellar to your fermentation length. Validate mash/lauter capacity against your heaviest grain bills, give the kettle enough headspace, and don’t starve utilities—especially glycol. Build a little headroom into hot side and more headroom into cold side. That’s how you hit volumes without firefighting.

Final Thoughts

Selecting the right equipment is foundational for brewery success. Every decision—from sizing to material to automation—affects production speed, consistency, and long-term scalability. Invest wisely, plan for growth, and your brewery will produce professional beer efficiently, batch after batch.

A brewhouse isn’t a hobby—it’s the engine of your business. Build it right once, and it carries your brewery for years.