One of the challenges in operating a microbrewery, craft brewery, or a small to a mid-sized brewery with a more extensive market is to have the equipment needed to provide the quality beer you want to sell. This includes each component of the brewhouse as well as the carbonation and filling equipment.
One of the potential areas that can be easily overlooked in quality control in a small brewery is with the beer bottle filling equipment. New innovation and technology have definitely advanced the precision filling possible with this equipment, and breweries relying on older equipment may spot some signs it is time to upgrade to new systems.
Creating a Bottleneck
It only makes sense to ensure the beer bottle filling equipment exceeds your current bottling requirements. Older equipment is more likely to need routine maintenance, and it may be more likely to have unscheduled downtime as parts and components simply wear out.
In addition, the capacity of the bottling equipment to keep up with the volume of beer produced is another consideration. If the bottling system is slowing down production, it costs the brewery money. New systems, even those for smaller breweries, can work at speeds of 50 bottles per minute up to as many as 300 12 ounce bottles per minute with standard as well a unique bottle shapes and sizes.
Technology and Automation
Choosing to upgrade to beer bottle filling equipment that uses PLC controls and electronic automation means less time is spent in setting up and managing the bottling process. Once each configuration is set up in the system, all issues from the pressure, filling levels, production speed, and the temperature can be controlled automatically.
Not only does this limit the need for the operator to be involved in the bottling process, but it also means greater quality control and more consistent shelf life for all of the beers produced.
