Process design & build doubles brewing capacity

Musk’s client announced ambitious plans to deliver a new brewhouse for Bath Ales in Warmley and engaged with Musk to design, manufacture and install a state-of-the-art new, four-vessel brewhouse.

The ‘exam question’ was to provide a modern rapid batch brewery with a high level of automation that would also maintain a quality product. This project demonstrated a market-leading brewery packed with innovations such as efficient cost-saving drives.

One example of innovation on this project was the design and manufacture of flexible hop infusion vessels capable of coping with a wide range of recipes. It was an essential requirement that an in-line operation was achieved that would not affect the turn-around time for the brews.

A bespoke design was provided where the whole hops are retained in a fully flooded vertical cylindrical tank which spreads clarified wort overleaf hops for maximum aroma and pressures the cell to maintain a constant wort level. A conical sieve for hop leaf separation was used and a sealed system with a ‘loop-seal’ and anti-vacuum protection device.

Musk conducted a feasibility study and produced an initial design. The team reviewed the base recipes for the brewery and built the specification from this information as well as producing a utilisation diagram which ensures the most efficient operation of the Brewery.  This included analysing the brewery workflow along with the available space and establishing an effective workflow from ‘Goods in’ to ‘Beers out’, dealing with waste along the way.

The brewery location presented some challenges; the Musk team had to work within the constraint of a heavily populated area, ensuring both neighbours and local authorities were not inconvenienced, whilst transforming an Industrial unit into a showpiece brewery.

The delivery of the Brewery was part of a multi-million-pound investment that required Musk to deliver a sophisticated brewhouse with the capability to produce up to 50,000 brewers’ barrels of beer, the equivalent of approximately 14.5 million pints a year.

This effectively doubled the available brewing capacity.