In an industry where temperature control is critical to the quality of final products, you can depend on glycol chillers from Klosco Solutions.

Great quality beer is dependent on a variety of factors, the most critical of which is the flavor. The taste of beer is affected greatly by its temperature at fermentation. Keeping the taste of beer consistent keeps customers delighted and committed to your brand, and this can be achieved by maintaining ideal process temperatures inside the brewer during production.

What Is a Glycol Chiller?

Brewery glycol chillers are cooling units that utilize propylene glycol (an organic anti-freeze agent) or a mix of propylene glycol and water to extract excess heat from a brewing process and dissipate it in a heat exchanger or refrigeration system. Brewery glycol chillers provide the close temperature tolerance necessary to produce final products of the highest quality.

Applications for Chillers in Breweries

Glycol chillers are suitable for specific chilling applications within the brewery industry. Some typical examples include:

• Wort
• Brite tanks
• Fermenters
• Two-stage heat exchangers

How Do Glycol Chillers Work?

A glycol chiller for brewery systems circulates supercooled glycol around a closed circuit. This closed loop is comprised of tubing that connects to the input and output sections of the chiller unit, and the heat exchanger. To cool wort, the glycol then circulates through the heat exchanger, cooling the vessel.

Propylene glycol has a freezing point of -74.2 °F (-59 °C) while a mixture of propylene glycol and water will maintain a more moderate freezing point. Thus, a water/glycol brewery chilling system can cool wort much faster than a water-only chiller without producing harmful ice in the insides of the brewing vessel.

For the most efficient cooling, many companies use a water/glycol mix of about 67% to 33% in industrial glycol chillers.

Brewing Temperature Control Is Critical to Brand Preservation

Several beer types have ideal wort fermentation temperatures for the highest quality brew. For example, the ideal temperature range for brewing ale is 68 - 72 °F (20 - 22 °C). Using a brewing temperature greater than this produces undesirable fermentation by-products that can be difficult to remove.

Conversely, brewing ale at a lower temperature can lead to incomplete fermentation. Both issues can cause the beer taste to vary widely, causing production inconsistencies and negative brand sentiment.