Cold liquor tank

This means the production rates of water (liquor) are often insufficient for the point loading requirements of the processes.

Cold liquor tanks are used as buffer storage for this purpose such that water production rates are sufficient on average.

The specific use case for a Cold Liquor Tank as opposed to other tanks holding the same quality of water in a brewery is that it holds the water which will be used to cool Wort after it has been through the brew kettle or copper vessel (a brew kettle is a boiling vessel used to break open complex sugars into simpler sugars).

The quality of water used for this application in cold liquor tanks can differ drastically between breweries across the world.

A public utility water supply might also be one source though often chemicals are added which can present a challenge to its usage.

If this is the case often additives will be added back into the water to produce an environment suitable for good yeast propagation or for a desirable taste in the finished product.

This is only one example of a water quality target that might be used by an individual brewery for their desired flavour profile in the end product.

Many breweries operate 24/6 or some other variation which leaves the generated hot liquor to sit and cool down over the period of plant downtime.

Cold liquor tanks are typically single skinned vessels with no insulation in areas where the ambient temperature is sufficient for the heat exchange.

Many facilities will make do with the pre-existing equipment on site so reuse of disused vessels during periods of plant upgrade is common which leads to designs of circumstance.

Typical ports include: Internal welds should be ground and polished to a food grade surface finish.

The external finish is often not a concern as it is not a food safety issue though manufacturers often take pride in providing tanks that look good as an effort to boost their customers perception of the installed product.

Often this is achieved by a float valve that intakes water to a set point rather than dictating the exact level of the tank.

Tanks can also be made from hard polymers such as high density poly ethylene (HDPE) but these materials have less longevity for a not too dissimilar cost.

This is an example of a cost cutting measure a facility might make during a plant upgrade project or to prevent the need for extensive works when a tank is leaking.