Brewing Great Beer from Concentrated Wort
Starting a brewery doesn’t always require a full brewhouse. Many craft breweries, brewpubs, restaurants, and beverage companies are choosing concentrated wort as a faster and more economical way to produce high-quality beer.
By using professionally produced concentrated wort, brewers can skip the mashing and lautering stages while still creating unique beers through fermentation, dry hopping, fruit additions, and aging.
In this article, we’ll explain what concentrated wort is, the brewing process, and the equipment required to build an efficient concentrated wort beer production line.
What Is Concentrated Wort?
Concentrated wort is fresh brewer’s wort that has been evaporated under vacuum to remove a large portion of its water. It typically contains 65–80° Brix of fermentable extract, making it easy to transport and store.
Before fermentation, the concentrate is simply diluted with treated brewing water to the desired original gravity (OG).
Compared with traditional brewing from malt, concentrated wort offers several advantages:
- No milling, mashing, or lautering required
- Reduced investment in brewing equipment
- Faster production cycles
- Lower labor requirements
- Consistent wort quality
- Easy to scale production
This makes it an ideal solution for:
- Startup craft breweries
- Brasseries
- Restaurant breweries
- Contract brewing facilities
- Seasonal beer production
- Export beer production
Technology Process
The production process is much simpler than conventional brewing.
Step 1: Water Treatment
Good beer begins with good water.
The brewing water should be filtered and adjusted to the desired mineral profile before dilution.
Équipement typique :
- Sand filter
- Activated carbon filter
- Water softener (if required)
- Reverse Osmosis (optional)
- Stérilisateur UV
Step 2: Wort Dilution
The concentrated wort is pumped into a mixing tank.
Purified brewing water is added according to the target beer recipe until the desired original gravity is achieved.
During mixing:
- Continuous agitation ensures uniform concentration.
- Gravity is checked using a refractometer or densitometer.
- pH can be adjusted if necessary.
Step 3: Wort Heating
The diluted wort is heated to approximately 95–100°C.
Heating serves several purposes:
- Stérilisation
- Dissolving remaining concentrate completely
- Preparing for hop additions
Steam heating is commonly used for high efficiency.
Step 4: Hop Boiling (Optional)
If additional bitterness or aroma is desired, hops can be added during a short boiling stage.
Typical boil time:
- 20–60 minutes
Ajouts facultatifs :
- Aroma hops
- Épices
- Herbes
- Citrus peel
- Fruit extracts
Some breweries skip this step when the concentrated wort already contains sufficient hop bitterness.
Step 5: Whirlpool Separation
After boiling, the wort enters a whirlpool tank.
This removes:
- Hop particles
- Protein coagulum
- Trub
Clear wort improves fermentation performance and final beer clarity.
Step 6: Wort Cooling
The hot wort passes through a plate heat exchanger.
Typical cooling temperatures:
- Ale: 18–22°C
- Lager: 8–12°C
Cold water or glycol provides efficient cooling while minimizing energy consumption.
Step 7: Fermentation
The cooled wort enters stainless steel fermenters.
Yeast is pitched according to the selected beer style.
Fermentation typically lasts:
- Ale: 5–10 days
- Lager: 10–21 days
Temperature and pressure are automatically controlled for stable fermentation.
Optional ingredients can also be added:
- Dry hops
- Purée de fruits
- Café
- Chérie
- Épices
Step 8: Maturation
After primary fermentation, the beer is conditioned.
This stage improves:
- Stabilité de l'arôme
- La carbonatation
- Clarity
- Sensation en bouche
Cold maturation temperatures are generally:
- 0–2°C
Duration:
- 5–30 days depending on beer style.
Step 9: Filtration (Optional)
Depending on the desired beer style, filtration may be used.
Options include:
- Filtre à plaques
- Filtre DE
- Filtre à membrane
Many craft breweries skip filtration for hazy styles.
Step 10: Carbonation
Beer is carbonated by:
- Carbonatation naturelle
- Forced CO₂ carbonation
The carbonation level is adjusted according to the beer style.
Step 11: Packaging
Finished beer can be packaged into:
- Bouteilles en verre
- Canettes en aluminium
- Stainless steel kegs
Les options d'emballage comprennent
- Automatic bottle filling line
- Ligne de remplissage de boîtes de conserve
- Keg filling machine
Equipment Required
A concentrated wort brewery requires significantly fewer machines than a traditional brewery.
1. Système de traitement de l'eau
Produces stable brewing water.
2. Wort Mixing Tank
For dilution and homogenization of concentrated wort.
Caractéristiques :
- Agitator
- Load cells (optional)
- Temperature monitoring
- Boule de pulvérisation CIP
3. Wort Heating Tank (Optional)
Used for sterilization and hop boiling.
Steam jacketed design is recommended.
4. Whirlpool Tank (Optional)
Separates hot break and hop residue.
5. Plate Heat Exchanger
Rapidly cools wort before fermentation.
6. Yeast Propagation Tank (Optional)
Provides healthy yeast for consistent fermentation.
7. Fermentation Tanks
The core of the brewery.
Les caractéristiques comprennent
- Glycol cooling jacket
- Pressure-resistant design
- Contrôle automatique de la température
- Système de nettoyage CIP
- Valve d'échantillonnage
- Capacité de carbonatation
8. Glycol Cooling System
Comprend :
- Glycol water tank
- Refroidisseur
- Circulation pump
Maintains precise fermentation temperatures.
9. CIP Cleaning System
Ensures hygienic production through automatic cleaning.
Configuration typique :
- Caustic tank
- Réservoir d'acide
- Hot water tank (optional)
- Pumps
- Control valves
10. Beer Bright Tank (Optional)
Utilisé pour :
- La carbonatation
- Beer storage
- Mélange
- Final clarification before packaging
11. Beer Filtration System (Optional)
Selected according to beer style and shelf-life requirements.
12. Filling System
Available for:
- Bouteilles
- Boîtes de conserve
- Fûts
Automatic or semi-automatic solutions can be selected based on production capacity.
Advantages of Brewing with Concentrated Wort
Compared with conventional all-grain brewing, concentrated wort offers numerous benefits:
- Lower initial investment
- Reduced installation space
- Faster production startup
- Shorter brewing cycles
- Réduction de la consommation d'énergie
- Réduction des coûts de main-d'œuvre
- Consistent wort quality
- Flexible recipe development
- Easy expansion of production capacity
This model is especially suitable for breweries that want to focus on fermentation, recipe innovation, and brand development rather than wort production.
TIANTAI Complete Concentrated Wort Brewing Solution
TIANTAI provides complete turnkey solutions for breweries using concentrated wort, including:
- Water treatment systems
- Wort mixing tanks
- Heating and blending tanks
- Plate heat exchangers
- Cuves de fermentation
- Cuves à bière lumineuses
- Glycol cooling systems
- CIP cleaning systems
- Beer filtration systems
- Bottle, can, and keg filling lines
- PLC automatic control systems
- Brewery layout design
- Installation et mise en service
- Technical training and after-sales support
Whether you’re launching a small craft brewery or expanding into commercial production, TIANTAI can customize a complete concentrated wort brewing solution to match your capacity, budget, and beer styles.
Réflexions finales
Using concentrated wort is an efficient and cost-effective way to produce high-quality beer without investing in a complete brewhouse. By eliminating the mashing and lautering process, breweries can significantly reduce equipment costs, save space, and shorten production time while maintaining excellent beer quality.
With the right fermentation technology and professional brewing equipment, concentrated wort brewing offers a flexible pathway for startups, brewpubs, and expanding breweries to enter the market quickly and confidently.
Édité par Daisy : [email protected]
