4 Craft Breweries Using a Miura Brewery Boiler System
Those who enjoy the occasional craft beer may not understand the important role of brewery boiler systems in the brewing process. For smaller craft breweries that typically aren’t brewing their beer round the clock, having an efficient boiler is of the utmost importance. Fortunately, many craft breweries have gotten smarter about how they use boilers, which has naturally led them to choose Miura’s modular water tube boilers for their brewery boiler system.
The Importance of a Safe, Reliable, and Efficient Brewery Boiler System
The brewery boiler system plays an integral role in the brewing process at several levels. First, varying amounts of steam pressure are used to heat the mash in the brewing process itself. Second, breweries use the steam system to sterilize and sanitize their tools and clean their kegs to store and ship the beer. Finally, some plants even use their boilers to provide steam heating for the facility.
Miura’s modular steam boilers are perfect for craft brewing and microbreweries as they can be quickly turned on and off, only producing steam when it’s needed. They are more environmentally friendly than conventional boilers, which is an important quality for many breweries that seek to cultivate an environmentally-friendly image. The on-demand nature of Miura’s modular steam boilers makes them perfect for breweries that want to be energy efficient and brew great craft beer at the same time.
Here is a closer look at four breweries that are glad they chose Miura’s steam boiler systems for their operations.
Gambrinus Company Breweries
The Gambrinus Company Breweries runs several breweries and sister companies in various parts of the country. After doing his research and mulling over several offers, Jaime Jurado, Director of Brewing Operations for Gambrinus Company Breweries, decided to install Miura boilers in all of the company’s breweries.
When it comes to boilers, Jurado’s focus is on performance, efficiency, and environmental impact. Miura boilers check all of these boxes and more. At the company’s brewery in Berkeley, California, Miura’s boilers enabled the brewery to comply with the state’s strict regulations for air-quality and NOx emissions. When other states implement similar emission standards, the other breweries will be ahead of the curve because they use Miura boilers.
The size of Miura’s boilers helps the brewery improve performance and efficiency. In one of the Gambrinus breweries, two Miura boilers are enough to meet what Jurado explains as “irregular needs for hot water.” Since Miura boilers are easy to switch on and off, the brewery doesn’t always need to have both boilers running at once, improving fuel efficiency without sacrificing production.
“As far as we can determine,” says Jurado, “Miura is the most energy-efficient steam provider that we can find.”
Finally, Jurado has been greatly impressed with Miura’s network of sales reps and engineers, who are available to help with installation, monitoring, maintenance, and any other needs that come up.
Highland Brewing Company
Highland Brewing Company is the largest brewhouse in North Carolina, with a production volume up to an estimated 25,000 barrels per year. The brewery recently decided to expand its operations with help from a Miura LX-100, which met Highland’s needs for on-demand steam, energy savings, and low emissions.
For a brewery like Highland that doesn’t run 24/7, having on-demand steam was important. The brewery’s old boiler would have to be turned on constantly in order to reach peak levels when needed, leading to a lot of wasted energy. By going with Miura, Highland has a boiler that can match its exact steam needs, even as those demands fluctuate. Highland can now shut off its boiler over the weekend and then fire it up Monday morning in a matter of minutes.
Within a year and a half of installing a Miura boiler, Highland Brewing Company estimates that the boiler has already paid for itself in the money they’ve saved on fuel. The company reports that production has increased by 33% as a result of the switch, and they are already contemplating a second boiler to help them increase production even more. If they decide to do so, the process should be seamless, as both Miura boilers would take up the same amount of space in their boiler room as their old boiler did.
Captain Lawrence Brewing Company
The Captain Lawrence Brewing Company is a family-run brewery in the small village of Elmsford, New York. It produces close to 20,000 barrels a year. Space is tight at Captain Lawrence, and so having a Miura boiler that has such a compact footprint is important.
On top of that, owner Scott Vaccaro is thrilled with the on-demand nature and the efficiency of his Miura boiler. Vaccaro says it takes just three minutes for his LX-50 Miura boiler to reach full operating pressure, meaning no time is wasted by him or his employees when it’s time to start brewing. Using a Miura boiler has helped Captain Lawrence save on fuel and lower the company’s emissions of CO2 and NOx. This is critical for the brewery, as the facility is located in a county that audits emissions.
Most importantly, Miura’s MOM monitoring system allows Vaccaro to take a hands-off approach to his boiler, knowing that he will be notified if there’s a problem. This allows him and his team to focus on what they do best — brewing beer.
“It’s good to know you’re using something environmentally friendly and efficient,” says Vaccaro. “With the MOM system, you know that everything is running properly. Add the advantages of on-demand steam generation and a small footprint, and Miura is second-to-none in my mind.”
SWEETWATER BREWING CO.
SweetWater Brewing Co. is an Atlanta-based brewery that cares about the environment almost as much as they care about making great beer. They recently installed three Miura boilers to help them brew their beer and protect the environment at the same time.
When using Miura boilers, most breweries experience a 20% reduction in fuel cost. This is made possible in large part because of Miura’s on-demand steam production. Conventional boilers will remain idle when they’re not being used, which can be wasteful. However, even from an off position, Miura boilers can start producing steam within a few minutes. This leads to lower energy costs, less fuel being used, and lower emissions of CO2 and NOx, a dream scenario for an environmentally conscious brewery like SweetWater.