6 Tips for Choosing a Steam Boiler for a Brewery

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If you run a brewery, you’re well aware of how many ways a steam boiler are used in the brewing process. You need hot water for wort boiling, and steam for sanitization, sterilization, and pasteurization during the kegging, bottling, or canning process. If you distill other liquors, your steam boiler is also needed for the distillation process.

But if you’re looking for a boiler, you may not know exactly what you should look for. Should you choose a conventional fire tube or a compact water tube steam boiler? The following 6 tips should go a long way in helping you choose the right boiler for your busy brewery or distillery.

1. Get steam, but only when you need it

Due to long warmup times, most 24-hour brewery operations choose to leave their large boilers running all the time, but this is inefficient for smaller craft breweries and can result in higher fuel bills. A Miura modular boiler installation is a good fit for craft breweries because these smaller operations only run maybe one or two brew shifts per day at the most. With a modular boiler system from Miura, if you don’t need the boiler running outside of these brew shifts, you can turn it off. You don’t have to keep it hot and on standby like a conventional fire tube boiler.

2. Look for a boiler that saves space

Space is often a premium for smaller breweries, which is why they often have to get creative when designing their brewery boiler room. That’s why you should opt for a boiler that has a small footprint. Doing so means you will have room if you need to add another boiler down the road as your business grows. With their compact, modular design, Miura boilers are a great choice if you’re looking to maximize physical space. And when it comes to steam production, you get the same output compared to larger boilers that take up much more space.

3. Choose a manufacturer that provides support and maintenance

Working with a company that provides excellent support is crucial to keeping your boiler running like new. Miura works with local dealers with the skills to provide expert installation and ongoing support. If you opt for Miura’s Online Maintenance (MOM) support system, Miura will monitor your boiler’s operating condition. The MOM system will also connect to expert engineers at Miura should any problems arise.

Miura also provides regular maintenance, but that doesn’t mean you’ll lose a full day of work when it’s time for service. Miura boilers need just 3 hours for a routine inspection. While one boiler is being inspected, your other Miura boilers can remain operating. Emergency service is also available when necessary. Keeping your boiler in top condition is critical to the operation of your brewery, and Miura provides everything you need to keep your boiler up and running.

4. Search for an eco-friendly boiler

If you’re in the market for an eco-friendly boiler that reduces emissions, look no further. When you choose a Miura boiler, you get a boiler that has a low nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide output. If you run a brewery in a state with strict air quality regulations, like California, you need a Miura boiler to meet their strict rules.

5. Choose a boiler that offers efficiency and long-term savings

Like any other company, a brewery is in business to make a profit. When you’re a small craft brewery, a conventional boiler can drain your profits quickly due to the need for constant uptime. If you want to improve your bottom line, Miura boilers are highly efficient, thanks to their “once-through” fin-tube design that conserves gas, space, and water but has BHP output similar to larger units. With long-term use, these cost-efficient boilers can save you thousands of dollars compared to conventional boilers.

6. Pay attention to what other breweries are using

You’re obviously not the only craft brewery looking for a cost-efficient solution to your need for steam—so it can help to look at what your competitors are choosing. Many craft beer breweries choose Miura boilers for on-demand steam, as well as a number of distilleries. We’ve compiled a few examples below for you to check out:

Get more information about Miura boilers

Miura sells the most highly-efficient boilers available. To learn more about how your brewery can benefit from buying a Miura boiler, contact us today!