How Are Steam Boilers Used In Distilleries?
One of the most important features for any distillery is the steam boiler. It’s arguably the most important piece of equipment a distillery will use while creating their spirits. Without a steam boiler that’s reliable and cost-effective, it’ll be difficult for any distillery to remain productive and profitable. Let’s take a closer look at all the ways distilleries use their steam boiler.
Hot Water
The distilling process is reliant on an abundance of hot water. Not only is it needed in great volume, but it needs to be at a specific temperature depending on the specific recipe for each spirit. This requires having a reliable steam boiler and being able to control the temperature of the water during the distilling process. Without proper control over the heat during the distillation process, you risk both the safety of those creating the spirits and the overall quality of the final product.
Finishing Touches
Steam is what allows distilleries to put the finishing touches on their products. Not only is the volume of steam important depending on how big or small a batch is, but the quality of steam is also essential to the distilling process. Clean, high-quality steam is needed to ensure the taste and flavor of the spirits is exactly what the distillery intends it to be.
Sanitizing and Sterilizing Equipment
It’s important not to overlook cleanliness in distilleries. Just like any other food and beverage operation, tools, utensils, and any other equipment that’s used to produce the spirits at a distillery need to be completely sanitary. Much like hospitals use steam to sterilize surgical tools, distilleries can use the steam from their boiler to ensure all of their instruments and equipment are sanitized before they’re used to make spirits.
Heating the Facility
Last but not least, steam boilers are useful for controlling the air temperature of the entire distillery. There are many parts to a distillery, not just the area where the spirit creation takes place. Most distilleries have a tasting area where visitors are entertained on a regular basis. Obviously, that area needs to be properly heated. It’s also common for distilleries to give tours, so these areas must also be heated using steam from the boiler.
The Best Industrial Boiler for Distilleries
Many distilleries are latching onto the trend of using modern, water tube boilers like the ones manufactured by Miura rather than older, fire tube boilers. Miura boilers are a great fit for distilleries because they’re able to start producing steam from a cold startup within five minutes. This makes it easy for distilleries that don’t operate 24/7. The easy maintenance of Miura boilers is also perfect for distilleries. Rather than requiring multiple days to inspect a fire tube boiler, Miura’s boilers can be inspecting in half a day, limiting the time that they’re out of service. If the distillery has multiple boilers, one can be shut down for servicing while the others remaining running so that operations can continue as normal, an invaluable asset for smaller distilleries.
