What a 15 BBL Unitank Actually Is

Fifteen barrels is about 1,800 liters of working volume, and that single number decides almost everything downstream: jacket surface area, cone height, leg clearance, and whether the tank fits under the ceiling you already have. We build these as insulated single-wall vessels with dimpled cooling jackets on the cone and the lower cylinder — not on the whole body, because cooling only the top of a tall tank leaves the cone warm and the yeast flocculates unevenly.

Fabrication and Material Choices

SUS 304 is our standard shell material and handles ale, lager, cider, and kombucha without trouble. Mead is a different conversation. Honey musts ferment to very low pH and stay acidic for months, so we usually quote 316L wetted surfaces with a 2B or No.4 finish, or at minimum 304 with full pickling and passivation after welding. Internal welds are ground flush and polished to Ra ≤ 0.8 µm; anything rougher gives bacteria a place to sit, and no CIP cycle will reach it.

Cone angle is 60 degrees for standard yeast dumping. Steep 70-degree cones help with high-adjunct or heavily dry-hopped beers, but they add height — measure your room before you fall in love with the geometry.

Pressure, Cooling, and Connections

Design pressure is typically 2 bar working / 3 bar test, with a certified pressure relief valve, an adjustable PRV on the blow-off arm, and a separate dry-hopping port. Carbonation stones are optional; if you plan to carbonate in-tank, specify the stone and a racking arm with a rotating handle at the same time, not later.

Cooling is handled by a glycol loop, usually 2 to 3 independent zones per tank so you can crash the cone while holding the body steady. Standard ports: 1.5 in. CIP spray ball, sample valve, thermowell with RTD, 1.5 in. racking arm, 2 in. bottom dump, and a 1.5 in. blow-off. Tri-clamp throughout.

Specifications

Common Questions

Can one tank serve both mead and beer? Yes, if the finish and passivation are right. Mead leaves more protein and wax residue, so plan a hotter caustic CIP cycle between products.

How many zones do I need? Two zones cover most ales. Three make sense above 20 BBL or when you crash-cool on a tight schedule.

Do I need a separate bright tank? If you package from the unitank, no. If you filter or blend, a dedicated BBT keeps the fermenter in production.

What about floor loading? A full 15 BBL tank is over two tons. Confirm slab thickness and anchor point locations before delivery.

Tell us your batch size, beer type, number of fermentation tanks and available space. We can recommend the tank volume, cooling area and configuration for your brewery.