What a 20 BBL Bright Beer Tank Does in the Cellar

A bright beer tank is a finishing vessel, not a fermenter. Beer comes over from the fermenter after primary fermentation and a diacetyl rest, then gets carbonated to spec, chilled to 34°F, and held under pressure until it reaches the keg line or the filler. Our 20 BBL BBT holds about 620 US gallons at working volume, with roughly 25% headspace above the beer for foam and carbonation.

Buyers sometimes assume the tank carbonates on its own. It doesn\’t. Carbonation comes from head pressure, temperature, and time — or from a carbonation stone if you need it done in hours rather than days.

Materials and Fabrication

Shell and dish ends are 3 mm SS304 as standard. For kombucha, kettle sours, or anything with long contact time and elevated chloride, we switch the wetted parts to 316L. Welds are TIG, argon-purged on both sides, ground flush inside, then pickled and passivated. Wetted surface finish runs Ra ≤ 0.8 µm; the exterior gets a 2B mill finish, or a #4 polish if the tank sits somewhere customers can see it.

Cooling and Pressure

Dimpled jackets on the side wall and cone, usually split into two or three zones, fed with glycol at 28–30°F. A 20 BBL tank carries roughly 2.5–3 m² of cooling area — enough to crash from 68°F overnight without shocking the jacket. Working pressure is 15 psi, hydro-tested at 30 psi; 1.5 or 2 bar builds are available. Each tank ships with a relief valve, pressure gauge, and a sample valve on the cone.

Cleaning and Connections

Top manway with a rotating spray ball, 1.5\” or 2\” DIN tri-clamp ports, and a racking arm with a rotatable elbow so you can pull clear beer off the yeast line. CIP, CO2, and glycol connections are laid out to match the panel you already run.

Specifications

FAQ

Do I need a BBT if I already run unitanks? Only if packaging speed matters. A dedicated bright tank lets you carbonate and hold while the unitank goes back into fermentation, which is usually the difference between one batch a week and two.

Can I carbonate in a unitank instead? Yes, and many small breweries do. The trade-off is yeast contact and tank time — you lose the fermenter for the duration.

What do you need to quote a tank? Batch size, beer style, glycol supply temperature, ceiling height, and whether the tank is indoors or on a skid.

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.