Description
Where a 500L two-vessel brewhouse fits
A 500L batch yields roughly 4 to 5 hl of cast-out wort. That is enough to keep six to eight serving tanks or a modest keg line supplied at three to five brews a week, which is the rhythm most brewpubs actually run. The two-vessel arrangement — mash/lauter tun plus a combination kettle/whirlpool — works because one vessel handles conversion while the other handles boil and whirlpool, and a single transfer pump moves wort between them.
Heating choices and what they cost you in the cellar
Electric heating gets specified where there is no steam header and no appetite for a boiler permit. We use immersion elements sized for the batch, and watt density matters more than total kW. Above roughly 8 W/cm² you will see scorching on high-gravity worts and cleaning becomes a scrubbing job instead of a CIP cycle. Low-density elements cost more up front and save hours later.
Materials and fabrication details
Shells are 3 mm SUS304 with 2 mm dished heads as standard. Customers with aggressive water or heavy acid cleaning often take 316L on the kettle only. Interior welds are ground, pickled, and passivated — brushing alone leaves a chromium-depleted surface that pits within a year. Exterior is No.4 polished for a visible taproom install, brushed finish when the brewhouse sits behind a wall. Vessels are insulated with 50 mm rock wool under stainless cladding; without it, an electric kettle loses efficiency and the room gets uncomfortable.
Specifications
| Batch size | 500 L (4–5 hl cast-out) |
|---|---|
| Vessels | 2 — mash/lauter, kettle/whirlpool |
| Heating | Electric, 30–45 kW, low watt density |
| Material | SUS304 shell, 316L optional |
| False bottom | Wedge wire, 0.7 mm slot |
| Controls | PID with manual contactors, or PLC with recipe logging |
| Cleaning | Rotary spray ball, dedicated CIP pump |
Questions we get before quoting
Can a third vessel be added later? On a skid, yes, if the frame and piping runs are sized for it now. Retrofitting a loose vessel is a piping rebuild.
Is 500L the right step up from pilot? Only if your sales support four brews a week. Double-batching a 500L into a 1000L fermenter is common; a 1000L brewhouse with no market for the volume is not.
What power do we need? Three-phase, and tell us your supply voltage before we size elements — a mismatched element set is a wasted shipment.
Send us your batch size, beer styles, fermenter count, and the footprint you have. We will come back with vessel volumes, heating load, and a piping layout that matches the room.
Related products
500L Stainless Steel Fermentation Tank for Craft Beer and Kombucha Brewing
This 500L stainless steel fermentation tank is built for craft breweries and kombucha producers who need reliable temperature control, sanitary cleaning and repeatable batches. We manufacture the vessel around your process: SUS304 or 316L shell, cone, cooling jackets, CIP spray ball, pressure relief and brewery connections. Use it as a single-batch fermenter or as part of a small tank farm.
500L 700L 1000L Copper Brewhouse System for Craft Breweries
Copper brewhouse systems in 500 L, 700 L and 1000 L sizes for brewpubs and small production breweries. We build stainless working vessels, copper-clad kettles, practical CIP access, and control options to suit your steam or electric setup. The 6-year warranty covers selected structural components. Share your batch size and floor plan for a configuration that fits your brew schedule.
10BBL Steam 2-Vessel Mashing Brewhouse SUS304 Craft Brewery
This 10 BBL two-vessel brewhouse pairs a mash/lauter tun with a steam-heated kettle/whirlpool in SUS304 stainless steel. We cover jacket pressure testing, sanitary welding, tri-clamp piping, CIP access and control options for craft breweries, brewpubs and contract producers. Share batch size, beer styles, steam supply and floor plan so we can configure.
2000L Stainless Steel Isobaric Fermentation Tank for Craft Beer Brewing
A 2000L stainless steel isobaric tank built for craft breweries that need one vessel for fermentation, maturation and carbonation. SUS304 or 316L contact surfaces, 60° cone, 2–3 cooling zones, 0.3 MPa working pressure and full CIP fittings. We size jackets, ports and polish to your batch size, beer style and available floor space.
7BBL Conical Beer Fermentation Tank with Cooling Jacket | Unitank for Craft Brewery
A 7BBL conical fermentation tank with glycol cooling jacket, built in 304 or 316L stainless steel with a 60-degree cone, 15 psi working pressure and CIP spray ball. Sized for brewpubs and small craft breweries that need reliable temperature control, clean yeast drops and cold-crash capability without overbuilding capacity.
500L Conical Beer Fermentation Tank SUS304 Side Cooling Jacket Craft Brewery
A 500L conical fermenter is a middle-ground tank for brewpubs and pilot programs. This page covers side cooling jacket sizing, when SUS304 is enough versus 316L, working pressure and vacuum relief, port layout for CIP and glycol, plus a spec table and the questions our engineers ask before quoting a craft brewery.
Although there were a few minor issues, thanks to Polly’s help, it looks brilliant and has brought my little distillery quite a few new customers.
Very good！！I see now in my texting to you that in my excitement over having the installation here in the USA I totally forgot to give you and the company of ACE a very big compliment on the quality of the whole Installation!! It all looks fabulous and the way you packed it in the container was extraordinary!! I am very impressed with your company and want to say a big thank you to everybody who worked on my order!!
We have been using this still for a few batches now making whiskey, gin and a few other spirits and we are very happy with the results so far. The gear works well and gives good control during distillation. The spirit comes out clean and consistent from batch to batch and we have gotten the flavor profile we were looking for. It has also been easy to operate and maintain. It has been a great addition to our distillery and I’d definitely recommend it to other craft distillers looking for reliable equipment.”
Polly is the man! I highly recommend him and this products they produce! I’m very satisfied. she communicates very well and the quality of workmanship is excellent! Shipping was exceptional. Thannks Polly and team
It took 60 days from ordering to delivery, and it looks like a work of art. Thank you to Polly for her help.
It was quite a big job to put the distiller together, so I asked a friend to help me, and I managed to get it done in just eight hours. I’m really pleased with it – it looks brilliant.Ryan Murphy
We are so happy with our new copper distillation system from ACE Distillery Equipment. The equipment is of a fine quality, well crafted and beautifully finished.
The whole process from manufacturing, shipping, installation to commissioning was seamless. The ACE team were professional, responsive and very knowledgeable. They helped us complete the installation successfully and gave great technical support.
It still looks amazing in our distillery and does exactly what it says on the tin. We highly recommend ACE to anyone looking for reliable and high quality distillation equipment.
Thank you ACE team for the great work!”
I want to express my 100% satisfaction with Ace . The service was outstanding: quick, professional, and friendly. Polly provided excellent support throughout. The delivered 100 gallon copper pot still distillery equipment product perfectly meets my expectations and stands out fo r its excellent quality. I feel well taken care of and will recommend you without hesitation.
Thank you for the great service.
Best regards,
Oliver Brown
