What a 500L isobaric fermenter is for

An isobaric conical tank holds pressure, so beer can be carbonated in the vessel and packaged straight from it. That eliminates a transfer, a bright tank, and the oxygen pickup that comes with both. For a brewery running 500L batches, this is normally the tank sitting between the brewhouse and the filler.

Working volume is 500L with about 25% headspace for krausen, roughly 625L geometric. The 60° cone gives better yeast dropout and trub collection than a shallow bottom, and with a 1.5 in. or 2 in. bottom outlet it is practical for cropping yeast for repitching.

Material, welding, and finish

SUS304 covers most ale and lager production. We switch to 316L when the tank will see kettle sours, fruit additions, or long storage of high-acid product. Interior welds are ground flush, pickled, and passivated; interior roughness is held at 0.4–0.6 µm Ra so CIP solution reaches the surface and soil releases cleanly. The shell is 2B or brushed stainless over 80–100 mm polyurethane insulation with stainless cladding — condensation on an uninsulated tank in a humid climate is the complaint we hear most from breweries in coastal regions.

Cooling, pressure, and connections

Dimple-plate jackets on the cone and lower cylinder run glycol at 28–32°F. Two or three separate zones with independent inlets let you crash from 68°F to 34°F on a controlled ramp instead of shocking the yeast.

Design pressure is typically 0.3 MPa working with a 0.4 MPa hydro test. The safety valve and pressure gauge mount on the CIP arm, out of the way of the manway. Fittings are DIN 11851 or tri-clamp: racking arm, sample valve, dry hop port, carbonation stone, and a CIP spray ball under the top manway.

Specifications

Questions we get before quoting

Can it carbonate in place? Yes, with a carbonation stone and a pressure-holding valve on the gas side. Expect longer carbonation time at 34°F than at 38°F.

304 or 316L? If sours or fruit are on the schedule, take 316L. Otherwise 304 with a good passivation job lasts decades.

How much glycol cooling do I need? Give us your crash time target and ambient temperature; the jacket area and chiller size follow from those, not from tank volume alone.

Unitank or dedicated fermenter? A unitank does both jobs but limits you to one batch in conditioning at a time. Breweries above roughly 10 tanks usually split the roles.

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.