What a 7BBL two-vessel system actually does

Seven barrels per turn is the point where a brewpub stops brewing for the taproom and starts brewing for wholesale. This brewhouse pairs a combined mash/lauter tun with a kettle/whirlpool, so the same batch moves from grist to knockout without a separate whirlpool vessel taking up floor space. One brewer can run it, and one CIP skid can clean it.

We build the two vessels on a common frame with a walk-on platform at 900 mm, because lautering by hand from a ladder goes badly after the fourth turn of the day.

Heating: electric elements or steam jacket

An electric kettle runs 24 to 36 kW for a 7BBL batch and gives roughly a 1°C per minute rise without a boiler in the building, which suits leased spaces and urban brewpubs. Steam is the better long-term answer when you already have a boiler or plan to add a second brewhouse: a low-pressure jacket at 0.5 to 1.5 bar heats gently, and the wort never touches a hot element. Both options use the same vessel shell; only the jacket and control cabinet change.

Materials and fabrication

• 304 stainless, 3 mm inner shell and 2 mm dimple jacket; 316L wort contact on request
• Argon-purged TIG welds, ground flush at wort contact, pickled and passivated
• 0.6 to 0.8 µm internal polish on the kettle and lauter tun, 320 grit exterior
• Bolt-on manway gaskets in EPDM, silicone where high-temperature caustic is used

Thin shells are the most common cost cut we see in imported brewhouses. A 2 mm kettle deflects under vacuum after a hot CIP and the jacket welds crack within a season.

Specifications

Questions we get before the PO

Can I brew two turns a day?

Yes, on steam or 36 kW electric, provided you have 7BBL of hot liquor ready and a fermenter waiting. Lauter cycles, not heating, set the real limit.

Do I need a boiler for the electric version?

No. You need the amperage and a clean earth; check your service before specifying element size.

Electric or steam, which lasts?

Elements are consumables, roughly every 3-5 years. A jacket outlives the brewery if the CIP chemistry stays in spec.

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.