Description
What a 20 HL unitank actually does for a brewery
Twenty hectoliters works out to about 17 US barrels. That size fits a two-vessel brewhouse running three or four turns a week, and it keeps the floor plan manageable when you are planning six or eight vessels in a row.
The tank is isobaric, so fermentation and carbonation happen in the same vessel. Pressure is held by the relief valve, not by the operator watching a gauge. A 60-degree cone gives yeast a place to collect, and the bottom outlet with a racking arm lets you pull bright beer without dragging trub along.
Materials and fabrication
Shell and heads are SUS304 stainless. We normally run a 3 mm shell with 2 mm dished heads on this diameter; 316L is available where chloride exposure or aggressive CIP chemistry is a concern, though most breweries stay with 304.
- Interior welds ground flush, then pickled and passivated
- Product contact surface 0.4-0.6 micron mechanical polish, or 320 grit for mixed-use cellars
- Exterior brushed or mirror polished, with 80 mm polyurethane insulation under a stainless cladding
- EPDM or silicone gaskets, tri-clamp and DIN fittings as specified
Temperature control and pressure
Dimpled pillow-plate jackets cover the cone and lower cylinder, split into two or three zones so you can crash the cone while the top stays stable. Glycol at 28-30F through the zones holds ale fermentation within a degree. Design pressure is 2 bar, hydro-tested at 3 bar, with an adjustable mechanical relief valve and a separate vacuum relief on the CIP line.
Typical specifications
| Working volume | 20 HL / 17 US bbl |
| Total volume | 24 HL |
| Shell / head thickness | 3 mm / 2 mm SUS304 |
| Cooling zones | 2-3, cone plus cylinder |
| Design pressure | 2 bar working, 3 bar test |
| Cone angle | 60 degrees |
| Insulation | 80 mm PU, stainless jacket |
| Standard ports | 400 mm top manway, dry hop port, CIP spray ball, sample valve, racking arm, carbonation stone |
Questions we get before an order
How many tanks do I need? Divide your weekly fermenting volume by 20 HL, then add one vessel for a beer in conditioning. A 40 HL weekly output usually means three tanks.
Can I carbonate in the tank? Yes, up to roughly 2.5 volumes at 34F with the standard relief setting. Higher carbonation needs a lower set pressure and a colder glycol supply.
What about CIP? A rotating spray ball on the top manway, a 1.5-2 bar supply from your CIP skid, and a separate return line to the cone. Keep the caustic under 2 percent and rinse before acid.
Can the footprint be changed? Legs, port locations, and jacket zoning are all built to your drawing. Send a layout sketch with your ceiling height and drain position.
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.
Structure of a Beer Fermentation Tank
Related products
1000L Stainless Steel Unitank Fermenter for Ale Lager Stout Craft Brewing
1000L stainless steel unitank for ale, lager, stout and porter production. A combined fermentation and conditioning vessel with dimple cooling jackets, 2 bar working pressure, CIP spray ball and a 60° cone. Built in SUS304 or 316L with sub-0.6µm interior polish. Suits brewpubs and small commercial breweries stepping up to wholesale volume.
1000L Isobaric Beer Fermenter Regulated Brewery Fermentation Chamber
A 1000 L isobaric beer fermenter gives breweries pressure-capable fermentation, maturation, and carbonation in one vessel. This regulated chamber design uses SUS304 or SUS316L, glycol cooling jackets, 60° or 70° cones, and CIP-ready ports. We build each tank to your batch size, beer style, pressure target, and cellar layout.
1000L SS304 Conical Beer Fermenter with Cooling Jacket, CIP & Sanitary Valves
A 1000L SS304 conical fermenter built for taprooms and small breweries, with glycol cooling jackets, sanitary tri-clamp fittings, and a CIP spray ball. We cover shell thickness, 304 versus 316L selection, working pressure and relief valve sizing, cone angle, and how to match tank count and cooling zones to your brewing schedule.
1000 Liter Banana Beer Fermenter Fermentation Tank Container
A 1000 liter banana beer fermenter built for high-solids fruit fermentation, with 60-degree cone, dimpled cooling jacket, SUS304 or 316L wetted parts, CIP spray ball, and sanitary tri-clamp ports. Designed for pilot to mid-size breweries, it supports temperature control, pulp handling, and easy cleaning. Customize pressure, insulation, and port layout for your brewhouse.
1000L-3000L Jacketed Conical Beer Fermentation Tank with CIP System
Jacketed conical fermentation tanks in 1000L, 2000L and 3000L working volumes, built in SUS304 or 316L with glycol cooling jackets, 1.5-3 bar design pressure and an integrated CIP spray ball system. We size cooling surface area and jacket coverage around your crash-cooling window, brew length and fermentation heat load.
10000L Conical Beer Fermentation Tank | 100HL Stainless Steel Fermenter
A 10,000 L conical fermenter suits 100 hl brewing schedules, double-batch 50 hl brewhouses, and commercial lager or ale production. Built in SUS304 or SUS316L with dimple glycol jackets, 0.2–0.3 MPa working pressure, CIP spray ball, and optional dry hopping or carbonation ports. Configured to your batch size, available height, and cooling capacity.
10000L Stainless Steel Beer Fermentation Tank, Conical Jacketed Brewery Tank
A 10,000 L jacketed conical fermenter built in SUS304 or 316L, with dimple cooling jackets on the cone and lower cylinder, 0.2 MPa working pressure, Ra ≤ 0.6 µm interior finish and rotating spray ball CIP. Sized for craft breweries moving from 10 bbl to 30 bbl, contract packers and beverage producers.
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
