The common fermenters in a brewery are vertical as horizontal fermentation tanks are adopted by more and more craft beer brewers. So how does a horizontal fermentation tank work and is it better than a vertical one?
 
Unlike traditional tanks that stand vertically, these horizontal tanks offer a larger ratio of surface area to beer depth. This means yeast doesn’t have to travel as far to settle on the bottom of the tank.
 
There is also less hydrostatic pressure in a horizontal tank due to the lower height to volume ratio and this decreases the chance of autolysis, the process by which dead yeast cells disintegrate and cause undesirable flavors of beer.
 
We can achieve the same result in a conical fermenter as long as we are proactive about regularly dropping yeast out of the cone. It does free up valuable tank space and allow a longer cold conditioning period for a more delicate product.
 
There are disadvantages though. The brewery requires a lot of valuable floor space. It is risky to expose beer to atmosphere and wild yeast are easily available.
 
However, the benefits of a horizontal fermenter for conditioning exist because there is more surface area across the tank which allows for better clarification and additional flavor benefits provided as the yeast drop out of suspension in a more efficient way.
 
We serve both the two types of fermenters and they are customized. If you are looking for the perfect brewery equipment, just let me know by sending an email to [email protected]