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For thousands of years, people have enjoyed the fermenting magic of beer. While there are many similarities between home brewing and commercial brewing, there are some differences. Micet Craft summarizes some home brewing and commercial brewing differences that can inform passionate brewers and better prepare them for starting their brewery.
Generally speaking, for a brewery to thrive, it must be proficient in whole grain brewing. While home brewing can be brewed using the extract, it is a very simple process. On a commercial level, extract costs about $2.50 per pound and barley malt costs about $0.50, so for commercial breweries doing large-scale brewing, brewing with malt is more cost-effective. While there may be some small extraction breweries, there are far too few of them.
Mastering mashing and producing whole-grain beer is a must for commercial breweries. If you want to be called a brewer in a pub or microbrewery, then you need to master the art.
For most people who do home brewing, home brewing is a spring and fall adventure, with the occasional winter and summer brewing in a stable temperature environment. Ambient temperatures for home brewing need to be in the 50-60°F (10-18°C) range for successful fermentation within safe parameters. Without a garage refrigerator or fermentation cabinet, the fermentation process is vulnerable to weather—too hot or too cold.Double-layer, insulated, glycol-jacketed stainless steel fermenters with temperature-controlled coolers are used in breweries. So the brewery can cool the beer at will. The ethylene glycol jacket is the inner wall component of propylene glycol that is continuously circulated, using a liquid coolant with a very low freezing point. Glycol turns on if the beer temperature rises above the set fermentation temperature, and turns off when the beer temperature is cooled to between the set fermentation temperature. So this is a tightly controlled temperature environment. In summer, the glycol compressors work harder, and in winter, insulation keeps the beer from the cold.
Traditional homebrew is only made in small batches and doesn’t sell anything. Homebrew has always been an expression of experimentation and creativity, tiny tweaks made by homebrewers in a controlled environment, pouring from one pot to another, and even yeast added in its way, the taste buds feel relative to the original recipe After the comfort and pleasure, try the process of finishing the brew in the brew. In all commercial breweries, the wort or beer is piped and pumped to complete the steps in the equipment and then put into commercial-scale fermenters. Yeast is added in different ways, and large breweries expand their yeast training to save costs. As the production scale increases, commercial brewers will also must many types of machines to operate.
During the brewing process, there is no such thing as too clean. The place where beer is stored must be clean, not only free of dirt but also hygienic and bacteria-free, so you need to use some detergent when cleaning beer cans. Bleach, B-Brite, or Star San cleaners can be used in home brewing to control bacteria. Also, if your brewing equipment becomes worn or scratched after you boil it at home, throw it away and buy a new one. With one exception, you can use an iodine solution to sterilize the jar, but it will discolor the plastic. Discolored plastic can hide dirt, dry beer residue, stickiness, and maybe it’s not the best choice for home brewing hygiene.
Breweries make profits by selling beer, so they need to sell beer to consumers. For the brewery to grow, you must clean the brewery equipment before you can start brewing. Because brewery equipment is bulky and difficult to clean, CIP cleaning systems are used to clean the equipment. The solution circulating in a CIP system can have many harsh, caustic chemicals in it, but the brewery cleans these up so there is little risk.
Homebrewing equipment costs much less than equipment used for commercial brewing.
In home brewing, coolers, old plastic fermenters, pickle buckets, and plenty of kitchen utensils are available, plus some specialty items like grain mills, sprayers, copper coil wort coolers, and a cash outlay of just $300 -$500 and can be used for 2-3 years. Depending on the time and investment, the cost of buying these things can be easily recouped.
Commercial brewing is a capital-intensive industry, and no matter how you go about getting your brewing equipment (new or used), you’re always going to have to spend a lot of money. Plus, you’ll also need to pay for the cost of leasing the location, hiring staff, paying utilities, and more. So starting a commercial brew requires a lot of money, which might not be a problem for some bankers, but an astronomical amount for most.
Brewing requires more than just science, the ability to read brewing recipes and abide by the rules, but an innate connection to the heart of the process. Hence the need to learn and understand everything about brewing from chemical, environmental and cultural aspects.
The most unique and complex beers come from Belgium, the best from Germany (and the Czech Republic), and the best ales from the UK. There’s a reason for this it’s their culture, their lifeblood, and their reason for being.
Business acumen, science, and market awareness are essential in a commercial brewery. If one is not motivated to find answers to life, the universe, and all things, and beer is the vehicle for that journey, then perhaps commercial brewing may not be the ideal journey for you. But you can happily brew your favorite beer at home brewing as you like.
The steps and ingredients used by home brewers and professional brewers alike are the same. Home brewing equipment and commercial brewery equipment are designed for different production scales and have different features and functions. Read today’s blog and you’ll learn that there are many similarities and differences between home brewing and commercial brewing.
Different definitions
What is home brewing?
Homebrewing refers to small-scale brewing enthusiasts who brew beer, mead, or cider at home. They usually brew beer at home as a hobby and do not sell it to others.
What is commercial brewing?
Commercial brewing is when a business or brewery brews beer or other types of alcohol. Commercial winemakers sell the brewed wine to consumers or wholesalers for profit.
Production scale is different
For the most part, the brewing process is the same for both commercial and home brewing: grains are mashed, hops added, wort fermented, beer aged, and finally bottled. The biggest difference is that commercial breweries can produce more beer than home brewing.
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Home brewing equipment is designed for small-scale production, with batch sizes of 1 to 10 gallons (3.8 to 38 liters). Commercial brewery equipment, but, is built for large-scale production, producing hundreds to thousands of gallons (thousands to tens of thousands of liters) per batch.
Formula raw materials are different
Homebrewers have the freedom to create unique beer recipes based on their preferences. They can experiment with different combinations of ingredients and styles, resulting in a variety of flavors and aromas. In contrast, commercial breweries stick to a few flagship beers and established styles, although some may offer seasonal or limited-edition beers.
Commercial breweries often have access to a wider range of ingredients than home breweries because they have the resources to buy ingredients from around the world. This means commercial breweries can use more expensive ingredients, such as fresh hops, which can give the beer a more complex flavor. Homebrewers, but, are often limited to the ingredients they can find , which may limit the types of beers they can brew.
Different brewing equipment required
Home brewing doesn’t need a lot of equipment and tools, sale a few sample jars or buckets to start producing 1-5 gallons of high-quality beer. Commercial brewing, but, is a different story. Even a small brewery needs to buy a lot of complex equipment, raw materials, and utilities. As beer production increases, some special equipment may be needed. Although the equipment is identical to home brewing equipment, they are much larger.
Here is a checklist of what you need to start a small brewery:
The process is different
Commercial breweries use more automated processes than home breweries because they have the resources to invest in this equipment. This results in a more consistent product because automated processes are less likely to introduce errors. Homebrewers, , use a more manual process, which gives them more control over the brewing process. Yet, this can also lead to more variation in the final product, as there is more room for human error.
Efficiency is different
Commercial brewery equipment is optimized for efficiency and designed to produce large quantities of beer of consistent quality in the most cost-effective manner. It includes features such as heat exchangers for rapid cooling, large-capacity boilers, and high-efficiency filtration systems. Because home brewing equipment is smaller and focuses on experimentation and personal enjoyment, the same level of efficiency may not be prioritized.
Constraints on Commercial Brewing
The biggest difference between a typical home brewery and a commercial brewery is the constraints of commercial brewing. The great thing about homebrewing is that you can brew any beer you want. If your imaginary brewing recipe turns out , you can throw it away and only lose $20. But if a commercial brewery produces at least 3 barrels of beer per batch, you still have to throw it away and you’ll be out hundreds or even thousands of dollars. At some point, when you move to commercial brewing, you lose your creative license. Of course, in many breweries, there will be dedicated brewers who conduct small-batch trial brewing. Only when the beer style and taste meet the requirements will they be brewed in large batches.
Filtration and pasteurization
Commercial beer is filtered and pasteurized to remove yeast and bacteria from the beer and extend its shelf life. This is done because commercial breweries need to be able to sell their beer to a wide audience and they need to ensure the beer stays fresh on the shelves.
Homebrew beers are not filtered or pasteurized, which gives them a fresher, more flavorful flavor. Yet, this also means that homebrew beer has a shorter shelf life and needs to be consumed sooner rather than later.
Equipment cleaning methods are different
During the beer production process, the beer brewing equipment must be kept clean. Not only must it be free of dirt, but it must also be free of bacteria. , homebrewers use bleach and detergents to clean equipment and disinfectants to control bacterial counts. If your home brewing equipment is faded, worn, or scratched, it will need to be replaced with other home brewing equipment. Commercial breweries not only need to use the things mentioned above to clean their equipment, but they also need to use many harsh and corrosive chemicals to scrub and sanitize.
Which method is more suitable for you?
The taste of beer may be similar between home brewing and commercial brewing, but the process of completing the brew is indeed different. Since both beers have their own merits, choosing between them can be a bit difficult.
The following factors can help you:
No matter which one you prefer, I hope these can help you when you are confused.
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