craft kegging brochure

Our Heritage Your Future

The heritage is ours.

The future is yours.

Microdat are one of the UK’s leading suppliers of complete brewery solutions from dry goods to brewing, fermentation, to conditioning and maturation to packaging.

We led the way with computer aided design and we were the first to implement 3D modelling, We also developed the worlds first thermal fluid wort boiling: the most energy efficient solution of its kind.

From design, software and project management through to manufacturing, installation and after sales spares, service and support, Microdat look forward to using their 25 year history to build your future.

25years of brewing

innovation, engineering, quality and

service.

Telephone 0113 244 5225 microdat.co.uk

CRAFT KEGGING

Tel: +44 (0) 113 457 0489 [email protected] Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 1BQ, UK

www.microdat.co.uk

Microdat 2014






25years of brewing


service.

Telephone 0113 244 5225 microdat.co.ukTel: +44 (0) 113 457 0489 [email protected] Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 1BQ, UK

www.microdat.co.uk


Craft Keg Washing & Filling

2013 saw the finalisation of the Microdat range of keg washer fillers for quality craft brewers. The key feature of all Microdat’s products is to provide a quality product for quality brewers, even on Microdat’s smallest machines do not compromise on quality. Thus a craft keg washer filler utilises the same washing process and technology as a multinational brewer’s 1200 keg/hr machine.Microdat understand that small brewers have limited resources and funds to buy the flagship craft keg washer filler, the KWF35, and so the range has been extended to provide low cost starter options whilst not compromising on the wash or fill quality.2013 also saw the launch of a new generation of cask washers that have very similar functionality and so there are now many common components in both the new craft keg washer fillers and the new craft cask washers.Microdat prides itself on long term to support its customers whether they be a new starter or multinational global brewer. Microdat works with Bluestone

Leasing to provide flexible finance options.Microdat machines are long-lived and have excellent resale value. Microdat are happy to take trade-ins and resell machines on customers’ behalf.

Craft Kegging for the Small Brewer

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Sterilisation is the ultimate when all micro-organisms and spores are killed, it is however not practical and not absolutely necessary in all types of beer and cider packaging. The natural products such as alcohol, hops and the act of brewing render beer a safe product; cider has assistance from its acid content.On cask packaged products it is not practically possible to sterilise a cask therefore Microdat uses the term sanitise. Sanitisation neutralises the agents which can spoil beer and which can drastically reduce shelf life.Good practice gives cask ales a 12 week shelf life. Timothy Taylors and Harvey’s of Lewes are good examples of 12 week cask ales and both utilise Microdat cask washing systems.The many decades of fine brewing experience and fastidious attention to detail and cleanliness also helps to produce the 12 week storage life of cask ales. Keg beers however are expected to have a much longer shelf life and 26 weeks should be the minimum for a good beer, packaged correctly.

As a keg is a 3 bar pressure vessel it can be sterilised with wet steam. It is essential that wet, clean, culinary steam is used for sterilisation as it is the combination of moisture and heat that kills spores and micro-organisms which freely exist in the environment. Unfortunately beer is the perfect solution for growing organisms; after all it is cooled wort that feeds the yeast to make alcohol in beer.Attempting to sterilise with chemicals alone is not practical in an assembled, sealed keg, as the spear-valve assembly is the most un-hygienic fitting to be found in a hygienic beverage environment. The assembly contains metal springs, clips and components which when assembled together, you could not guarantee that all surfaces have been effectively contacted and cleaned by a chemical. Using traditional wet steam assures that debris contained within the spear’s crevices are at least sterilised by the heat transfer from pressurised, wet steam.

Sterilisation, Sanitisation and Steam

Whitbread Style Pallet

SteamAs clean, culinary steam is essential for keg washing this can create problems for those breweries that do not have steam available. Steam is also very expensive to produce, in both capital and operational costs. A traditional steam system is very thermally inefficient as the distribution losses and latent heat losses produce substantial energy loss from the system. It is not uncommon in industry for the losses to outweigh the actual energy used in the processes. So steam as a medium may be necessary in some applications but its application should be very carefully considered before opting for a traditional centralised boiler/packaged boiler, unless the inherent inefficiencies of such a system are accepted.Microdat have a special range of steam generators which are perfectly suited to keg sterilisation. They produce culinary grade steam at the desired 3 bar pressure, locally on demand and do not rely on returning condensate. They use direct electricity which may


appear expensive but it is very efficient in this application at turning electrical energy into heat without the losses expected in a traditional boiler.The Microdat range of kegging steam generators are specifically designed to meet the needs of keg packaging; they are not particularly suitable for other general steam applications in brewing. Microdat has other solutions as alternatives to steam for general brewing applications.

KWF-SG-25 Electrically heated total loss steam generator for kegging 18 Kw, 3/Phase, 415v, 25Kgs/hr, at 3 bar culinary steamEx Works £ 3,565.00Compare the price of a Microdat kegging steam generator to running a steam main, fitting a steam reducing set to deliver 3 bar steam, installing a culinary steam filter and finally installing a steam condensate return system.

Starting Up In Kegging The keg as a packaging container for beer was invented to simplify dispense at the bar and it is generally much easier for a bar person to change a keg than a cask.There are today two main options when considering packaging beer in kegs and it is essential to consider the current options and future options carefully. It is expensive to get this wrong.Traditionally beer in kegs is sterile, dead, yeast free and rejuvenated with CO2 or Nitrogen. This produces a return keg which is practicable to clean via an efficient, normal, keg washer filler machine. In recent years, special beers, wheat beers, and products other than clean sterile lager beers have been kegged with disastrous results on the returnable, reusable keg population such that millions of pounds have been spent on special keg pre-cleaning systems to resolve the problems of non-sterile beer in reusable kegs.Due to this issue, reusable, returnable kegs should only ever be filled with sterile, particle free, beer or cider products. Cask ales, products with live micro-organisms, and unfiltered products are not suitable for re-usable kegs.

‘One Trip’ kegs can however be considered as practicable for cask ales and products with live micro-organisms as the keg is never going to be re-used and thus washed, cleaned and sterilised for re-use. One item to be aware of is that bag in bottle ‘One Trip’ kegs will always require special production and dispense facilities. However, plastic bottle and steel ‘One Trip’ keg types can be filled on most Microdat keg fillers and can be dispensed on traditional bar kegging dispense systems.The ‘One Trip’ keg starter operation is a low capital cost way to start, but with potentially higher operational costs than reusable kegs.Thus cask ale in a ‘One Trip’ keg is sensible, cask ale in a re-useable keg is a route to disaster.Check out cask ale in a Dolium Keg or an Ecokeg. The oxygen scavenger within the PET bottle really does prolong the life of the product. The shape is also good for collecting the bottoms. Purchase as a kit of parts without the spear fitted, no gas. Fill on a Microdat CF55 or CF80 cask filler, fit a “G” type spear with the tube shortened to account for the bottoms volume and connect to a modified “G” keg dispense coupler piped to a beer engine.

Microdat 2014

KW23 Keg Washer(23x50 Litre kegs/hr) Ex Works £11,995.00(Twist and Lock)

This new machine is based on the Microdat CW30 cask washer and uses the same twin tanks, pumps and control system common to the CW30.The cask washer supporting trough and rotating washer nozzle is replaced by a new twist and lock wash head.

Loading & Residual Pressure CheckThe operator simply loads the keg manually onto the wash head, twists to engage and lock the spear into the wash head, then presses a button to begin the washing process.The machine automatically seals the spear to the wash head and can undertake a residual pressure check to ensure the keg is leak free and has been returned from the bar without being tampered with. Good leak free kegs, returned from a bar after dispense, should retain residual gas pressure and this can be detected on all Microdat keg washing machines.

De-UllageThe keg is then blown out to remove any ullage (old returned beer). This returned product can be sent to drain or collected to recover the duty (Microdat can advise on ullage duty recovery).Clean, oil free, compressed air is normally used for this operation at 3 bar maximum. This is process air and not control air , the latter should be a separate 6 bar supply.It is assumed that the majority

of kegs have less than a litre of ullage (more may affect the performance of the machine). The keg is blown out until it is empty and the liquid sensor probe in the wash head is dry.

Pre-WashThe main wash pump then extracts recovered water from the pre-wash tank. On low cost keg washers there is not normally a recovered water facility; this means that mains water is used for pre-washing which adds significantly to water and energy usage, and effluent discharge. On Microdat machines recovered water used for pre-washing then goes to drain after its second use.Microdat CIP machines are approved by DEFRA as efficient users of water and thus comply for enhanced capital allowances in the UK. (A Microdat Cask and Keg washer is treated as a CIP machine by DEFRA).

Detergent WashingThe main wash pump extracts recovered water from the detergent tank; this unit has an inbuilt electric heater element which maintains the detergent at

The New Microdat Craft Kegging Range


40°C to 65°C (additional heaters can be added to raise further the temperature if required). The detergent tank is a closed loop system. Automatic Holchem detergent dosing can be added, however the tank is normally filled, dosed and used for a batch of kegs. When the level is automatically topped up the control screen will prompt the operator to top up the detergent. After a pre-set batch run the screen will prompt the operator to dump and re-fill the detergent tank.Automated detergent strength monitoring is possible but is an optional extra.For those very traditional brewers who do not condone the use of chemicals in beer packaging a Microdat washer can have its software adapted to the same processing as used by, for example, Timothy Taylor’s who never use chemicals in cask cleaning. Microdat would however always recommend detergent washing in kegs.

Final RinseMicrodat would always recommend a hot final rinse at 80°C minimum however; options such as a cold rinse or a cold

rinse with a chemical sanitiser can be accommodated, via recipe selections on the control screen.If the keg is cold rinsed it will cool the keg down prior to steam sterilisation, this will extend the steaming time and steam consumed. It will reduce the recovered warm to hot pre-wash to a cold pre-wash which will in turn increase the amount of energy used in the detergent wash system.Microdat always strongly recommends a hot final rinse on kegs and casks.

SteamSteam at 3 bar pressure is injected into the keg on the initial steam injection, this pre-heats the keg. The condensate is removed and collected to the recovery tank. Steam is then re-injected and held at pressure for a set time to sterilise the keg and the integral spear and valve assembly.

Carbon DioxideOn a keg washing only machine the final process on the keg is to purge the keg of steam with carbon dioxide which cools

the keg and ensures that the environment for the beer is oxygen free. Finally the keg is then pressurised with carbon dioxide to provide the counter pressure gas for filling control via a simple coupler with a counter pressure release filling system.On Microdat’s low cost keg filler like the KF12 or KF28 the internal carbon dioxide pressure is checked prior to filling to ensure that no leakage has occurred.Leaking kegs produce flat beer and lost customers!

The KW23 keg washer, described above, is a medium performance craft keg washer with the latest twist lock washing head, it accommodates similar washing flow rates and pressures associated with the flagship KWF35 and therefore has similar production rates, with the exception that the KWF35 completes its processing on the wash head at the steam hold stage. On the KWF35 set to washer-filler mode, the keg is directly transferred from wash head to fill head.

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support cradle.The coupler unit then simply connects to the keg on the machine, on the cradle rather than located to the casks washer side on a cradle.In both instances for the KW15 the keg is loaded manually and laid on its side. The coupler is connected to the spear, locked and engaged via its manual lever.The operator then simply rotates the keg upright with the kegs next down connected to the coupler. The washing process then commences in the same manner as described for the KW23, the lower performance

KW15 Keg Washer(15x50 Litre kegs/hr) Ex Works CW30 = £7,995.00 + KW15 £5,995.00 (Twist and Lock)To provide a lower cost, lower production unit option, from the new family of washers Microdat make available a standard keg coupler washer variant. This unit has been developed as an additional option to add to a new CW30 cask washer to provide it with a facility to wash kegs as an alternative to washing casks. In its normal variant the CW30-KW15is a floor mounted keg support cradle which washes the keg via a coupler and hose connections back to a KW15 washer valve manifold mounted on the end of a CW30 cask washer.The KW15 keg only washer is also based upon the CW30 except it is constructed solely to wash kegs. Like the higher performance twin the KW23, the CW30’s main structure is used, with the cask washer supporting trough and rotating washer nozzle replaced by simple keg

attained by the KW15 is due mainly to the restricted ports via a coupler and the time taken to steam and blow dry the keg effectively with remote sensors.


KW15 CW Keg Washer(Based on a CW30 cask washer with a keg coupler washing station)Ex Works £ 9,995.00This is the low cost single station, standalone keg washer which together with the KF12 can provide an effective kegging starter pack for quality, automated washing and filling. Add in the KWF-SG-25 steam generator if there is no steam.

KW26 Keg Washer Filler(26x50 Litre kegs/hr) Ex Works £25,995.00(Twist and Lock)

This is a new machine with a similar wash head to the KW23 incorporating the simple twist and lock system. It delivers good performance at a mid-range cost whilst maintaining all the necessary features to supply a safe, efficient, high quality, keg wash and fill machine. In addition this machine is self-cleaning like its superior twin the KWF35.The new twist and lock wash and fill head system provides the machine with the simplicity of a keg coupling machine except it is much easier and simpler to use. Rather than bringing the coupler to the keg take the keg to the coupler, with the coupler fixed onto the top of a wash or filling head.

The broach is the unique feature as it is semi-automatic rather than the manual lever system of a standard coupler. This means when the twist and lock is fitted to a Microdat compact keg wash or fill head, the loading height is perfect for manual handling and lifting regulations. There are significant advantages to the twist and lock wash head units as the sensors are directly mounted in the heads and the flow paths are much greater than a modified dispense, keg coupler. There are drawbacks to

Microdat 2014

the twist and lock coupling system, just like all coupling systems, as it is not possible to fully flush the spear-wash head or fill head cavity and undertake keg to head seal checks. These high quality features are standard on the KWF35.The twist and lock is also less flexible when it comes to accommodating multiple spear types, again the KWF35 has simple change parts to change from one spear type to another. Microdat can accommodate most spear types in a twist and lock type head; it is just more difficult to change- over during production. On the fully round, flat top spears such as the “O” type the twist and lock becomes a slide and lock.The main advantage of twist and lock is safety and the fact that the wash can be repeated to fill head transfer in a very similar manner to the KWF35.When washing to fill on a

twin head machine like the KWF35 transfer the keg while it’s full of steam to gain advantage of the transfer time which is simultaneous with the steam sterilisation hold. Releasing the keg full of 3 bar steam from the wash head and then manually transfering it to the filling head and re-broaching would be very dangerous on a normal coupling head washer filler. The operator hands would be de-coupling and recoupling the keg whilst under steam pressure, any leakage would also potentially hit the operator fully in his face. The twist and lock overcomes this danger by removing the operator and keeps the keg’s spear facing the floor not the operator.The new KWF26 is probably the safest twin head kegging machine available. Minimal lifting, no bending or stooping, no trap points (common on European

machines), simple safe engagement and manual handling of the hot keg by the base chime which should be reasonably cool (Good gloves should always be worn). The KWF26 is also the most productive of its type offering good flow paths and close fitted sensors for effective cleaning and filling.The KWF26 and KWF35 both come complete with recipe selections for various keg sizes and types i.e. ‘One Trip’ or Re-Useable kegs.

KW35 Twin Head, High Spec, Keg Washer Filler Ex Works £35,000.00This is our top of the range, high specification keg washer filler details of which are available in separate documents.

Please contact our sales team for more information.


Single Head Keg Filler Modules (KF12 & KF28To accompany the range of single station keg washers (KW’s) we have also developed a range of simple keg fillers. These units are also suitable for ‘One Trip’ kegs.The main principle behind these fillers is that the keg is ready to fill!This means a clean and sterile keg, or a clean virgin ‘One Trip’ keg, in both cases the keg must be gassed ready to receive beer. Please note for reusable kegs the beer Must Be Sterile, either sterile filtered or pasteurised. For ‘One Trip’ kegs non-sterile beer can be used as there is no intention to ever try and clean or reuse the keg.The Microdat KF12 & KF28 can be supplied as KeyKeg fillers but please note the KeyKeg filler is totally dedicated to filling KeyKegs and cannot be used for any other type of keg.The KF12 and KF28 are fully automated keg fillers, load the keg, press the start button and leave it to fill the keg. The filling technology behind simple looking machine is exactly the same as a KWF35 flagship

machine. Gentle meter filling, minimal oxygen pick up, minimal beer losses and full counter pressure modulating control.You can also use the spare capacity within the KF12 and KF28’s touch screen controller to manage your FV, CT, MT, BBT tank temperatures and provide full remote management via a smart phone or tablet such as the IPad.

The Simple Basic Solution to Keg FillingIt is perfectly feasible to manually fill a keg from a pressurised vessel SBT or CT (‘One Trip’ Kegs) by simply using a modified dispense keg coupler fitted with a manually adjusted pressure regulating valve. Assuming the SBT-CT vessel has a greater or equal pressure to that within the keg by connecting the kegs gas port to the beer supply with the keg inverted as the gas pressure is released from the keg via the manual regulator the beer will flow from tank to keg. The rate of flow will depend on the pressure differential.It is very time consuming to stand and watch a keg fill in this manner and the chances

are that the keg will over fill and waste beer.

KF12 Keg coupling automated Filler(approximately 12 x 50 litre kegs/hr per module)

Ex Works £6,995.00 (excluding beer supply pressure monitoring)A Microdat keg coupling filler automates the fill process thus allowing the operator to prepare the next keg, i.e. collects, and rinses-sanitises the spear-valve prior to filling and finishes processing the last keg filled, i.e. rinse off-sanitises, caps, labels and palletises the filled keg from the discharge ramp.The Microdat KF12 simply takes over the filling process. The operator prepares the keg; on a coupling filler its essential that the kegs spear is clean and sanitised a suitable manual spray is normally sufficient. The coupler is then connected and engaged to open the ports, the local beer supply valve is opened and finally the keg is inverted, leaving the keg ready to automatically fill.

Microdat 2014

The operator then simply activates the fill by a button and the automated fill takes place, leaving the operator to carry out other duties.The automated fill commences as follows:The beer supply pressure should be checked by the operator and set into the control screen. This is vital as the keg may have been gassed to a higher pressure than the beer supply. After connecting the keg the kegs internal gas pressure will

be monitored via a transducer in the fob line. If the differential pressure is outside of the set parameters the system will produce a warning alarm. A constant beer supply pressure is essential for consistent filling, normally regulated by a top pressure control system on your BBT, CT or SBT. Microdat will provide assistance if required. As an option Microdat can add to the system a beer supply pressure transducer to automatically monitor the beer supply.

Additional beer supply pressure monitoring systemEx-Works additional price £895.00for both the KF12 & KF28

The kegs internal pressure will be adjusted down if necessary, the fill meter will be reset to zero and the auto beer supply valve will open. The desired beer flow rates will then be managed by the controller monitoring the pressures, flow and by adjusting the gas discharge rate via the software controlled, modulating back pressure control valve. On achieving the desired fill level the back pressure control valve will slow to stop the gas discharge and thus beer inlet flow. The auto beer valve will now close, isolating the beer supply.The operator will now be called via a beacon to remove the full keg.The operator will now rotate the keg to lie on the rails, close the local manual beer valve, disconnect the coupler and spray the spear valve with sanitiser to remove beer residue and leave the spear clean.The operator now pushes the full keg down the rail ramp and loads the next keg.


KF28 Keg automated Filler(approximately 28x50 litre kegs/hr per module)

Ex Works £9,995.00 (excluding beer supply pressure monitoring)Twist and LockThis machine is very similar to the KF12 but utilises the Microdat unique twist and lock coupling which allows for a much greater beer flow rate and thus production performance.It is also possible to rinse the spear-valve automatically after filling.

Integrated Control OptionA key feature of all Microdat craft brewing products is the ability to integrate the whole brewery control system such that control systems can share intelligence, computing power and diagnostics between systems. The KF12 and KF28 are relatively simple machines and would usually be located in and among the breweries cold beer processing systems such as FV’s, MT’s, CT,s BBT’s and

SBT’s. As Microdat also makes other systems to support such operations such as FV Temperature Controls and CIP systems it is perfectly feasible to have a fully integrated cold room control system, incorporating temperature management, beer transfers, yeast handling, CIP

systems and keg filling. The advantages being that these can then monitored at other locations within the brewery and even remotely. Today most of Microdat’s control systems can also be monitored and operated via remote terminals such as an IPad or IPhone, smart phone, via Wi-Fi and a Microdat App.

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Microdat is the leader in peristaltic hygienic hose pump fill technology. It began this development in 2006 at Black Sheep brewery with difficult cask filling which cannot fully utilise counter pressure filling. Microdat’s unique cask filling system works very well compared to all other previous systems available, fob return tanks have now been abandoned on this Microdat cask filling system.Developments on keg filling are also moving on as the PKF35 Palletised, ‘One Trip’ Keg Filler incorporates a Microdat Hygienic Pump Fill System (HPF). In the very near future the HPF will bring substantial benefits to the KWF35 and

KWF26 keg washer fillers and KF12 and KF28 keg fillers.At present counter pressure gas such as CO2 is used to totally to control the beer flow into a keg to prevent fobbing. If the pressure inside the keg equals the pressure of the beer supply then no flow occurs. Pressure is released by the back-pressure control valve which releases the CO2 gently to allow the beer to flow gently into the keg, whilst this process works its uses substantial quantities of CO2 which is released during each fill to the atmosphere.The makes keg filling expensive and very un-environmentally friendly.The Microdat HPF system purges the keg with nitrogen or carbon dioxide to remove oxygen but then takes CO2 from the beer buffer tank to fill the keg. The space vacated within the beer buffer tank is then filled with beer rather than CO2 to maintain beer pressure and keep the CO2 in suspension. The special Microdat hose pump then transfers the beer from buffer tank to keg whilst the CO2 in the keg returns to the beer buffer tank for re-use. The rate of fill is totally controlled via

the pump speed as zero speed equals zero flow etc.This new innovation will improve beer quality as the Microdat HPF is very gentle on the beer, reducing gas breakout and fobbing losses. The reduced gas pressures and reuse of carbon dioxide reduces costs and greenhouse gas emissions. If there are possible beer supply issues for kegging, Microdat may be able to help with an HPF pump system on a trial basis.

KF-SFS Sterile Filtration System Ex Works £12, 650.00Microdat has a dedicated Sterile Beer Filtration Module to match the requirements of its range of KF keg fillers. This unit can be

New Innovations


fully integrated with the KWF26 and KWF35 keg washer fillers such that it can be operated and cleaned via the KWF26 & KWF35 machines.The KF-SFS sterile filter system has a pre-filter module and final sterile filter module the cartridge chambers are such that with a correctly designed and implement beer supply process system you will not require a Sterile Beer Buffer Vessel-Tank (SBT) as the filter chambers act as SBT buffer vessels. Note: The quality of the beer supply from BBT, DPV or UNI Tank should be bright! Otherwise you will blind the pre-filter quickly and drastically reduce the systems performance. Microdat’s experts on brewing and filtration are available to assist.

CIP (Cleaning In Place)Microdat have a range of solutions to match most requirements from simply supplying an appropriate pump for CIP supply and scavenging to fully automated CIP systems for cold

wort and beer systems to match the needs of cask, kegging, bottling and canning operations.The KWF26 and KWF35 have the significant advantages over the other fillers that they can self-clean. The keg washers such as the KW15 and KW28 are in fact miniature CIP systems for kegs and could be used to clean the KF12 and KF23 machines assuming they are local.In practice, it may be preferable to review the cold wort and beer CIP requirements.

Product CarbonationAgain there are generally two schools of thought behind beer and cider carbonation the modern solution is to provide inline carbonation and Microdat can integrate various proprietary systems into an integrated beer process solution. The traditional German method relies on natural carbonation in tank to produce that natural laagered mouth feel and taste.

Microdat are happy to advise or integrate alternative supplier options and systems.

Microdat 2014






25years of brewing


service.

Telephone 0113 244 5225 microdat.co.ukTel: +44 (0) 113 457 0489 [email protected] Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 1BQ, UK

www.microdat.co.uk

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