Coopers Brewery is set to boost its beer making capabilities with new machine installation that will almost double the beer makers brewing capacity.
The installation of a second mash tun at its Regency Park brewery will see the South Australian-base brewer boost capacity by up to 50%.
The mash tun is the vessel in which malted barley is hydrated by the addition of warm water, allowing the natural enzymes to extract the malt sugars, which are fermented to make beer.
The installation, which required part of the brewery roof to be removed, saw the 10 metre tall, stainless steel vessel, which has a working capacity of about 41,000 litres, lowered into position in the Coopers brewhouse by crane last Friday.
The operation was supervised by specialist British process engineering firm Briggs of Burton, which had supervised construction of Coopers’ current brewhouse.
“When the brewhouse was built in 2000-2001, we made provision for the eventual installation of a second mash tun to cope with future growth,” said Coopers managing director, Dr Tim Cooper.
“That time has now arrived and will enable us to increase production from eight brews per day to 12.
“All the necessary plumbing and connections were already in place, which means installation and integration of the new mash tun should take place quite quickly.”
Additional equipment, including a new “Steeles Masher”, was also being installed to help increase yields.
The new equipment has a reported total value of approximately $1.5m. The new mash tun is expected to be operational within the next two months.
“[The new mash tun] will provide us with a little more breathing space in terms of production and take care of anticipated growth over the next few years,” Dr Tim Cooper said.
Image: Coopers