- Flottweg separators with SoftShot® FLEX ensure energy-efficient separation of solids and increase the yield when clarifying beer
- The LongLife Concept minimizes wear and tear, facilitates maintenance and guarantees reliable operation
- Automatic control system using Brewer Control ensures highly consistent product quality that is optimally aligned with the requirements of breweries
Flottweg separators offer a tailor-made solution for breweries striving for the highest quality, efficiency, and sustainability. In the brewing process, they reliably remove yeast and turbidity, resulting in clear beers with consistent flavor. Even before filtration, they significantly extend the filter life and reduce the need for additives such as diatomaceous earth, which lowers costs and makes operations more sustainable. Thanks to precise turbidity settings, breweries can flexibly produce different beer styles, from naturally cloudy wheat beer to crystal-clear lager beers. In addition, the separators optimize the fermentation and maturation process by ensuring constant yeast counts in young beer, which enables consistently high product quality. With their energy-efficient technology and the ability to reduce beer loss and wastewater streams, Flottweg separators are a forward-looking investment for breweries of all sizes that want to combine quality, economy, and sustainability.
Preventing hops and malt from going to waste: Efficient beer separation for maximum yield and flexibility
Customized centrifuge systems – to meet the requirements of beer clarification and cold processes in modern breweriesBeer clarification is an essential step in the brewing process that does more than just remove turbidity. It ensures the purity, characteristic flavor, and long shelf life of the beer by effectively removing unwanted suspended matter, such as yeast cells, proteins, hop residues, and starch.
For large-scale production, both quality and efficiency are decisive criteria. Flottweg offers modern separation technologies that facilitate a faster and more effective separation than is possible with sedimentation. This minimizes losses, maximizes yield, and makes optimal use of storage tank capacity, thus saving costs.
Flottweg separators feature a fully automatic monitoring and control system, ensuring consistent quality and high process reliability throughout large-scale production. They relieve the load on the filtration system, reduce the consumption of filter aids, and reduce maintenance and cleaning requirements – all these factors are important for achieving cost-effectiveness. Flottweg separators offer flexible solutions for both craft and medium-sized breweries, facilitating precise clarification of various beer styles, from naturally cloudy to crystal clear. This allows brewers to respond to market demands and consumer trends without compromising on taste and quality. Flottweg supports breweries of all sizes in their efforts to efficiently produce high-quality, sustainable beer.
Centrifuges for Beer Clarification and Production
Challenges in beer filtration
Beer filtration presents significant challenges to breweries, particularly when the beer contains a high concentration of yeast, as this restricts the time it can be left to stand during kieselguhr filtration.
Uneven sedimentation in wheat beers and naturally cloudy beers often leads to fluctuations in turbidity. Additionally, brewers must strike a balance between clarity and taste. Many beer drinkers appreciate the natural turbidity of beer and its more intense aroma.
Improving filtration without unnecessarily shortening the service life of the filters or increasing operating costs requires the right choice of filter aid, such as Kieselguhr.
Another problem is oxygen absorption during filtration, which can negatively affect taste and shelf life.
Innovative technologies, such as Flottweg separators, also help to compensate for fluctuations in turbidity and ensure a constant quality. All in all, the process of beer filtration requires the precise coordination of various factors, technical expertise and modern equipment. Only then can a visually appealing beer with a pleasing taste be produced economically.
The Brewing Process with Flottweg Separation Technology
Transforming grains into refreshing beer involves a complex process. Beer, in its many forms during production, is created step-by-step in the brewery’s hot and cold processes. Flottweg’s highly efficient beer centrifuges meet the specific requirements of breweries while optimizing the entire process for maximum yields with the utmost level of quality.
More than just beer is produced in the brewing process: Brewers grains, surplus yeast, and spent hops are all by-products that no longer play a role in the production of beer. There are also wastewater flows, such as Kieselguhr, which is a form of diatomaceous earth used in manufacturing. When these waste materials are not handled directly by the breweries, they must also be sold or disposed, which leads to wastewater, disposal, and transport costs.
With its decanters and Sedicanter®, Flottweg offers proven technologies for increasing the efficiency of the brewing process: The decanter separates over 98% of the liquid wort from the hot trub, thus reducing losses. The Sedicanter®, on the other hand, is particularly useful for the recovery of beer from fermentation and bottom-fermenting yeasts; it separates solids in cold processes with over 99% efficiency. The Flottweg separator, of course, is the heart of the beer clarification process. It is primarily used in the later stages of the brewing process to gently and effectively remove yeast cells, hop residues, and other clouding agents. The carbon dioxide remains in the beer thanks to the pressurized discharge and the hydrohermetic seal.
The separator also extends the life of filters and minimizes beer losses. It ensures consistent turbidity, particularly for wheat and naturally turbid beers, and gives breweries the flexibility to manufacture different beer styles to the highest quality standards.
With many decades of experience in separation technology, Flottweg finds custom and comprehensive solutions for specific brewing processes. The equipment can be smoothly integrated into everyday operations and adapted to the hygiene control requirements of breweries.
The Flottweg separator: Clear results
Flexible and reliable clarification for medium-sized and craft beer breweries
The separator offers maximum efficiency without having to rely on a traditional downstream filter. The turbidity adjustment allows brewers to creatively and precisely make different styles of beer – from naturally cloudy all the way to clear, crisp lager beer. This flexibility makes it easier than ever to cover a wide range of different beers while simultaneously responding quickly to trends and consumer demands. The use of the separator increases the yield and reduces beer loss, since it ensures reliable clarification. This enables breweries to operate efficiently and sustainably.
Prolonged filter life
The separator removes most of the yeast from the beer before filtration. As a result, the service life of the filter can be extended. In addition, less kieselguhr is required, which reduces the procurement, handling, and disposal costs associated with the filter.
Green beer clarification for optimal fermentation
By adjusting yeast cell counts in green beer, our separators keep conditions constant during post-fermentation and maturation. Improving the post-fermentation process in this way results in a consistent beer quality.
Our separators can also be used to produce alcohol-free beers, depending on the process, e.g., when fermentation is stopped.
Adjusting the turbidity for wheat beer and naturally cloudy beer
Unequal sedimentation is a major challenge when storing wheat beer and naturally cloudy beer. However, Flottweg separators are an elegant solution for balancing these yeast fluctuations. The brewer only has to specify the turbidity value of the finished beer – the rest is done automatically.
SoftShot® FLEX
- More beer through higher yield
- Efficient solids separation of typically 22-24% dry matter content
- Optimal and flexible adaptation to different beer styles
- Energy efficient
Minimal sound level
- Minimal noise: The quietest system on the market
- Water Damped System: Less noise and wear
- Safe and comfortable working environment
Brewer Control
- Consistent product quality
- Clear display of all relevant process parameters
- Easy recipe management and fully automated process control
- User interface tailored to the brewer's needs
LongLife Concept
- Designed for maximum life and minimum wear
- Fast and easy access to all components
- Reduced operating costs
- Increased reliability
In recent years, dry hopping has gone from being a trend, especially popular with up-and-coming craft breweries, to an established technique within the entire brewing industry. If you ask 100 brewers when they add the hops, you will get 100 different responses. We are always happy to give you the information you need to brew how you want in spite of modernization and the use of newer technology.
For craft brewers in particular, the character of their beer is very important. A small change to the taste of the beer can result in a completely different aroma. Unlike industrial breweries, a craft brewery often has less space and production capacity, making it all the more important to get the most out of their existing resources.
After extraction, the dissolved hop pellets sediment at the bottom of the maturation tanks as tank bottoms and are traditionally discharged to protect downstream processes. In this process, not only hop residues but also a considerable volume of fresh beer ends up in the drain, leading to unnecessary product loss.
Flottweg decanters separate hop residue from high-grade beer and return this beer to the storage and production process. This improves the yield while also decreasing the amount of wastewater.
All the benefits, at a glance:
- Significant reduction in beer loss
- Up to 99% particle separation
- Less load on centrifuges and beer filters
- Reduced wastewater load
- Fully automatable
- Additional beer recovery from yeast sediment or from alternative flavor carriers (herbs, fruits, peanut butter, coffee)
Advanced hop-beer separation
Up to 99% of hop particle removal for recovered beer that's clean, fresh and full of flavor.
High yield
With precise centrifuge adjustments for various hop quantities or recipes, up to 97% of the beer volume is recovered, while achieving excellent dewatering of hop solids and a dry, free-flowing discharge.
Minimized oxygen pickup
Beer discharge under pressure, protected by CO2 blanketing.
Plug & Play system
Flottweg's pioneering process, proven and trusted by craft and large-scale breweries worldwide.
The best way to significantly reduce beer evaporation is to recover beer from surplus yeast after fermentation or maturation.
Like the old German saying, we follow the motto "preventing the hops and malt from being lost" to generate two valuable products from yeast recovery. First there is the beer, which can be returned to the process, then there is the yeast. This yeast can be sold, for example, to be processed further within the food industry as a vitamin-rich nutritional supplement or animal feed.
Simple process, highest quality, lower costs – the Flottweg Sedicanter®
This system handles the beer being processed with utmost care. In addition, it can also easily process fluctuating concentrations of input yeast.
All the benefits, at a glance:
- Reduced beer evaporation
- Careful processing of beer
- Yeast cake with high dry solids content
- Less wastewater
- Easy to integrate into existing processes
Highest-quality workmanship
- Machine design specifically adapted to high hygienic requirements of breweries
- Easy integration into brewery’s CIP system
Safe and careful processing
Clever design for consistent product quality
Separating wort, hop debris, and precipitated protein causes hot trub to form in the whirlpool. This hot trub still contains up to 75% wort. To prevent this wort from being lost, our customers rely on Flottweg decanters.
Our decanter first separates the trub from the wort, then returns it to the hot wort clarification process under pressure. This both reduces the production cost per hectoliter of beer and minimizes wort loss.
And we haven't even mentioned the extras offered by Flottweg, not the competition – unique features we have developed in-house. These include the Simp Drive® system, which has been in use for many years. This drive automatically regulates the differential speed according to the scroll torque. This enables operators to adapt to different load conditions and maximize their yield.
All the benefits, at a glance:
- Significant reduction in wort loss
- Lower production costs per hectoliter of beer
- Automatic control for optimal yield
Clear wort
- Adjustable impeller for seamless conversion to the requirements of different recipes and hot trubs
- Clarified wort is discharged under pressure
Optimal process management
- Continuous, automatic operation
- Shorter hold time in whirlpool
When it comes to creating a valuable material from unwanted byproducts, both the ecological aspect of upcycling as well as economic efficiency play a role.
The brewers grain produced during beer production often still contains a high proportion of nutrients and protein. This product can be used, for example, as animal feed or as a nutritional supplement. However, it is necessary to dewater the brewers grain as much as possible.
This is where Flottweg technology comes into play: A decanter can be used to dewater the brewers grain up to a dry solids content of 40 percent.
Dewatering decreases the volume, lowering the costs of disposal and transport. Mechanical dewatering is the basis for further thermal drying processes that turn brewers grain into a valuable product that can be stored and used. The more efficient the decanter process is, the lower the resulting costs of the drying step are.
Nowadays, beer recovery is no longer just about beer. Valuable and nutrient-rich, yeast has made its way into the food industry as a nutritional supplement and protein source. The Flottweg Sedicanter® is perfect for these applications, since thick yeast can only be dewatered effectively when high g-forces are used. The yeast is separated selectively, forming a dewatered cake to prevent it from being lost.
Upcycling
The process of turning waste into recyclable material makes it possible to act sustainably and take responsibility for people and nature. Deliberately reducing CO2 emissions is becoming increasingly important for industry, as transforming a waste product into another useful product has a positive effect on CO2 balance.
Cost saving
Economic efficiency and cost reduction now play a decisive role in the management of companies of all sizes. Flottweg decanters are the perfect solution for saving resources during disposal and transport.
Sustainability and cost reduction with beer centrifuges
Integrating beer centrifuges into the brewing process enhances quality while reducing the consumption of resources. The use of fewer filter aids, such as Kieselguhr, reduces both waste and the associated impact on the environment. In addition, precise separation facilitates lower water consumption by reducing the need for cleaning.
Breweries benefit from a longer filter service life and a reduced need for filtering aids, both of which reduce costs. Gentle solids discharge minimizes beer losses and optimizes raw material consumption. Modern separators are energy efficient and consume less electricity.
The automated operation of beer centrifuges ensures smooth operation, increases productivity and strengthens competitiveness.
The Little Atlantique Brewery in Nantes, France uses the AC1700 separator from Flottweg for beer clarification.
Passion for fresh beer, brewing craftsmanship and creativity – this is what the French brewery Little Atlantique in Nantes stands for. Together with the use of a Flottweg separator and the integrated Flottweg recipe control, the brewery has made its processes more efficient and saved costs.
Beer clarification as a success factor for modern breweries
Beer clarification is much more than just a simple cleaning step within the brewing process. It not only ensures that the beer is visually clear and appealing, but also that it tastes good and has a long shelf life. ionThe flexibility and precision of clarification technology are of particular importance in modern breweries that produce a wide array of beer types. Different beer styles require varying degrees of clarification - from cloudy to crystal clear - and this is precisely where Flottweg's innovative separators offer the perfect solution.
Overall, the use of Flottweg separators for modern beer clarification is essential for breweries that prioritize quality, efficiency and sustainability. It optimizes the brewing process, saves valuable resources and ensures that the final product meets the highest standards.
Benefiting every Flottweg customer
Decades of experience
Flottweg has been passionate about manufacturing centrifuges for solid/liquid separation for over 70 years. With Made in Germany quality, our worldwide customers are always impressed by our expertise.
Individual advising
Our sales team is always happy to provide you with personalized advice. We look at your individual process to guarantee your success.
Dependable service
Even the best machine needs servicing from time to time. We have subsidiaries and representatives standing by around the world to hear your concerns. We are happy to advise you, whenever you need us.
Long-lasting durability
Flottweg machines can be operated day and night for years because they are made of high-quality materials, equipped with numerous practical features, and use technology that sets the global standard.