Are you an aspiring winemaker? When you’re just getting started, you might not fully understand the importance and effects of temperature control in winemaking in Eugene, OR. When it comes to wine, taking it slow is the key to a great product. Alcohol ferments faster at higher temperatures, but for great flavor and finish, it’s best to ferment at lower temperatures. That’s where winery chillers come in—they allow the winemaker to precisely control the temperature inside the fermentation vessel so the product is consistent and delicious.
A winemaking overview
To understand the necessity of temperature control, it’s best to first understand how wine is made:
Harvesting: Obviously, to make wine you need grapes—and it’s important to harvest them at just the right time, so they have the appropriate amount of sugars, acids and tannins.
Pressing: Next, the grapes need to be crushed or pressed to release the juice and burst the grape skins, which will allow fermentation to take place. This is usually done with mechanical presses today.
Fermentation: Fermentation will naturally begin in around six to 12 hours after pressing, using the wild yeast in the air. However, most winemakers prefer to add their own yeast in precise amounts. They may decide to inoculate the grapes by killing off the natural yeast and adding their own. Once the yeast is under control, fermentation will begin converting all the natural sugars in the grapes to alcohol, and won’t stop until the process is complete. Fermentation can take as little as 10 days or continue for a longer period of time—the temperature has a big impact on the final product, alcohol content and flavor, as well as how long it takes to finish.
Clarification: Next, winemakers remove the sediment from the wine in a process called clarification. They may use a filter or add compounds like egg whites to help remove the waste product left behind.
Aging and bottling: Finally, the wine is left to age and bottle (and then perhaps age again, depending on the variety). Aging also requires certain temperatures, but rarely needs to be as precise as the fermentation process.
Why precise temperatures are necessary for great wine
Fermentation generates heat: Fermentation is an exothermic process. As the yeast feeds on the sugar and converts it to alcohol, heat is generated. As you know, the higher the temperature, the faster the process—but for superior flavor, most wines require temperature control during fermentation.
The ideal temperature varies by wine type: White wines need to be kept at 40 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, while reds can ferment at 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This helps preserve the depth of flavor and body present in great wines.
Extracts better color and tannins: Temperature control in winemaking in Eugene, OR also affects how much color is extracted from the grape skins, and the tannins overall—the precise amounts can vary, depending on the wine type.
For winery chillers and all things refrigeration related, American Refrigeration Inc. has you covered. Call us today to learn more about our winery chillers or schedule service and repair.
Lots of businesses use walk-in coolers to keep perishable foods fresh and keep bottled beverages cool for customers. No matter what kind of walk-in cooler you have or what you use it for, it’s important to make sure it stays in the best condition possible. In addition to routine maintenance service and inspections, it’s crucial to be proactive about walk-in cooler repair in Eugene, OR to keep your equipment in good working order for years to come.
Why it’s important to have your cooler repaired
There are a lot of reasons why it’s important to get walk-in cooler repair in Eugene. One of the most important things to keep in mind is the fact that perishable items are highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations. If temperatures in your cooler rise too high, you might have to throw out your entire inventory of perishable items to avoid selling foods that have spoiled.
If your cooler is broken for too long, you might have to throw your inventory away, which means you could be wasting products and money. In addition, cooler repairs will keep your facility compliant. Keeping coolers running effectively is important for complying with health codes and making sure your facility meets all the relevant regulatory standards.
What to expect from walk-in cooler repair
Understanding what’s involved in an appointment for walk-in cooler repair in Eugene, OR can help you feel more prepared for this kind of service. At the beginning of your appointment, the technician will inspect your system and ask questions about its performance. This is the time to talk about any specific concerns you’re having with your cooler and point out any issues the technician should know about. After the inspection, your technician will give you more information about any problems with your walk-in cooler that must be repaired to get it working properly again.
Once your technician talks to you about the repairs required to fix your walk-in cooler, make sure you understand all the recommendations. Ask as many questions as you need to so you fully understand all the services the technician wants to perform to repair your cooler. Next, make sure to ask for a written quote to find out how much it will cost to get your cooler repaired.
Finally, don’t wait around to get walk-in cooler repairs. The longer you wait for repairs, the more likely it is that your products will go bad and the more difficult it will be for you to safely store your inventory.
Schedule walk-in cooler repair in Eugene, OR
For professional walk-in cooler repair in Eugene, OR, reach out to American Refrigeration Inc. We offer comprehensive services for commercial clients throughout the area, including HVAC and refrigerator maintenance, repairs and installation. If you’re concerned about the functionality of your cooler, our team will provide an in-depth inspection to assess its condition and make recommendations for maintenance and repair services. Give us a call today to find out more about what we have to offer and to schedule an appointment with our team.
Glycol chillers are widely used throughout the restaurant, bar, brewery and winery industries. They’re popular because they can help maintain precise and consistent temperatures while offering good energy efficiency. Any food or beverage process that requires fermentation can benefit from a glycol chiller, including brewing and winemaking.
Here’s an overview of what you need to know about glycol chillers in Eugene, OR:
They use glycol as a coolant: Glycol is a chemical coolant that can transfer heat more efficiently than just about any other type on the market. Glycol chillers use either propylene glycol (best for food applications) or ethylene glycol, and the precise temperature can be adjusted by adding more water or glycol to the system. They typically use about a 60/40 mixture of glycol to water, which allows rapid cooling while staying in a liquid state.
They use heat exchangers to refrigerate: Glycol chillers move the water and glycol solution to a chiller, where it gets very cold, then distributes the coolant to freezers, refrigerators, prep tables and more. The cool liquid refrigerates the fixture and is cycled back into the chiller when it gets warm.
You can adjust the temperature: As mentioned in the first point above, your refrigeration technician can help you come up with the right glycol/water solution to achieve the temperatures you need. That makes them a good option when your beer, wine or other products require precise refrigeration.
They’re durable and reliable: Glycol chillers are reliable enough to last for decades when properly maintained and regularly serviced. As with all restaurant and beverage equipment, partnering with a trusted service provider to maintain and repair your glycol chiller is going to be the best approach.
Better than water chillers: Glycol is a popular coolant choice because of its extremely low freezing temperature, which allows it to stay in a fluid state at much lower temperatures. Water, on the other hand, freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, which limits the temperature range they can achieve. Compare that to a 60 percent glycol solution, which will only freeze at -63 degrees Fahrenheit.
In short, glycol chillers are the superior choice for the food and alcohol industry. Their rapid cooling abilities, energy efficiency, reliability and huge range of temperatures makes them a better option than water chillers. When using a glycol chiller, you’ll be able to quickly cool down hot liquids and adjust everything to the precise conditions you need for great results. Wine and beer making generate a lot of heat, so having a durable and reliable chiller is essential.
Are you interested in buying and installing your own glycol chiller for your winery or brewery? American Refrigeration Inc. has been supplying quality refrigeration products to the Eugene area for over 20 years. In addition to glycol chillers in Eugene, OR, we also offer cold storage rooms, walk-in freezers, heat pumps, HVAC equipment, ice machines and more. Whether you’re running a restaurant, winery, brewery or store, we have your refrigeration needs covered. Be sure to call us today to learn more about our products, or set up an appointment for chiller repair and maintenance.
If you own a distillery or brewery, you need a distillery chiller in Eugene, OR. Distillery chillers are crucial in cooling down your boiled wort so that the fermentation process can begin.
Depending on the size and type of your distillery, you can customize your distillery chillers for a number of different goals. However, they all have one thing in common: they use water, and often propylene glycol in a heat exchanger to cool down your liquids. How they accomplish this depends on the type you choose.
Why distillery chillers are so important
As you know, making any sort of alcohol depends on keeping liquids at specific temperatures. Once you’ve boiled your wort, fermentation can’t begin until the liquid is cooled down to the appropriate range. If you left giant vats of boiling liquid to cool down naturally, that could take hours or even days. Distillery chillers make it possible to cool the wort down quickly, allowing you to make multiple batches per day.
In addition to aiding in the boiling process, distillery chillers help maintain a consistent temperature during fermentation. Fermentation generates heat, so having a chiller monitor and maintain the proper temperature throughout is a way to ensure every batch comes out perfectly.
Distillery chillers are also good for the bottling process, which can also generate heat and affect the flavor of your final product.
Types of distillery chillers
Distillery chillers in Eugene, OR come with plenty of options, from the number of heat exchangers you install to how the water and glycol solution is circulated around the machine. Here are some of the basic types you can buy or customize:
Single-stage heat exchanger and cold liquor tank: This type of chiller uses one heat exchanger and a cold liquor tank, which is filled with water. The heat exchanger cools the water down to about 35 degrees Fahrenheit, and the water is then pumped through the wort to cool it down to the right temperature. At this point, the hot water is held in another tank for another batch.
Pre-chilling: If your city water is usually cold enough to cool down the wort without help, getting a pre-chilled city water heat exchanger can be a cost-effective solution.
Two-stage cooling: This type of distillery chiller first uses city water to cool down the wort, then sends the liquid through a propylene glycol heat exchanger. When the liquid leaves the heat exchanger, it’s already at the appropriate temperature for fermentation.
Three-stage chiller: This type of distillery chiller uses city water, propylene glycol and cold liquor to cool the wort. The bigger your brewery is, the more likely you’ll want to opt for a three-stage chiller—it will help increase capacity and handle any type of weather- or water-related cooling issue.
As with any piece of machinery, you need to make sure to stay on top of your chiller maintenance—pipes and tubing can become clogged, which will slow down production. If you’re interested in installing and maintaining a distillery chiller for your business in Eugene, OR, call the team at American Refrigeration Inc. today.
If you’re a winemaker, chances are you already know why you need a winery chiller—but you might not realize what makes them different from standard refrigerators, and why you need to get a dedicated winery chiller to improve your output.
Winery chillers in Eugene, OR are a critical part of the winemaking process. When you make wine, there is a recommended range of fermentation temperatures. If you let the fermentation vessel reach a higher or lower temperature, it can affect the final quality of the wine. In general, it’s best to let the wine slowly ferment at cooler temperatures. However, since the fermentation process generates heat, you need a way to control the ambient temperature so the extra heat doesn’t ruin the product. Winery chillers are designed to meet these precise demands.
How winery chillers work
Winery chillers are designed to keep wine at temperatures between 20 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Glycol chillers are the most popular type of winery chiller, thanks to glycol’s ability to cool wines to subzero temperatures.
Glycol chillers have a heat exchanger and a loop of closed tubing attached. A mixture of water and propylene glycol (which is an anti-freeze product) are sent through the tubing and heat exchanger, which cools the inside ambient temperature to the desired level. Sensors detect when the temperature rises, so the cooler will adjust accordingly.
Glycol chillers are the most popular for a few reasons. First, they’re more effective than chillers that use water alone. Additionally, the glycol acts as a secondary lubricant for the chiller pumps, which helps ensure seamless operation for a longer period of time. They come in a variety of sizes, including chillers for sites with unusual space constraints, and portable chillers. Finally, their closed-loop system makes it easier for owners to avoid the clogging and corrosion that other types of chillers may experience.
In other cases, winery chillers can do the opposite—they can keep the wine at a warmer temperature than indoors. This is a useful feature for wineries in particularly cold areas, or during the winter months. Since red wines are fermented between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, it is sometimes necessary to bring the temperature up to get the best results possible.
Winery chiller considerations
There’s an appropriate winery chiller for just about every winemaker, whether you need something to save space, a chiller that can cool and heat or a portable chiller. The most popular size is a two-ton model, but it’s not uncommon to see chillers that hold 20 tons or more. Whichever size you choose will depend on your winery’s size, location and any other special considerations you may have.
If you need help choosing a winery chiller in Eugene, OR, the experts at American Refrigeration Inc. can help. Our team has been helping supply, install and maintain cold storage equipment for over two decades. We can help you choose and install the chiller that’s best for your needs—call us today to get started or learn more!
