Manufacturing alcoholic beverages is very temperature-dependent and requires well-functioning commercial HVAC in Eugene, OR. Distilleries are no different as, although the steps for making spirits are very linear and clear, there is still a need to maintain temperatures at the early stages and ensure equipment and environmental controls work well. Here is an overview of the distilling process and how hiring an experienced commercial HVAC provider will help you produce the best whiskeys, vodkas, gins and anything else you hope to manufacture.
The process of making spirits
The making of grain spirits dates back to 1172. While this time period did not enjoy the same temperature control technology we do today, they still figured out that there would be three steps to the process: malting, fermenting and distilling. Up until the mid 1950s, most distilleries carried out all three of these steps at their facilities. Now, malting normally occurs offsite, with the final steps performed by the manufacturer.
Malting soaks the grain for 48 to 72 hours. During this time, it germinates and releases heat. It is essential during this process that temperature is maintained at around 60 degrees with few deviations. Otherwise, the grain decomposes completely from its own heat. (A combination of heating and cooling helps this, so you need to make sure your thermostat is working.)
Once malted, it goes into the malt kiln, which draws heat from the soaked grain. The peat furnace often gets involved here, creating high temperatures to bring the grain to its required form. Malt is eventually dried and roasted for the next step.
Depending on the liquor being produced, it is now time for mashing, brewing and distilling. A cheap whiskey will go through fewer steps than a prized scotch. Once the beverage goes through its required number of stills, it is stored in casks for maturation.
The role of HVAC
Your commercial HVAC system needs to be well-tuned to maintain temperatures during the malting process. Temperatures too warm or cold can spoil your supply of grain and make the distilling process start over again. This wastes time and money.
During maturation, you may also want temperature control in order for your spirits to adopt the character you seek. For some liquors, wildly fluctuating temperatures may cause effects you and your clientele will not enjoy.
Refrigeration can also prove helpful if you have grain you won’t be able to use right away. Keeping it in a commercial refrigerator also protects it from rodents. While you will not want to do this for a super long time, it does make for a good solution if your production starts backing up.
Distilling is a fairly new activity here in the Pacific Northwest where beer and wine reign. Many people are learning on the job and keeping your HVAC system in good repair will prevent many production-killing ordeals.
If you want a service provider for commercial HVAC in Eugene, OR that has experience repairing, maintaining and installing distillery equipment, contact American Refrigeration, Inc. today.
As a provider of commercial HVAC in Eugene, OR, American Refrigeration, Inc. meets winemakers and repairs their equipment. It places us in a unique spot to see how much can go wrong with winemaking and the importance of temperature control from HVAC systems and refrigeration. Here are the most common mistakes that arise with winemaking and HVAC’s role in preventing it.
Wrong equipment: Carboys and even spoons used for winemaking may not seem different from consumer products. However, the vintner’s set is specialized for their purpose, and going cheap is not an option if you want good wine. Worse yet, some winemaking facilities that are just starting out repurpose buckets or use plastic items, which affects the taste of the wine. Do not take short cuts with equipment. Use items designed for winemaking and do not put them to use for other purposes.
Sanitation: Almost 90 percent of wine failures can be traced back to the neglect housekeeping chores. Cleaning only removes debris, but sanitizing is that extra step that stops the growth of organisms that spoil wine. This applies not only to your carboys, spoons and hoses, but even your commercial refrigerators. A sanitized environment is essential to good wine.
Ignoring instructions: A moment of experimentation can lead to a wine disaster. Skipping essential steps at any stage of winemaking compromises taste and value. Often times, it is exhaustion kicking in as people fail to check thermostats for storage areas or do not check to see if fermentation chambers are properly sealed. If something works with a particular wine, it is time to follow that to the letter and pay attention, rather than testing a fluke of imagination.
Water quality: Just because water is potable does not mean it is perfect for winemaking. Hard water with minerals can leave wine with a haze or metallic aftertaste. If you are looking at running a winemaking operation, you will need to install water softeners and make sure your filters are changed regularly.
Impatience: Even the professionals are vulnerable to bottling too early. Just as you do not want to undercook a gourmet meal, you also want to ensure your wine ferments long enough. That is why the vintner’s career is not one for impatient sorts; it requires attention to detail and the willingness to wait.
Poor temperature control: For fermentation to occur, a controlled environment must sustain a temperature of 70 to 77 degrees. White wines need cool temperatures sustained at 55 degrees. If these temperatures drop too low or a thermostat dysfunction makes them spike, your wine will suffer.
Good commercial HVAC services help prevent these mistakes in several ways. First, your technician can keep your commercial refrigerator running well so it does not break down when you are storing or fermenting white wines. Second, the same attention can be applied to HVAC systems so fermentation rooms also maintain warm temperatures for varieties that need them. This makes the provider of services for your commercial HVAC in Eugene, OR an essential member of your vintner team.
If your winery or vintner operations require commercial HVAC services with experience in this area, contact American Refrigeration, Inc. We are available to help you with commercial refrigeration, water filtration, and HVAC repair and maintenance.
If you are about to open a new brewery or winery in the Eugene area, you are probably feeling equal parts excitement and stress. The craft beer and wine culture around here ensures that you’ll get plenty of curious customers coming your way. However, the local level of excellence also means that your product will be up against some stiff competition. In this kind of environment, a brewery or winery needs every advantage it can get to ensure it yields a great tasting drink for its customers.
One very important factor, of course, is the equipment you chose to have installed. When installing equipment and commercial HVAC in Eugene, OR, there are several important things for any brewer or vintner to consider, such as placement, ventilation and much more. As a business that provides key equipment services like installing commercial HVAC in Eugene, OR, we are pretty well versed in the topic. Read on to learn more about what we have observed over the years.
Inspect first: One of the things that many brewers and vintners wish they’d known before starting a brewery or winery is that the integrity and quirks of a certain location can greatly impact your production and success, especially when first starting out. Before you start installing everything, have a professional conduct a very detailed inspection of the property. That way, you will know about any potential problems before all your heavy equipment is already in place.
Find a local specialist: Hiring a general plumber, construction crew and HVAC contractor might work for a regular restaurant, but wineries and breweries have rules of their own, and it really helps to have the assistance of someone who has gone through it before. Fortunately, American Refrigeration Inc. specializes in winery and brewery commercial HVAC in Eugene, OR.
Don’t skimp on equipment: We know that starting any new business is very expensive, and breweries and wineries are no exception. But in spite of this, you really do not want to cut costs when it comes to ensuring you have the best equipment. After all, having a key piece of your production process cut out after only a couple batches will set you back way more than the initial cost of quality equipment.
Consider placement: A fine-tuned brewery or winery is a bit like an assembly line, with one batch moving out of one stage just as a new batch moves in. Having your equipment placed in the right spots can greatly cut down on labor and production time. If you are not sure what placement is best, ask a winery or brewery owner, manager or general expert whom you trust for a little guidance.
Remember ventilation: Finally, breweries and wineries can produce a lot of strong smells. A certain amount can be appealing to customers, as it is a sign that their beer or wine will be fresh from the source. But too much of the smell is just sickening. To make sure your odor doesn’t turn customers away, it is very important to make sure you have a proper ventilation system set up.
American Refrigeration Inc. is here to assist you with your brewery and winery equipment needs, including commercial HVAC in Eugene, OR. Call us today to learn more.
Commercial HVAC in Eugene, OR is such an issue for brewers that the Brewer’s Association puts out an energy manual on this very topic. Cost savings and efficiency are the top concerns and are often very industry-specific. Food and employee safety regulations add more to this complex picture and before long, it appears impossible for any small brewery to stay in business.
However, this can all become manageable by hiring a commercial HVAC specialist who understands the needs and often delicate balances. In fact, when asked what they would do differently, seasoned brewers indicate they would hire local specialists for their HVAC needs. Here are four of those needs that are unique to breweries.
1. Customized refrigeration
Some beers are meant to be served cold and others at room temperature. Health standards also place requirements on keeping beverages cool before being served. In order to keep beers at their optimal temperatures, this often means separate refrigeration elements for each type of beer, sometimes for each keg attached to a tap. This can be challenging for contractors who deal primarily with large restaurant freezers, but for an HVAC company that frequently helps breweries, this is a normal occurrence.
2. Venting
Fumes and smells are just facts of the fermentation process. Venting is also required for the early boiling steps as steam cannot build up inside if unvented. If you have employees and visitors, safety standards come into play along with ensuring beer quality. The trick is to offer the venting without risking beer quality due to outside elements. This delicate balance means adjustments to the HVAC system that are unique to places that brew beer or make wine.
3. Cost savings
Brewing means high energy consumption. The brewing process includes boiling, heating, mixing and cooling with many extremes that put demands on HVAC systems. A skilled technician can make adjustments for energy savings to not only assure the long-term function of the system but also prevent large utility bills from threatening a small brewery’s financial solvency.
4. Environment temperatures
In the extremes of heating and cooling, there is also an ambient temperature to maintain for the safety and comfort of employees and visitors. This can be extremely demanding for HVAC systems; if a brewery is boiling mash in the dead of summer, not only does the system need to provide heat for that process, but it must also account for keeping areas cooled for the human inhabitants. As it is not always practical to match brewing needs with environmental ones, HVAC needs to be streamlined to manage these conflicting functions.
Breweries that double as venues need to give this extra consideration. A too-hot brewpub is likely to push away customers in the summer as much as not enough heating in the winter. Employees may be accustomed to periods of extreme temperatures but the same cannot be said for consumers.
Whether your brewery requires an upgrade or you are looking to produce the next big summer IPA, contact American Refrigeration Inc for all of your needs regarding commercial HVAC in Eugene, OR. We can create a customized system that will support your beer making, employee safety and customer comfort all at once while ensuring efficiency and controlling costs.
Summer is just around the corner and you need to consider maintenance for your commercial HVAC, even in Eugene, OR. With a dry, hot summer predicted, you do not need to have your cooling systems failing. For restaurants, this can mean uncomfortable patrons and wasted food. With other industries, failed systems can compromise worker productivity and electronic systems. To prevent these scenarios, here are some HVAC maintenance routines you should consider before the hot temperatures begin.
Cleaning
Cleaning tasks can require professional help, but some of them you can do on your own. Start trimming vegetation growing around your air conditioning unit. Many breakdowns occur because the unit sucks in the plants and jams up the operations. Dead leaves from fall, overgrown grass, and fallen tree branches can all pose a threat. After you clear the plants, consider cleaning your air filter too. If it is not accessible, contact your commercial HVAC contractor.
Have your system checked over
Even with your surface cleaning, there can be some issues that you will not see. HVAC contractors can also check drains and clean deeper within the unit. This can be especially important for any outside equipment that likely went ignored all through the rainy winter. Fan blades can also be cleaned and lubricated for more efficient operation. A breakdown of any of these components can be expensive and stressful, so investing in this preventive maintenance can be worth the time and money. Your HVAC professional can also find issues before they become serious matters, which can save you more time and money wasted on costly repairs.
Consider upgrading thermostats
Older thermostats may not keep temperatures steady and can even stop working altogether. Anyone who has shown up at work to find that the HVAC system has not activated all night will know the dangers of a failing thermostat. With new technology emerging in this area, this could be a good time to look into an upgrade. Programming temperatures with a computerized thermostat can save money and resources by reducing the load on the system when no one is there. You can even make adjustments with your smart phone if you forget to adjust before leaving. While maintaining a temperature of 65 degrees makes sense when workers and customers are on the premises, raising that to 70 degrees when it is empty can mean lower utility bills.
Check windows and doors
Cracks, nooks and crannies in windows and doors lead to air leakage and inefficiency. Checking the seals is just as important in the summer as it is in the winter. Keeping the cool air in your buildings means less stress on your HVAC system and better temperatures indoors. This measure will also mean benefits when your monthly utility bill arrives.
Time for a complete overhaul?
No one likes to think of it, but sometimes systems are just too old and inefficient to be worth the effort and repair. Also, technology changes almost yearly and improved systems mean better heating, cooling and refrigeration. If your system is more than 10 years old, having your HVAC contractor look it over and make recommendations on new efficiencies will save costs in the long run for both utility bills and repairs.
Contact American Refrigeration Inc today to schedule a maintenance appointment for your commercial HVAC in Eugene, OR. If you spend money on small tasks now, it means worrying less about major repairs later.
