Glycol plate chillers for beer

[SanPancho]

Hello from the Golden State. Posting here as we have a brewery in San Francisco and are opening another in next few months. One of the new partners works for a US homebrew supplier and was telling me about a product he heard about for draft beer cooling- the glycol plate chiller.

Does anyone here have some info or opinions on how those systems work? In the US we typically just run glycol in the draft beer trunk line (python?) so the beer is always cold, even when its just sitting in the lines. The idea of pushing warm beer and chilling it at the bar is strange to me, but if it works it could help us solve some logical issues simply.

My main concern is carbonation coming out of solution and not getting fully re absorbed in the plate chiller before it hits the tap. Also im a bit dubious that the beer could get from room temp to serving temp that quickly, especially while serving in a busy taproom.

ANyone here have experience with these systems in a commercial setting? Pros and cons of the design?

Thanks.

 

[///]

Hi there

Bit of confusion of systems here. PM me and I can send details via email.

For a long draw beer system, cool room at 4c, beer runs thru python with plate heat exchange situated below bar with flooded font. Glycol at negative temps knocks back any heat pickup in-line and drops back to approx 1c. Allows for high flow beer serving to stop issues with pouring. Kegs best chilled overnight prior.

You can pull beer at ambient temps with a bar and ice bank chiller, which is the heat exchange directly below the bar. Different system and not made for high flow pouring.

Can send pics and the like of both, this forum does not like me and pics.

I have built a number of beer systems, been involved in a few breweries and been in trade 15 years. Know heaps about it.

 

[///]

Btw - your PM won’t allow messages

 

[S.E]

No idea how they do it but lots of pubs in Hong Kong don’t have cool rooms. Just keep kegs outside at ambient but pouring cold at the bar.

 

[SanPancho]

Btw - your PM won’t allow messages

yeah, i dont seem to have the option of PM /"conversation" for some reason. maybe because this is a brand new account.

so im definitely not understanding the systems then. i assumed your tanks/kegs were at ambient, and all the cooling happened at the bar in the plate chiller or some sort of similar contraption.

if the cooler box is cold then that changes things. in that case, it might not make sense to use the cooling at the bar. our glycol units typically handle up to a dozen product lines each. from what ive seen of the crash cooling units, it appears they handle 8 products up to about 15C, and beyond that only 4 products. seems like id need alot more of those units to have 15-20 beers on tap.

 

[///]

All on the size of the ice bank and how much you are pouring. A small bar doing 10l an hour is very different than Coogee beach hotel that does 500 x 50l a week.

It is all about peak pouring periods, aka 4-8pm on a friday night. The smaller venues will see the ice bank rebuild, but won't catchup like a glycol system will with 4c beer in a cool room at peak at a big venue


Scotty