A Buffer Station Connecting Lauter Tun and Kettle Tun
In the whole brewhouse process, clear wort from lauter tun flows into the holding tank first, then pumped to kettle tun. Many brewers focus on lauter tun and kettle tun, while overlooking this intermediate vessel. As a buffer station between lauter tun and kettle tun, the holding tank solves the mismatch of working rhythm and keeps continuous and stable brewhouse operation.
Wort flows out of lauter tun gradually, and flow rate changes with grain bed condition. However, kettle tun needs a fixed volume of wort before heating and boiling. It is hard to perfectly match the inflow and outflow speed of the two vessels. The holding tank stores wort continuously coming from lauter tun. When liquid reaches the set level, wort will be fed steadily into kettle tun, so there is no need to force synchronization of two working procedures.
Stabilize Pressure & Prevent Wort Oxidation
Wort is sensitive to oxygen. Excessive air contact brings cardboard and stale off-flavors and ruins beer taste. The holding tank is fully sealed and equipped with breather valve to balance internal pressure and avoid massive air intake during wort transfer.
The wort flow from lauter tun tends to fluctuate. Direct pumping into kettle tun causes splashing and increases oxidation risk. The holding tank absorbs fluid impact and stabilizes wort flow, reducing air entrainment and protecting wort flavor.
Accurate Wort Measurement For Process Control
Level sensor is fitted on holding tank to monitor wort volume in real time. All filtered wort enters the tank. Brewers can read wort volume directly, check extraction rate easily. Once reaching target volume, wort is transferred to kettle tun. It helps precise dosing of hops and additives, stabilizes formula and reduces batch-to-batch difference for standardized brewing.
Settle Fine Particles & Reduce Load On Kettle Tun
Even after filtration, tiny grain particles still remain in wort. When wort stays briefly inside holding tank, fine solids settle down at tank bottom by gravity, delivering clearer wort to kettle tun. Less sediment entering kettle tun reduces the risk of wort scorching on tank bottom, lowers cleaning workload and minimizes unwanted flavors brought by solid impurities. Sloped tank bottom helps discharge settled residue and complete full drainage during CIP cleaning.
Sanitary Design Compatible With Brewhouse CIP System
Tiantai holding tank is constructed from food-grade SUS304 stainless steel. The inner surface is finely polished with rounded corners, leaving no sanitary dead zones. CIP spray ball is mounted on tank top and connects to brewhouse CIP pipeline. In-place cleaning can be carried out after each brew cycle. Sanitary EPDM gaskets guarantee sealing for manhole and pipe connections. Every tank passes strict pressure and leakage test before delivery. All pipelines adopt sanitary tri-clamp fittings for easy disassembly and inspection, fully meeting brewing hygiene requirements.
Flexible Production & Higher Process Tolerance
Unexpected issues may happen during brewing, such as slow wort runoff, pump maintenance or pipe adjustment. With holding tank as buffer, temporary malfunction of single equipment will not stop the whole brewhouse. If lautering finishes ahead of schedule, wort can be kept warm inside insulated holding tank and wait until kettle tun is ready. The insulation layer prevents temperature drop and avoids disturbance to boiling process. The holding tank is modular and available for brewhouse systems of different capacities. It is an important auxiliary vessel linking lauter tun and kettle tun to stabilize wort quality and optimize production rhythm.