As a brewery grows into new commercial spaces many brewers either find themselves overwhelmed by the number of options for beer brewing hoses or feel that there is no difference between these costly options at all. In reality, an FDA compliant beverage hose designed for commercial use can have functionality that enables a full transfer system to complete their processes more efficiency and reduce the risk or damage or contamination. Beyond size and length of hose there are a few considerations to be aware of when choosing which beer transfer hose would work best for your application.
Issues to Consider When Selecting the Right Commercial Brewery Hose
- Commercial Brew Hose Damage Through Kinking
Kinking is one of the most common issues a brewery hose can encounter. Many handling issues can cause a kink to occur and often it is not noticed until it has already impacted the beer transfer process. Due to the specialty nature of these beer transfer hoses and the flexibility they often require while in use putting too much pressure on a small area of the hose for flexibility can cause a small kink that gets exacerbated over time.
- Beer Transfer Hose Damaged Through Crack in Tube Lining
Depending on the type of material being used it is possible for a tube lining of a brew hose to crack. In this case the tube lining that is supposed to seal the liquid from interacting with any other material during transfer has had this barrier broken. At this point, beer spoilers can ferment and live in the crack of a brewery hose tube lining. As it grows this beer spoiler can contaminate all liquid it comes into contact with. Even if the hose is cleaned the propbiltiy of reinfection increased greatly with a cracked tube. Inspect your hose regularly to ensure the integrity of the tube lining seal is fully maintained. Additionally, make sure you select a hose with a homogenous and non-porous liner.
- Beer Transfer Hose Crushed
The beer brewing process is epitomized by many operations occurring simultaneously with rigorous attention to detail. With so many things to focus on it is easy to miss an expensive brew hose assembly lying on the floor and accidently run over it with a forklift. When the brew hose has been crushed it usually requires replacement or professional repair. Some hoses provide more resistance to extreme pressure that would otherwise collapse a hose.
While specialty beer transfer hoses can be damaged many ways in a commercial setting there are steps to prevent issues from occurring. Having a hanging storage solution can help ensure a dried and stays out of the way of other activity when not in use. Making sure a sanitary fitting is crimped correctly by your supplier helps reduce the risk of tube cracking, and finally being aware of bend radius requirements for your hose can help stop kinks from damaging your transfer processes.
Purple Snake Hose – As commercial breweries evolve more product options become available. Purple snake hose with sanitary fittings is one of the more expensive, but higher value options available. With rigorous lab and in-field testing completed it was designed to answer many concerns large brewers face. The purple snake hose was constructed to be crush resistant with synthetic fiber reinforcement. This is in sharp contrast to many crush resistant hoses having metal reinforcement that can compromise the integrity of the transfer. The lining is not sewn or extruded which limits the possibility of tube lining cracks where beer spoilers can live. While the price lends itself to larger brewers the proven quality can help extended and enhcnace the life of beer transfer system.
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