TOPIC:

A topic of conversation in work today and it has got me interested. Do any Irish micros use natural gas to fuel their kettles? I've been on more brewery tours than I can count, but I only remember seeing electric boil kettles. Then again it was something I was actively looking at.

Which would be cheaper? I'm thinking that electricity would probably be easier to work with, no need for ventilation of CO2. I presume that breweries would use three phase?

If they are using gas probably a boiler with a steam jackaet kettle/copper. To inefficient to use gas burners directly on the kettle

I think most of the PBC systems are generally electric

Rye River used a gas burner for steam generation afaik to heat their kettle

A lot of breweries aren't on the natural gas network to begin with.

Cost per kw/h of fuel delivered is about a third that of electricity so there is a great incentive to use natural gas, if used efficiently.

Would there be a ventilation issue of brewing using gas rather than electricity?

"brian_c":2pxx2wjr wrote: Would there be a ventilation issue of brewing using gas rather than electricity?[/quote:2pxx2wjr]

No as they would be uing the gas to power a steam boiler