Every brewmaster knows that the key to a great beer isn’t just in the finest hops or the purest water –it’s in the attention to detail that carries through every stage of the brewing process.

From the grain silo to the keg, every piece of equipment in your brewery plays a vital role in crafting the beers that your customers know and love. But when was the last time you really thought about the cleanliness of that equipment?

If you’re a brewery owner or manager, you’ve likely got a hundred and one things on your plate. Between managing production schedules, sourcing ingredients, and keeping your customers satisfied, it can be all too easy to overlook a routine task like cleaning.

Yet, the cleanliness of your brewing equipment is far more than just a minor detail – it’s a fundamental aspect of your entire operation.

That’s why we’re going to guide you through cleaning brewery equipment in the most efficient way possible. This guide will help you enjoy peace of mind knowing your brewery is clean while freeing up your time to focus on what matters most to the operation.

You’ll learn how to clean a brewery and why brewers around the world rely on commercial pressure washers to get the job done well in a timely manner. You’ll discover how this versatile tool can boost the quality of your brew, improve your equipment’s longevity, and enhance the safety and efficiency of your operations.

So, whether you’re just getting started in the craft beer industry or looking to elevate your existing setup, grab your brew of choice, sit back, and let’s get into the nuts and bolts of cleaning brewery equipment with a pressure washer. This might just be the secret ingredient your brewery needs.

Why Cleaning Brewery Equipment is So Important

Hopefully, we don’t have to convince you that a clean brewery is of the utmost importance. But just in case, here’s why you should take your brewery equipment cleaning process seriously…

Ensuring the Taste and Quality of Your Brew

Brewing is both a science and an art. Maintaining a clean environment is paramount in this process. Microbial contamination is an ever-present risk in the brewing industry and can drastically affect the taste and quality of your beer.

In a competitive market, even a small deviation in flavor profile can turn customers away. With proper cleaning, you can control the microbiological aspects of your brewing process, ensuring consistency in flavor and quality across your brews.

Maintaining a Safe and Sanitary Environment

In addition to impacting taste, a dirty brewery can pose safety risks. Bacteria, mold, and yeast thrive in damp, sugar-rich environments, and without regular, thorough cleaning, your equipment can become a breeding ground for these harmful microorganisms.

These organisms not only pose potential health hazards but can also ruin batches of beer, leading to waste and inefficiency. The good news is that keeping them at bay is easier and more affordable than you ever imagined – especially now that you’re here reading along in this guide!

Extending the Life and Performance of Your Brewery Equipment

Regular cleaning is also essential for the longevity and efficiency of your brewery equipment. Accumulated grime, sediment, and mineral deposits can cause equipment to malfunction or become less efficient over time.

By keeping your equipment clean, you can prevent such problems and costly repairs or replacements down the line. Clean equipment also runs smoother and more efficiently, allowing you to optimize your brewing operations.

Breaking Down the Brewery Cleaning Process: Different Equipment, Different Needs

Taking the time to thoroughly clean your brewery equipment is an investment that pays off in the long run. It ensures the quality of your product, provides a safer work environment, and improves the longevity and performance of your equipment.

But, what exactly does a brewery cleaning process entail? Each piece of brewery equipment has unique cleaning requirements due to its design, function, and exposure to different types of residues. We’re going to break it down for you into 3 different sections:

Fermenters and Brite Tanks: What They Are and Why They Need Special Attention

Fermenters and Brite tanks are integral to the brewing process. Fermenters, where the beer ferments and yeast works its magic, often see a buildup of yeast and organic material, making thorough cleaning essential.

On the other hand, Brite tanks, used to clarify and carbonate beer, can accumulate mineral and protein deposits. They require a deep and careful cleaning to ensure they’re free of any residues that could negatively impact the beer’s taste and clarity.

Regular cleaning and sanitation of these tanks prevent contamination, prolong their lifespan, and ensure that every batch of beer remains consistently high in quality.

Keeping Your Kegs Clean: A Taste Priority

Kegs, the vessels we often associate with serving beer, are just as important to keep clean. Old beer remnants, yeast sediment, or bacterial growth in a keg can ruin the fresh beer filled into it.

Regular cleaning, therefore, ensures that the taste and aroma of your beer are not compromised once it reaches the customer.

Brewing Lines and Piping: Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind

Brewing lines and piping might be less visible but are just as critical in the brewing process. They transport your beer from one stage to another and can collect deposits over time, leading to off-flavors, contamination, or even blockages.

A thorough cleaning and sanitizing routine for your brewing lines and pipes can help you avoid these potential pitfalls and ensure your brewing process remains seamless from start to finish.

What’s the Best Way to Clean Brewery Equipment?

While there are various methods to clean brewery equipment, one stands out for its superior performance, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency – pressure washing. Why is that?

Simple – it’s faster and more effective, saving you time and money while still achieving the best clean possible. What more could you ask for in a brewery cleaning process?

Speed and Efficiency: Getting More Clean in Less Time

In the brewing industry, time is precious. The faster you can clean your equipment, the sooner you can get back to brewing.

With pressure washing, the cleaning process is significantly accelerated, cutting through stubborn residues and grime in record time compared to manual scrubbing or soak-and-rinse methods.

Moreover, pressure washing’s efficiency isn’t just about speed. It also provides a more comprehensive clean. By employing a high-pressure water stream, it blasts away residues that other cleaning methods might leave behind, providing a pristine environment for your next brew. When paired with the right pressure washer soap, the cleaning power is even more profound.

Depth of Clean: Reaching Those Hard-to-Access Areas

Brewing equipment often features complex shapes, internal surfaces, and hard-to-reach areas that manual cleaning can overlook. Pressure washing can penetrate these difficult areas effortlessly, ensuring every corner and crevice of your equipment gets the thorough cleaning it requires.

This level of clean is particularly crucial in the brewing industry, where even a small residue or contaminant can significantly impact the taste and quality of your product.

We don’t have to remind you that the difference between an award-winning brew and a recipe that turns out disastrous comes down to the minute details. With pressure washing, you have the assurance that your equipment is spotlessly clean, ready for the next brew cycle.

Cost-Effective and Sustainable: Good for Your Budget and the Planet

Pressure washing is an investment that pays for itself. By extending the lifespan of your equipment and reducing the need for replacements, it helps save money in the long run. Additionally, it requires less labor and time, contributing to lower operational costs.

From an environmental standpoint, pressure washing is a more sustainable choice. It uses less water compared to other methods and when paired with biodegradable, brewery-safe detergents, it ensures your cleaning process is environmentally friendly.

Now, without any further ado, here is how to clean a brewery with a pressure washer.

How to Clean a Brewery With a Pressure Washer: Step-by-Step Guide to Cleaning Brewery Equipment

As you can see, learning how to clean a brewery with a pressure washer is the best approach to keeping your equipment and facility as a whole in tip-top-shape. It’s not just breweries that can benefit from routine pressure washing either – restaurant pressure washing is common for the very same reasons.

Evaluating Your Brewery’s Cleaning Requirements

While the advice we’ll offer below is applicable to any brewery – no matter how big or small, regardless of what your flagship beer is – it’s important to start by evaluating your specific brewery’s cleaning requirements.

This involves considering the size of your operation, the complexity of your equipment, the frequency of your brew cycles, and the level of muck and grime that accumulates within the walls of your facility.

The goal is to have a clear picture of your cleaning needs, which will guide your selection of equipment and cleaning schedule. But, this will also help later on as you develop a cleaning schedule. You’ll know if you are better off renting or buying a machine.

Wait – can you rent a pressure washer? You sure can. And you may discover that this is the most cost-effective choice for your specific business. However, you need to consider the fact that your brewery’s cleaning requirements extend beyond the equipment you use to bring your sweet elixir to life.

You can also consider implementing pressure washing commercial building to keep your facility looking nice, along with parking lot power washing or pressure washing factory floors to eliminate slips and falls while maintaining the aesthetic integrity of your operation.

Knowing all this, you’ll have a much easier time when it comes down to choosing a pressure washer.

Selecting Your Pressure Washer: What to Look for in Terms of Size, PSI, GPM, & More

With your cleaning requirements in mind, you’re now ready to select your pressure washer. Here’s where Hotsy steps in. Our extensive range of commercial-grade pressure washers are designed to handle tough cleaning tasks with ease. And, we have all the different types of pressure washers you may need.

That includes a hot vs cold pressure washer, a gas or electric pressure washer, and of course, the various PSI/GPM requirements you may have. So, what is a good PSI for a pressure washer – and what is a good GPM for a pressure washer?

For a small to medium-sized brewery, a pressure washer with a PSI (pounds per square inch) rating of around 2000 to 3000 and a GPM (gallons per minute) of 2 to 3 should be sufficient. For larger operations, a machine with a higher PSI and GPM may be needed.

One standout model to consider is the Hotsy 795SS, which offers a good balance of power and versatility, capable of handling most brewery cleaning tasks. It features a direct-drive pump and efficient heat exchanger, making it reliable and easy to maintain.

Ultimately, though, you don’t have to play the guessing game when trying to find the best commercial hot water pressure washer. Get in touch with us directly at Hotsy about our selection of hot pressure washers for sale. Together, we’ll come up with a solution that makes sense for your unique needs. We’ll also get you set up with all the other supplies and equipment you need…

The Role of Detergents and Accessories in Enhancing the Cleaning Process

A pressure washer can handle most cleaning tasks on its own, but for a truly superior clean, you may want to incorporate specially-formulated detergents and additional accessories. Hotsy offers a range of biodegradable, brewery-safe detergents that can break down stubborn residues more effectively.

We have the best pressure washer soap the industry has to offer – with ultra-concentrated, specially formulated solutions to supercharge your cleaning process. What kind of soap do you use in a pressure washer for breweries specifically, though?

Carbochlor is perfect for the food industry – and has great applications for breweries as well. Our special emulsifying formula is paired with high-powered bleach. Tough odors, stains, dirt, oils, and fats left behind on equipment, floors, and walls will be no match.

Again, reach out and ask about our pressure washer degreaser soap collection. We have a myriad of sanitizing agents and specialty cleaners that we can recommend. And, we also have the best pressure washer attachments to round out your cleaning regimen. You can find the perfect soap nozzle for pressure washer, speed things up with a flat surface cleaner, or reach tall brewery tanks with our telescoping wands.

The Step-by-Step Pressure Washing Procedure: From Setup to Cleanup

After sourcing everything on your pressure washing equipment list, the fun can commence.

Before we get into the details of how to clean a brewery with a pressure washer, learn the basics. You can read our guides on how to start a pressure washer, pressure washer safety, advanced pressure washing techniques, and how to use soap with pressure washer. This will help you feel more confident and capable actually implementing the steps below:

Setup: Ensure all safety measures are in place. Wear protective pressure washing clothing, including safety glasses and waterproof gloves. Disconnect your brewing equipment and prepare the area for cleaning.
Preparation: If using detergent, apply it to the equipment starting from the bottom and working up to prevent streaks. Let it sit for a few minutes to break down grime but don’t let it dry out.
Pressure Washing: Rinse the equipment using your Hotsy pressure washer, moving from top to bottom. Be sure to reach all the nooks and crannies.
Cleanup: Rinse your equipment thoroughly to ensure no detergent residue is left behind. Allow everything to dry before reconnecting your brewing apparatus.

See, that wasn’t so bad, was it? Cleaning brewery equipment with a pressure washer is fairly simple and straightforward. And you can implement this in your own brewing cleaning process now that you know how to clean a brewery with a pressure washer.

But before we call it quits for today, we need to talk about establishing a clear, consistent brewery cleaning schedule.

Establishing a Brewery Cleaning Schedule

Your regular cleaning schedule will vary depending on the scale of your operations and the type of brews you produce. But, a good rule of thumb is to clean your brewery after every brew cycle. This ensures your equipment stays in top shape and your beer tastes consistently great.

Investing time in establishing a good cleaning routine is just as important as the brewing process itself. Not only will it enhance the taste of your beer, but it also extends the lifespan of your equipment and promotes a safer, more efficient brewing environment.

Knowing this, you’ll have a better understanding of whether you’re better off buying your own unit or renting one. For further information on this consideration, read our guides on how much to rent a pressure washer along with where to rent a pressure washer.

With that said, it’s time to bring this conversation on cleaning brewery equipment to a close. Here are a few parting thoughts…

Parting Thoughts on Cleaning Brewery Equipment

Whether you’re the owner/operator of a thriving brewery or you’re considering starting a pressure washing business and want to offer this service, we hope this article has provided you with clarity and confidence on your next steps.

As we wrap up this guide, it’s clear that maintaining a clean brewery is not just a matter of aesthetics or compliance – it’s a matter of taste, the longevity of your equipment, and ultimately, the success of your business.

By adopting a pressure washing routine with a high-quality, reliable system like Hotsy, you’re not just cleaning – you’re investing in the continued success of your brewery. So, visit our Texas pressure washing store and determine whether you want are going with commercial power washer rental or buying a pressure washer.

It’s time to elevate your cleaning process, ensure the quality of your brew, and protect your hard-earned investment. Step into the world of efficient, effective cleaning with Hotsy pressure washers, and taste the difference in your brew. After all, clean equipment makes better beer. Let’s toast to that – cheers!

Cleaning Brewery Equipment With a Pressure Washer: The Complete Guide