“I like beer!” Whether this truism was uttered by Homer Simpson or a nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States it echoes the 43% of Americans who list beer as their preferred choice when selecting an adult beverage. This has given rise to a phenomenal increase in the number of breweries around the world and in the U.S. There are currently over 7000 breweries in operation in the U.S., the vast majority of which are described as microbreweries or craft breweries. Over the past decade the craft beer industry has burgeoned to a $23.5 billion annual market.
As with any fast-growing marketplace the quality of the product can vary dramatically. Enter Aegir Brewing Systems of Menomonee Falls, WI. The company was named after the Norse god Aegir, who according to mythology was known for hosting elaborate parties for the other gods where he supplied ale in giant pots or cauldrons. When the company began operations in 2012, Aegir found the industry lacked the availability of high-end, fully automated brewing systems, sized for smaller craft brewers. According to Jason Platek, brewing engineer at Aegir, marketplace, “If you want to make the best beer you have to use the best ingredients and the highest quality production equipment.”
Aegir set out to locate the best possible equipment to fill this void. The company now successfully manufactures, integrates, installs, and provides startup for the most efficient and complete brewing systems serving the craft brewing industry.
Central to the process is the employment of the Belgian-manufactured Meura mash filter which is used in lieu of a Lauter Tun commonly used in the craft brewing industry. The Meura filter offers many advantages over the Lauter Tun, leading to more efficient and higher quality beer production. Included among them are higher throughput capacity, higher grain extract efficiency, and the capability to use a more diverse grain bill. As a result, the overall cost per barrel is reduced, the quality of the product is superior, and the consistency from batch to batch remains intact. Equally as important, the ability to use certain unconventional grains with the Aegir-Meura system gives the brewer more flexibility to create more complex, unique, and sophisticated flavors.
For the Meura mash filter to be utilized a significantly finer grind was required of the grain itself. Typically, the industry primarily employs roller mills to create the desired size distribution for the Lauter Tun process. The typical roller mill and Lauter Tun realizes about an 80-85% extract yield, and the best roller mill and Lauter Tun equipment is capable of a maximum of a 92% yield. Simply put, between 8% and 20% of the grain extract is not being fully recovered with the employment of a roller mill leading to additional amounts of grain being required for the production of every batch.
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