Malt and adjunct assay, extract efficiency and recipes
Brewery · plant-wide process model
How to model a brewery from brewhouse to packaging
Make extract, fermentation, tank occupancy, losses, utilities, cleaning and packaging part of one production model.
MillingMash / lauterBoilFermentationMaturationFilterPackage
Engineering brief
Model the complete decision, not an isolated unit operation.
A brewery is a network of material transformations and shared vessels. Acatian can track extract, water, alcohol, carbon dioxide, yeast and losses while finite-capacity scheduling tests whether cellar, filtration, CIP and packaging support the production plan.
Energy and water are time-dependent. Brewhouse steam, wort cooling, cellar refrigeration, packaging and cleaning peaks should be reconciled against installed utilities rather than averaged away.
01 · Model basis
What the Acatian model needs to resolve
Inputs, mechanisms, limits and outputs remain reviewable on one declared basis.Inputs
Yeast, attenuation, fermentation and maturation profiles
Tank sizes, transfer, filtration and packaging rates
CIP recipes, water, steam, refrigeration and CO₂
Mechanisms
Extract, alcohol, CO₂ and water balances
Fermentation and temperature trajectories
Tank-state and campaign scheduling
Cleaning, utility and loss accounting
Constraints
Brewhouse turns and cellar residence time
Cooling and refrigeration peaks
Filtration and packaging availability
CIP, water and product-change sequences
Outputs
Beer yield and loss by step
Tank occupancy and annual volume
Water, energy and CO₂ intensity
Bottlenecks, campaign options and COGS
02 · Acatian workflow
Build it in six controlled steps
Each step creates a reviewable object, not a hidden spreadsheet assumption.- 01
Define recipes, SKUs and production calendar.
- 02
Close hot-side material and energy balances.
- 03
Add fermentation and maturation trajectories.
- 04
Map every vessel, transfer and loss.
- 05
Schedule CIP, filtration and packaging.
- 06
Compare volume, mix and utility scenarios.
03 · Decisions
Questions the model should answer
Which tank is the real capacity constraint?
How does SKU mix change output?
Where can water or heat be recovered?
What is the value of another cellar or packaging asset?
04 · Evidence boundary
Validate before the result carries weight
Validation
Reconcile against brew sheets, tank histories, meter data, packaged volume, loss reports and CIP records over representative production periods.
Limitations
The model does not replace food-safety plans, alcohol regulation, pressure-system review or product sensory qualification.
Frequently asked questions
Practical modelling questions
Can multiple beer styles be scheduled?
Yes. Each SKU can use its own recipe, tank time, cleaning and packaging route.
Can water and energy intensity be calculated?
Yes. Process and CIP demands can be tied to batches and compared per packaged volume.
Can fermentation CO₂ recovery be included?
Yes. Gas production, collection, purification, storage and reuse assumptions can be explicit.