Author: Henry Chen Publish Time: 2026-11-10 Origin: Cassman
A small brewery project can have a surprisingly long list of decisions behind it.
In a recent inquiry, a prospective customer preparing a brewery system for the Japanese market asked Cassman to evaluate a 300L brewing unit, four 2BBL conical fermenters, glycol cooling, a compact bottling setup, and a portable CIP system. The equipment list was detailed. It even specified valve operating ranges, hose lengths, electrical standards, and the desired finish of product-contact surfaces.
That level of detail tells us the buyer is not simply asking, “How much does a 300L brewery cost?” They want to know whether the equipment will fit their process, work together as a system, and arrive with specifications they can verify.
Here is how we would approach the request—and the questions we would resolve before issuing a final technical and commercial proposal.
Process area | Customer's preliminary requirement |
Brewing | One 300L insulated mixing tank with agitator, variable-frequency drive (VFD), false bottom, and LPG burner |
Wort preparation | Pipe filter, 4 m² heat exchanger, wort aeration device, and 10L yeast feeder |
Alternative vessel | Optional simple 200–300L stainless steel storage/mixing tank without heating or agitator |
Transfer | One portable VFD-controlled centrifugal pump and two 2m sanitary flexible hoses |
Fermentation | Four 2BBL double-jacketed conical fermenters with carbonation stones, spunding valves, pressure/vacuum relief valves, racking arms, and sample valves |
Cooling | 500L glycol buffer tank, chiller, glycol pump, and distribution piping and valves |
Controls | Instrument control cabinet for the mixing tank and temperature control of four fermenters |
Packaging | One four-head manual bottle filling and capping machine |
Cleaning | Separate 100L caustic and 100L acid tanks, CIP pump with VFD, trolley, controls, fittings, and two 6m sanitary hoses |
Site requirements | Electrical configuration suitable for the installation location in Japan; SUS304 stainless steel and a specified sanitary interior finish |
These are requested specifications, not a confirmed final Cassman configuration. In particular, chiller capacity, electrical frequency, vessel pressure ratings, surface-finish scope, and the suitability of individual process components still require confirmation.
It would be easy to quote each line separately: a tank, a pump, four fermenters, a chiller, and a bottle filler. But that would miss the customer's real concern.
They are buying process compatibility.
The brewing vessel must suit the intended recipe and heating method. The pump and hoses must work with the vessel connections. The heat exchanger must match the expected wort flow and available cooling water. The glycol system must support fermentation and cold crashing. The electrical components must be usable at the customer's site. And cleaning access must be considered before—not after—the equipment is built.
A lower equipment price does not help much if these connections are left for the buyer to solve during installation.
The requested brewing unit combines an insulated mixing tank, agitator, false bottom, and LPG burner. Those features suggest several possible process steps, but their exact use needs to be established.
For example, will this vessel be used for mashing, lautering, wort heating, or more than one of those operations? How will grain be separated from wort? Is the separate pipe filter intended for wort clarification, transfer protection, or another purpose?
Those questions affect the vessel's internal arrangement, outlet positions, agitation strategy, cleaning access, and operating sequence. We would confirm the brewing process before finalizing the tank drawing, rather than assuming that every requested component belongs in one standard design.
The customer also asked about an alternative 200–300L stainless steel tank without heating or an agitator. That deserves its own option in the quotation. A simple holding vessel can be useful, but its value depends on the intended liquid, temperature, transfer method, and connection points. It should not be priced or presented as interchangeable with the insulated brewing unit.
Four separate conical fermenters give a small producer flexibility to stagger batches or run different beers at the same time. The customer's requested fittings also show an interest in practical cellar operation:
Double jackets for controlled cooling
Carbonation stones for in-tank carbonation
Spunding valves for controlled pressure fermentation, where suitable
Pressure/vacuum relief valves (PVRVs) for vessel protection
Racking arms for product transfer
Sample valves for routine checks
Before these features are included in a final specification, we would confirm the vessel's design pressure and allowable working pressure against the intended operating procedure. A spunding valve with a requested adjustment range of 0.2–2.2 bar does not, by itself, establish that every vessel or component is rated for operation at the top of that range.
We would also confirm the definition of 2BBL used for this project, along with the required working volume, headspace, tank dimensions, and installation clearances.
One of the most important lines in the inquiry is the customer's request for a more suitable chiller if the initially proposed model cannot reliably cool and cold-crash all four fermenters.
That is the right question.
A 500L glycol tank is a buffer volume, not a statement of cooling capacity. To recommend a chiller, we need to know the actual heat load and how the tanks will be operated. Our review would include:
Fermenter working volume and target fermentation temperature
Ambient conditions at the installation site
Expected heat generated during active fermentation
The starting and target temperatures for cold crashing
The time allowed to complete each cold crash
Whether all four tanks may cold-crash simultaneously
Glycol supply temperature, pipe runs, and insulation
The site's available electrical supply
We would then propose the chiller capacity and control arrangement against that operating scenario, clearly stating the assumptions. This is more useful than choosing a model based only on the number of fermenters.
The customer requested equipment compatible with three-phase 200V and single-phase 100V/200V, with the frequency adjusted to the installation area.
That final point matters: Japan uses both 50Hz and 60Hz regions. The correct choice depends on the site's location and available supply, not on a generic “Japan standard” label.
Before selecting motors, VFDs, the chiller, burner controls, and the electrical cabinet, we would request the site's electrical details. The final proposal should identify each major load and state which supply it requires. Any local inspection or electrical approval requirements should also be confirmed before manufacturing.
The proposed CIP package includes separate caustic and acid tanks, a VFD-controlled pump, sanitary fittings, a trolley, and two 6m hoses. For a compact brewery, a portable setup may be practical—but its cleaning performance depends on the circuits it must serve.
We would review which vessels and transfer lines are intended to be cleaned by CIP, the required flow and pressure, drainability, and whether spray devices are included on the tanks. We would also define what the customer must provide on site, such as water, drainage, and chemical handling facilities.
The inquiry specifies SUS304 stainless steel and an interior surface finish of Ra 0.2–0.4 µm. Rather than treating that as a blanket promise for every part, we would identify:
Which surfaces are product-contact surfaces
The finish required for each vessel or component
How the finish will be inspected or documented
Whether any components have a different manufacturer's standard finish
Putting those details in the approved technical specification makes quality expectations measurable for both sides.
The customer requested a four-head manual bottle filling and capping machine. Before quoting, we would confirm bottle size and shape, closure type, expected bottles per hour, and whether the product will be carbonated.
We would also separate the machine's stated scope from other packaging steps. Bottle rinsing, labeling, date coding, and case packing should be listed as included, optional, or excluded—not left for the customer to discover later.
For an overseas equipment purchase, confidence comes from details the customer can check. A useful Cassman proposal for this inquiry would therefore be structured around five areas.
The proposal should include an itemized equipment list, capacities, connection details, materials, controls, and drawings or layout information appropriate to the quotation stage. Alternatives—such as the simple storage tank or a different chiller capacity—should be shown separately.
The confirmed order documentation should define the applicable material requirements, fabrication scope, and inspection points. Where requested and available, the agreed documentation may include material records, inspection results, and pre-shipment photos or testing records. The exact inspection and documentation package must be agreed before production.
Certification is not something to assume from the destination country alone. The buyer should tell us the installation location and applicable local requirements; we would then state which components or vessels can be supplied with which documents, what requires third-party work, and what remains the responsibility of the local installer or authority. We would not describe the system as certified for Japan without confirming the actual certification scope.
The quotation should describe export packing by equipment type and identify any special protection needed for control cabinets, valves, instruments, and polished surfaces. Packing method, shipping terms, destination, freight, and insurance should be visible as commercial line items where applicable.
Competitive pricing is useful only when buyers can see what it covers. We would separate the base package, optional equipment, recommended spare parts, shipping, and any installation or service charges. A clear list of exclusions makes it easier to compare offers fairly and avoids surprises later.
To move from the customer's equipment list to a buildable specification, we would ask for:
Installation city or region, available voltage, frequency, and electrical capacity
Intended brewing process and expected batch volume
LPG supply conditions and any local requirements for burner installation
Required cooling and cold-crash schedule for the four fermenters
Intended fermentation and carbonation pressures
Bottle size, closure type, product carbonation, and packaging output target
Intended use of the optional unheated storage tank
Required surface-finish scope and inspection documents
Required local compliance documents and the party responsible for site approval
Preferred delivery terms and the scope of installation support
These are not obstacles to quoting. They are the information needed to make a quotation worth relying on.
This inquiry illustrates something we see often in small commercial brewery projects: the individual machines are only part of the purchase. The real value lies in how well the brewing, fermentation, cooling, transfer, cleaning, controls, and packaging equipment work together at the customer's site.
At this stage, the project remains an equipment inquiry. No final configuration, price, certification package, order, or installation result has been confirmed. Our next step would be to resolve the technical questions, present clearly priced options, and document the agreed scope before production.
Planning a small brewery for the Japanese market? Send Cassman your process plan, site power details, cooling requirements, and packaging goals. We can help you turn an equipment list into a practical specification for review.
Tank volume alone cannot answer that question. The chiller must be sized for fermentation heat load, cold-crash demand, ambient conditions, and the number of tanks operated at the same time.
No. The vessel's design and allowable working pressure, along with the ratings of its fittings and protective devices, must be confirmed separately.
It depends on the installation region. Japan has both 50Hz and 60Hz areas, so the site's actual electrical supply must be confirmed before selecting equipment.
Not without reviewing its intended use. An unheated tank without an agitator has a different function from an insulated brewing vessel with mixing, filtration, and heating features.
It should define the equipment scope, technical specifications, options, exclusions, documentation, inspection requirements, packing, delivery terms, warranty, and any installation or service charges.
