Brewery Equipment Commissioning Checklist: From Installation to the First 10HL Brew

Your brewery equipment has passed its factory acceptance test. The tanks have arrived, the control panel is on site, and installation is underway.

Is the brewery ready for its first commercial batch?

Not yet. A successful factory acceptance test (FAT) shows that agreed equipment and functions passed checks at the manufacturer’s facility. It cannot confirm that the brewery will operate correctly after being connected to your building’s water, power, steam, glycol, compressed air and drainage systems.

That is the purpose of commissioning and site acceptance testing (SAT): to turn delivered equipment into a safe, functional production system—and to document which performance requirements have actually been met.

This guide provides a practical commissioning framework for a 10HL craft brewery. It is particularly useful for buyers coordinating an overseas equipment supplier, local contractors and their own brewing team.

Quick Answer

Before the first commercial brew, a 10HL brewery should pass a documented sequence of checks covering:

1. Equipment placement and installation

2. Utility connections

3. Piping and valve identification

4. Electrical safety and control-system checks

5. Water-based functional tests

6. Steam and heating-system checks, where applicable

7. Glycol and wort-cooling checks

8. CIP system checks

9. Tank and cellar-control checks

10. Operator training

11. A supervised trial brew

12. Closure of critical defects and formal handover

Commissioning should follow the approved design, equipment manuals, applicable local regulations and a project-specific test plan. Do not treat a generic checklist as authorization to operate pressure, electrical, steam or chemical systems without qualified personnel.

FAT, Commissioning and SAT: What Is the Difference?

These terms are related, but they describe different milestones.

Passing FAT does not automatically mean passing SAT. Equally, completing one trial brew does not necessarily prove that every contracted performance requirement has been met.

The buyer and supplier should agree on these distinctions before shipment.

Why Brewery Commissioning Needs a Written Plan

A brewery project typically involves several parties:

• Equipment manufacturer

• Local mechanical installer

• Electrician

• Steam or boiler contractor

• Refrigeration contractor

• Building contractor

• Brewery owner

• Head brewer and operators

If responsibilities are unclear, a simple problem can turn into a costly dispute. For example, a pump may be fully functional, but it cannot achieve the expected flow because a field-installed pipe is undersized. A chiller may be correctly specified, but the available electrical supply differs from the project information supplied before purchase.

A commissioning plan should therefore identify:

• What will be tested

• Who performs the test

• What conditions must be available

• What counts as a pass

• How results will be recorded

• Who corrects a failed item

The goal is not paperwork for its own sake. It is to ensure that the brewery can move from installation to production without relying on assumptions.

Before the Engineers Arrive: Site Readiness Checklist

On-site commissioning is most effective when the building and utility connections are ready before the supplier’s technicians travel.

Confirm that the following are complete or available:

• Approved equipment layout and sufficient access around vessels

• Floor capacity and finished floor levels verified by the appropriate local professionals

• Equipment positioned, leveled and secured as required

• Drains installed and tested

• Potable/process water available at the agreed pressure and flow

• Electrical supply installed and checked by qualified local electricians

• Steam system installed and approved where applicable

• Glycol system installed and filled according to its approved procedure

• Compressed-air supply and treatment installed

• Ventilation and exhaust systems available

• Internet connection available if remote support is included

• Local permits, inspections and authorizations arranged

• Cleaning chemicals, raw materials and trained staff available when needed

Do not schedule a full commissioning visit around an unverified “installation complete” date. Request a pre-commissioning site-readiness review, supported by photographs, drawings and utility measurements where appropriate.

Step 1: Verify Equipment Placement and Physical Installation

Start by comparing the installed brewery with the approved general arrangement drawings and equipment list.

Check:

• Vessel tags and locations

• Service access to manways, valves and pumps

• Platform installation and safe access

• Clearance for maintenance and component removal

• Pipe supports and routing

• Floor-drain access

• Tank leveling

• Protection of electrical equipment from washdown areas

• Accessibility of emergency stops and isolation points

A brewery can be mechanically complete yet difficult to operate or maintain. Installation should be assessed for safe daily use, not only whether everything fits in the room.

If you are still planning a building rather than commissioning one, CASSMAN’s Blog includes articles on brewery layout and utility planning.

Step 2: Check Every Utility Against the Approved Requirements

The commissioning team should record the actual site conditions, not rely solely on figures provided during the quotation stage.

Water

Verify the required:

• Supply pressure

• Available flow rate

• Water quality or treatment status

• Hot and cold supply connections

• Drainage capacity

Electrical power

Qualified personnel should verify:

• Supply voltage and frequency

• Phase configuration

• Protective devices

• Grounding/earthing

• Motor rotation

• Panel labeling

• Isolation procedures

Steam, if used

Qualified contractors should verify:

• Steam-generator installation and local approvals

• Supply pressure

• Pressure-reduction arrangement

• Steam traps and condensate handling

• Line insulation

• Safety devices

• Leak-free distribution to the specified users

Glycol

Check:

• Fluid preparation according to the chiller and process requirements

• Supply and return identification

• Pump direction

• Flow through connected tanks

• Insulation and condensation control

• Air removal from the circuit

• Available cooling performance under the agreed test conditions

Compressed air

Confirm:

• Operating pressure at the equipment

• Available flow

• Receiver and treatment equipment

• Filtration and dryness appropriate to the intended use

• Stable pneumatic valve operation during simultaneous demands

Where air or gas can contact product or product-contact surfaces, its quality requirements should be separately defined and verified.

Step 3: Walk the P&ID Against the Installed Brewery

A P&ID is most valuable when it reflects what is actually installed.

Walk through the system with the approved drawing and verify:

• Vessel tags

• Pipe destinations

• Flow directions

• Pump locations

• Manual valve tags

• Pneumatic valve tags

• Instrument locations

• Sample points

• CIP supply and return paths

• Drains

• Steam and condensate lines

• Glycol supply and return lines

Record any difference between the drawing and the installed system. If a field change is accepted, update the as-built documentation before handover.

Why this matters

An incorrect or outdated P&ID can lead to:

• Operating mistakes

• Incorrect cleaning routes

• Troubleshooting delays

• Poor spare-parts identification

• Confusion during future expansion

A complete installation is not fully handed over until the brewery has usable, accurate documentation.

Step 4: Test Pumps, Valves and Instruments with Water

Before using wort or cleaning chemicals, perform the applicable functional checks with water under a controlled test plan.

Confirm:

• Pumps run in the correct direction.

• Pumps start and stop from the specified controls.

• Flow travels through the intended route.

• Valves open and close as commanded.

• Valve-position feedback is correct where fitted.

• Flowmeters display sensible values.

• Temperature sensors identify the correct vessels.

• Level and pressure signals display correctly.

• Leaks are identified and corrected.

The team should also test expected failure responses. For example, if a pump is designed to stop when a receiving vessel reaches a defined level, that interlock should be demonstrated under a safe test condition.

Do not assume that a successful control-panel simulation during FAT proves every field-installed component has been wired and connected correctly.

Step 5: Commission the PLC and HMI on the Installed System

For an automated 10HL brewery, controls are not “commissioned” merely because the HMI turns on.

The commissioning team should check the agreed functions on the actual installed equipment:

• Manual and automatic operating modes

• Recipe creation and selection

• Multi-step mash temperature control

• Pump commands

• Pneumatic valve sequences

• Flowmeter display and relevant control functions

• Temperature setpoints

• Alarm messages and alarm history

• Trend or process-curve recording

• Data logging

• User permissions

• Safe recovery after an interruption

Test automatic sequences carefully

Where practical, run sequences first with water and controlled operating conditions. Confirm that the intended valve opens, the correct pump starts, the expected sensor is read and the sequence stops safely if a required condition is not met.

If future tank-control positions were included in the order, verify what was installed and document which functions remain inactive until the future tanks are added.

For overseas projects, remote access should also be tested and documented, including authorization and access-control arrangements.

Step 6: Validate Heating and Hot Liquor Performance

A 10HL brewhouse designed for two brews per day depends heavily on its heating and hot-water recovery performance.

Under agreed test conditions, record relevant values such as:

• Starting and target water temperatures

• Heat-up time

• Steam pressure or electrical demand, as applicable

• Hot liquor tank recovery behavior

• Temperature-control response

• Safety shutdown behavior

The results should be compared with the contractual performance assumptions. If those assumptions did not specify starting water temperature, ambient conditions or simultaneous demand, resolve that gap before interpreting the result as a pass or failure.

A test performed with water provides useful evidence of heating performance. It is not identical to a production boil, which should be evaluated during a supervised brew where required.

Step 7: Check Wort Cooling and Cold Liquor Recovery

For a two-brew-per-day project, wort cooling must work not only for the first batch but also within the timing required for the second.

The commissioning plan should identify:

• Target wort volume

• Inlet and outlet temperatures

• Target transfer rate

• Cooling-water conditions

• Cold liquor starting conditions

• Glycol conditions

• Recovery time between transfers

Some performance can be checked with water, but final confirmation of the agreed wort-cooling result may require a supervised production test.

Do not judge the system solely by chiller horsepower. The result depends on the complete arrangement of the plate heat exchanger, incoming water, cold liquor storage, glycol system and site conditions.

Step 8: Test Fermenter and Bright Beer Tank Controls

For each fermenter and bright beer tank, verify:

• Tank identification on the HMI

• Temperature-sensor reading

• Glycol valve operation

• Cooling response

• Alarm behavior

• Pressure-related instruments and accessories as specified

• Sample-valve and CIP-connection accessibility

• Correct assignment of any tank-control recipes or setpoints

Pressure equipment should be operated within its approved design limits and in accordance with the applicable manuals and local requirements. Pressure-related checks and safety devices require the appropriate qualified personnel and documented procedures.

A simple but important test is to confirm that a command for FV-03 actually operates the cooling valve and reads the sensor belonging to FV-03. Point-identification errors can cause difficult-to-diagnose fermentation problems after startup.

Step 9: Commission the CIP System Before Cleaning Production Equipment

A CIP system must be operational before the brewery can establish reliable cleaning procedures.

Verify the agreed equipment and functions, including:

• Caustic, acid/disinfection and recovery tanks

• CIP pump

• Heating control

• Level indications and protections

• Supply and return paths

• Drain routing

• Valve positions

• Temperature display

• Safety interlocks

Then establish and approve site-specific cleaning procedures using:

• Equipment manufacturer instructions

• Chemical supplier instructions

• Brewery hygiene requirements

• Appropriate safety procedures

• Verification methods

A successful water-routing test is not proof that every tank has been hygienically cleaned. Cleaning effectiveness should be verified through the brewery’s approved inspection and hygiene-monitoring program.

Step 10: Conduct a Supervised Trial Brew

After installation checks and water-based testing are complete, conduct a supervised brew under a written test plan.

A trial brew can help verify the complete operational chain:

1. Malt handling

2. Mashing

3. Lautering

4. Kettle operation

5. Whirlpooling

6. Wort cooling

7. Transfer to the designated fermenter

8. Process data recording

9. Cleaning and reset

Record operating observations and deviations rather than relying on “the first brew went well” as the sole acceptance statement.

If the contract requires two brews per day

The test plan should define:

• Whether both 10HL batches must reach fermenters on the same day

• How batch volume is measured

• Recipe assumptions

• Available operators

• Start and completion times

• Cleaning time

• Required utility conditions

• Permitted interruptions

A two-brew performance claim should be judged against these agreed criteria—not against an informal demonstration under unspecified conditions.

Step 11: Train Operators on Normal Operation and Abnormal Conditions

Training should prepare the brewery team to run and maintain the system after visiting technicians leave.

A useful training plan includes:

• Startup and shutdown

• Manual versus automatic modes

• Recipe changes

• Valve and pump operation

• Alarm interpretation

• Emergency stops

• CIP operation

• Basic maintenance

• Routine inspections

• Troubleshooting and escalation

• Remote-support procedures

• Spare-parts identification

Ask the trainer to use the final installed system and its as-built documents. Where possible, have operators demonstrate key tasks back to the commissioning team. That is a better measure of training effectiveness than attendance alone.

Step 12: Close Issues and Complete the Handover Package

Not every minor issue must necessarily prevent handover, but the status of every issue should be clear.

Maintain an open-item list showing:

• Item number

• Equipment tag

• Description

• Operational or safety impact

• Responsible party

• Corrective action

• Retest requirement

• Target completion date

• Closure evidence

Safety-critical or production-blocking items should be resolved before the affected equipment is released for use. Any other outstanding work should be expressly agreed by the buyer and supplier.

The final handover package may include:

• Signed commissioning and SAT records

• Updated as-built drawings and P&ID

• Electrical drawings

• Equipment manuals

• Maintenance instructions

• Applicable certificates and test records

• PLC/HMI backup arrangements, as agreed

• Spare-parts list

• Training records

• Warranty and support contacts

• Open-item closure plan

Sample Site Acceptance Checklist for a 10HL Brewery

The exact acceptance criteria should be specified in the purchase agreement or approved commissioning plan. “Pass” should be supported by a recorded observation, measurement or signed test result.

Who Is Responsible for What?

One of the most useful additions to a brewery contract is a responsibility matrix.

This is an example, not a default allocation of legal responsibility. The final division of work must be agreed for the project and destination country.

How CASSMAN Supports International Brewery Startups

CASSMAN supplies brewery equipment and supports international projects with engineering drawings, installation guidance, commissioning and training arrangements according to the agreed project scope.

For a new 10HL brewery, early coordination is especially important. Before installation begins, the buyer and CASSMAN project team should align on:

• Approved layout and P&ID

• Site utility conditions

• Scope of local contractors

• Technician travel and site-readiness dates

• FAT open items

• Commissioning procedures

• Training needs

• SAT acceptance criteria

You can explore project examples on the CASSMAN Case Studies page and find related planning guidance in the CASSMAN Blog.

Final Thoughts

The first brew is an important milestone, but it should not be the first time the installed brewery is tested as a complete system.

A disciplined commissioning program moves in stages:

Confirm the site → inspect installation → verify utilities → test with water → commission controls and cellar systems → establish cleaning procedures → brew under supervision → document acceptance.

That approach helps protect the buyer’s investment, reduces avoidable startup delays and gives brewery operators a more reliable foundation for production.

FAQ: Brewery Installation and Commissioning

How long does it take to commission a 10HL brewery?

The duration depends on equipment scope, automation complexity, site readiness, local contractor work and the agreed trial-brew requirements. Ask the supplier to provide an estimated technician count and schedule after reviewing the installation scope and utility readiness. A generic duration may not reflect your site.

Is commissioning included in a brewery equipment quotation?

Not always. Some quotations cover equipment supply only; others include remote guidance, on-site supervision, control-system commissioning or operator training. Request an itemized service scope showing technician numbers, estimated days, travel costs and buyer responsibilities.

Can I commission a brewery without the manufacturer on site?

Some projects use qualified local contractors supported remotely by the manufacturer. Whether that is appropriate depends on system complexity, controls, local capability and contract terms. Define who will perform testing and sign off each system before choosing this approach.

Does passing FAT mean the brewery is ready to operate?

No. FAT checks equipment and functions that can be tested before shipment. Site utilities, field connections, complete process performance and operator training require commissioning and, where agreed, SAT.

What is the difference between a trial brew and SAT?

A trial brew is an operating test using brewing materials. SAT is the contractually defined site acceptance process. A trial brew may form part of SAT, but SAT can also include utility measurements, safety checks, documentation and training.

How can I verify a “two 10HL brews per day” claim?

Agree in advance on batch-volume definition, recipes, staffing, utility conditions, brew-day duration and the completion point for both batches. Then record performance during an agreed on-site test.

Can CASSMAN support installation and operator training?

CASSMAN can discuss installation guidance, commissioning and training as part of a project-specific proposal. Confirm the exact scope, technician count, duration and responsibilities in the quotation and contract.

Plan Your Brewery Startup Before the Equipment Ships

Building or expanding a craft brewery? Share your equipment list, site layout, utility information and target production schedule with CASSMAN.

Contact CASSMAN to discuss an installation, commissioning and training scope tailored to your brewery project.