Author: Henry Chen Publish Time: 2026-04-24 Origin: Cassman
When the installation team from Cassman touched down in the UK last month, they weren't just delivering equipment—they were delivering a complete craft beer production line that had been 18 months in the making.
The client, a new craft brewery in southern England, had approached us with an ambitious goal: a full turnkey operation capable of producing 1500L batches, packaged in cans, and ready for regional distribution. What followed was a textbook example of what "turnkey" actually means when you're shipping 40+ tons of stainless steel across continents.
This wasn't a piecemeal order. The client needed a complete production ecosystem:
Equipment | Quantity | Capacity |
3-Vessel Brewhouse | 1 set | 1500L |
Hot Liquor Tank | 1 unit | 1500L |
Fermentation Tanks | 8 units | 1500L each |
Canning Line | 1 set | - |
Liquid Nitrogen Dosing Machine | 1 unit | - |
CASK Barrel Washer | 1 unit | - |
Heating Method: Steam-heated throughout—a decision that would shape everything from utility requirements to installation logistics.
The client had considered direct electric heating initially. After reviewing their production targets and energy costs, we recommended steam heating for three reasons:
Consistent heat distribution across the 1500L brewhouse mash tun and kettle
Lower operational costs at their projected batch frequency (4-5 brews per week)
Scalability—if they expand to 3000L later, the same boiler infrastructure applies
The brewhouse system uses a 3-vessel configuration: mash/lauter tun, kettle/whirlpool, and a dedicated hot liquor tank. This layout allows for back-to-back brewing cycles, which was essential for the client's production timeline.
Here's what most people don't realize about commissioning a brewery overseas: the equipment is the easy part.
The Cassman team spent two weeks on-site handling:
Utility connections — Steam lines, water inlet/outlet, drainage, electrical panels
CIP system integration — The fermentation tanks are connected to a centralized clean-in-place system
Control panel calibration — Each fermentation tank has individual temperature control, and the PLC system needed to communicate with the central HMI
Canning line synchronization — The liquid nitrogen dosing machine had to be timed precisely with the can filler to achieve proper headspace
We also discovered an unexpected challenge: the brewery floor had a slight slope that wasn't accounted for in the original site survey. The fermentation tanks required leveling adjustments to ensure proper drainage. It was a small detail, but one that could have caused major issues down the line if left unaddressed.
For those evaluating similar projects, here's what this installation involved:
Metric | Value |
Total Equipment Weight | 42 tons |
Shipping Containers | 3 x 40ft |
Installation Duration | 14 days |
On-Site Team | 3 engineers |
Commissioning Tests | 3 brew cycles |
The first test batch was a standard pale ale—chosen specifically because it's forgiving during fermentation and would highlight any process issues. It ran clean. The second and third batches were the client's house recipes: an IPA and a stout.
The canning line and liquid nitrogen dosing machine were commissioned after the brewing equipment stabilized. Liquid nitrogen dosing is increasingly common in craft beer canning—it displaces oxygen in the can headspace before seaming, which extends shelf life and preserves hop aroma.
The CASK barrel washer rounds out the packaging capability. For UK breweries, cask-conditioned ale remains a significant market segment, and this equipment allows the client to serve both packaged (can) and traditional (cask) channels.
Having commissioned similar systems in Georgia and France, I've learned a few things that apply to any international brewery installation:
1. Site surveys matter more than you think. That floor slope issue? It cost us half a day to fix. A more detailed survey would have caught it.
2. Steam heating isn't universal. Not every jurisdiction allows the same boiler configurations. We worked with a local UK contractor for boiler certification because the regulations differ from what we typically see in Eastern Europe.
3. Spare parts planning. We included a spare parts kit covering critical components—seals, gaskets, heating elements. For a UK client, waiting for parts from China during peak production season isn't acceptable.
The brewery is now in full production. Their initial target is 200HL per month, with plans to double that within 18 months. The 8 x 1500L fermentation tanks give them flexibility—they can run multiple beer styles simultaneously without cross-contamination concerns.
The steam infrastructure we installed can support a future expansion to 3000L brewhouse capacity without major modifications.
Cassman Machinery has been designing and manufacturing brewery equipment since 2012. We've commissioned systems ranging from 200L brewpub setups to 10,000L industrial breweries across 30+ countries.
For breweries evaluating turnkey solutions, the real question is: what happens after the equipment arrives? That's where the work actually starts.
Contact Cassman to discuss your brewery project requirements.
Author: Henry Chen, CEO, Jinan Cassman Machinery Co., Ltd.
