Ask The Brewmasters

We're considering options for a centrifuge purchase and I'd like to get some feedback from folks using a couple of them. We're a 10,000 bbl/year production brewery whose flagship brand is a west coast IPA dryhopped rather modestly at 2.2#/bbl. Our second and third biggest brands are lagers fermented with 34/70. We're considering the following:

1. Alfa Laval Brew 80
2. Andritz ArtBrew41 Advanced 

The Brew 80 is a smaller unit than the ArtBrew but from my conversations with a couple users producing similar beers it's a good fit for our size (and budget). The ArtBrew would theoretically be the better buy if the cost wasn't considerably more than the Brew 80. It's larger and faster, which is fabulous, but the added cost of the machine itself (and it's lacking of an automated carbonation unit--the Brew 80 comes with a ProCarb unit) makes it less attractive to us currently.

I'd be especially interested in hearing from a brewery using the ArtBrew 41 as I've so far spoken with only one owner of that machine. What's your experience with it from a functionality standpoint, mechanical durability, customer service, etc.? I'd love to know.

Thanks for any feedback!

Hey Dave,

Cool project! I am interested to hear that Andritz is offering units in the U.S. again as I was under the impression they had sold the beer separator division back to Frautech. We have an older Andrtiz CA-71 (2014) that we purchased lightly used and have been running since 2015-2016. We push it hard and see good results though it is a bit undersized at this point. We can't speak to the newer models but can speak to our unit and our brewery manager Tyler has worked extensively on Alfas. 

Overall we see great output from the Andrtiz.  Here are some of our takeaways, but granted this is our older unit. 

• We regularly see 0-5ppb pickup across the separator. We run a Bucher Denwel carbonator on the end of our unit and it works great and we easily hit co2 target everytime. 
• Our interface is fairly manual. Operators need to be pretty savvy and adjust pressure, speed, discharge intervals, etc throughout a run based on conditions. 
• We spin tank bottoms of non-DH beer but cannot process a tank bottom from a DH tank. Further, we fine all DH ales prior to the spin for best results. 
• Yields (% of cast wort): Lagers - 90-92%; Bright DH Ales - 80-82%; Hazy DH Ales - 82-83%. Thus far we almost exclusively use T-90s for DH
• Clarity: DH ales - 5-8 FNU; Lagers - 2-3 FNU after polishing through lenticular. 
• For best results you need to run de-aerated water (DAW) to the separator. We have a DAW skid and tank primarily for this purpose. That will add a lot of cost to the project. The Alfa does not require DAW. 
• There is (was?) no dedicated Andrtiz service in the U.S. We work with a 3rd party contractor for our major service and for parts (Spin Clear LLC). My understanding is he is the only one in the U.S. working on these units. That said, if Andrtiz is shipping beer separators back to the US that might have changed. If you know different, please let me know!
• The unit is very loud. The newer Alfas are quite quiet. Something to take into consideration if space is tight - the cellar where our separator is located is earpro required when running (most days) and creates a lousy work environment in that area of the brewery.

There are not many Andrtiz units running in the US relative to Alfas. We created an email list for the 4-5 breweries we know of to talk shop, but you may want to take that into consideration too. 

Give me a call if you want to chat more. I'd love to hear if there is an alternate service option in the US. We've been happy with Spin Clear, but am always nervous when we rely on only one person. I can also connect you with our Brewery Manager and he is an Alfa savant. 

We're considering options for a centrifuge purchase and I'd like to get some feedback from folks using a couple of them. We're a 10,000 bbl/year production brewery whose flagship brand is a west coast IPA dryhopped rather modestly at 2.2#/bbl. Our second and third biggest brands are lagers fermented with 34/70. We're considering the following:

1. Alfa Laval Brew 80
2. Andritz ArtBrew41 Advanced 

The Brew 80 is a smaller unit than the ArtBrew but from my conversations with a couple users producing similar beers it's a good fit for our size (and budget). The ArtBrew would theoretically be the better buy if the cost wasn't considerably more than the Brew 80. It's larger and faster, which is fabulous, but the added cost of the machine itself (and it's lacking of an automated carbonation unit--the Brew 80 comes with a ProCarb unit) makes it less attractive to us currently.

I'd be especially interested in hearing from a brewery using the ArtBrew 41 as I've so far spoken with only one owner of that machine. What's your experience with it from a functionality standpoint, mechanical durability, customer service, etc.? I'd love to know.

Thanks for any feedback!

We're considering options for a centrifuge purchase and I'd like to get some feedback from folks using a couple of them. We're a 10,000 bbl/year production brewery whose flagship brand is a west coast IPA dryhopped rather modestly at 2.2#/bbl. Our second and third biggest brands are lagers fermented with 34/70. We're considering the following:

1. Alfa Laval Brew 80
2. Andritz ArtBrew41 Advanced 

The Brew 80 is a smaller unit than the ArtBrew but from my conversations with a couple users producing similar beers it's a good fit for our size (and budget). The ArtBrew would theoretically be the better buy if the cost wasn't considerably more than the Brew 80. It's larger and faster, which is fabulous, but the added cost of the machine itself (and it's lacking of an automated carbonation unit--the Brew 80 comes with a ProCarb unit) makes it less attractive to us currently.

I'd be especially interested in hearing from a brewery using the ArtBrew 41 as I've so far spoken with only one owner of that machine. What's your experience with it from a functionality standpoint, mechanical durability, customer service, etc.? I'd love to know.

Thanks for any feedback!