Energy-efficient beer brewing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for producing beer, said method comprising the following steps: carrying out a mashing process in a mash vessel using recuperatively obtained thermal energy with the aid of a heat transfer medium supplied from an energy storage tank; discharging mash out of the mash vessel into a solid-liquid separating device in order to obtain a lauter wort; heating the lauter wort with the aid of a lauter wort heater using recuperatively obtained thermal energy with the aid of a heat transfer medium supplied from the energy storage tank; introducing the heated lauter wort into a wort copper; boiling the introduced lauter wort / keeping same hot in the wort copper with the aid of a wort boiler with a total evaporation of less than 3.5% in order to obtain a hot wort; precipitating vapours with the aid of a copper vapour condenser with the aid of a heat transfer medium supplied from the energy storage tank and supplying a heat transfer medium heated in the copper vapour condenser to the energy storage tank; discharging the wort out of the wort copper into a hot trub separator; discharging the wort, after the hot trub separation, out of the hot trub separator into a wort cooler and cooling the wort in the wort cooler with the aid of a wort cooler heat exchanger. The recuperatively obtained thermal energy is obtained with the aid of the wort cooler heat exchanger and the copper vapour condenser.

Description

[0001] Energy-efficient beer brewing

[0002] Field of the invention

[0003] The present invention relates to the technical field of beer brewing, in particular beer brewing with a very high energy efficiency.

[0004] State of the art

[0005] A significant cost factor in beer production is the energy consumption of various heating and cooling processes. In particular, providing the required peak load, i.e., the short-term maximum demand for thermal energy by a consumer, is very cost-intensive. Various approaches to energy recovery are known in the state of the art. However, energy recovery devices are often complex and cost-intensive, so their respective use must be carefully considered. In particular, there is a misconception that energy recovery with a total evaporation of the wort in the wort kettle of less than 4% is not profitable if a heat swing is provided between a kettle vapor condenser, a lauter wort heater, and an intermediate energy storage system.

[0006] In view of the described prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide techniques for the production of beer with improved energy management in a brewery, in particular in the brewhouse, by means of which, in particular, a reduction of CO2 emissions from fossil energy sources can be achieved through a profitable recuperative energy supply.

[0007] Description of the invention

[0008] The above-mentioned object is achieved by a method for producing beer, which comprises the following steps: carrying out a mashing process in a mash vessel using recuperatively obtained thermal energy with the aid of a heat carrier supplied by an energy storage tank (for example (hot) water, in particular heating water);

[0009] Discharge of mash from the mash vessel into a solid-liquid separation device to obtain a lauter wort;

[0010] Heating the lauter wort using a lauter wort heater using recuperatively obtained thermal energy using a heat carrier supplied by the energy storage tank (for example (hot) water, in particular heating water);

[0011] Introducing the heated lauter wort into a wort kettle;

[0012] Boiling / keeping hot (depending on the temperature of the introduced lauter wort, this is brought to boiling temperature in the wort kettle and boiled (i.e. evaporated) or kept at that temperature) of the introduced lauter wort into the wort kettle (here and in the following, for reasons of simplicity, no distinction is made between the introduced lauter wort and the introduced lauter wort mixed with hops and, if applicable, other additives) and in the wort kettle using a wort boiler (wort heat holder) with a total evaporation of less than 3.5% (per brew) in order to obtain a cast wort;

[0013] Precipitating vapors using a pan vapor condenser using a heat carrier supplied from the energy storage tank and supplying a heat carrier heated in the pan vapor condenser to the energy storage tank;

[0014] Discharge of the wort from the wort kettle into a hot wort separator;

[0015] Discharge of the wort after hot break separation from the hot break separator (for example directly or optionally via a wort stripping device for the purpose of removing undesirable aroma substances such as dimethyl sulfide) into a wort cooler; and

[0016] The wort is cooled in the wort cooler using a wort cooler heat exchanger (e.g., the first wort cooler heat exchanger of a two-stage wort cooler). The recovered thermal energy is temporarily stored in the energy storage tank until it is used in the heat transfer medium (e.g., water or thermal oil). The recovered thermal energy is recovered using the wort cooler heat exchanger and the pan vapor condenser.

[0017] By combining the use of recuperatively recovered thermal energy and wort boiling / holding with a total evaporation of less than 3.5% (per brew), in particular less than 3% or less than 2.5%, for example with a total evaporation of 2% or even only 1.5% or 1%, for example in the range of 3.5% to 2%, 1.5% or 1%, energy management in the brewhouse can be optimized. Here and below, total evaporation is defined according to DIN 8777. Both peak loads for a high-temperature energy source that supplies the wort boiler with energy and specific high-temperature energy consumption can be reduced by about half compared to conventional techniques, whereby CIP or cleaning processes are not taken into account (see also detailed description below).

[0018] High-temperature energy refers to heat provided in the form of hot water at a minimum temperature of 110°C or steam. This high-temperature energy or heat can be generated or supplied in a variety of ways, such as from primary energy sources (oil, gas), biogas, district heating, solar thermal energy, heat pumps, combined heat and power plants, or similar.

[0019] To optimize energy management, it may be advantageous to carry out the mashing process using an infusion mashing process, for example, with high mashing temperatures (as a high-short mashing process) or a decoction mashing process (also a high-short mashing process). It may also be advantageous to provide the solid-liquid separation device in the form of a mash filter to optimize high-temperature energy consumption within the context of energy management, especially in the context of Highest Gravity Brewing within the brewhouse (see below).

[0020] For efficient, profitable use of the heat swing between the pan vapor condenser, the lauter wort heater and the energy storage tank or between the wort cooler, energy storage tank and mash tun, it can be advantageous for the energy storage tank to supply all heat consumers in the brewhouse, apart from the wort boiler, with at least 80% or 90%, in particular 100%, with a heat transfer medium (e.g. hot water) at a temperature of at least 75 °C, in particular at least 78 °C or 96 °C to 98 °C. It can be advantageous for the energy storage tank to also supply other (as many as possible) heat consumers in the brewery outside the brewhouse with a heat transfer medium (e.g. hot water) for heating purposes.

[0021] When using a pressure tank and temperatures of 115 °C to 120 °C, the wort boiler / wort hot holder can also be supplied via the energy storage tank.

[0022] In particular, the energy storage tank can serve as the sole supplier of hot water to supply heat in the brewhouse, and thus a large amount of recuperatively generated energy can be temporarily stored in the energy storage tank in order to fully supply the heat consumers with a heat carrier (e.g. hot water).

[0023] According to a further development, the lauter wort is heated using the lauter wort heater and high-temperature energy transferred from a lauter wort heater booster. The recuperatively recovered thermal energy provided by the energy storage tank is generally insufficient to heat the lauter wort to boiling temperature before it is introduced into the wort kettle. Therefore, if it is desired to introduce the lauter wort into the wort kettle at (almost) boiling temperature, the lauter wort heater booster can be provided, but it must be operated with a high-temperature energy source. The lauter wort heater booster can also be supplied with heat transfer medium, such as hot water, heated by the kettle vapor condenser and temporarily stored in the energy storage tank.

[0024] According to a further development, the recuperatively obtained thermal energy can be increased by means of a wort cooler return booster operated with high-temperature energy in order to be able to temporarily store a heat carrier (e.g. hot water) at a relatively very high temperature, for example approximately 2 Kelvin below the atmospheric boiling temperature, in the energy storage tank.

[0025] According to a further development, the method comprises supplying thermal energy obtained with the aid of the lauter wort heater booster and / or the wort cooler return booster to the wort boiler. The lauter wort heater booster and the wort cooler return booster can each be directly connected to the energy storage tank via bypass controls to temporarily store the thermal energy there. If thermal energy is supplied to the wort boiler by the lauter wort heater booster or the wort cooler return booster, the lauter wort heater booster is particularly suitable due to its greater power.

[0026] To minimize peak loads on the high-temperature energy source, it is recommended to maximize the transfer time—that is, the transfer time of the lauter wort from the first-shot vessel via the lauter wort heater into the wort kettle, i.e., the design and thus the occupancy time of the lauter wort heater—to 30 minutes or more, for example. As long as the transfer time of the lauter wort does not negatively impact the occupancy time of the wort kettle, the time can be as long as possible. The occupancy time of the individual units in the brewhouse must be within the time corresponding to the brewhouse design (e.g., with 12 worts per 24 hours, the occupancy per unit must not exceed 120 minutes). Peak loads can be reduced by deliberately exploiting the available time windows.In addition, to reduce peak loads on the high-temperature energy source, parallel supply of the booster for the lauter wort heater and the wort boiling system should be excluded. To ensure consistent energy consumption while largely avoiding peak loads, it can be specifically planned that the lauter wort heating using the lauter wort heater booster does not occur simultaneously with wort boiling / keeping, i.e., the lauter wort heater booster and the wort boiling system are not operated simultaneously.

[0027] Assuming that the high-temperature supply to the wort boiling system lasts for at least 60 minutes – up to 70 or 75 minutes of boiling time – this results in a constant utilization of the high-temperature energy source for at least 90 minutes up to 105 minutes, which, with a cycle time of 120 minutes, already covers at least 75% to 87%. This represents a significant reduction in peak load. This means that the size (power) of the high-temperature energy source does not need to be greater than the high-temperature energy demand of the wort boiling system. Ideally, reducing total evaporation from 4% to, say, 2% will halve the peak load. The high-temperature energy source should therefore be no larger than half the size of what it would be in comparable operation with a total evaporation of 4%.

[0028] The smaller the power of the high-temperature energy source, the easier it is to achieve low heating medium temperatures of 115 °C or 120 °C or lower when using water as the heating medium.

[0029] If the aforementioned lauter wort heater boosters and wort cooler return boosters are not available, only the wort boiler requires a high-temperature energy supply. A suitable high-temperature energy source can be provided in the form of a hot water boiler (providing hot water at a maximum temperature of 120 °C) or a steam boiler.

[0030] To further reduce high-temperature energy consumption, high-gravity brewing with a relatively high wort concentration or highest-gravity brewing can be carried out within the brewhouse. For example, the lauter wort in high-gravity brewing can have a wort concentration of at least 16 Plato, and in high-gravity brewing within the brewhouse, at least 18 Plato, preferably at least 20 Plato. Dilution of the wort in high-gravity brewing to pitching concentration (high-gravity concentration of, for example, 16 Plato) is preferably done at the wort chiller with warm water.

[0031] According to another example, the boil volume can be reduced while maintaining the same extract input (extract added through raw materials). The amount of sparge used can also be increased. The higher proportion of sparge can be recycled for mashing in a subsequent brew. In particular, the sparge can optionally be temporarily stored in a container, the so-called sparge tank, and reused, particularly for mashing (it can also be used as sparging water). According to this example, the extract input and the extract output (amount of extract in the cold wort) remain the same compared to regular wort production or worts produced using high gravity brewing. Only a smaller boil volume (volume) at a higher concentration is processed for boiling, which reduces the required use of thermal energy.

[0032] Furthermore, the method according to any of the examples described above may comprise performing wort stripping in a wort stripping device after hot trub separation. Alternatively, wort stripping may be performed by flowing a gas, such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, through openings in the lower region of the wort kettle during wort boiling / wort holding.

[0033] The overall energy management in the beer brewing process, as described above, can be further optimized by incorporating the cleaning processes (CIP processes - cleaning-in-place processes) required in the brewery. Traditionally, all vessels (e.g., mash tun, wort kettle, whirlpool, lauter tun, mash filter, lauter wort heater, tanks such as foreshot tank, smooth water tank, trub tank, etc.) in the brewhouse are cleaned using hot liquor heated to a temperature of approximately 80°C to 85°C. The hot liquor is rinsed using warm water at a temperature of approximately 80°C. The resulting warm, slightly alkaline water (batch water) is used for pre-rinsing in a subsequent CIP process.

[0034] In contrast to this conventional vessel cleaning, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a vessel is cleaned in the brewhouse (possibly with the exception of the mash filter, see description below) after its actual use in the brewing process using a lye, in particular a warm lye that has been heated to a temperature of only approximately 60°C to 70°C (here and below, the warm lye can, for example, have a temperature of at least 35°C), and the rinsing of the lye with cold water (e.g. from the water supply, the well, the spring) at a temperature of approximately 10°C to 30°C, i.e. at the given temperature of the available cold water. Accordingly, by rinsing the lye, warmed batch water is obtained, which can be used for pre-rinsing in a subsequent CIP process.In the prior art, there was a prejudice that sufficient rinsing of the lye could only be achieved with significantly hotter, i.e., warm water. However, since the vessels (and also pipes; see also the description below), with the exception of the mash filter, are made of stainless steel, the cold water used for rinsing is heated by the heat previously supplied by the warm lye, which is stored as residual heat in the vessel material, to such an extent that sufficient rinsing of the lye can also be achieved with the cold water introduced as rinsing water. This advantageously saves heat energy for providing the rinsing water. Furthermore, heat energy can be saved because the cleaning lye is heated to a lower temperature compared to the prior art.

[0035] If the mash filter is made of materials that are sufficiently resistant to large temperature fluctuations, the CIP process steps described above can also be carried out for a mash filter. In general, however, a mash filter has essential components, such as membrane and filter plates, made of a material that is not as resistant, such as a plastic material. In this case, the mash filter can be cleaned with a warm lye heated to a maximum temperature of approximately 60°C to 70°C, whereas the prior art uses a hot lye heated to a temperature of approximately 80°C to 85°C. Likewise, warm water with a maximum temperature of approximately 60°C to 70°C can be used to rinse out the lye, whereas the prior art uses hotter warm water with a temperature of approximately 80°C.This also allows a mash filter to be cleaned in a more energy-efficient manner than is known in the state of the art, as the filter does not allow the change from warm lye to cold water described above due to its material properties.

[0036] In addition to the vessels, the pipes also require cleaning. These pipes are typically also made of stainless steel. Traditionally, all pipes (in the brewhouse as well as in the cellar) are cleaned using hot brine heated to a temperature of approximately 80°C to 85°C. The hot brine is rinsed out of the pipes using warm water at a temperature of approximately 80°C. According to one embodiment, pipes (in the brewhouse as well as in the cellar) are cleaned using warm brine at a maximum temperature of only approximately 60°C to 70°C, and the warm brine or hot brine is rinsed out with cold water at a temperature of approximately 10°C to 30°C. This advantageously saves heat energy for providing the rinsing water and eliminates the need for heating the cleaning brine compared to the prior art.Only lines located in the wort cooler area and in the wider cold area of ​​the production process are cleaned and sterilized with a hot liquor heated to a temperature of approximately 80°C to 85°C. However, this hot liquor can also be rinsed out using cold water at a temperature of approximately 10°C to 30°C. Thus, the process for producing beer according to the examples described above can comprise the steps of cleaning at least one of the mash vessel, the wort kettle, the kettle vapor condenser, and optionally the solid-liquid separation device (unless designed as a mash filter) using a liquor, in particular a warm liquor with a maximum temperature of approximately 60°C to 70°C, and rinsing the liquor with cold water at a temperature of approximately 10°C to 30°C.Alternatively or additionally, the method for producing beer according to the examples described above may comprise the steps of cleaning lines, in particular at least one line fluidly connected to the mash vessel or the wort kettle, using a warm liquor having a temperature of approximately 60°C to 70°C at most and rinsing the warm liquor with cold water having a temperature of approximately 10°C to 30°C.

[0037] Furthermore, all tanks in the cold area of ​​the brewery used to carry out the beer brewing process, i.e. fermentation tanks, storage tanks and in particular yeast tanks, can be cleaned using cold liquor with a temperature of approximately 10 °C to 30 °C and cold water with a temperature of approximately 10 °C to 30 °C to rinse out the cold liquor.

[0038] Furthermore, a method for cleaning devices in a brewery is provided. The method comprises the steps of cleaning at least one container in the brewery's brewhouse and / or at least one line of the brewery with a lye, in particular a warm lye with a maximum temperature of approximately 60°C to 70°C, and rinsing the lye with cold water with a temperature of approximately 10°C to 30°C. Alternatively or additionally, the method comprises cleaning all tanks in the cold area of ​​the brewery, in particular a fermentation tank, storage tank, and yeast tank, using cold lye with a temperature of approximately 10°C to 30°C and rinsing the cold lye with cold water with a temperature of approximately 10°C to 30°C.

[0039] The above-mentioned object is also achieved by using a plant for brewing beer, the plant comprising: an energy storage tank; a mash vessel designed to carry out a mashing process (for example in the form of an infusion mashing process, for example with high mashing temperatures as a high-short mashing process, or in the form of a decoction mashing process, also as a high-short mashing process) using recuperatively obtained thermal energy with the aid of a heat carrier supplied by the energy storage tank (for example hot water, in particular for heating purposes); a solid-liquid separation device designed to provide a lauter wort; a lauter wort heater designed to heat the lauter wort using recuperatively obtained thermal energy with the aid of a heat carrier supplied by the energy storage tank (for example hot water, in particular for heating purposes); a wort kettle;a wort boiler designed to boil / keep hot the lauter wort introduced into the wort kettle with a total evaporation of less than 3.5% (per brew), in particular less than 3% or less than 2.5%, for example with a total evaporation of 2% or even only 1.5% or 1%, for example in the range of 3.5% to 2%, 1.5% or 1%, in order to obtain a cast wort; a pan vapor condenser designed to precipitate vapors using a heat carrier (for example hot water) supplied by the energy storage tank; a device designed to supply a heat carrier (for example hot water) heated in the pan vapor condenser to the energy storage tank; a hot trub separator; and a wort cooler with a wort cooler heat exchanger (for example, a first wort cooler heat exchanger of a two-stage wort cooler);and wherein the wort cooler heat exchanger and the pan vapor condenser are designed to provide the recuperatively obtained thermal energy.;

[0040] According to further developments, the system can be used to carry out the steps described above according to further developments of the method according to the invention for producing beer.

[0041] The above-mentioned object is also achieved by providing a plant for brewing beer, the plant comprising: an energy storage tank (for storing a heat carrier, for example hot water); a mash vessel designed to carry out an infusion mashing process (for example with high mashing temperatures (as a high-short mashing process)) or a decoction mashing process, also as a high-short mashing process); a solid-liquid separation device designed to provide a lauter wort; a lauter wort heater designed to heat the lauter wort; a wort kettle; a wort boiler designed to boil / keep hot the lauter wort introduced into the wort kettle in the wort kettle; a measuring device designed to measure evaporation of the lauter wort occurring in the wort kettle;a control device designed to control the boiling / holding hot with a total evaporation of less than 3.5% (per brew), in particular less than 3%, or less than 2.5%, for example with a total evaporation of 2% or even only 1.5% or 1%, for example in the range of 3.5% to 2%, 1.5% or 1%, on the basis of measured values ​​supplied by the measuring device, in order to obtain a cast-out wort; a pan vapor condenser designed to precipitate vapors; a hot trub separator; and a wort cooler with a wort cooler heat exchanger (for example a first wort cooler heat exchanger of a two-stage wort cooler).

[0042] The wort cooler heat exchanger and the pan vapor condenser are designed to provide recuperatively recovered thermal energy. The recuperatively recovered thermal energy is temporarily stored in the energy storage tank, i.e., the energy storage tank is accordingly connected to the wort cooler heat exchanger and the pan vapor condenser. The systems that recover energy, such as the pan vapor condenser and wort cooler, are not permanently assigned to a specific consumer; rather, their use is advantageously completely flexible. Accordingly, the energy storage tank is connected to the mash tun and the lauter wort heater. The energy storage tank can be designed to supply all heat consumers of the brewhouse, apart from the wort boiling system, with hot water at a temperature of at least 80% or 90%, in particular 100%, at least 75°C, in particular at least 96°C or 98°C.

[0043] When using a pressure storage tank and temperatures of 115 °C to 120 °C, the wort boiling system can also be supplied via the energy storage tank.

[0044] According to further developments, the process steps described above can be implemented in the system. According to further developments, the system also comprises further components as described above. In particular, the system can comprise a lauter wort heater booster connected to a high-temperature energy source of the system, the lauter wort heater, and the energy storage tank, and / or a wort cooler return booster connected to the high-temperature energy source of the system, the first wort cooler heat exchanger of the wort cooler, and the energy storage tank. Furthermore, the system can comprise a wort stripping device.

[0045] In all the embodiments described above, the frame heating surface and / or bottom heating surface of containers such as the mash tun or wort kettle can be designed as so-called pillow-plate heating surfaces. The pillow-plate heating surface has unevenness directed toward the product (i.e., toward the center of the tank). The unevenness of the heating surface is thus in contact with the product (e.g., the mash or wort). This pillow-plate heating surface has a very high k-value (heat transfer coefficient) and is therefore particularly suitable for heating media with a relatively low temperature, such as hot water with a maximum temperature of 120 °C.

[0046] Embodiments of a beer production plant according to the invention and a beer production method according to the invention are described below with reference to the drawings. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects merely illustrative and not restrictive, and various combinations of the stated features are included within the invention.

[0047] Figure 1 illustrates a beer brewing plant according to an embodiment of the present invention by means of which a beer brewing method according to an embodiment of the present invention can be carried out.

[0048] Figure 2 illustrates a beer brewing process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Techniques for brewing beer with thermal energy recovery are available that enable a significant reduction in the required high-temperature energy. Compared to conventional state-of-the-art beer brewing processes, both the peak load of a necessarily provided high-temperature energy source (e.g., a hot water boiler or steam boiler) and the specific consumption of heat or thermal energy can be reduced by approximately half (without taking CIP or cleaning processes into account) compared to conventional techniques. Conventional techniques include a brewhouse in which the mash is already heated recuperatively and a total evaporation during wort boiling of approximately 4% occurs, with the boiling system designed to deliver an evaporation coefficient of approximately 8%. Here and below, the evaporation coefficient is defined according to DIN 8777.In comparison, both the peak load of the high-temperature supply and the specific consumption are up to 50% lower than the reference value when operated according to the invention. Compared to a brewhouse in which the mashing process is not regenerative but supplied with high-temperature heat, both the peak load of the high-temperature supply and the specific consumption are up to 70% lower than the reference value when operated according to the invention.

[0050] Figure 1 shows, by way of example, a plant 100 for brewing beer (in particular a brewhouse) according to an embodiment or by means of which a method according to the invention for brewing beer, in particular for wort production, can be carried out. In the brewhouse, a beer wort is produced from starchy brewing raw materials, for example barley, malt, rice or corn, and the addition of hops, which is fermented with the addition of yeast. The brewing raw materials are usually crushed (for example in a dry grist mill, wet grist mill or hammer mill) and mixed with water to produce a mash. The plant 100 comprises a mash vessel 2 for carrying out the mashing process. The mash vessel is a container in which the mashing process is carried out. This can be, for example, a mash tun, a mash pan or mash tun pan.The first step of mashing, the so-called "mashing," in which water and (crushed / ground) raw materials are mixed, can take place in a mash tun or in an upstream mashing tank or mashing screw. When reference is made to a mash tun, this also includes multiple mash tuns, meaning that there may be several mash tuns in the system 100.

[0051] The mashing process aims, among other things, to break down starch. After the mashing process, the mash has a temperature of between 74 °C and 78 °C. This is followed by a solid-liquid separation of the mash in a mash filter 3 (alternatively, for example, in a lauter tun, rotary disc filter, or strainmaster), in which the soluble (liquid) components are separated from the insoluble components of the mash. While the insoluble components of the mash, i.e. the spent grains, are separated and used for other purposes, such as animal feed or for energy production, the separated liquid phase, the lauter wort, is fed, for example, at a temperature between 72 °C and 78 °C, to an optional buffer vessel, the so-called foreshots vessel 4, for intermediate storage.Alternatively, the lautered wort (= wort separated from the spent grains, i.e., the lauter wort) is sent directly after the solid-liquid separation to a wort boil / hold, i.e., without intermediate storage in a pre-run vessel. In this case, a lauter wort heater may also be present; however, in such a case, the lauter wort is usually brought to boiling temperature in the wort kettle or using an external boiler. If the lauter wort is brought to boiling temperature in the wort kettle, the lauter wort can be brought to boiling temperature using the wort boiler / wort heater.

[0052] In a lauter wort heater, the heat exchanger W1, the lauter wort is recuperatively heated before being fed into a wort kettle 5 for wort boiling / heating with the addition of hops (the hops can also be added during wort boiling / heating of the wort). The transfer of the lauter wort from the foreshot vessel 4 to the wort kettle 5 while being heated by the lauter wort heater W1 can, for example, take place over a period of 30 minutes. Due to this relatively long period (low lauter wort flow), the lauter wort heater W1 can be designed to be relatively small and thus cost-effective, and in particular, the peak load for operating a lauter wort heater booster W4 (see description below) can be reduced. The lauter wort heater W1 is located between the solid-liquid separation device and the wort kettle.If a pre-run vessel is present, the lauter wort heater is usually located downstream of the pre-run vessel in the direction of flow. The lauter wort heater is usually a plate heat exchanger. The lauter wort heater is usually designed as a continuous flow heater, meaning the wort is heated in a single pass during transfer from the solid-liquid separation device or the pre-run vessel to the wort kettle. It is also possible for the lauter wort in the pre-run vessel to be heated by a bottom and / or skirt heating surface or internal boiler contained within the pre-run vessel. It is also possible for the pre-run vessel to be connected to a heat exchanger located outside the vessel, with which the lauter wort in the pre-run vessel is heated in a circuit via the heat exchanger.

[0053] The wort is heated using a wort boiler (wort heat-retainer) 7, for example, for 60 minutes or more (for one brew). When referring to a wort boiler, this also includes a wort heat-retainer. External boilers and / or internal boilers can be used as wort boilers / wort heat-retainers, for example. Bottom and / or frame heating surfaces mounted in containers are also used; however, other heat exchanger surfaces can also be used. The wort boiler / wort heat-retainer 7 can, for example, be an external boiler operated with water at approximately 120°C or less. The wort boiler / wort heat-retainer 7 can be designed for an hourly wort evaporation (according to DIN 8777) of a maximum of 4%. Wort boiling and keeping hot is carried out in particular for the isomerization of the hops and sterilization of the wort, for example at temperatures between 95 °C and 110 °C.The plant 100 further comprises a pan vapor condenser 6 for precipitating the vapors.

[0054] After the wort boiling / hot holding process is complete, hot trub separation takes place, for example, in a whirlpool 8 or settling tank, a centrifuge / separator, or a filter. Furthermore, wort stripping can optionally be performed in a wort stripping container 9 to expel undesirable aromatic substances. Other wort stripping devices are also possible. For example, a ring structure with openings can be arranged in the lower area of ​​the wort kettle 5, from which a gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide flows during the wort boiling / hot holding process, thus also enabling wort stripping.

[0055] The system 100 also includes a wort cooler 10 with heat exchangers W2 and W3 for wort cooling. Wort cooling can take place, for example, over a period of 60 or 75 minutes.

[0056] Furthermore, the system 100 comprises an energy storage tank 11, which can be designed as a stratified storage tank. The energy storage tank 11 stores water / heat at different temperature levels in various sub-areas, for example, between 75°C and 98°C or -5°C and 110°C. The storage and removal of the heat transfer medium usually takes place temperature-dependently using one or more stratified charging lances. In principle, in a closed heat storage system, a heat transfer medium can always be circulated between one or more heat sources and one or more heat consumers via the energy storage tank 11. Alternatively, in an open heat storage system, water located in the "energy storage tank" 11 can be used both for heating purposes (for example, for heating the mash vessel) and for hot water consumers (for example, as mash water for mixing the raw materials and water).Particularly in an open system, the storage tanks can each have only one temperature level, for example, a storage tank with 98°C and a storage tank with 75°C hot water. The 98°C hot water can be used for heating purposes in a first step; the water used for heating, cooled to approximately 75°C, can be temporarily stored in a storage tank with 75°C hot water and used as mash water in a second step. However, for the purposes of energy optimization using a single energy storage tank 11, a closed heat storage system is preferred.

[0057] Advantageously, the energy storage tank 11 can supply all or at least approximately all (for example, at least 80%, 90%, or 100%) of the heat consumers required for the entire brewing process in the brewhouse, apart from the wort boiling, with hot water at a temperature of at least 75°C, in particular at least 78°C or 96 to 98°C. It can be advantageous for the energy storage tank to also supply other (as many as possible) heat consumers of the brewery outside the brewhouse with a heat transfer medium (for example, hot water).

[0058] In the system 100, the energy storage tank 11 serves in particular for temporarily storing recuperatively obtained thermal energy, which can be supplied, for example, to the mash vessel 2, the lauter wort heater W1, the wort cooler 10 and the pan vapor condenser 6.

[0059] The high-temperature energy required in the system 100 is provided by a high-temperature energy source 12. This high-temperature energy source 12 can be a hot water boiler (generates hot water), a steam boiler (generates steam), district heating, heat from a high-temperature heat pump, etc. Suitable primary energy sources include coal, petroleum, natural gas, or biogas. In particular, the high-temperature energy source 12 must be designed to provide a short-term peak load required in the system 100 (= a short-term peak power demand in the supply grid). From an energy perspective, it is advantageous if the high-temperature energy source 12 can be operated as continuously as possible and at a constant output, so that it only needs to supply thermal energy evenly over time with a peak load that is only slightly above the base load.

[0060] The high-temperature energy source 12 optionally feeds a lauter wort heater booster (booster heat exchanger) W4, which supplies the lauter wort heater (heat exchanger W1) with hot water, for example, at a temperature of 102°C. With the help of a lauter wort heater booster W4, the wort can thus be fed to the wort kettle 5 at boiling temperature. Furthermore, the system 100 optionally includes a wort cooler return booster (booster heat exchanger) W5, which is fed by the high-temperature energy source 12 and provides, for example, water at a temperature of 99°C for intermediate storage in the energy storage tank 11.The high-temperature energy source 12 optionally supplies a mash vessel with thermal energy for heating purposes, for example after a longer production interruption (the so-called brew break), at the beginning of the production week, or generally when no or too little recuperatively obtained thermal energy is available, or when a decoction mashing process is used in which the mash is boiled or brought to a temperature level close to the boiling temperature (boiling temperature).If the mash vessel 2 is supplied with thermal energy from the high-temperature energy source 12, then either a booster (not shown) can be arranged between the energy storage tank 11 and the mash vessel 2, which heats the recuperatively obtained heat transfer medium and that originating from the energy storage tank 12, such as water, to a higher temperature level, or individual heating surfaces (heat exchanger surfaces) in the mash vessel 2, such as a bottom heating surface or frame heating surface or internal boiler or external boiler, are connected to the high-temperature energy source 12. The main, possibly only, task of the primary energy source 12 in the brewhouse is to supply the wort boiler 7 with thermal energy.

[0061] To achieve the lowest possible consumption of high-temperature energy, it is essential to heat the mash in the mash vessel 2 at least primarily recuperatively. In particular, it can be advantageous to carry out an infusion mashing process, in particular a very short mashing process, in the mash vessel 2. In the very short infusion mashing process, the mash is heated gradually, approximately from 62°C initial mashing temperature to 76°C final mashing temperature, while maintaining rest periods with heat transfer medium supplied by the energy storage tank 11. In decoction mashing processes, the goal is also to use a very short mashing process and to reduce the proportion of high-temperature energy as much as possible by technologically adapting the mashing process, ideally to "0" - i.e., here too, to heat 100% with recuperative energy.

[0062] The thermal energy required for recuperative heating of the mash can be obtained from the wort cooler 10 via its first heat exchanger W2 and temporarily stored by the pan vapor condenser 6 and in the optional energy storage tank 11. The hot wort and the vapor produced during boiling thus serve as a recuperative energy source from which the highest possible amount of energy is to be recovered at the highest possible temperature. The amount of energy recovered depends on the temperature of the wort after the wort boiling process / wort holding process, but also on other factors such as the residence time in the whirlpool 8, the thermal insulation of the whirlpool 8 and the pipes through which the hot wort flows, and the efficiency of the wort cooler 10. The application of wort stripping (by post-evaporation) in the stripping tank 9 can also reduce the temperature of the wort before entering the wort cooler 10.If the heat transfer medium (for example water, but thermal oil would also be conceivable) does not have the desired temperature at the outlet of the wort cooler 10 (i.e. after it has been heated by the heat exchanger W2), the heat transfer medium can be brought to a higher temperature level with high-temperature energy using the wort cooler return booster W5, so that a temperature of the heat transfer medium of approximately 98 °C is reached, at which the heat transfer medium is then temporarily stored in the energy storage tank 11 for further use.

[0063] Hot water required in the brewhouse / brewery can, for example, be generated recuperatively via the wort cooler's second heat exchanger W3. Ice water, for example, at 4 °C (not shown) is supplied to heat exchanger W3, and the hot water generated in heat exchanger W3 can be fed to a hot water tank, for example (not shown).

[0064] In the system 100, the pan vapor condenser 6 represents a further recuperative energy source. The pan vapor condenser 6 is in circulation with the energy storage tank 11. For example, water at a temperature of 78°C is supplied from the energy storage tank 11 to the pan vapor condenser 6 to precipitate the vapors, whereby the water in the pan vapor condenser 6 is heated to, for example, 98°C to 100°C, so that it can subsequently be used as a heat transfer medium after intermediate storage in the energy storage tank 11 for heating various processes, such as the mash in a mash vessel 2 or the lauter wort in the lauter wort heater (heat exchanger W1) or for hot water production, for example "just in time" hot water production.

[0065] In order to achieve the most uniform possible demand for high-temperature energy and thus avoid pronounced peak loads, it may be advantageous either to supply the lauter wort heater booster W4 with water temporarily stored in the energy storage tank 11, approximately at a temperature of 98 °C, or to carry out the wort boiling by the wort boiler 7 using thermal energy supplied by the wort cooler return booster W5 or using thermal energy supplied by the lauter wort heater booster W4.

[0066] According to the invention, the wort is boiled / kept hot in the wort kettle 5 with a total evaporation (according to DIN 8777) of less than 3.5% (per brew), in particular less than 3% or less than 2.5%, for example with a total evaporation of 2% or even only 1.5% or 1%, for example in the range of 3.5% to 2%, 1.5% or 1%, whereas the prior art typically provides for a total evaporation of at least 4%. By halving the total evaporation compared to the prior art and with a wort boiling time of 60 minutes or up to 75 minutes, the power consumption of the wort boiler 7 operated with the high-temperature energy provided by the high-temperature energy source 12 can be at least halved. In addition to saving the required high-temperature energy, both the wort boiler 7 and the pan vapor condenser can be designed smaller and thus more cost-effectively compared to the state of the art.Another advantage is that a wort boiler that is at least 50% smaller significantly facilitates heating with hot water at 120°C. This means that it is easier to design the wort boiler with a lower heating medium temperature, thus allowing for greater flexibility with regard to the high-temperature heat source. This also contributes to gentle wort boiling, which is reflected, for example, in lower TBC values. It is understood that, to achieve the aforementioned low total evaporation, a measuring device for measuring the evaporation and a control device for regulating the operation of the wort boiler 7 based on the measured values ​​provided by the measuring device are provided.

[0067] In the prior art, there was a prejudice that energy recovery via the kettle vapor condenser, energy storage tank, and lauter wort heater was not cost-effective for a total evaporation of the wort in the kettle of less than 4% if a heat swing was provided between the kettle vapor condenser 6, the lauter wort heater W1, and the energy storage tank 11. However, by temporarily storing almost all or all of the hot water required in the brewhouse at a temperature of at least 75°C, in particular at least 78°C or 96 to 98°C, in the energy storage tank 11, the heat swing is cost-effective even with a total evaporation of less than 4%, for example 2%, and allows a reduction of both the required peak load and the average specific consumption of primary energy by approximately half (without taking CIP or cleaning processes into account) compared to the prior art.For example, the high-temperature energy requirement for a 450 hl brewhouse (cast-out wort volume) can be reduced from the conventional 2400 kW to 1200 kW with a nearly uniform heat flow. When used according to the invention, approximately 600 kW is required for the wort boiler 7 per brew, approximately 810 kW for the lauter wort heater W4, and approximately 220 kW for the wort cooler return booster W5. The simultaneous consumption of thermal energy for the lauter wort heater and for wort boiling / wort heat retention is thereby eliminated. Furthermore, in addition to halving the high-temperature energy requirement (connected load for high-temperature heat), the specific energy requirement can be reduced by up to 50% compared to previous operation, to values ​​of < 2.0 kWh / hl cold wort. The term "cast wort" refers to the wort which is present in the wort kettle after boiling and keeping hot and is then led towards the hot trub separation.Sugar (in various forms, such as glucose syrup) can be added to the cast wort either in the wort kettle or on the way to the wort chiller. Cold wort refers to the chilled cast wort after the wort chiller.

[0068] As described, the pan vapor condenser and the wort cooler are ideally suited for recuperative energy recovery. The wort cooler 10 was shown in Figure 1 as a two-stage (or two-part) wort cooler. However, the invention is by no means limited to this. Single-stage and three-stage wort coolers can also be used. In a single-stage wort cooler, all of the energy contained in the wort is transferred to an energy storage tank by means of a heat transfer medium and temporarily stored. In a two-stage wort cooler, as shown in Figure 1, in the first stage, energy at a high temperature level (for example, at least 90°C) is transferred to the energy storage tank by means of a heat transfer medium. The remaining "heat" contained in the wort is used to generate hot water at, for example, 80°C from cold water or ice water.Alternatively, in the first stage of the wort cooler, as much energy as possible is transferred to the energy storage tank using a heat transfer medium, and the second stage of the wort cooler is supplied with a coolant (e.g., glycol) or refrigerant (e.g., ammonia), which further cools the wort to pitching temperature (pitching temperature is the temperature required for the start of fermentation). In this case, the recuperative production of hot water takes place using a heat exchanger (e.g., a plate heat exchanger), which is supplied with heat transfer medium from the energy storage tank. In this case, hot water is usually produced just in time when hot water is needed.In a three-stage wort cooler, for example, the first stage is supplied with a heat transfer medium to recover energy at the wort cooler at a high temperature and temporarily store it in an energy storage tank. In the second stage, hot water is generated from cold or ice water at the wort cooler, and in the third stage, the wort can be cooled to pitching temperature using a coolant or refrigerant.

[0069] A further reduction in the average (specific) consumption of thermal energy can be achieved by increasing the original gravity of the wort produced in the brewhouse. Depending on the type of beer (e.g. Pils, Bock, Doppelbock), the original gravity of the wort produced in the brewhouse is usually between 11 and 18 “Plato. In so-called high gravity brewing, a wort is produced in the brewhouse which usually has a gravity of between 14 and 16 “Plato and is “blended” with degassed water before bottling, thus adjusting it back to the alcohol content typical of the type (or original gravity). This brewing method can significantly reduce the specific thermal energy consumption. If, for example, 500 hl of wort is produced at 16 “Plato and then “blended” this to 12 “Plato before bottling, you will obtain around 666 hl of beer, thus increasing the brewery’s capacity by 25% with the same energy consumption.The "biending" of beer produced using the "High Gravity Brewing" process takes place after the beer has been stored, i.e., immediately before or after filtration. If the "biending" takes place after filtration, it not only increases capacity in the brewhouse, fermentation cellar, and storage cellar, but also in the beer filtration (which, for example, is achieved using a membrane filter or precoat candle filter with a disinfection filter).

[0070] With Highest Gravity Brewing in the brewhouse, the wort concentration is further increased, producing a wort with approximately 20 to 24 Plato. For example, the first wort can have a wort concentration of more than 25 Plato.

[0071] The higher the original gravity (i.e., extract) of a wort, the more starchy raw materials such as barley, malt, rice, or corn must be used while maintaining the volume. For such high extract contents, a mash filter is particularly suitable for mash separation.

[0072] Alternatively, the boil volume can be reduced while maintaining the same extract input (extract added through raw materials). The amount of sparge water can also be increased. The higher proportion of sparge water is recycled for mashing in a subsequent brew. The sparge water can optionally be temporarily stored in a container, the so-called sparge water tank, and reused, particularly for mashing (it can also be used as sparging water). In this application, the extract input and the extract output (extract quantity in the cold wort) would remain the same compared to regular wort production or worts produced in high gravity brewing, and only a smaller boil quantity (volume) at a higher concentration would be processed for boiling. This lower boil quantity reduces the required use of thermal energy.

[0073] Of course, it is also possible to increase the wort concentration (original wort) by adding sugar. Sugars such as sucrose, glucose syrup, or maltose syrup are added to a brew after mash separation and before wort cooling.

[0074] Many of the yeast strains used in breweries can only ferment sugar concentrations up to around 16 Plato. Nevertheless, it can be sensible to produce worts with higher concentrations in the brewhouse than those later fermented in the cold stage in order to reduce the average (specific) consumption of thermal energy and increase capacity. Blending before fermentation can therefore respond differently to limiting factors. The limiting factors are different in the brewhouse and in the cellar: in the brewhouse, the concentration can limit the solid-liquid separation, which can be solved by using a mash filter. In the cellar, the concentration can limit the yeast and thus the fermentation. The absolute values ​​of these limiting factors are different, which is why it makes sense to run at different concentrations in the brewhouse and cellar.

[0075] An initial "biending" of the beer produced using the "Highest Gravity Brewing" process can, for example, take place between the first wort cooler heat exchanger W2 and the second wort cooler heat exchanger W3 of the wort cooler 10. Brewing with high original gravity (Highest Gravity Brewing) can be limited to the brewhouse area. Then, preferably between the two wort coolers W2 and W3 of the wort cooler 10, blending takes place, preferably with warm water, to the desired wort concentration for subsequent fermentation. Blending can also take place immediately upstream of the wort cooler. Dilution can also take place downstream of the wort cooler with cold water if the cold water meets the necessary microbiological requirements. Dilution can also be achieved to the final concentration in the sales beer. This means that brewing with high original gravity (Highest Gravity Brewing) is limited to the brewhouse.

[0076] Alternatively, blending / dilution can be performed at the wort chiller as described above, but not to the concentration of the final beer. A second blending then takes place immediately before or after filtration of the beer (or, if no filtration takes place, after storage), i.e., outside the brewhouse.

[0077] A further advantage of the Highest Gravity Brewing process is that wort stripping (for example, the wort stripping container 9) can be dispensed with if necessary, since the blending significantly reduces the concentration of any off-flavors, such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS).

[0078] The system illustrated in Figure 1 can be used according to the invention for brewing beer and can be used to carry out one embodiment of a process for producing beer. Figure 2 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of this process.

[0079] In step S201, mashing takes place, for example in the mash vessel 2 shown in Figure 1, using thermal energy recuperatively obtained from a wort cooler and temporarily stored in an energy storage tank, for example the energy storage tank 11 shown in Figure 1. A heat transfer medium (for example, water or thermal oil) can be heated by the hot wort in a first stage (a first heat exchanger) of the wort cooler, for example the wort cooler 10 shown in Figure 1, and fed to the energy storage tank. If necessary, the heat transfer medium can be further heated, as described above, by a wort cooler return booster, for example the wort cooler return booster W5 shown in Figure 1, before being fed to the energy storage tank.In step S202, the lauter wort is heated using thermal energy recovered from a pan vapor condenser, for example, the pan vapor condenser 6 shown in Figure 1, and temporarily stored in the energy storage tank, for example, the energy storage tank 11 shown in Figure 1. Optionally, a lauter wort heater booster, for example, the lauter wort heater booster W4 shown in Figure 1, can be used to heat the lauter wort to or approximately to boiling temperature.

[0080] In step S203, wort is boiled / kept hot with a total evaporation of less than 3.5% (per brew), in particular less than 3% or less than 2.5%, for example with a total evaporation of 2% or even only 1.5% or 1%, for example in the range of 3.5% to 2%, 1.5% or 1%.

[0081] It is the combination of these steps that enables optimization of energy management in the brewhouse and the brewery.

[0082] In principle, any fluid capable of absorbing and releasing heat can be used as a heat transfer medium in the process; for example, thermal oil can be used as a heat transfer medium. However, water is most commonly used as the heat transfer medium, for example, the water must be of drinking water quality. Water, or water of drinking water quality, has the advantage that it can be used both as a heat transfer medium, i.e., for heating purposes (e.g., for heating the lauter wort), and as product water, i.e., for hot water consumers (e.g., as mash water or for pushing mash out of a pipe).Drinking water quality water can, for example, be used first as a heating medium (e.g., the water has a temperature of 96 °C and is used to heat the lauter wort in the lauter wort heater) and second as product water (e.g., the heating medium used to heat the lauter wort is cooled to 80 °C and is mixed with grist as mashing water in the mashing process). However, it may be advantageous to separate the heat transfer circuit and the product water (e.g., due to calcification of heat exchangers). If the heat transfer fluid (heating medium) and the hot water consumer (product water) are separated, the heat transfer fluid circulates in the circuit between the heat source and the heat consumer, possibly via an intermediate storage tank. Further optimization of energy management in the brewhouse and the brewery in general is made possible by considering cleaning processes (CIP processes).Vessels and pipes must be cleaned with lye at regular intervals. Traditionally, savings opportunities for hot water consumers are not considered, as breweries usually produce large surpluses of hot water. However, the processes described above allow for an approximation of a balanced hot water balance, in which the hot water surplus can essentially be limited to the quantities required in other process areas, such as CIP processes. Thus, savings opportunities for hot water consumers are of great economic interest in this context.

[0083] For example, all cleaning (CIP) processes for cleaning vessels in the brewhouse, possibly with the exception of the mash filter, for example the mash filter 3 of the system 100 shown in Figure 1, can be carried out with a lye having a maximum temperature of approximately 60°C to 70°C, and the lye used can be rinsed with cold water having a temperature of between approximately 10°C and 30°C, i.e., at the given temperature of the available cold water. The vessels to be cleaned can be, for example, the mash vessel 2, the wort kettle 5, the kettle vapor condenser 6, the whirlpool 8, and the wort stripping tank 9 of the system 100 shown in Figure 1. The cold water can be supplied at least partially from a cold water tank not shown in Figure 1.

[0084] Lines connected to the wort cooler, for example the wort cooler 10 of the system 100 shown in Figure 1, are cleaned and sterilized with a hot liquor heated to a temperature of approximately 80°C to 85°C, and this hot liquor is rinsed with cold water at a temperature of between approximately 10°C and 30°C. Other lines in the brewhouse are cleaned with a warm liquor at a maximum temperature of approximately 60°C to 70°C, which are rinsed with cold water at a temperature of between approximately 10°C and 30°C. The lines to be cleaned can be the lines connected to the individual devices, also shown in Figure 1.

[0085] All tanks in the cold area of ​​the brewery can be cleaned with a cold brine at a temperature between approximately 10°C and 30°C, which are then rinsed with cold water at a temperature between approximately 10°C and 30°C. Pipes in the cold area can be cleaned with a warm brine at a maximum temperature of approximately 60°C to 70°C or with a cold brine at a temperature of 10°C to 30°C. In both cases, the brine is rinsed with cold water at a temperature between approximately 10°C and 30°C, i.e. at the given temperature of the available cold water. If cleaning with cold brine and rinsing with cold water, the pipes can then be disinfected.

[0086] Optionally, the cleaning processes described above can be followed by a further cleaning step involving cleaning with acid and rinsing of the acid with cold water at a temperature of between approximately 10 °C and 30 °C.

[0087] The cleaning of the mash filter, for example, the mash filter 3 of the system 100 shown in Figure 1, can be carried out with a warm lye with a maximum temperature of approximately 60°C to 70°C, which is rinsed with warm water with a maximum temperature of approximately 60°C to 70°C. If the material properties of the mash filter permit, rinsing can also be carried out with cold water with a temperature of between approximately 10°C and 30°C, i.e., at the given temperature of the available cold water. Subsequently, neutralization with acidified water can take place.

[0088] Conventionally, large quantities of relatively hot lye (hot lye) with a temperature of approximately 80°C to 85°C are required for cleaning, and relatively hot water with a temperature of approximately 80°C is required to rinse the hot lye. Thus, cleaning requires a large amount of thermal energy, which must be provided in the form of primary energy. According to the invention, significantly less thermal energy is required because cleaning in the brewhouse is carried out with a cooler lye (e.g., warm lye) and the lye is rinsed with cold water. If necessary, cleaning in the cellar can be carried out entirely under cold conditions.For an exemplary 450 hl brewhouse, for example, the savings potential compared to the state of the art for the typically used liquors and water temperatures is approximately 0.7 kWh / hl cold wort thermal energy in the brewhouse, and in the cold area, in the case of high gravity brewing, the savings potential compared to the state of the art is approximately 1.5 kWh / hl beer thermal energy.

[0089] Definitions: Hourly evaporation in % / hour (= evaporation rate):

[0090] ((PW - AW) x 60 x 100)) / (AW x cooking time in minutes)

[0091] Total evaporation in %:

[0092] ((PW - AW) x 100)) / PW where PW is the pan full quantity and AW is the hot discharge quantity.

Claims

Patent claims 1 . A process for producing beer, comprising the steps: Carrying out a mashing process in a mash vessel (2) using recuperatively obtained thermal energy with the aid of a heat carrier supplied by an energy storage tank (11) Discharging mash from the mash vessel (2) into a solid-liquid separation device (3) to obtain a lauter wort; Heating the lauter wort by means of a lauter wort heater (W1) using recuperatively obtained thermal energy by means of a heat carrier supplied by the energy storage tank (11); Introducing the heated lauter wort into a wort kettle (5); Boiling / keeping hot the introduced lauter wort in the wort kettle (5) using a wort boiler (7) with a total evaporation of less than 3.5% in order to obtain a cast wort; Precipitating vapors using a pan vapor condenser (6) using a heat carrier supplied from the energy storage tank (11) and supplying a heat carrier heated in the pan vapor condenser (6) to the energy storage tank (11); Discharge of the wort from the wort kettle (5) into a hot wort separator (8); Discharging the wort after the hot trub separation from the hot trub separator (8) into a wort cooler (9); and Cooling the wort in the wort cooler (10) by means of a wort cooler heat exchanger (W2); and wherein the recuperatively obtained thermal energy is obtained with the help of the wort cooler heat exchanger (W2) and the pan vapor condenser (6).

2. The method according to claim 1, in which the mashing process is an infusion mashing process, in particular a very short infusion mashing process or a decoction mashing process, in particular a very short decoction mashing process.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the solid-liquid separation device (3) is a mash filter (3).

4. The method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the energy storage tank (11) supplies all heat consumers, with the exception of the wort boiler (7), of a brewhouse at least 80% or 90%, in particular 100%, with a heat transfer medium having a temperature of at least 75 °C.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lauter wort is heated by means of the lauter wort heater (W1) and by means of thermal energy transferred from a lauter wort heater booster (W4).

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the heating of the lauter wort by means of the lauter wort heater booster (W4) and the boiling / keeping hot of the introduced lauter wort in the wort kettle (5) are not carried out simultaneously.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the recuperatively obtained thermal energy is increased by means of a wort cooler return booster (W5).

8. The method according to claim 5 or 6 or claim 7 in combination with claim 5, further comprising supplying a heat transfer medium recuperatively heated by the pan vapor condenser (6) and temporarily stored in the energy storage tank (11) to the lauter wort heater booster (W4).

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8 in combination with claim 7, further comprising supplying wort obtained by means of the lauter wort heater booster (W4) thermal energy and / or thermal energy obtained from the wort cooler return booster (W5) to the wort boiler (7).

10. The method according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising supplying the wort boiler (7) with thermal energy in the form of steam or hot water, in particular with a temperature of at most 120 °C. 11 . The process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pan full wort resulting from the lauter wort has a concentration of at least 18, preferably at least 20 “Plato.

12. The method according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising carrying out wort stripping in a wort stripping device (9), in particular after the hot trub separation.

13. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising Cleaning at least one of the mash vessel (2), the wort kettle (5) and the kettle vapor condenser (6) using a lye, in particular a warm lye with a maximum temperature of approximately 60 °C to 70 °C; and Rinse out the lye with cold water at a temperature of approximately 10 °C to 30 °C.

14. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising Cleaning at least one line, in particular at least one line connected to the mash vessel (2) or the wort kettle (5), using a lye, in particular a warm lye with a maximum temperature of approximately 60 °C to 70 °C; and Rinse out the lye with cold water at a temperature of approximately 10 °C to 30 °C.

15. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising Cleaning all tanks provided in the cold area of ​​a brewery with a cold lye having a temperature of approximately 10 °C to 30 °C, the tanks comprising in particular a fermentation tank, storage tank and yeast tank; and Rinse out the cold lye with cold water at a temperature of approximately 10 °C to 30 °C.

16. A method for cleaning equipment in a brewery, comprising a) cleaning at least one container in the brewery's brewhouse and / or at least one line in the brewery using a lye, in particular a warm lye with a maximum temperature of approximately 60°C to 70°C; and b) rinsing the lye with cold water with a temperature of approximately 10°C to 30°C; and / or c) cleaning all tanks in the cold area of ​​the brewery, in particular a fermentation tank, storage tank and yeast tank, using cold lye with a temperature of approximately 10°C to 30°C; and d) rinsing the cold lye with cold water with a temperature of approximately 10°C to 30°C.

17. Use of a plant (100) for brewing beer, the plant (100) comprising: an energy storage tank (11); a mash vessel (2) configured to carry out a mashing process using recuperatively obtained thermal energy with the aid of a heat transfer medium supplied by the energy storage tank (11); a solid-liquid separation device (3) configured to provide a lauter wort; a lauter wort heater (W1) designed to heat the lauter wort using recuperatively recovered thermal energy with the aid of a heat transfer medium supplied by the energy storage tank (11); a wort kettle (5); a wort boiler (7) designed to boil / keep the lauter wort introduced into the wort kettle (5) hot in the wort kettle (5) with a total evaporation of less than 3.5% in order to obtain a cast wort; a pan vapor condenser (6) designed to precipitate vapors with the aid of a heat transfer medium supplied by the energy storage tank (11); a device designed to supply heat transfer medium heated in the pan vapor condenser (6) to the energy storage tank (11); a hot trub separator (8); and a wort cooler (10) with a wort cooler heat exchanger (W2);and wherein the wort cooler heat exchanger (W2) and the pan vapor condenser (6) are designed to provide the recuperatively obtained thermal energy; 18. A plant (100) for brewing beer, comprising: an energy storage tank (11); a mash vessel (2) designed to carry out a mashing process; a solid-liquid separation device (3), in particular a mash filter (3), designed to provide a lauter wort; a lauter wort heater (W1) designed to heat the lauter wort; a wort kettle (5); a wort boiler (7) designed to boil / keep the lauter wort introduced into the wort kettle (5) hot in the wort kettle (5); a measuring device for measuring evaporation of the lauter wort occurring in the wort kettle (5); a control device designed to control the boiling / keep hot with a total evaporation of less than 3.5% on the basis of measured values ​​supplied by the measuring device in order to obtain a cast wort; a kettle vapor condenser (6) designed to precipitate vapors; a hot trub separator (8); and a wort cooler (10) with a wort cooler heat exchanger (W2); and wherein the wort cooler heat exchanger (W2) and the pan vapor condenser (6) are designed to provide the recuperatively obtained thermal energy;and the energy storage tank (11) is connected to the wort cooler heat exchanger (W2) and the pan vapor condenser (6); 19. The plant according to claim 18, further comprising a wort stripping device (9).

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