banke GmbH

HopSteiner was developed in close collaboration with the hop refining experts from the Steiner Group. Its innovative curved screen technology offers exciting new options for dry hopping while reducing beer losses by up to 60 %. With the BANKE HopSteiner, hops can be removed from the tank under oxygen-free conditions at any time. Technologically speaking, this creates new degrees of freedom in the process of dry hopping, reduces the volume of wastewater leaving the brewery and ensures continuous, disruption-free operations downstream, e.g. centrifugation. Since the period required for hop sedimentation in the tank has been eliminated, tank occupancy time is shorter, and the hop creep effect is reduced. BANKE HopSteiner has been optimized with regard to hygienic design and is delivered pre-assembled on a mobile frame mounted on castors. The unit is designed with flexibility in mind and can be employed immediately at a wide variety of locations in the brewery without a convoluted commissioning phase or a lengthy set-up time. At a throughput of up to 100 hl/h, even larger tanks can be clarified within a short period of time. The BANKE HopSteiner curved screen design has also been integrated into the new LoopulEX system. With this system, hops can be extracted and processed completely outside of the tank, resulting in further savings and processing options. Please contact us for further information.

The BANKE grist hydrator is a proven high-performance mashing device. The streams of grist and mash liquor flow through the grist hydrator in such a way that dynamic mixing occurs within the device, which completely homogenizes the blend of grist and the liquor during the process of mashing-in. The grist hydrator does not generate dust, delivering a uniform mash consistency free of clumps, even at the highest throughputs or with thick mashes. Because it increases the efficiency of this process, the BANKE grist hydrator increases brewhouse yield, reduces the work necessary during mashing and decreasing the time required for starch conversion. The dynamic mixing of grist and mash liquor creates a homogeneous mash at the very beginning, thus reducing the energy required for mixing in the vessel. The gentle handling of the husks leaves them intact, thus reducing the duration of lautering significantly. Lautering is shortened by 5 - 20 min. depending upon the gravity of the first wort; for beers brewed to a higher original gravity, a reduction of up to 40 min. can be achieved. The entire process of mashing-in can be observed through the cylindrical sight glass, which also allows the grist feed to be monitored visually. This hygienically designed, fully CIP-capable grist hydrator can also easily be integrated into the brewhouse CIP system. The compact design, with no moving parts, can be effortlessly retrofitted into existing breweries for process optimization. Low-oxygen mashing, in which the grist-liquor mixture enters the mash vessel from below, can also be implemented with the BANKE grist hydrator. By mounting the unit onto a single mash pump, the mash can also be distributed to several vessels using a single grist hydrator. Over 200 BANKE grist hydration units with grist throughputs from 250 kg/h to more than 150 t/h have been installed in breweries of all sizes, from craft breweries to medium-sized and large industrial-scale breweries around the world.

BANKE wort boiling systems create a foundation for the best quality possible by delivering beers with consistently high head retention and a longer shelf life while also minimizing the influence of the boiling process on beer color. Our wort boiling systems, designed around either an internal or external calandria, feature the lowest energy consumption through efficient evaporation and yet offer a great deal of flexibility regarding the number of batches that can be brewed per day. In both systems, the flow of wort is controlled during heating and boiling. This defined and gentle process of heat transfer is the secret behind the high quality of the wort produced with the system and the exceptionally long periods of operation between cleaning intervals. For example, it is possible to brew up to 30 batches with our internal calandria and up to 50 with our external calandria before cleaning using the CIP system. The extremely high degree of flexibility in the number of batches normally associated with an external calandria, is also possible with the BANKE internal wort boiling system. Thanks to a unique flow design, even small volumes of wort can be heated gently in the system. An increase in the cast-out wort volume of up to 30 % can also be achieved when the wort boiling system is combined with a thermal reaction vessel. Both types of wort boiling systems can also be used to heat the mash. The husks remain intact as a result of the gentle flow conditions, leading to a more effective lautering process. BANKE wort boiling systems are available in a range of sizes, from cast-out wort volumes of 3 hl up to more than 1,000 hl. In addition to our standard solutions for generating heat using steam, we also design our wort boiling systems for operation with pressurized hot water, for low temperature heating from regenerative energy sources or for operation in combination with a vapor compressor. Please contact us for further information.

We develop customized process solutions tailored to your individual needs – beginning with the development of an idea through commissioning the equipment to the initial production runs. Our project managers, engineers and technical product developers collaborate closely with you through every step of the process as they design your new process solution. We offer breweries individualized solutions for the entire brewing process – from the brewhouse to the cellar. We rely on our own technology for these projects while also keeping the big picture in mind, to ensure that our technical solutions remain in proportion. We often discover that small changes can bring about significant improvements. In many of our projects, we have increased brewhouse yield, shortened the lautering process and lowered energy and water consumption to a considerable degree while enhancing beer quality. In some cases, our customers have even been able to expand distribution of their products as a result of enhanced flavor stability and improved head retention. If you want to increase the speed of your processes or increase capacity, we will find the bottleneck in your production stream and deliver the appropriate solution. Our competence is not limited to the brewhouse – our solutions are also applicable on the cold side of production. We can satisfy your requirements for flexible and hygienic piping systems in the cellar and oversee projects from planning to commissioning and final approval. Our engineering services are relevant for systems of any dimensions or requirements. Over the past 15 years, we have been involved in extensive projects around the world – from brewpubs to large industrial breweries. We also provide support to equipment manufacturers and suppliers, since we have extensive experience in the planning and implementation of comprehensive projects. Please contact us for further information – we look forward to supporting you on your next project.

Dry hopping beer without adding hops to the tank while minimizing beer losses with the BANKE LoopulEX system The BANKE dry hopping system LoopulEX sets new standards for hop extraction efficiency, while also reducing beer losses while simultaneously maintaining a consistently high and reproducible hop aroma quality in the finished beer – whether one is adding 100 kg or 5000 kg of hops per batch. This is achieved through external hop extraction, i.e. the hops are extracted outside of the fermentation or maturation tank under optimized extraction conditions, allowing an entire batch to be dry-hopped in less than six hours. The particulate material from the hops is immediately separated after extraction through the application of HopSteiner curved screen technology or by means of a hygienically optimized decanter, depending upon individual process requirements. Dry hopping is usually associated with substantial beer losses. With the LoopulEX system, this can be reduced by up to 96 %. At the same time, the extraction process occurs in an oxygen-free atmosphere within the LoopulEX system and are removed immediately after the hop extraction. No particulate matter from the hops escapes from the LoopulEX system into the beer during this process, thus avoiding further problems downstream, such as the blockage of centrifuges or double-seated valves. The release of excessive amounts of sediment into the wastewater is also avoided. Furthermore, this new method enables a reduction in the quantity of hops necessary for dry hopping by up to 30 % while also identically matching the hop flavor profile produced using the previous method. Due to the significant reduction in beer losses, the extremely efficient aroma extraction and the savings associated with the lower quantity of hops used for dry hopping, an agreeable return on investment can be achieved with a volume of as little as 75,000 hl of dry-hopped beer. Please contact us for further information.