BANKE – Grist Hydration System

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.