Making beer requires the use of a lot of hot water, and the vessel that holds hot water until it is ready to be used for brewing or cleaning is called the Hot Liquor Tank. The hot water in the Hot Liquor Tank typically comes from the heat exchanger, which cools the wort before fermentation. Over time, The Hot Liquor Tank may scale-up with hard water deposits and rust. And despite the need for regular cleaning, the Hot Liquor Tank may be one of the most neglected tanks in the brewery.
One of the most commonly asked questions I receive these days is, “how should I clean my Hot Liquor Tank?” Ever since the Hot Liquor Tank has been in existence, this has been a difficult task. To make matters worse, standard nitric/phosphoric acid cleaners used in brewery CIP (clean-in-place) do not work well to remove this type of scale and rust. So, what is a brewer to do?
Birko’s Ac Tec 100 is very effective at removing baked-on scale and rusty metal. It is hydrochloric acid-based and contains surfactants and a corrosion inhibitor. Simply use 4-6 oz. of Ac Tec 100 per gallon of 120-130°F water for 45-60 minutes to effectively remove the scale and rust from the tank. Then, after rinsing it well, Birko recommends using an alkaline cleaner like Cir-Q-Late to make sure Ac Tec 100 is fully neutralized.
The result is undeniably outstanding!
Birko has a full line of brewery cleaning, sanitizing, and process aids, along with the technical support to go along with them. Give us a call to make your life easier and help you make great beer, batch after batch!
