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Kegging Beer
SVK Keging System
SVK beer kegging lines range from systems so simple that washing, inspecting, and filling of each keg is done by hand, to fully automated systems that require virtually no human attendance. The diversity of SVK processing plant styles, sizes, and outputs is considerable, ranging from a single-head machine giving an output of 15 SVKs per hour, to multi-head machines with outputs of over 1,000 SVKs per hour. The larger, fully automated systems (given the correct layout) typically have four operators and a supervisor and require little or no physical effort from the staff. The small, semiautomatic systems are equally effective and efficient in terms of simplicity of layout, return on capital, and high output-to-manpower ratio.
The scope of a SVK kegging operation is typically all-inclusive and can be divided into the following steps:
Keg Depalletizing
Beer kegs can only be transported on pallets. For this reason, kegs are depalletized by pushing the kegs together and lifting the layer with pneumatically operated grippers.
External Keg Washing
Prior to washing the outside of the keg, it is inverted so that the valve is at the bottom. Before the kegs are cleaned and filled, the protective caps are removed from the fittings. The outsides of the kegs are then cleaned by presoaking, and rinsed with a circulating cleaning solution.
Internal Keg Cleaning
The total wash cycle of the inside of the keg consists of a prerinse reusing the final rinse water, a detergent wash for removing biological and inorganic contamination, and a final rinse. The purpose of the final rinse is not for washing but for removing chemical contamination from the previous steps. The next step is to sterilize the inside of the keg with steam.
Microbiological Stability of Beer
Given that the SVK presented for filling arrives at the filling head under sterile conditions, it is extremely important that the beer arrives at the filling head sterile. There are two common methods in practice to achieve this – flash pasteurization and sterile filtration.
For either system to be effective, it is imperative to adopt a completely integrated process and packaging philosophy. The flash pasteurization or sterile filtration system, the SVK packaging line, and the SVK must all be treated as a single clean and sterile system to optimize the reduction of spoilage organisms.
Beer Keg Filling
SVKs can be filled in the upright or the inverted position. However, all automatic kegging systems today fill SVKs in the inverted position. The pros and cons of upright and inverted filling are as follow.
1. Upright filling is slower when introducing beer into the SVK via the spear tube, due to the small cross-sectional area of the inner sections of the valve over that of the outer gas valve.
2. Upright filling is more likely to overfill an SVK if an accurate metering or filling by weight system is not used. This condition creates hydraulic pressure in the SVK and can lead to dispensing problems if the hydraulic pressure of the beer is too high when the SVK is first tapped in the bar.
Weight Control of Beer Kegs
In many counties, volumetric filling methods do not meet fill regulatory requirements. Therefore, brewers are required to measure the fill by weight. This can be difficult when mixed populations of SVKs of varying tare weights are used and the weighing takes place after the filling process.
To address this problem, long-term development has produced a series of semiautomatic and fully automatic filling machines that use the "Gravfill" system to tare weigh the SVK immediately prior to filling and fill to the SVK by weight to within 0.02% repeatability.
Keg Cold Storage
Once palletized, the full kegs of beer are transferred either by conveyor or forklift into cold storage and held at approximately 4 or 5ºC to prevent the development of live beer spoilage organisms that might affect the desired flavor and color profile.
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