Polypropylene pipe supplier Aquatherm has carried out its first brewery installation in the UK, for Godstone Brewers, in Surrey.
The company has worked hard to enter the UK brewing market, following in the footsteps of its American sister company, which has long supplied pipework to breweries on that side of the Atlantic.
The Godstone Brewers took the opportunity over the lockdown period to expand the brewery to ten barrels, which was completed using 316 stainless steel fittings. Everything up to and including the mash tun was installed using Aquatherm’s system, team, and resources.
Steve Taylor and Anne Jackson — The Godstone Brewers — were delighted with the work and the help received along the way.
They said: “From initial contact to completed installation within a month, and less than two days on site. The work included all the tweaks we requested so that we can maximise heat recovery and direct hot liquor to and from our two HLTs to either our old mash or the newer larger mash vessels and heat exchangers.
“A last-minute addition of an in-line water meter was happily accommodated within an hour of the components arriving on site.”
The lifetime is significantly longer than steel or copper alternatives
Aquatherm’s polypropylene pipes offer a significant advantage over the traditional stainless steel alternative in the thermal qualities, fusion times and pipe lifetime. Thanks to the material of the pipe, there’s no chemical leeching, no toxins or glues in installation, and theft is eliminated as there’s no salvage value to the pipes.
Depending on temperatures and pressures used by the pipes, the lifetime is significantly longer than steel or copper alternatives — the Godstone Brewers can expect to keep their pipes for 75 years, based on the information they provided.
The production of Aquatherm polypropylene Green Pipe uses a third of the carbon involved in production of stainless steel. The factory, in Germany, prides itself on being environmentally conscious, even using the river that runs through the plant for
cooling, sending the water back into the river cleaner than when it left.
• To find out more, email enquiries@aquatherm-uk.com or call Chris Willis on 07884 265781.
