Boiler cheers Hampshire brewer

London -- Hampshire-based Triple FFF Brewery Company has installed a 60J gas-fired vertical steam boiler from Fulton Boiler Works as part of a £750,000 upgrade to its existing brewery equipment.

The Fulton 60J, which replaced an electric boiler, is being used to supply heat for the real ale brewing process as well as steam for cleaning and sterilising kegs and process equipment. The unit features a tubeless design, which eliminates the coils and tubes traditionally used in steam raising plant and can achieve full steam output in just 20 minutes, the company claims.

“By using steam from the Fulton 60J in the cleaning and sterilising process we can eliminate the chemicals that many ‘Craft Breweries’ use. We believe this improves the quality and taste of our beers and extends shelf life by up to six weeks,” said Graham Trott, managing Triple FFF director.

Steam is the preferred means of heating for the brewing industry due to the direct relationship between steam pressure and temperature, according to Gordon Bareham, Fulton’s sales and marketing director: “By limiting the pressure of steam, you limit the temperature. Using steam instead of direct gas or electric heating … eliminates the danger of heat exchange surfaces becoming too hot, which often result in ale developing a burnt taste.”

Founded in 1997, the brewery produces real ales such as Moondance, Comfortably Numb, Pressed Rat and Warthog, Dazed & Confused and Alton’s Pride. It won over 60 industry awards including Best Beer Gold Award at the CAMRA beer festival.
As well as producing cask ales, Triple FFF also produces and bottles its beer for supermarkets such as Asda Wal-Mart. The extra steam available from the 60J has also enabled Triple FFF to increase throughput to over 640 firkins (5,700 gallons) per week, which is worth over £100,000 at retail prices.