Brewing the "Best Beer in America" Starts with the Best Boiler

Bell’s Brewery is an independent craft brewery and three-time winner of Zymurgy Magazine's "Best Beer in America" contest for its Two Hearted Ale. In addition, Bell's has ranked as the top brewery in America multiple times.

Established in 1985, Bell's Brewery, headquartered in Comstock, Michigan, is an independent family-owned brewery that is committed to sustainability as it relates to environmental stewardship. Increasing energy efficiency throughout its operation is a key area of concentration. For many years, the 78,000-sq.-ft. brewery was operated by a 150-hp boiler. As demand increased, Bell’s expanded its brew house by 35,000 sq. ft., which required the addition of a second boiler.

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Challenge:

Bell’s Brewery was expanding its operation and wanted to add a high-efficiency, reliable boiler that is easy to maintain. The boiler also had to meet the brewery's low emissions requirements to support its enironmental stewardship committment. 

Solution:

Bell's considered several firetube options and decided on the Cleaver-Brooks 400-hp CBEX boiler due to its overall performance and smaller size. In addition, the fact that the CBEX emits fewer pollutants than other firetube models met Bell's sustainability goals.

Results:

According to Jeff Carter, critical systems manager at Bell's Brewery, boiler installation went well. "They dropped it into place and fired it up. It seemed to run really well right away. There were no issues whatsoever."

Bell's Brewery increased efficiency by 7 – 8%, and the boiler further meets the brewery's sustainability goals by conserving and recycling energy for steam production used in other processes

"I like the CBEX because of its rated efficiency. It is very easy to work with, and like all Cleaver-Brooks products, it is well-made and well-designed."

Jeff Carter, Critical Systems Manager, Bell's Brewery

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