500L Craft Brewery System Installation for JULITA BRYGGHUS in Sweden

Project Overview

JULITA BRYGGHUS is a Swedish craft brewery producing four signature beer styles: Pilsner, West Coast IPA, Stout, and Lager. As the demand for craft beer continues to grow in Sweden and across the Nordic region, the brewery sought to upgrade its production capacity while maintaining the artisanal quality and flavor integrity that defines its brand. To achieve this, JULITA BRYGGHUS partnered with ZR BREW to design and install a complete 500L turnkey brewery system.

Customer Requirements

The Challenge

Before upgrading its brewing system, JULITA BRYGGHUS faced several operational challenges common to small and medium-sized craft breweries:

Stable small-batch commercial production – The brewery needed a system capable of producing consistent 500L batches to meet steady market demand without compromising quality.

Flexible brewing for multiple beer styles – With four distinct beer styles in production (Pilsner, IPA, Stout, and Lager), the equipment had to support different mashing profiles, hopping schedules, and fermentation temperature regimes.

Reliable fermentation temperature control – Precise temperature management is critical for both ale and lager fermentation. The brewery required a cooling system that could maintain exact temperatures across multiple fermentation tanks simultaneously.

Efficient cleaning and sanitation – With frequent batch turnover, a fast and thorough CIP (Clean-in-Place) process was essential to maintain hygiene and prevent cross-contamination between styles.

Compact footprint for craft brewery layout – Space efficiency was a key consideration, as the brewery operates within a limited production area. The equipment had to be compact yet fully functional.

Brewery Solution Provided by ZR BREW

After a thorough evaluation of equipment suppliers, JULITA BRYGGHUS selected ZR BREW for its proven expertise in turnkey craft brewery solutions. ZR BREW delivered a fully integrated 500L brewing system covering the entire production chain:

1. Milling System

Malt Miller 300kg/h – Roller-mills dried barley malt and wheat malt with a stable processing capacity of 300 kg per hour, ensuring continuous and uniform feeding for the 500L brewhouse。

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2. Brewhouse System (500L 2-Vessel with Hot Water Tank)

Mash/Lauter Tun (500L) – Combines mashing and lautering functions, featuring a false bottom and raking mechanism for efficient sugar extraction and spent grain discharge.

Kettle/Whirlpool Tun (500L) – Handles wort boiling, hop additions, and whirlpool separation of hot trub, producing clear wort for fermentation.

Hot Liquor Tank (1000L) – Supplies constant-temperature hot water for mashing, sparging, and CIP cleaning, reducing heating energy loss.

Plate Heat Exchanger (8㎡) – Rapidly cools hot wort to pitching temperature.

Hops Inline Filter, Wort Pump & Hot Liquor Pump – Ensures smooth wort transfer and filtration.

3. Fermentation System

5 × 500L Fermentation Tanks – Each tank operates independently, allowing simultaneous fermentation of different beer styles. Tanks are pressure-rated with safety relief valves and equipped with sampling valves, beer outlets, and CIP ports.

4. Glycol Cooling System

1500L Glycol Water Tank + 5HP Glycol Chiller + Glycol Pump – Provides centralized cooling for both wort cooling and fermentation temperature control. The system capacity is precisely matched to the 500L brewhouse and five 500L fermenters.

5. CIP Cleaning System (50L)

Mobile cleaning station with heating and circulating washing functions, ensuring thorough sanitization of all process vessels and pipelines.

6. PLC Semi-Automatic Control System

Centralized touchscreen control for brewhouse automation, fermentation temperature regulation, CIP program management, data logging, and fault alarms. Reduces manual labor and ensures batch-to-batch consistency.

7. Bottle Filler & Capper

Isobaric filling principle (CO₂ pre-purging before filling) with a capacity of 300–500 bottles per hour, minimizing oxidation and foam overflow.

8. Bottle Labeling Machine

Simultaneous front-and-back labeling with photoelectric positioning, adjustable for various bottle sizes, fully automatic and CIP-compatible.

9. Diatomaceous Earth Filter (1000L/H)

Fine clarification of beer by removing yeast, cold trub, and hop residues while preserving original flavor and foam stability.

10. Compressed Air Supply Unit

Provides oil-free, sterile compressed air for isobaric filling, tank pressure maintenance, pneumatic valve actuation, pipe purging, and filter cake discharge.

Project Highlights

Why JULITA BRYGGHUS Chose ZR BREW

1. Complete Turnkey Brewing Solution

ZR BREW delivered a one-stop solution covering every stage of the brewing process – from malt milling and wort production to fermentation, filtration, and bottled packaging. This turnkey approach simplified project management, reduced installation time, and ensured seamless integration between all system components.

2. Flexible Multi-Style Production

With five independent fermentation tanks and a versatile brewhouse, the 500L system enables JULITA BRYGGHUS to produce multiple beer styles simultaneously. The brewery can easily switch between Pilsner, IPA, Stout, and Lager, or experiment with new seasonal recipes without disrupting core production.

3. Consistent Beer Quality Through Precision Control

The glycol cooling system and PLC semi-automatic controls provide precise, repeatable temperature management across all fermentation tanks. This ensures that each batch meets the same gravity, bitterness, and flavor profile – a critical factor for building brand loyalty in the competitive craft beer market.

4. Hygienic Design with Efficient CIP

All product-contact parts are made of food-grade 304 stainless steel. The mobile CIP station and automated cleaning program enable quick and thorough sanitization between batches, reducing downtime and preventing cross-contamination.

5. Compact Footprint for Craft Brewery Environments

The entire system was designed with space efficiency in mind. The 2-vessel brewhouse, stacked tank layout, and modular components fit within JULITA BRYGGHUS's existing production area without requiring extensive facility modifications.

Project Results

Following the successful installation and commissioning of the ZR BREW 500L turnkey brewing system, JULITA BRYGGHUS achieved a fully integrated craft beer production line designed for stable, small-batch manufacturing in Sweden.

Key outcomes include:

• A complete production chain from raw material handling to finished bottled beer

• The ability to ferment up to five different beer styles simultaneously

• Reliable temperature control ensuring consistent flavor and quality batch after batch

• Improved operational efficiency through semi-automation and integrated CIP

• A scalable foundation for future production expansion or new product development

Today, JULITA BRYGGHUS continues to serve the Swedish craft beer market with high-quality Pilsner, West Coast IPA, Stout, and Lager – all brewed on the ZR BREW 500L system. This project demonstrates ZR BREW's commitment to delivering tailored, turnkey brewing solutions that empower craft brewers worldwide.

Interested in a similar 500L brewing system for your craft brewery? Contact ZR BREW today for a customized solution.