Last year, Ziemann Holvrieka presented innovative developments alongside its proven range of products and services portfolio: BubbleBoil, a groundbreaking wort boiling system, celebrated its debut – a system that not only delivers significant energy savings, but also produces sensorially equivalent results. BubbleBoil is based on the principle of an external boiler. With minimal technical effort, the system reduces the necessary evaporation rate and therefore achieve substantial energy savingsof around 30 percent, even without an additional investment in energy recovery systems. The wort is drawn from the kettle, heated above the boiling point in an external boiler, then reintroduced to the lower part of the kettle through special nozzles. The resulting pressure change at the nozzles creates vapor bubbles that ensure uniform mixing, prevent dead zones and aid in the removal of unwanted volatile substances such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS). Recent industrial-scale trials confirmed that this intensified bubble formation enables breweries to maintain relevant wort and beer quality parameters despite significantly lower evaporation rates.
Same beer, smarter brewing
A triangle test conducted with a consumer panel showed that beer made from wort produced with BubbleBoil is sensorially indistinguishable from conventionally brewed beer. Analytically, the values are in compliance with all MEBAK (Central European Brewing Analysis Commission) quality parameters for the cast wort – a crucial factor for breweries that demand consistent product quality. Beer foam stability was also found to be comparable to conventionally brewed beer, further demonstrating that energy savings can be achieved without compromising product quality or consumer perception.
Easy to retrofit – even without energy recovery
BubbleBoil is particularly attractive for breweries that already use an external boiler: retrofitting is uncomplicated, as the spreader is simply replaced by a ring with nozzles. This solution offers breweries maximum flexibility by allowing them to choose between their existing wort boiling system and BubbleBoil, ensuring optimal performance for every brewing scenario. While energy recovery systems focus on recovering energy after it has been consumed, BubbleBoil reduces energy demand in the first place. For breweries with external boiler systems evaluating major investments in energy recovery, BubbleBoil can offer a lower-CAPEX pathway to substantial energy savings, often requiring only minor modifications to existing equipment. Breweries with internal boilers can reap significant energy savings by switching to an external boiler with the BubbleBoil system.
The system can also be easily integrated into existing CIP processes – the usual cleaning cycles are sufficient.
Industrial operation has additionally demonstrated that BubbleBoil can be integrated into existing brewery infrastructure with only limited plant modifications, making it a practical modernisation option for both new and existing brewing operations. Beyond the direct reduction in thermal energy demand, studies indicate further efficiency potential when BubbleBoil is integrated into the overall brewery energy concept. Depending on the existing energy system, breweries can benefit from lower primary energy demand during wort boiling and additional optimisation opportunities through heat recovery and energy integration measures. For breweries without extensive energy recovery systems, the business case can be particularly attractive.
