The Hem Brew System is easy to operate because routine brewing functions are organized around familiar controls, defined liquid paths, accessible equipment, and several levels of automation. Available configurations include PID control, semi-automatic PLC touchscreens, and fully automatic PLC panels. Commercial systems are offered from 10 HL to 30 HL, while smaller units start at 1 HL. Published specifications include stainless-steel construction, TIG full-welded joints, surface polishing to ≤0.4 μm, and heat-transfer efficiency of at least 90% on listed craft systems. Operators can manage heating, pumping, transfer, cleaning, and process temperatures without treating every component as an isolated machine.
Ease of operation starts with matching the control level to the brewery rather than adding automation everywhere. The hem brew system is available with PID display control, semi-automatic PLC touchscreen control, or a fully automatic PLC panel. A small brewpub producing one or two batches a day may not need the same control architecture as a 30 BBL facility producing several batches. Keeping several control levels available lets the equipment layout follow staffing, batch frequency, recipe complexity, and the amount of manual involvement the brewer actually wants.
That choice matters because brewhouse capacity changes how often an operator has to repeat the same sequence. Hermann lists 300 L equipment at 1–2 brews per day, 500–800 L equipment at 1–2 brews per day, and a 20 BBL three-vessel configuration at 2–3 brews per day. A task performed once in the morning feels different when it has to be repeated three times before the end of a production shift. Controls that keep temperatures, pump status, and process steps visible reduce the amount of information the brewer has to hold mentally between batches.
The physical layout supports that control structure. Published examples show how scale changes without changing the basic operating logic:
| Example configuration | Published production rate | Space | Power / process data |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 L system | 1–2 brews/day | 35 m² | 12 kW |
| 500–800 L system | 1–2 brews/day | 55 m² | 15–40 kW |
| 1,000 L system | 1–2 brews/day | 90 m² | 25–80 kW |
| 10 BBL, 2-vessel | 1–2 brews/day | 90 m² | 48 kW |
| 20 BBL, 3-vessel | 2–3 brews/day | 130 m² | 60 kW |
Those figures matter operationally because floor area determines walking distance, hose routing, drain position, vessel access, and the distance between the brewer and the control panel. A compact plant is not automatically easier to use; pumps, valves, platforms, heat exchangers, and service clearances still need enough room for normal work and maintenance. Hermann lists a preferred 4-inch floor drain for its small and craft brewery systems, while ceiling requirements move from about 10.5 ft for 1–10 HL equipment to about 12.5 ft for 10–30 HL equipment.
Once the room is planned properly, temperature management becomes easier to standardize. Brewing repeatedly moves liquid through temperature-sensitive stages, so an operator needs to see whether heating is progressing as planned rather than rely on occasional manual checks. PID or PLC control can place temperature information and equipment commands in the same working area. The operator still chooses recipe settings and verifies the process, but fewer separate instruments have to be read, adjusted, and remembered.
Hermann publishes heat-transfer efficiency of ≥90% for listed 10–30 HL craft systems, together with electric, steam, and direct-fire heating options. Heating choice changes installation and operating procedures, yet the brewer still works toward the same practical result: bring the vessel to the required process temperature, hold it for the recipe-defined period, and move to the next stage under controlled conditions.
Liquid movement follows naturally from temperature control because nearly every finished heating stage ends with a transfer. A typical brewhouse has wort pumps, hot-water pumps, stainless-steel piping, valves, a plate heat exchanger, fermentation vessels, glycol equipment, and a control cabinet. Hermann’s published 10 BBL example includes a 3 m³ wort/hot-water pump arrangement and a 10 m² plate heat exchanger among the system components.
A brewer therefore does not operate “a tank” in isolation. The practical sequence is closer to this:
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Confirm the receiving vessel and intended flow path.
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Set the required valve positions before starting a pump.
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Start transfer and check flow instead of assuming liquid is moving correctly.
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Watch temperature during movement through the heat exchanger.
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Stop the pump before changing a connection that should not be changed under flow.
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Prepare the next vessel while the present transfer finishes.
A consistent sequence is easier to train than an arrangement in which hoses and temporary connections change from batch to batch. It also gives experienced operators a repeatable way to inspect a process when flow is slower than expected.
That same repeatability becomes more important during cleaning because cleaning-in-place involves chemicals, elevated temperatures, circulation flow, and several valve changes. The Brewers Association’s 2024 Craft Brewers Conference material describes CIP as cleaning internal equipment surfaces without major disassembly and specifically treats chemical, temperature, pressure, PPE, and emergency-response considerations as part of safe operation.
A usable CIP routine is not simply “run cleaner through the tank.” The operator needs a defined route, known chemical concentration, suitable temperature, enough circulation, a measured contact period, and a rinse that removes the cleaning solution before production resumes.
The sequence used in brewery safety training illustrates why an organized system is easier to operate. Brewers Association material breaks one CIP task into connecting the CIP equipment, filling tanks, heating, circulating caustic, draining, loading rinse water, circulating the rinse, draining again, and drying. That sequence contains at least 8 distinct operating steps, so clear piping and predictable valve positions reduce the amount of improvisation required during every cleaning cycle.
Modern CIP equipment also shows what operators need to control. Alfa Laval describes brewery CIP systems in which cleaning time, temperature, pressure, and flow can be adjusted, while the return line can be monitored for temperature, flow, and detergent concentration. A normal cycle can contain an initial water rinse, alkaline cleaning, another rinse, acid cleaning, a final rinse, and chemical or hot-water disinfection. The program can start manually, at a scheduled time, or after a defined number of cleaning sequences.
That cleaning logic connects directly with the Hem equipment’s published surface finish. Hermann lists polishing accuracy of ≤0.4 μm and TIG full welding for its brewery systems. Smooth product-contact surfaces and properly finished welds are useful because cleaning procedures work best when residue has fewer rough areas, crevices, or poorly finished joints in which to remain. The figure should still be checked against the specification of the exact system being purchased rather than assumed for every custom component.
Standard operating procedures become easier to write when the equipment behaves in a repeatable way. Brewers Association safety material published in 2018 provides an SOP example for caustic keg washing that separates purpose, scope, employee responsibility, equipment, chemicals, PPE, and operating steps. The principle applies to a brewhouse as well: an operator can be trained against named controls, valve positions, pump functions, temperature targets, and cleaning steps instead of learning a different informal method from each coworker.
Training also becomes easier when common controls are grouped around a recognizable production sequence. A new brewer still needs to understand mashing, lautering, boiling, whirlpool operation, cooling, fermentation, cleaning chemistry, and safe handling. Automation does not remove that knowledge. It reduces the number of low-level actions that need to be remembered simultaneously, especially when two vessels or two batches require attention close together.
The difference becomes more noticeable as vessel count rises. Hermann offers 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-vessel brewhouse arrangements, and its published examples move from 1–2 brews per day on a 10 BBL two-vessel system to 2–3 brews per day on a 20 BBL three-vessel system. More vessels can separate process stages, but they also create additional pumps, valve states, transfers, and cleaning paths for staff to manage. PLC-based control gives the brewer one place to observe more of that equipment instead of adding a separate operating method for every new vessel.
Maintenance access is the next part of everyday usability. Pumps, valves, heat exchangers, sensors, seals, and fittings eventually need inspection or service, even when the equipment is automated. An operator-friendly design leaves enough access to identify a component, isolate it safely, inspect it, and return it to service without dismantling unrelated equipment. Published Hem site requirements include floor-space and ceiling-clearance figures for precisely this reason: fitting the tanks into a room is only part of installation.
Electrical flexibility also affects use after installation. Listed systems support three-phase supplies such as 380, 415, or 480 V and, depending on configuration, single-phase options including 110, 220, or 240 V, with 50 or 60 Hz arrangements shown in the manufacturer’s specifications. Those choices let the electrical package be designed around the utility supply at the installation site instead of forcing operators to work around mismatched equipment.
Remote access can reduce another source of operating friction. Hermann includes an internet connection for remote access among its stated site requirements. Remote access does not replace an operator standing beside a vessel, especially for physical inspection, sampling, valve verification, or safe maintenance, but it can give service staff another way to inspect control-related issues when the installed configuration supports that function.
The practical measure of ease of use is therefore the number of routine tasks that can be performed the same way every batch. Heating has a defined control method, transfers use known pumps and piping, temperatures remain visible, cleaning follows a repeatable circulation path, and the level of PLC automation can match the brewery’s staffing model. A system producing 2–3 brews per day gains more from repeatability than one used only occasionally because every unnecessary valve check, extra walk, repeated manual entry, or unclear transfer step is multiplied across the production schedule.
For buyers comparing configurations, the most useful questions are practical ones: how many valve changes are required per transfer, which temperatures appear on the main panel, which pumps can be controlled from the touchscreen, what remains manual, how CIP routes are selected, and what happens when a sensor or pump needs service. Published specifications such as ≥90% heat-transfer efficiency, ≤0.4 μm polishing, PLC control choices, vessel count, batch rate, and available floor-space requirements give a starting point, but the final operating experience depends on the exact piping, controls, recipes, utilities, and production schedule selected for the installation.