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Air Curtains for Breweries

air curtains for breweries

Craft beer! The craft beer craze in the United States has grown from a small movement into a nationwide movement over the past decade. There are more than 700 million gallons of craft beer produced each year in the United States. 

As the competition between breweries heats up, only the strongest breweries will survive. Breweries have to find alternate ways to cut costs, while improving product quality at the same time. One product that could make a huge difference is an air curtain. Most brewery owners would not think an HVAC product could make a difference, but they are sadly mistaken. Air curtains can improve beer quality, lower costs, and improve customer experiences.

The experts at Air Door Distributors have created a guide to help your brewery find an ideal air curtain for your operations. From industrial air curtains to air curtains for your front door, Air Door Distributors has every situation you could dream of, covered. 

Before we jump into how air curtains (also known as fly fans) can improve your brewery operations, it may be helpful to understand how air curtains work. 

How Air Curtains Work

Air curtains are not as complicated as one would think. Most of the air curtains that you would find in a brewery are usually off-the-shelf products. 

Fly fans or air curtains use the air in the environment in order to create a ‘wind barrier’ that separates two areas. They are typically installed above doors, windows, and loading doors. There are air curtains that can be installed parallel or below openings as well, but those are less common.

An air curtain creates the barrier by drawing in air through an intake. Once the air is in the air curtain’s housing, a fan will rapidly accelerate the air. Then the air will move into a plenum, which will create an evenly distributed air flow. The air will then be released by a directional nozzle, which will create the barrier that an air curtain uses. The illustration below demonstrates how an air curtain works.

Now that we understand how air curtains work, why would a brewery even care about installing an air curtain in the first place?

Benefits of Air Curtains in Breweries

Air curtains have solved a number of issues for breweries. Your brewery can reap the benefits of air curtains, while other breweries will wonder how you gained a step on them. Here are just a few of the benefits that your brewery will gain by installing air curtains. 

Fermentation Temperature

Temperature control is one of the most important pieces of brewing beer. Your brewery’s quality and reputation is on the line with each batch of beer that is brewed. Keeping quality consistent is an extremely difficult task that even the most talented breweries can struggle with. An air curtain can help to maintain the quality and consistency of each brewed batch of beer. 

Temperature plays a large part in every process while brewing beer. If the temperature changes beyond one degree, then there is a change that the entire brewing process and quality will be compromised. The temperature change could ruin a batch of beer and cost your brewery untold amounts of money. 

Breweries need to invest in equipment that will keep the temperature consistent during the entire brewing process. Air curtains can help ensure that the temperature never deviates from the proper brewing temperature range. An air curtain will keep the outside temperature where it belongs, on the outside. The air barrier stops the outside cold or hot air from entering your brewery. This will make it much easier for your tanks to be in the proper temperature range.

Interested in getting an air curtain for your brewery but not sure which one to buy? Check out our free purchasing criteria guide.

Loading Doors

Loading docks have massive doors that expose your brewery operation to the outside conditions. Depending on the size of your brewery, you may have a massive distribution operation. All of those loading doors will wreak havoc on your HVAC system. 

An air curtain will help your HVAC system by keeping the temperature more consistent. Your brewery will be able to save thousands of dollars each year in heating and cooling costs. Your brewery is throwing money out of the door (literally) by not installing an air curtain.  An air curtain will also improve the sanitation of your brewing operation. It will keep insects and fumes on the outside. Your beer will be less contaminated with an air curtain installed in your loading area.

Brewery Restaurants

Many breweries brew beer, but they also have restaurants as well. It makes perfect sense, who wouldn’t want to down a tasty burger paired with their favorite beer. Air curtains can help with brewery restaurants as well. 

Air curtains will improve the atmosphere for restaurant customers by keeping the temperature consistent. The air curtain keeps the temperature indoors stable to help customers enjoy their time. If a customer is sitting near the door they will not feel the rush of cold air when the door opens as the air curtain will protect them from the arctic blast. 

Air curtains are actually a recognized method to keep insects out of restaurants. The air barrier created by an air curtain will repel insects and send them flying in the wrong direction. One study found that 99% of insects could not penetrate the barrier created by an air curtain. If your brewery wants to keep pesky insects out of customer’s beers, then an air curtain is a fantastic way to keep them on the outside where they belong.

Know that we have covered just some of the benefits of air curtains for breweries, let’s dive into some of the best air curtains. 

Top Air Curtains for Breweries

We rounded up the best air curtains around for breweries. Whether you are a small brewery with one tank or a brewery with national distribution, there is an air curtain for your needs. Here are the top three air curtains: 

ARC16-4144EZ

This Berner air curtain is concealed completely in the ceiling. That makes it ideal for customer entrances as the air curtain will not be an eyesore if your brewery has a restaurant or customer entrance. Many breweries have high ceilings, which makes this air curtain perfect as it has a range of 16 feet. It also is electrically heated, so those winter months will not be as brutal for your customers. 

berner air curtain for brewery

IDC14-5192EY

This air curtain comes in a variety of sizes from 36” to 192”, which makes it ideal for a variety of brewery operations. If your brewery has a large shipping and receiving area, then this air curtain is one of the most popular models. It is not the most eye-appealing air curtain, which is one of the reasons it is not in front of customers. 

PH12144-4EIT-PW

Many breweries also have patio spaces in their restaurant area as well. There are a number of air curtains that are ideal for patio entrances, but this may be your best bet. It covers all of the important bases, such as insect control. This Mars air curtain also is mounted into the ceiling, so customers will not have to look at an ugly air curtain when they walk out onto the patio. 

Contact Air Door Distributors today at 866-402-1642 to learn more about how air curtains can benefit your brewery. Our experts will ensure that you find an air curtain that will fit your brewery’s unique needs. Take advantage of air curtains for your brewery today and improve your organization’s operations, quality, and costs.