Dry hopping technology for distinctive aroma profiles
GEA HOPSTAR® Dry
A plug-and-play dry hopping skid for breweries wishing to optimize their processes and produce individual beers with a unique aroma profile in a more resource-efficient way.
In the brewing industry, dry hopping is often associated with significant beer losses and low efficiency in hop aroma extraction within cylindroconical tanks (CCTs). The GEA HOPSTAR® Dry introduces next-generation dry hopping technology that enhances quality and efficiency while reducing product loss.
Studies in the brewing industry have demonstrated improvements of up to 30% in extraction efficiency and raw material requirements compared to static processes. Additionally, hop residues are retained within the unit through sedimentation, minimizing beer losses and preventing downstream issues.
Pre-piped, pre-wired and tested dry hopping skid
Fully automated plug-and-play unit
The GEA HOPSTAR® Dry is a fully automated, plug-and-play unit that seamlessly integrates into existing brewing systems and can connect to multiple CCTs. The Liquid Jet Mixer, developed by GEA, ensures a homogeneous product in the connected CCTs. The system features an independent control system and interfaces for signal exchange with peripherals. A range of standard sizes will accommodate hop quantities between 80 kg and 750 kg, with larger batch sizes available on request
Dynamic Aroma Extraction and Efficient Separation of Hop Particles
After manually filling the hops into the extraction tank, the fully automatic process begins with a dynamic extraction step, facilitated by a low-shear agitator. The extracted aroma compounds are transferred to the CCT, while sedimented hop particles almost completely remain in the extraction tank. This extraction and transfer cycle is repeated until the desired aroma yield is achieved.
Flexible process and highest product quality
The GEA HOPSTAR® Dry allows for adjustment of soaking, dissolving, and sedimentation times, as well as extraction cycle parameters, to match the characteristics of the hops, variety, or desired aroma profile. To ensure the highest possible product quality during dry hopping, the system maintains a CO2 atmosphere to minimize oxygen uptake in the beer.
Benefits at a glance
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Maximized hop flavor: Extraction tank tailored to maximum hop quantity
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Plug & play convenience: Supplied as a pre-piped, pre-wired, and tested unit
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More yield, less waste: Efficient dynamic extraction reduces raw material requirements
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Clear beer, no compromises: Patented sedimentation process retains solids in the extraction tank, minimizing beer losses
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One system, many possibilities: One GEA HOPSTAR® Dry system can serve multiple storage tanks
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Precision brewing: Adjustable process conditions (soaking, suspending pellets, number of extraction cycles) to match pellet quality or hop variety
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Consistency at its best: Fully automated process ensures reproducible product quality
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Freshness protected: CO2 flushing minimizes oxygen uptake
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Seamless integration: Stand-alone control or integration into existing systems
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Hygiene guaranteed: Meets the highest quality and hygiene standards, with a fully automated CIP process that can be integrated into existing CIP cycles
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