Glycol reservoirs
Grade B totes make cheap expansion and reserve volume for a glycol loop. Insulate if the tote lives outside.
Industry 04
Breweries & distilleries
Craft producers were the first customers to ask us for both halves of the loop at once: clean totes in, spent material out, nothing to the dumpster. It is now one of our favourite routes.
- Sheet
- 90
- Revision
- 2026-10
- Scale
- 1:1
- Drawn at
- Peoria IL
GlycolMost common fill
Grade BWorkhorse grade
Cut-topGrain handling build
SwapClean in, dirty out
Six uses, from glycol loop to spent grain
Wort & beer transfer
Food-grade, cycle 3, dedicated. Fine for short holds; not a substitute for a brite tank.
Bulk spirit storage
Food-grade HDPE works for short-term neutral spirit. Check your TTB record-keeping requirements first.
Spent grain & trub
Cut-top Grade C totes with a drain valve. Farmers collect, you stop paying hauling.
CIP chemical storage
Caustic and acid day tanks with vented caps and chemical-resistant gaskets.
Hot & cold liquor backup
Manifolded banks for brewhouses short on fixed tankage.
One stop, both directions
Most of our brewery accounts are on a standing swap: we arrive with clean, documented totes and leave with your spent-material containers and empties. One bill of lading, one invoice, one diversion statement — and no pile of totes behind the taproom.
- Scheduled monthly or by production calendar.
- Spent-grain totes washed on cycle 2 before re-release.
- Glycol totes drained, residue recovered and handled correctly.
- Every container logged against your account with a grade and a wash record.
How many containers a production schedule needs
| Use | Containers, 10 bbl brewhouse | Containers, 30 bbl | Grade | Swap frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glycol reservoir and expansion | 2 | 4 | B | Annual or on failure |
| Spent grain handling | 4 | 10 | C, cut top | Weekly to the farm |
| Trub and yeast | 1 | 3 | C | Per brew |
| CIP caustic day tank | 1 | 2 | B dedicated | Quarterly |
| CIP acid day tank | 1 | 2 | B dedicated | Quarterly |
| Hot or cold liquor backup | 2 | 4 | Food grade | Monthly wash |
| Bulk spirit or wort short hold | 2 | 6 | Food grade | Per use, cycle 3 |
- Put the glycol containers on a swap schedule rather than waiting for a failure — a glycol loss mid-fermentation costs more than the containers.
- Insulate anything living outside and heat-trace it if it lives outside in Illinois. A wrap buys degrees; a thermostat buys the winter.
- Keep food-grade and spent-material containers visibly separate. Colour-tag them, because somebody will grab the nearest one at 6am.
- Anything aromatic or solvent-based for cleaning goes in stainless, not polyethylene. We will route you to steel rather than sell the wrong thing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do breweries use IBC totes for?
Common uses are glycol reservoirs, wort and beer transfer, short-term spirit storage, spent grain and trub, CIP chemical day tanks, and hot or cold liquor backup.
How does a brewery swap run work?
We arrive with clean, documented totes and leave with your spent-material containers and empties. You get one bill of lading, one invoice and one diversion statement. Visits run monthly or by your production calendar.
What should I use for spent grain?
Cut-top Grade C totes with a drain valve. Farmers collect the grain, so you stop paying for hauling. We wash spent-grain totes on cycle 2 before re-release.
Can I store beer or spirits in a tote?
Food-grade, cycle 3, dedicated totes suit short holds of wort or beer, but they do not replace a brite tank. Neutral spirit storage should be short-term, and you should check your TTB record-keeping requirements first.
How many totes does a small brewery need?
For a 10 barrel brewhouse, a typical float is 2 for glycol, 4 for spent grain, 1 for trub, 1 each for caustic and acid, and 2 each for liquor and short holds. A 30 barrel brewery needs more.