Why would a homebrewer have a Brite Tank?

[Bad Bubba]

I was just wondering why you would purchase a brite tank on a homebrewing scale. I saw one for a good price on CL but could not come up with a reason to purchase. I understand where it makes sense for a brew pub. I was hoping someone could enlighten me.

 

[cubalz]

Most homebrewers have a "brite tank": it is the same as cold crashing in the keg to clarify the beer by chilling the beer though the use of time or finings to get the yeast, protein and other particulate to drop out in low temperature.

 

[Advance]

A brite tank would be good for a home brewer that brews batches over 5 gallons, does not have a fermenter that can handle pressures capable of reaching full carbonation, and wishes to either bottle or serve directly from the brite tank. This would enable the brewer to transfer their entire batch to one vessel for clarifying, carbonation, and bulk ageing. If the finished beer is being transferred from the brite tank to kegs, the utility of the brite tank is greatly diminished. Limiting the amount of transfers you must perform to get the beer into its final package will produce better beer, so it would be better to skip the brite tank and go straight into the kegs from the fermenter. If the brewer has yet to purchase/acquire any equipment, then they would best be served by getting a unitank and skipping the brite tank all together.

 

[kidmock]

Why I brite? I like clear and properly conditioned beer.

But for me I use an old corny keg. I cut about an inch off the drip tube and use one of these lids:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M335AXA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
My process is:
1. Transfer from Fermenter to brite keg
2. Cold Crash over Night
3. Add gelatin finings
4. Bust Carbonate 30psi for 36-48 hours
5. Close transfer to serving keg

My beer is perfectly clear and carbonated every time.

 

[ATLBeer]

It used to be called a secondary fermenter.

 

[odie]

serves no real practical purpose IMO. Just another vessel you must buy/maintain/clean/store. Adds another step in the process and another point of risk/exposure/contamination potential.

Cold crashing does pretty much the same thing as a brite tank. Either in the Fermenter prior to bottling or kegging and/or in the keg/bottles as they sit cold waiting to be tapped/opened.

Zero practical benefit to carbonate in a brite tank since the same thing can/will be accomplished once kegged or bottled anyway.

Is there anything a brite tank does that is not/cannot be accomplished at any point in the basic process? Does it in anyway speed up the production process? That would be the only thing I can think of that would be of benefit to a commercial operation that prioritizes profit over product.

KISS...Keep It Simple Stupid