Standing Up the Tanks!!

Every brewery, regardless of location, shares one common event: the raising of the tanks. For those with ample ceiling height, raising the tanks is a relatively simple process. The braces on the top of the each tank are tied to a forklift or crane and the tank is lifted and set into position. For those with less than ideal ceiling height, the process is not as straightforward. Turtle Anarchy happens to fall into the latter category.

Standing up our tanks took two highly skilled forklift operators from The Bailey Company two days to complete. It was a very tedious process but necessary considering that we do actually want to produce beer some day.

The first tank to be raised was our brite beer tank. It was a good tank to start with since it is one of the shorter tanks. Since there wasn't enough ceiling height for a crane, each tank was lifted as high as it could be with the forklift and then pushed over onto its feet. It was kinda scary.

The next tanks that we stood up were our four fermenters. These tanks are 13.5' tall. As you can see in the photos, there wasn't much room above the tanks. The mast of the forklift actually had to be maneuvered around the support beams, electrical conduit, and sprinkler pipes all while lifting the tank!

In the end all of the tanks were successfully raised without any problems. The brewhouse and hot and cold water tanks will be moved to their final locations after some framing is completed. (I'll have info and photos of the framing soon!) I would like to thank the forklift operators for their time and patience with this delicate process. These tanks are more fragile than they look. I would also like to let them know that they are now my go-to guys for all my brewery tank logistical needs. Thanks guys!!

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