Abstract: An improved brewing unit in which energy is saved by providing a mash tun, hot water tank and kettle in a single unit, by partially enclosing the mash tun with the tank and if necessary pre-heating the water supply to the tank by using the heat from wort coolers provided between the unit and fermentation tank; further improvements are provided by constructing the kettle as a combined kettle and whirlpool in a single chamber having a circular wall and a tangential inlet to the wall, a pump and wort boiler being in circuit with the kettle so that wort is continuously circulated through the boiler and tangential inlet to the kettle while the worts are boiled. The combined kettle and whirlpool saves space and enables the process of brewing to be shortened with resultant savings in both energy and brewing time.

Abstract: A fluid mixer in which a pair of interconnected blades (6,6') are mounted either side of a rotatable shaft (8), the blades are each formed from a flat plate bent to form two or more planar portions (40, 42, 44) and mounted to the shaft so that the leading edge (52, 54, 56) of each portion is at a lesser radial distance than the trailing edge (54, 56, 58) of each portion. In this way each blade portion is angled inwardly accurately and the whole blade is easy to form.

Abstract: Brewing apparatus and a method of brewing in which mash cooking and wort boiling are carried out in a single vessel (2), the vessel having an agitator (202), a heater preferably formed as a steam jacket (220, 224) and as an external through flow heater (8), the wort being circulated through the heater and back into the vessel by means of a tangential feed inlet (56) which causes the vessel's contents to whirl while the wort is boiling. The apparatus and method reduces the requirement for separate mash cooking and wort boiling vessels.

Abstract: A lauter tun knife assembly in which the knife is mounted for pivotal movement on a lauter knife drive, the pivotal mounting being about an axis adjacent a longitudinal edge of the knife, the pivotal movement being limited to a predetermined angle, preferably about 45.degree., so that on reversal of drive direction the knife flips through the predetermined angle.