About the client
Zuni West Brewing Company opened its doors in 2023, located in the scenic mountain area of Crested Butte, Colorado. The Head Brewer and Owner, Willy Truettner, has an extensive background in the brewing industry. He studied at the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago and gained experience in both Munich and Michigan. After moving back home to Colorado, he gained a bit more hands-on experience before fulfilling his dream of opening a brewery, Zuni Street, in Denver in 2017. Zuni West is an expansion of his Denver brewery, offering the same exceptional brews in a cozy setting accompanied by stunning views of Colorado’s mountains.
The Challenges
When planning the expansion of Zuni Street, Willy knew he wanted to stick with another 10 BBL system, the same as his Denver location, because he liked the output. He considered ordering the system from his previous supplier. However, he was only offered two sizing options: normal and narrow. Through word of mouth all the way from Australia, Willy heard about us and how we do things, the Bespoke Way. He was drawn to our ability to design bespoke equipment to fit perfectly within his space.
Ultimately, Willy chose to work with us because of our customizability, as we offered a more competitive price, and he appreciated how we could add all the bells and whistles to accompany the brewhouse. In his order, we included a tube heat exchanger and a hopback, plus our team helped procure a glycol chiller and a steam boiler from partner companies in the US: G&D Chillers and Rite Boilers. Willy was also excited that we can incorporate all the glycol and steam piping in-house and that we work with Fermecraft to integrate their software seamlessly into our equipment.
The Solutions
Customization
Here at BBS, we design your equipment for your space. Using the drawings from the brewery’s architect to understand the layout of Zuni West, our CAD team built a 3D model of the space so we could get the perfect fit.
What was cool with Bespoke that I liked was that they could be custom-made. I think John said within 4-inch increments of what size you want, what size will fit in your space. So that really caught my attention, was just the ability to kind of custom design the tanks and make it fit for the space we had.
In the 3D model, our team included the pipework to show where it would fit into the space, which was important because they needed to be at a certain height.
Our team worked closely with Willy to make sure that the utility pipe runs had a clear path and reflected this in the 3D drawing so the general contractor could review and approve.
Glycol Piping
Incorporating the glycol and steam piping in-house saves our clients time and money! The piping was designed to be connected by tri-clamping all the way around, making it easy to assemble.
I’m not a plumber, but it was pretty straightforward what needed to be done. And it was something that I felt comfortable with and that I was able to knock out with the help of some friends. Beyond that, too, just the cost. I think that if I were to have hired someone locally to do all that steam and glycol piping, it probably would have cost 10x as much as what we paid to have it done with you guys. Not to mention, it's all stainless, which is nice.
Fermecraft
Fermecraft, which offers brewery automation, is one of our great partners from Australia, and we have worked closely with them for years. As John explained,
Over the years, we have streamlined the integration process with the FC team, so we are including all of the support needed for their gear on the brewhouse. This automation package allows Willie to run the brewery by himself as he can ‘set it and forget it’ while he works on other tasks around the brewery.
The Fermecraft team built their box in the U.S. and shipped it directly to Willie. They also sent a team member from Australia to Denver to assist in the installation and commissioning of their system. Going forward, they’re confident that it can be a remote commissioning and installation, which we are working on with other clients through Fermecraft.
The Results
The results speak for themselves! Willy noted that with our system, he has a better extract efficiency, collecting more volume while still hitting his gravity, meaning more kegs of beer to sell!
The integration of Fermecraft, in addition to our equipment, has freed up a lot of his time in the brewery. He said the system practically runs itself, allowing him time to work in the cellar or to spend time kegging and cleaning. Willy had the following to say about Fermecraft,
A really cool system that I like, and it's essentially saved me from having to hire someone to help me. The computer does a lot that a human would have to do otherwise.
All in all, Willy described the whole process as seamless, even with John on the other side of the world. He was well taken care of, and the process was straightforward with great results. We are excited to see how Zuni West continues to thrive!
We are ready to bring your project to life!
If you would like to learn more about Bespoke, what we offer, and how we do things, reach out to our team! We are always happy to chat.