Grain Silos for Distilleries and Breweries

Distilleries and breweries are built on consistent grain. The silo on site is what keeps that grain in the condition the brewer or distiller specified, holds enough volume to feed the mash bill across the production cycle, and protects the investment in raw material until it goes through the mill. For producers at any scale, from craft to large industrial, the right grain silo is part of the production system, not just storage. 

Where Grain Silos Fit in Distilling and Brewing 

In distilling and brewing, the grain silo sits between the inbound supply chain and the mill. Malted barley, wheat, rye, oats, or corn arrives by tanker or truck, is blown into the silo, and is then drawn down into the mill as the mash schedule demands. The silo gives the operator buffer stock, control over input quality, and the ability to run the production schedule independently of supplier delivery windows. 

Storing Malt and Brewing Grain in a Silo 

Malted and unmalted grains are the raw material of every brew and every distilling run, which means storage conditions show up in the finished product. The silo needs to keep moisture out, hold a steady temperature, and discharge cleanly into the mill feed. A galvanised steel shell handles the structural side. Ventilation and discharge geometry handle the grain condition side. Together they protect both the input quality and the throughput of the production line. 

Brice-Baker Grain Silos for Distilleries and Breweries 

Our Brice-Baker grain silos suit production sites from craft scale through to large commercial distilleries and breweries. The flat-bottom range covers 3m to 25m diameter with working volumes up to 11,888 cubic metres, suited to longer-term holding of malted barley, wheat, and other brewing grains. Our hopper-bottom grain silo range from 3m to 12m suits faster turnover where the mill is pulling grain through the silo continuously. All silos are G600 galvanised steel manufactured to BS EN 1090-1:2009+A1:2001. 

Sizing a Distillery or Brewery Grain Silo to Production Throughput 

Silo capacity for a distillery or brewery is set by the mash schedule and the supplier delivery cadence. A craft producer running weekly mashes may need a single hopper-bottom silo holding a few tonnes; a regional distillery or large brewery needs multi-silo setups holding hundreds of tonnes with segregation between grain types. Across our grain silo range, we work backwards from the throughput numbers to the right diameter, height, and configuration for the site. 

Hygiene, Maintenance and Refurbishment for Food and Drink Grain Silos 

Grain stored for food and drink production has to meet the hygiene standards of the supply chain that buys the finished spirit or beer. Routine silo inspection catches structural wear, condensation issues, and entry points for contamination before they reach the grain. Cleaning between deliveries keeps the storage environment where it needs to be. Where a silo is ageing or showing wear, silo refurbishment restores it to working condition without taking the site offline for a rebuild. 

Source Your Distillery or Brewery Grain Silo from Franklin Hodge 

If you are planning grain storage for a new distillery or brewery, or expanding capacity on an existing site, Franklin Hodge can design and install the right Brice-Baker setup. Send us the production schedule, the grains, and the site layout, and we will come back to you with the right configuration. Contact us for more information.