Cold brew coffee systems for roasters, cafés and RTD

A stainless cold brew system that steeps, recirculates, drains, heats and chills, built on the Unibräu electric brewing system. For roasters, cafés and ready-to-drink coffee makers who have outgrown buckets and paper filters.

Beverage teams already run their iced coffee pilots on Unibräu systems, from canned cold coffee in Whistler to shelf-stable coffee drinks in Australia. The same features that make it a good brewhouse make it a good cold brew system: a lift-out basket, a pump, a tri-clamp drain, a heating element and a controller.

Why a recirculating kettle beats a bucket

• The coffee bed does the first filtering. The pump draws brew from under the basket and returns it over the top, so it runs through the bed of grounds and comes out clearer. Large commercial cold brew systems work the same way.
• Lift and drain. The basket lifts out and rests on the kettle to drip. No bags to wring out by hand.
• Heat when you want it. The element and controller give you a hot bloom, hot-brewed iced coffee, and hot water for cleaning.
• Closed transfers. Tri-clamp fittings, a pump and a counterflow chiller move the brew to kegs or a tank without pouring.
• Stainless throughout, easy to clean every batch.

How a batch runs

1. Line the basket with a 400 micron nylon bag and load coarse-ground coffee. The basket’s own false bottom is too open for coffee on its own.
2. Add cold or room-temperature filtered water, or bloom the coffee with a little hot water first.
3. Recirculate gently until the brew runs clearer, then let it steep, typically 12 to 18 hours at room temperature.
4. Lift the basket and let it drain.
5. Pump the brew through the counterflow chiller and a fine cartridge filter into kegs or a cold tank.
6. Keep it at 41°F (5°C) or colder.

Batch math

Cold brew concentrate is usually 1 part coffee to 5 parts water by weight, and the spent grounds hold back about twice their weight in water.

Water	Coffee at 1:5	Concentrate	Diluted 1:1 to serve
5 gal water	8 lb	about 3.0 gal	about 6 gal
10 gal water	17 lb	about 6.0 gal	about 12 gal
15 gal water	25 lb	about 9.0 gal	about 18 gal

The cold brew ratio guide has a recipe card that scales from 1 to 30 gallons.

Filtering

Plan on three stages: the coffee bed (by recirculating), a 400 micron bag in the basket, and a cartridge filter of 25 microns or finer after the chiller. Canned and bottled coffee usually goes finer still. Tell us what clarity you need and we will help you plan the filtration.

Nitro

The Unibräu makes the cold brew; the nitrogen goes in at the keg. Serve it with pure nitrogen through a stout faucet, after charging the keg through a diffusion stone, or through an inline nitro infuser. Nitro charging runs above the 30 psi rating of our fermenters, so it belongs in kegs. How to make nitro cold brew.

Food safety

Cold brew is low-acid, around pH 5.4 to 5.6, and never heated. Keep it at 41°F or colder and use it within about a week. If you can or bottle it for the shelf, it needs a validated heat or pressure treatment: work with a process authority before you sell it.

Which Unibräu

• Unibräu: 10 gallon on 120V or 240V, 20 gallon on 240V. The original lift-out basket kettle.
• Unibräu DrainPro: the same idea with a bottom drain, so the kettle empties completely.
• Add for cold brew: a counterflow chiller, a second pump to move brew to kegs, and a second kettle if you dilute or blend in batches.

FAQ

Can it make hot-brewed iced coffee too?

Yes. The element heats the water to brewing temperature, the basket holds the coffee, and the counterflow chiller cools it fast on the way out.

Do you sell the filters?

We stock 400 micron nylon bags. For cartridge filtration, ask us and we will help you spec it.

Can I steep in a Unitank?

A Unitank makes a good cold, sealed holding tank for finished cold brew. For steeping, the Unibräu basket is the better tool: loose grounds in a conical tank can block the outlet.

What power does it need?

The 10 gallon runs on a standard 120V outlet or on 240V; the 20 gallon needs 240V. Each product page lists the circuit.

Can we talk it through?

Book a 15-minute call, or send us your batch size and process.