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Pressure reducing valve DM 652
Beer barrels for the Munich Oktoberfest („Wies’n“)

Until the beginning of the 1960s it was tradition to fill beer into wooden barrels. However, the inner pitch coating shortened the lifespan of the draught beer because the carbon dioxide could escape through damaged spots of the coating and bacteria settled there. This is why wooden barrels had to be re-sealed with pitch after three to four fillings. As an alternative to storage in wooden barrels, aluminium barrels were firstly introduced, later the use of stainless steel tanks became common. Enthusiasts of traditionally drawn beer from wooden barrels will find the desired product at the Munich Oktoberfest. In the beer tents at the so-called ‚Wies’n‘ (colloquial short name of the fairground Theresienwiese), only beer brewed within the city limits of Munich is allowed to be served. At the traditional festival opening during the entry of the Oktoberfest staff, the wooden beer barrels are presented to the public on splendidly decorated horse-drawn carriages. However, in most cases those barrels are empty during the parade because they are not originally filled in the brewery. The innkeepers have the beer filled into the wooden barrels in filling stations on the spot and have it then instantly transported to the tapping.

DM 652

A Munich-based brewery operates a mobile filling station for wooden barrels that are exclusively filled and tapped at the Wies’n. The so-called isobarometric equipment uses a special process. The wooden barrels are filled under counterpressure to prevent the beer from foaming and the carbon dioxide from escaping. In so doing, the pressure in the empty barrels must be exactly equivalent to the prevailing pressure in the beer storage tank. The carbon dioxide content of the beer remains thereby unchanged during the transfilling process. The counterpressure is constantly measured and monitored during this procedure. 

The Mankenberg pressure reducing valve DM 652 is used in the mobile filling station to constantly regulate the necessary CO2 pressure when the barrels are filled with the readily brewed beer. The outlet pressure can be adjusted from 4 through to 8 bar. The diaphragm-operated, balanced single-seat straight-way valve is completely made of deep-drawn steel and can be used in a space-saving manner. A deep-drawn stainless steel valve features a high-quality surface and meets the most stringent requirements of the beverage industry.

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