Coolship
Type of brewing vessel
A coolship (Anglicized version of the Dutch/Flemish koelschip) is a type of brewing vessel traditionally used in the production of beer. It is a broad, open-top, flat vessel in which wort cools. The high surface to volume ratio allows for more efficient cooling. Contemporary usage includes any open fermenter used in the production of beer, even when using modern mechanical cooling techniques. Traditionally, coolships were constructed of wood, but later were lined with iron or copper for better thermal conductivity.
The word "coolship" was trademarked by Allagash Brewing Company in the United States. The company later decided to terminate the trademark, in the interests of maintaining good relations with others in the craft beer industry.
01Modern use
Coolships are still used in traditional lambic brewing, where the wort is cooled and airborne yeasts and bacteria present in the brewery are allowed to inoculate the beer naturally, in order to create a spontaneous fermentation.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Coolship”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Bockorkoelschip.jpg by DirkVE, CC BY-SA 3.0
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