What Is a CCT Tank and Why Is It Important to Us?

If you've ever wondered how we make our beer unfiltered, unpasteurized, yet beautifully clear and delicious, the answer lies in one key piece of equipment in our brewery – the CCT tank.

CCT, or cylindroconical tank, is a stainless steel vertical tank with one fundamental design feature that sets it apart from regular tanks – its bottom is not flat or convex, but tapered to a point (conical). And this seemingly simple detail makes an enormous difference in brewing.

Why is the bottom shape so important?

During beer fermentation, yeast is intensely active – it converts sugars into alcohol and CO₂. Once the yeast has finished its work, it needs to be gently removed from the beer. And this is where the conical bottom of the CCT tank comes into play.

In a standard tank with a flat bottom, yeast settles across the entire bottom surface. Removing it is complicated – the entire tank must be either pumped out or the beer filtered. Both processes disturb the beer and can affect its taste and character.

In a CCT tank, it's different. The brewmaster cools the tank down, which "puts the yeast to sleep" – slowing their activity – and they gradually fall by gravity into the conical tip at the bottom. There they accumulate along with hop residues and other sediments.

How does the "shooting" process work step by step?

The entire process is elegantly simple and uses natural physics – gravity:

1. Fermentation – Yeast actively works at 10–20°C, converting sugars into alcohol and CO₂.
2. Cooling – After fermentation is complete, we cool the tank to 2–4°C. The yeast "falls asleep" and becomes inactive.
3. Sedimentation – Dormant yeast and hop residues fall by gravity into the conical tip of the tank.
4. Shooting – We open the bottom valve and simply drain the yeast. Done!

"The CCT tank is like a Swiss army knife for a brewer – it ferments, ages beer, and thanks to the conical bottom, we can easily remove yeast. Everything in one vessel, simply and without compromising quality."

– Adam Roudnický – Brewmaster

Why not filter? Why not pasteurize?

Many large breweries filter their beer to remove yeast and achieve clarity. Others pasteurize it – heating it to high temperatures to extend shelf life. But both processes come at a cost:

• Filtration – removes not only yeast but also some flavor, aroma and living cultures
• Pasteurization – kills microorganisms but also alters the beer's flavor profile

Thanks to our CCT tanks and the "shooting" process, we don't need either. Our beer is unfiltered and unpasteurized, yet beautifully clear. We preserve the full flavor, natural aroma and living cultures that make craft beer what it should be.

CCT Tank Benefits at a Glance

What does this mean for you?

Next time you drink a beer from Andělský Pivovar and admire its clear color, rich aroma and full flavor, know that behind it all are our CCT tanks and our careful "shooting" process. No filters, no pasteurization – just natural physics, quality ingredients and craft care.

So our beer is unfiltered, unpasteurized, and yet can be beautifully clear and, most importantly, delicious. And that's exactly what we're about.