On the eve of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, the Baltika Brewery Public Corp. finishes installing unique equipment offering the most steady quality in beer production. 

Eighteen new cylinder-taper tanks (CTTs) intended for beer fermentation will be installed at the Baltika Brewery's St. Petersburg brewhouse.  

Manufactured by German firm Ziemann, each CTT is made of high-quality food stainless steel, has an overall capacity of 500 cubic meters, and weights 26 tons. These tanks are unique in Russia, because they have an optimal ratio between the width (7 m) and the height (17 m) that ensures the most stable quality of beer. Installing such CTTs requires large production areas, so, instead of them, many Russian breweries are forced to use other tanks that are as high as possible.  

As of now, the equipment used at the Baltika Brewery is no older than 1999. It is in perfect condition and will remain serviceable for still many years to come. To be in keeping with the rigid standards on the quality of beer, equipment used at the Baltika Brewery is constantly upgraded, even though it can be used for tens of years. The replaced equipment is then offered to other companies in the brewing industry.  

The task of transporting the CTTs to the brewhouse was also unique. First the tanks were transported by river barges from Burgstadt, Germany, to seaport Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and then, by a sea steamship, to Kronstadt, Russia. Then truck platforms of 300-ton payload capacity were used to carry the tanks to the brewhouse. In order to move the big tanks over a bridge at the entry to the St. Petersburg industrial area Parnas, four lifting cranes with 100-ton hoisting capacity were used.  

The decision to install new tanks was made according to the new investment policy of the Baltika Brewery. In compliance with the plan accepted by the Baltika's Board of Directors, the company makes investments in upgrading the available production capabilities, as well as in projects aimed at cutting costs, rather than in further expansion of the company and opening new beer factories, as it was previously.