Brewing & Beverage Industries Business - Spring 2020 - Issue 16

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ISSN 2398-2489

The Products & Services Magazine for the UK Drinks Production Industry Spring 2020 Issue 16 March • April May

SHOWCASE

In The Mix

Pages 12-26

PREVIEW

BeerX 2020

Pages 29-47

Plus all the latest products & services news from the UK drinks industry’s supply chain

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WELCOME TO

The Products & Services Magazine for the UK Drinks Production Industry ISSN 2398-2489

Spring 2020 Issue 16 March • April • May

Special features In This Issue...

PREVIEW

BeerX 2020

Pages 29-47

l ‘Who’s Showing What’ at BeerX, the annual trade show in LIVERPOOL

Pages 12-26

Tel: 0115 8 549 349 brewingbusiness.co.uk

Editor Chris Freer

Assistant editor Simon Butler

SHOWCASE

In The Mix

Published by freerbutler limited PO Box 9666 • Nottingham NG10 9BY United Kingdom

Cover Picture: Will Rogers & Paul Corbett of Charles Faram Ltd

l Malts, hops, fruit, yeast and any other raw materials which contribute to the finished product l Chemicals and other adjuncts used in the drinks production process l Companies providing power and other resources, plus products and services to help meet hygiene regulations

...and our regular columnists BFBi C.E.O. Ruth Evans MBE, former SIBA C.E.O. Julian Grocock, Alan Powell, founder of the British Distillers Alliance, plus award-winning beer writers Adrian Tierney-Jones and Stephen Beaumont

Brewing & Beverage Industries Business is a quarterly ‘Supply Chain’ magazine targeting the UK drinks production industry. If your company supplies products and services to brewers, distillers, cider makers, wine producers etc, then this is the platform for you.

For editorial or advertising enquiries, call the editor on the office number or e-mail:

chris@brewingbusiness.co.uk

Our print circulation is audited and certified

Brewing & Beverage Industries Business magazine is an independent publication delighted to be a MEDIA PARTNER to

Representing the entire value chain supplying the Brewing, Food & Beverage Industry

Subscription is free and printed copies are mailed out throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland. If you are one of the very few UK brewers, distillers, or other beverage manufacturer, not receiving a regular copy, then please contact us today.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any other means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of freerbutler limited.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information in this publication is accurate and up-to-date, freerbutler limited does not take any responsibility for errors or omissions. Opinions expressed in editorial contributions to this publication are those of their respective authors and not necessarily shared by freerbutler limited.

© freerbutler limited 2020

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BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Spring 2020

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WORD FROM THE BFBi

Photo by Gerardo Jaconelli

Government needs to play its part Ruth Evans MBE

As I mentioned in my blog in Your Voice - the BFBi newsletter - sustainability is the watchword of the day and the seminar topics we are organising for 2020 certainly reflect this. Our industry is focused on working towards a zero/negative carbon footprint, with innovative and forward thinking strategies being put in place across all sectors of the brewing and beverage industry.

However, what we are seeing is a disconnect at the point of recycling. Different councils having different recycling strategies; a postcode lottery on what can be recycled and so contribute towards that ever more important reduction of a carbon footprint and what cannot. Malt bags are a case in point – some councils will recycle them and others will not.

Government launched its resources & waste strategy in 2018, stating a need to drive better quantity and quality in recycling, and more investment in domestic recycled materials markets.

BFBi annual Trade Directory Now Out! The most authoritative directory of the UK food & drinks market available

The directory is free-of-charge to all drinks manufacturers and BFBi members For details of how to obtain a copy, please contact

admin@bfbi.org.uk

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Government states that it supports comprehensive and frequent waste collections and is determined to help local authorities and waste management companies act in the most sustainable and resource-efficient way possible.

With Government putting the financial responsibility for recycling waste onto industry from 2023 and industry taking up the challenge to reduce/ reuse/recycle now, why is there not a deliverable, cohesive strategy at the sharp end – local recycling facilities – available now to support industry initiatives?

I think we are all agreed that we need to look after our planet; we are certainly seeing industry do its part.

I just hope we do not have to wait until 2023 for Government to do the same.

Ruth Evans MBE, BFBi C.E.O.

Established in 1907, BFBi’s membership represents the entire value chain supplying the brewing and beverage industry – from seed geneticists through raw materials, brewhouse and process equipment to dispense, point-of-sale and brewers/distillers. The Association’s objective is to be the foremost trade association providing opportunities for its Members to develop within the brewing, food & beverage industry.

As well as offering many benefits and services to suppliers of raw materials, process and packaging machinery, dispense and point of sale products, BFBi is a Trade Challenge Partner for various overseas exhibitions and owner and organiser of the oldest international brewing and cider Awards in the world.

SEE PAGE 66 FOR MORE INFO

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CALLED TO THE BAR

Lager is no longer a dirty word!

Adrian Tierney-Jones

Here is a beer as dark as a moonless night, smooth and creamy on the palate with suggestions of chocolate and mocha coffee, before finishing dry and crisp. We’re talking a stout, or a porter or just a dark bitter perhaps? A member of the family of ale? Actually no, what I’m describing is a lager, a Czech-style dark lager to be precise, otherwise known as a tmavý ležák.

I drank several of these on a recent trip to Prague, notably at a bar in the grounds of the Břevnov Monastery just outside the city. Here there is a brewery, Břevnovský klášter, and you can drink its Benedict beers in the bar and adjoining restaurant as well as at various venues in Prague. The 11˚ tmavý ležák was gorgeous, soothing and smooth, easy to drink — a lager.

It still surprises me that out and about on my travels I come across beer-lovers who maintain that lager is, in the infamous words of many a CAMRA fellow traveller, ‘fizzy, yellow, industrial muck’. The reason that I remain surprised is that in the last decade or so we have seen many a new brewery (and old hand too) produce lagered beers, using time and cold fermentation to mimic the great beer styles of central Europe.

Meantime were an early advocate when they started in 2000, but now you can drink all manner of lagers from the likes of West, Cotswold (I thoroughly enjoyed their Dortmunder and Imperial Pilsner last year) and newer outfits such as Lost and Grounded, Hartlepool-based Donzoko (whose Northern Helles is a beautiful piece of work) and Braybrooke.

The great thing about this surge in lager production is that the breweries are looking beyond just merely producing versions of Pils/Pilsner and Helles but instead are reaching into the rich storehouse of lager styles.

Donzoko, for instance, produced a rich and well-matured Doppelbock, aged with Bavarian cherries; in the middle of nowhere in North Wales, we find Geipel, which makes a Bock; while Tottenham-based Bohem, founded by Czech brewers, are exploring the full gamut of Bohemian beer styles as well as collaborating with the likes of St Austell and the Dutch brewery Kees.

So you can imagine my excitement last year when I heard about a lagerproducing brewery starting to brew just up the road from Exeter, where I live.

I say up the road, but it’s about 12 miles away, but still close enough for me to imagine I can smell the aroma on brewing day.

The brewery is called Utopian and is based at a small industrial unit in the middle of central Devon where there are views over the soft and gentle hills before the hard outcrop of Dartmoor begins. It’s a beguiling location — the unit, which was originally used to store swedes, is off a narrow country road and there’s an old church opposite and beyond that a farm that breeds cattle. This is as rural as you can get without appearing in an episode of The Archers.

As well as brewing lager, another unique aspect about Utopian is that it is committed to producing its beers solely with British raw materials, which are used for its flagship British Lager (a Helles style brewed in the Bavarian tradition), as well as a Pilsner, Dunkel and an unfiltered version of the Helles.

Meanwhile a collaboration with the Yeastie Boys led to a 11˚ Czech-style pale and there are also plans for a Mai-bock and other lager styles.

I recently visited the brewery and whilst there, Managing Director Richard Archer told me that his rationale for setting up the brewery and concentrating on lager, ‘was that as craft beer was growing, it was all ales and IPAs, which if you drunk them was great but the lager drinker didn’t get so much choice. It felt that there was almost an assumption that lager drinkers didn’t want so much choice — so we wanted to be able to give a more interesting choice of lager.

We want to use classical methods designed for a classical lager

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brewery and we also aim to be as sustainable as possible.’

Head brewery Jeremy Swainson, who comes from Canada, started off his career at Bolten Brewery (sited between Düsseldorf and Mönchengladbach) and then was at Camden Town before coming to Utopian. He is a great advocate of lager and naturally wants to change drinkers’ perceptions: ‘In the UK many people understand lager as being a style of beer rather than a family of beers — yellow, fizzy, low hop flavour.

‘We brewed a Vienna Lager in collaboration with our friends at Bulletproof Brewing which was amber, rich and malty, and had a delicate carbonation — more akin to a best bitter than a pint of Stella. Lager literally pairs with everything, that’s why it took over the world.’

I regularly drink Utopian’s unfiltered Helles whenever I see it, loving its crisp and fulsome character, soft citrus note mid-palate and the gentle bitter finish; the Dunkel is also delicious. Maybe, just maybe, our perceptions of lagered beer are about to turn and those that currently ask for a pint of lager will soon be saying Dunkel, Bock, Doppelbock, Pilsner or Kellerbier.

Adrian Tierney-Jones

Voted ‘Beer Writer of the Year 2017’ by the British Guild of Beer Writers, Adrian Tierney-Jones is a freelance journalist whose work also appears in the Daily Telegraph, Original Gravity, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Daily Star and Imbibe amongst many others.

He’s been writing books since 2002 and they include West Country Ales, Great British Pubs, Britain’s Beer Revolution (co-written with Roger Protz) and his latest The Seven Moods of Craft Beer; general editor of 1001 Beers To Try Before You Die and contributor to The Oxford Companion to Beer, World Beer and 1001 Restaurants You Must Experience Before You Die. Chair of Judges at the World Beer Awards and also on the jury at the Brussels Beer Challenge, Occasionally blogs at http://maltworms.blogspot.co.uk

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LETTER FROM NORTH AMERICA

It’s Time for a Return to Flavour Stephen Beaumont

We live in a world that ofttimes seems defined by the twin concepts of doom and gloom. Justifiably so, perhaps, but omnipresent and mentally debilitating nonetheless. And sadly, the beer business, which one would think exists solely to bring a smile to our lips and stimulate a friendly conversation in a bar or pub, is not immune to this.

This reality was on vivid display at the start of this year, when social media commentaries and ‘Dry January’ stories held a looking glass up to how detrimental alcohol supposedly is to our well-being and how much joy – Uninterrupted sleep! Lost weight!

Heightened energy! – was to be found in sobriety. (Never mind that most of these month-long evangelists went eagerly back to drinking the moment February 1 rolled around.) For those within the brewing industry, the same was largely true.

In the United States, the crisis was predicated by the meteoric rise of hard seltzer, a sort of successor to alcopops that combines the appeal of unsweetened and gently flavoured carbonated water with, well, booze.

Meanwhile, in Canada, a drop in beer sales was being directly attributed to the year-old legalization of cannabis, never mind that most provinces are said to have bungled the introduction to the degree that illicit sales still thrive, and that cannabis companies once viewed as certain cash cows are now haemorrhaging money.

While I remain unconvinced that either of the above industry scenarios are anywhere near as doom-y and gloom-y as most commentators would suggest, neither am I so myopic that I do not recognize the threat they legitimately pose to beer producers.

More so to the big multinationals, of course, since when you have more market share, you also have more to lose. But also to large and mid-sized craft brewers who are facing the twin threats of external forces like hard seltzer and cannabis – as well as growth in the wine, cocktail and spirits markets – and the intra-industry challenge of the ‘drink local’ crowd who eschew any national name in favour of the cult brewery down the road.

So far, the North American craft brewing industry’s response to the above can be neatly summed up in two words: novelty and trends.

Largely turning their backs on the beers that helped make their businesses, many breweries have bought fully into the new-beer-every-week ethos that keeps beer consumers interested by appealing to their short attention spans. Or, and usually in combination with the previous approach, they will chase whatever style fads or trends happen to be of the moment, never mind that it might involve the creation of a beer they don’t particularly like or wish to brew.

In my view, neither approach is sound for the long run, and here’s why.

As neither hard seltzer nor cannabis really exist in the social sphere – you can’t smoke anything in most bars and coffee shops, and hard seltzer’s sales are almost exclusively in the offpremises segment – I think it is safe to surmise that the bulk of their audience is made up of younger drinkers who don’t have a lot of disposable income to throw around in bars. As such, these are also largely inexperienced drinkers, so still forming their views on what they do and do not like and enjoy.

Here is where smaller-scale brewers can learn from the mistakes of the big breweries. When craft beer really hit its stride in the late 1990s and first decade of the new century, breweries marketed directly to those who hadn’t yet made their minds up about what to drink, using a combination of approaches to show drinkers in their 20s that beer with true flavour, crafted locally, was both superior to and quite different from their parent’s beer.

Big brewers, stuck in their decades-old ways, didn’t believe the strategy would work, didn’t change their style over substance approach and consequently

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began to lose market share.

For this fate not to befall craft brewers, they should return to their roots, emphasizing tradition and flavour, craftsmanship and beer styles rather than novelty and fashion. In other words, they need to again convince a new generation of drinkers that IPAs and pale ales and pilsners and porters are desirable, rather than trying to combat the rise of fruit-flavoured seltzers with fruit-flavoured beers such as smoothie-like milkshake IPAs.

To address cannabis smokers, they need to re-emphasize the social aspect of beer drinking, bringing people back into bars for conversation over a pint or three. Position this as an alternative to the solitary lifestyle that computers and smart phones and social media often beget, and with which weed is a logical fit, and the two products will begin to happily co-exist.

Finally, it is time to de-emphasize the buzz. One thing that seltzer and weed are very good at doing is intoxication delivery, so beer sellers need to instead rely more on beer’s unassailable strengths: flavour, enjoyment and camaraderie. Position beer as what it has always been, the world’s most flavourfully diverse and eminently sociable beverage, and the future just might stop looking so bleak.

Stephen Beaumont

A professional beer writer for 29 years, Stephen Beaumont is an award-winning author or co-author of thirteen books on beer, including his latest, Will Travel for Beer: 101 Remarkable Journeys Every Beer Lover Should Experience.

He is also the co-author (with Tim Webb) of the recently released Pocket Beer Book, 3rd Edition, and 2016’s fully-revised and updated second edition of The World Atlas of Beer, as well as author of The Beer & Food Companion.

His new website is beaumontdrinks.com and he can be followed on both Twitter and Instagram @BeaumontDrinks

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SHOWCASE In The Mix

We asked companies supplying the following products and services to let us know something about themselves.... l Malts, hops, fruit, yeast and any other raw materials which contribute to the finished product l Chemicals and other adjuncts used in the drinks production process l Companies providing power and other resources, plus products and services to help meet hygiene regulations

Jester arrives in a new format

We have been busy here at Charles Faram. As well as the breeding and selection of new varieties, we have been looking at new (and sometimes old) methods of delivering even more potency to your brews. Jester® is our flagship hop and it is an eternal favourite here.

Looking at other products on the market we have a number of trials scheduled this year, the first of which recently arrived back from being processed and we are very excited! We have had Jester® processed into T45 pellets – some may be aware of what these are and others not, so please allow us to enlighten those that haven’t heard of these before.

Type 45 pellets are by no means a new invention. To explain the difference, we should begin with how Type 90 pellets are made. Whole hops are chopped into a fine powder, homogenised (mixed) to ensure consistency within the batch and then pressed through a die. These pellets will have had some material removed (leaf and stem) and the moisture content may be slightly lower than the whole hops before processing, so the 90 in Type 90 or T90 stands for 90%.

Originally processors would expect 90% of the weight of the whole hops returned as pellets.

Today the process is more efficient and the return is higher than that but the name for the process has remained the same. Type 45 pellets differ from Type 90 in that the whole hops are frozen at -20°C, then chopped. When frozen, the lupulin becomes less sticky and it is possible to separate some plant material from the lupulin by sieving.

Approximately half of this plant material is discarded and the remainder is then recombined with the lupulin and pressed through a similar die to Type 90. In reality, the amount of plant material used can be varied so these pellets are often standardised to an alpha value, so they may not be 45% of the original weight but more likely 50-80%. These pellets are lupulin enriched pellets.

So, what was the goal of this project?

There are some obvious advantages to Type 45 pellets. The product weight is reduced so shipping is less costly. When dry hopping in the fermentation or conditioning vessel, beer losses are significantly reduced. There are also some less obvious advantages; potentially a cleaner aroma and flavour profile, and the ability to increase dry

hopping rates with more juicy characteristics and less funkiness.

When they arrived in Newland these pellets caused a huge stir in the office.

We will be trialling them on our own pilot brewery and will conduct sensory analysis alongside the same beer but made with conventional Jester® T90 pellets. We would be delighted for you to try them so please do not hesitate to get in touch with your relevant Charles Faram Sales Representative if you would like to see what they can do for you and your brewery.

Will Rogers, Group Technical Director, Charles Faram

For further information: www.charlesfaram.co.uk 01905 830734

Reduction in sugar content research welcomed

A Yorkshire-based business that helps makers of carbonated drinks to keep their fizz for longer has welcomed new research revealing that the total amount of sugar sold in soft drinks in the UK has reduced by almost a third (29%).

Experts at CO2Sustain say that the research, conducted on soft drinks sold between 2015-18 by the University of Oxford, is not only good news for consumers but also drinks brands and manufacturers looking to improve their production methods and reduce their carbon footprint.

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Jonathan Stott of CO2Sustain said: “Sugar reduction of a third in carbonated drinks is to be widely welcomed from the perspective of health. However, reducing the amount of sugar in the liquid creates production problems for soft drinks brands and manufacturers who are looking to produce healthier products, which can dissuade some brands from trying to cut back on sugar content.

“Reducing the sugar content causes drinks to over foam meaning the bottles become harder to fill on production lines. This creates waste and lengthens production running times, requiring more time and energy to deliver the finished product. These line inefficiencies

invariably lead to increases in costs."

CO2Sustain offers manufacturers and brands the ability to retain carbonation and extend carbonation shelf life, giving consumers longer lasting fizzy drinks.

From its manufacturing base in Leeds, CO2Sustain’s team of technical innovations chemists pioneered the preservative-free, foaming and carbonation aid to increase the CO2 content and extend the carbonation shelf life of soft drinks, using an exclusive patented formulation.

For further information: www.co2sustain.com

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SHOWCASE In The Mix

Can the brewing industry ever trust non-toxic claims for process chemicals? asks Jerry Lewis, Chief Technical Officer, Kilfrost

There are currently more than 2,000 breweries in the UK – the highest number in almost a century, with increased demand putting pressure on brewers to continually improve efficiency and safety as they serve growing numbers of customers. However, it’s clear that some demands for greater efficiency can negatively impact on consumer safety.

The human impact of this was brought into sharp focus by recent deaths in Brazil, traced back to the contamination of beer with diethylene or ethylene glycol in the Backer Brewery.

For too long, there has been confusion about the true definition of ‘non-toxicity’ when it comes to anti-freeze and heat transfer fluids, and the myth continues to circulate that choosing a safer product will ultimately mean less efficiency. This is simply not the case. While efficiency is clearly important, there should be no compromise when it comes to safety. The recent Brazil deaths highlight the tragic outcome of a toxic fluid coming into

Why is anti-freeze used in brewing?

Brewery chiller systems must be kept between approximately -4°C and -2°C. As water freezes at 0°C, this means that an anti-freeze substance must be mixed in to ensure that the water keeps flowing through the pipes.

Diethylene and ethylene glycol

Ethylene glycol freezes at about -11°C, diethylene glycol at about -20°C. Ethylene glycol is commonly used as anti-freeze or in heat transfer systems such as air conditioning, while diethylene glycol is forbidden for use in food or drugs industries due to its links with mass poisonings. Both chemicals are odourless, colourless and sweet tasting and can be highly toxic if a person is not treated after ingestion.

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contact with product intended for consumption, and the site is still closed while investigations continue. Whatever conclusion the investigators reach, the incident should startle the industry into action, acting as the prompt for a longoverdue review of the way fluids are marketed to breweries, and a decision on exactly when the phrase ‘non-toxic’ can and should be used.

One of the major issues is that definitions vary across the world, so a level of toxicity which may be deemed safe in one country could be seen as unsafe in another. The second is the lack of worldwide adoption of an accreditation scheme which would enable brewers to see at a glance whether a product had been properly endorsed as safe for incidental human contact. However, these definitions and accreditations do exist. They just need to be adopted at a universal level across industry.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has two broad categories for materials which may come into contact with food. These are Generally Recognised as Safe (GRAS) where a long history of safe use has exempted chemical substances from the usual food additive tolerance limits, and Food Safe Material which also considers the safe threshold values for use of each substance.

Any chemicals listed as GRAS or Food Safe Material by the FDA can be accredited by the NSF International.

Their ruling on the safety of anti-freeze formulation is solely based on formulation components, so they would not accredit any ethylene glycol-based products as they are not included in either of the categories. NSF Certification is the only way to ensure inherent safety and can and should be used as a mark of reassurance for breweries choosing anti-freeze or heat transfer fluids. It gives the industry the chance to use the phrase ‘non-toxic’ confidently, knowing exactly what it means. It is not that one manufacturer has deemed its own products to be safe, but that a trusted organisation has been able to

independently verify that, should the worst-case scenario happen and a leak occur, those consuming the product before the incident was discovered would not come to harm.

While manufacturers have an obligation to market their heat transfer and anti-freeze fluids responsibly, it is up to brewery owners and managers to uphold those standards and ensure the decisions they make on which fluids to use are based on fact not spurious ‘non-toxic’ claims – their brand depends on it, but more crucially so too does the safety of their consumers.

Jerry Lewis, Chief Technical Officer, Kilfrost Jerry has worked in science and technology for more than 30 years, in areas of chemistry, biochemistry and governmental projects, on topics ranging from personal care active ingredients to seaweed and microalgae for carbon dioxide mitigation. He has worked for Kilfrost for eight years as the Chief Technical Officer, and over the last three years has helped to write the three new SAE global aircraft ground de-icing standards and redrafted an international geothermal heat transfer standard.

For further information: www.kilfrost.com 01434 320332

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SHOWCASE In The Mix

Britvic achieves manufacturing ambitions through enhanced water treatment solutions As the largest manufacturing centre for the Britvic group, its Rugby factory produces around half of the group’s soft drinks. With increased sales for popular brands, such as Pepsi, Fruit Shoots and J2O, manufacturing output needed to grow to fulfil this demand.

Increasing the supply of the principal ingredient, purified water, was critical to meeting new targets. Only a holistic approach to this complex and challenging manufacturing environment could deliver results and set in motion a continuous improvement approach to water treatment.

“The Envirogen Group has worked with Britvic for many years,” says Bill Denyer, Director of Food & Beverage at Envirogen Group. “As a major player in the soft drinks industry, Britvic’s experience in production and its vision for future growth is second to none. We were thrilled to be able to help the company achieve its manufacturing ambitions at its flagship UK site, which showcases the best of what Britvic has to offer. Britvic’s unique and complex water cycle, featuring fast production times, high volume purified water requirements, demanding environmental standards and sterile lines, requires the type of expert design and management that is our specialism.”

High-quality purified water is the main ingredient in many of the Britvic products so the efficiency of the whole manufacturing process rests on the effectiveness of the water treatment

process. The site already produced purified water at a rate of 200m³/hour, but to meet increased demand, Britvic knew that additional 160m³/hour, would need to be processed nearly doubling the existing supply.

Working together to tackle the bottleneck Envirogen were asked to provide a total solution, working through each stage of the water treatment system to recognise bottlenecks and design new processes with increased capacity. From incoming water treatment to sterilisation, and even wastewater treatment, Envirogen took a holistic approach, evaluating the needs of the site to develop the best long-term solution. This methodology has enabled Britvic to develop a programme of continuous improvement in relation to water treatment. Since installing the new systems, Envirogen has continued to provide preventative maintenance services, with engineers on site, continually refining and improving systems and processes, ensuring maximum outputs are delivered to the high-quality standards demanded. The new equipment is already delivering outputs of 360m³/hour and hitting the futureproofed requirements for the site.’

An integrated solution for the entire water cycle de-alkalisation plant As the initial stage of water treatment, a new three vessel de-alkalisation plant was installed, employing ion exchange technology to remove the temporary hardness from the incoming water supply. Calcium and magnesium ions

are stripped out to a rate of less than 50 ppm, meeting the rates set for all Britvic sites and ensuring product consistency and flavour.

Following ion exchange, the water travels through a chlorination tank, to add an oxidizing agent to the water and then on to a carbon bed to the remove the chlorine. An existing ultraviolet (UV) filtration system with 10μm and 1 μm absolute cartridges, previously installed

by Envirogen, destroys microbes and removes suspended solids.

Network sterility To maintain and ensure sterility, whilst ensuring a consistent and reliable supply of water to all areas of the site, a UV treatment tank was installed to receive water from the filtration stage. Four stainless-steel ring mains provide water across all areas of the factory, the water is kept in continual motion to maintain sterility. Take off points are provided in multiple locations to ensure that purified water is available wherever and whenever it is needed. Continuous automated monitoring ensures standards are met with water recirculated back to the UV treatment tank when needed.

Enabling Britvic’s only aseptic line As the home for Britvic’s only aseptic/ sterile, production line, the Rugby site produces long-life fruit juice products without the use of preservatives or the need for refrigeration. An aseptic line needs a more rigorous treatment protocol so Envirogen designed a reverse osmosis (RO) system to remove up to 99% of all pathogens, dissolved ions and organic compounds. Using nanofiltration to recover and recycle concentrate waste streams, Envirogen was able to achieve a market-leading 90% waste recovery rate, sending as little water as possible to drain - a feature that is helping to satisfy Britvic’s ambitious wastewater reduction targets.

Water fit for discharge To complete the water cycle and meet discharge consent for outgoing wastewater streams, a pH correction plant was designed and installed. The site’s wastewater streams have a large pH fluctuation: with carbonation generating a low pH and caustic cleaning producing a high pH. Continued on page 18

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SHOWCASE In The Mix

Brook House Hops vastly increases acreage in deal

Good news has never been far away recently for independently owned Brook House Hops, a UK hop farm based in Herefordshire and launched to the brewing world in 2018.

After a successful first 18 months of trading and a positive annual hop walk just this August, the company recently invested over £100,000 into new equipment and is now expanding three fold by increasing its acreage into neighbouring Worcestershire.

The owner of Britain’s largest area of hop farm ‘Newnham’, also independent, recently saw what Brook House was doing and called on the team to manage the farm which is just half an hour (15 miles) north of its existing land and HQ in Bromyard, Herefordshire.

The owner was considering turning the

farmland from hops to asparagus as the English hop market is at times uncertain, due to the popularity of hop strains grown in America, New Zealand and parts of Europe. Wanting to preserve the ancient tradition of UK hop growing as much as possible, Brook House took the land under its wing and began to sell the British grown hops directly to brewers.

After this success the owner is now working with Brook House Hops instead of taking the big and expensive leap into vegetable crop farming.

The cooperative means that Brook House Hops now manages the land in Worcestershire and the owner of Newnham is actively involved in the business going forwards, through not only the use of the land but also with his valuable knowledge and input in decisions going forward. Supporting the farming of high quality British hops on

his land is what he really wanted in the long term, so it’s a win-win situation.

Adding 200 acres to its UK hop growing portfolio is just the beginning. In January 2020 Brook House intends to restore the early 1900s traditional farmhouse on site into compassionately designed offices and a showroom for customers, as well as invest in a large 1,000 square metre processing centre and cold store.

Once complete, this will be the first dedicated on-farm cold store for hops in the UK. It will enable Brook House Hops to get all of its hops into cold storage less than 24 hours from picking, helping to preserve aromas for customers and further increase the quality of its (already) immensely high quality UK grown hops.

For further information: brookhousehops.com

Continued from page 16

Britvic achieves manufacturing ambitions through enhanced water treatment solutions A set of three dosing tanks were installed, each with two independent probes measuring levels and automating hydrochloric acid or caustic soda dosing.

A containerised pump and control system were supplied to site, fully assembled and user acceptance tested, to ensure quick and easy connection.

The entire system was constructed outside, along with the chemical stores, to conserve space within the factory and provide room for future factor expansion.

Control at every step of the journey Automation is the key to fast and efficient soft drink manufacturing and, with the use of monitoring technology, the whole water treatment system is completely automated. To meet safety standards and to ensure quality, control and reporting are key. User-friendly control panels, located at multiple points throughout the site, provide real-time reporting, providing safety data and allowing adjustments when needed.

A holistic approach – greater than the sum of its parts Overall, it was the holistic approach to the problem that ensured success and delivered a solution that achieved more

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than each of its individual parts.

Envirogen’s Bill Denyer explains: “Each part of a water treatment system relies on the process that comes before it. To achieve the high standards that Britvic needs for their products, each step must be reliable on its own but also contribute to further efficiencies downstream. We approached the whole project with the big picture in mind. We have a clear view of the end goal and we’re constantly looking for ways to improve the efficiency of each step, whether that is to increase output, save water or cut costs.

“Our team is used to working on complex projects of this nature. For this project, we appointed a team of designers and specialist process, mechanical and electrical engineers, as well as a dedicated project manager as the single point of contact for the client. It is our collaborative approach, both within the Envirogen team and with the client that enables us to realise the best solutions.

‘“Although the new machinery reaches the future-proofed manufacturing outputs required for the site, we’re still working to reach the full 360m³/hour site wide targets by helping Britvic to

design a new chlorine dosing system that will match the increased flow from the de-alkalisation step. We will continue to work with the Britvic team to help them fulfil their ambitious plans.”

Key outcomes: • Total solutions approach delivered a system that meets the needs of the whole site • Output on new installations increased from 200m³/hr to 360m³/, matching site wide goals for a substantial uplift in manufacturing capability • Wastage reduced by recycling 90% of reverse osmosis discharge • Control panels ensure full visibility and management for all systems • A comprehensive ongoing service and preventative maintenance plan ensures that systems continue to work to full capacity Holistic planning and design ensured that each element of the treatment supports the next and delivered a solution that is greater than the sum of its parts.

For further information: envirogengroup.com enquiries@envirogengroup.com

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Spring 2020

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SHOWCASE In The Mix

6 reasons why you should consider thermal fluid heating

by Chris Horsley, Director - Process Engineering Division of Babcock Wanson Wort production is an energy intensive process requiring considerable amounts of heat.

Traditionally, steam based heating, in the form of fire tube boilers and steam generators, has been used to deliver that heat.

But steam requires relatively complex equipment that needs skilled labour and comes with considerable inspection requirements, all making for a fairly costly bit of plant. For small, independent brewers, mostly producing small quantities of beer to exacting standards, this represents a considerable investment and even a stumbling block.

Steam, however, isn’t your only option here. Thermal fluid heat systems provide a practical and affordable alternative that really have no downsides. Similar in concept to a low pressure hot water system, thermal fluid systems consist of a heater connected to flow and return pipework which can provide heat to one or more users or systems. Instead of water running through the pipework, a thermal fluid, such as a simple oil, is used as the heat transfer medium.

If you haven’t considered thermal fluid heaters in your brewery, then here are six reasons why you should:

1.Cost effective: One of the key factors in achieving very high levels of system energy efficiency is the ability of a thermal fluid system to work at high temperatures (up to 350°C in standard form) in a simple closed loop. When compared to a steam system this means no change of state of the fluid, so no condensate and therefore no flash steam losses, no blow down losses or make up water required, no effluent discharge and completely corrosion free operation without the need for expensive chemical treatment.

It all adds up to substantial savings.

When Freedom Brewery swapped to a Babcock Wanson thermal fluid heater in 2015, they reported that their energy costs per litre brewed reduced dramatically, to just a sixth of what they were before! That’s partly because the system precisely matches fuel input to plant energy requirements for highest

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practicable operating efficiency.

2.Easy to use: Thermal Fluid systems are far easier to use and therefore require no specialist staff.

3.Very compact: Thermal fluid heating systems are highly compact and require no specialist site work, meaning they can usually be sited in a convenient location close to the user, without needing specialist plant rooms or long runs of distribution pipe work.

4.Improved safety: Using thermal fluid as opposed to steam removes the problems of high pressure operation, risk of scaling or freezing due to low ambient temperatures. What’s more, the use of thermal fluid circulating through the wort boiler heat exchanger means it doesn’t require rating as a pressure vessel.

5.Precise heat control: Thermal fluid heaters are easy to control and, when used with an integrated control system, ensure very precise heat transfer to the process. For one brewery that Babcock Wanson worked with, this was essential to achieve a colour of only 8 EBC for their biggest selling Pale Ale. 6.Environmental benefit: With a lower energy input demand than that required by a steam system, comes lower total exhaust emissions.

Thermal fluid heaters aren’t new and have been used extensively across a wide range of industries for all the reasons listed above. Whilst steam is the traditional choice in the brewery sector this is changing, especially in smaller, craft brewers who are happy to consider alternatives to traditional methods of brewing, as long as it doesn’t negatively impact the end produce. Thermal fluid heating systems certainly doesn’t affect the taste of the beer and with its lower costs and ease of use has helped in some not insignificant way to contribute to the financial success of this expanding sector.

For further information: www.babcock-wanson.co.uk info@babcock-wanson.co.uk

Chris Horsley has been with Babcock Wanson since 1985, starting in a sales capacity and now with the latest role of Director of the company’s Process Engineering Division. He is a long standing member of the IET.

Babcock Wanson offers a complete range of products and services for boiler houses and other process heating needs and has extensive experience in the brewing and distilling sectors.

Ale yeast is launched

Lallemand Brewing has announced the launch of the LalBrew® Voss Kveik. This ale yeast was isolated in the 1980s

by Sigmund Gjernes, who has maintained it to this day, sharing it with the wider brewing community.

LalBrew® Voss supports a wide range of fermentation temperatures between 25-40°C (77-104°F) with a very high optimal range of 35-40°C (95-104°F).

Very fast fermentations are achieved within the optimal temperature range with full attenuation typically achieved within 2-3 days. The flavour profile is consistent across the entire temperature range: neutral with subtle fruity notes of orange and citrus.

Flocculation is very high producing clear beers without filtration or use of process aids. It's suitable to brew numerous beer styles such as Farmhouse Ales, Neutral ales, IPAs, etc

For further information: www.lallemandbrewing.com abvickers@lallemand.com

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Spring 2020

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SHOWCASE In The Mix

Brewery improves quality with dry hopping system Crate Brewery, a Hackney Wick specialist in craft beers, is utilising a dry hopping system from Hoptimiser – a division of Hampshire-based TorqueflowSydex Ltd – to make significant savings in process time and hop utilisation, without compromising taste.

Established in 2012, Crate Brewery has today become part of the rapidly evolving landscape in Hackney Wick.

Indeed, the company has grown from a modest 1,600-litre a week brewery, to a team of eight, brewing hard to satisfy the ever-growing demand for its range of beers, which include IPA, pale ale and golden ale, as well as lager, stout and cider.

Many of the beers produced at Crate are based on American hops, which are relatively expensive to import. “Brews such our pale ale and IPA rely on the intense citrus, pine and forest fruit flavours of American hops,” says Sam Wright, Brewery Engineer at Crate Brewery. “So, if your most expensive ingredient is hops, you want to get the most bang for your buck, hence the need to look at a better way of dry hopping.”

The system previously deployed at Crate was a largely manual process. Crate Brewery knew that investing in a better way of dry hopping would improve extraction levels. A dry hopping system based on a single tank would also help the brewery become more efficient in the future if it ever wanted to use a centrifuge or filter as part of its process.

With so many potential benefits, the company’s interest was stirred upon

reading a magazine article about Mondo Brewing Company in Battersea. In 2018, Mondo invested in a Hoptimiser dry hopping system with 40kg capacity that was delivering impressive results in terms of hop utilisation and cost savings.

“I have a contact at Mondo so I went along to see it in action,” says Mr Wright.

“We then reached out to Hoptimiser and they offered us a free trial with a DH90 dry hopping system so we could assess the effects on our beer. We changed nothing in our process in terms of the ingredients and their quantity, just the way they are added. After three weeks we performed a sensory analysis to compare taste and flavours.”

He continues: “When our beers were dry-hopped at the same rate of hop addition – circulating the beer for between 45 minutes and 2 hours – we got similar results to those obtained previously over three days. So you can see the level of savings in terms of processing time, all without compromising taste.”

The final hop addition usually has a massive impact on final product quality, and it is here that the dry hopping system from Hoptimiser, a Torqueflow-Sydex brand, comes into its own, acting akin to a giant tea bag to infuse the wort with all that hoppy goodness, in a short period of time. Crate Brewery then tried changing the hopping rates, reducing the amount of hops introduced and assessing the effect. Closely guarded trials are ongoing but results are very positive at this stage.

Crate Brewery can load up to 50kg of hops into its new Hoptimiser, which was officially installed in October 2019.

Moving forward, the company also has plans to produce some seasonal beers at higher hop rates. Adds Wright: “Until now we had been hesitant to add any more than, say, 10g of hops per litre to any of our beers due to the inefficiencies of our old method, but with the Hoptimiser we are confident that we can charge 40kg, purge it and then charge another 40kg to increase the dry hop and make some new seasonal beers.

“After the first few runs with the Hoptimiser dry hopping system we established a standard operating procedure [SOP] that meant we quickly got to grips with delivering the optimum results for our beers,” he concludes.

The Hoptimiser is already being used to dry-hop two batches of beer per day at Crate Brewery, with plans to increase moving forward.

Kent’s ‘Best Hop Grower’ is announced Kent’s Best Hop Grower of the year, judged as part of The Taste of Kent Awards 2020, is Tim Day of GM Day & Sons, from East Peckham, Kent with the variety, Progress.

Tim was chosen from the Kent hop growers who entered the Kent Hop Competition, which is organised by The Weald of Kent Ploughing Match and held on 20 November 2019 and sponsored by BTF Partnership and

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Shepherd Neame. Hop growing in Kent is seeing a revival thanks to the interest in micro brewing and craft beers and Kent is famous for its Hop growing heritage. Whilst there is now a smaller number of growers in the county, they grow hops to a very high standard which are in demand from brewers across the world.

Stuart Highwood, head judge comments: “This year was a very good show with a very high standard of hops as it has been such a good growing year. Despite

For further information: www.hoptimiser.com

some growers being affected by high winds in August, which caused some damage to the crop, the hop cone sizes were variable which is good for brewing.

The continental flavours preferred for the modern craft beers are increasingly popular and hop growers should be looking forwards, as brewers are looking for more interesting varieties of hops to use in beer making.

“That said, the variety Progress which Tim has won with is a traditional fuggle type hop used in making bitter.”

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Spring 2020

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Thomas Fawcett & Sons Ltd Est. 1809

Cask and Keg Repair & Refurbishment Specialists

Malts for Champions All Malts delivered ON TIME to your specification, crushed or whole.

The Company is very proud to have supplied malt to the brewers of 13 CAMRA Supreme Champion Beers of Britain since 1997 including Castle Rock

Harvest Pale

Main products include: Maris Otter, Halcyon, Pearl, Golden Promise & Propino Ale Malts together with the complete range of Speciality Coloured Malts including Wheat, Rye and Oat products.

Thomas Fawcett & Sons Limited Eastfield Lane, Castleford, West Yorkshire WF10 4LE

Tel: 01977 552490/552460 Email: sales@fawcett-maltsters.co.uk

l A Genuine Alternative to Cask and Keg Replacement l Repairs to casks and kegs of all sizes l We can supply refurbished casks too l Fast On-Site Turnaround l Competitive Rates l Over 60 years of Industry Experience Please contact us for details of our other onsite services.

Head Office: 01283 740807 • Mob: 07952 152 099 Email: repairs@dhmbreweryservices.co.uk • Contact: Jason Miller

Web: www.dhmbreweryservices.co.uk • Twitter: @DHMBreweryServ

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Spring 2020

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SHOWCASE In The Mix

Why high standards of hygiene are a priority in the brewing industry

Chris Bayliss, National Sales Manager at Christeyns Food Hygiene, and Northern & Scottish Section Chairman of BFBi, discusses the importance of high standards of hygiene in the brewing industry and how a greater understanding of microbiology aids understanding for all concerned.

The increase in craft brewing and the interest this has generated for beer in general, has put pressure on breweries to go the extra mile to create products that incorporate unique flavours as they strive to produce the perfect brew. It is not however just the hops, yeast and other ingredients that lead to a great drink but also the production process and faultless hygiene routine that impacts on the final taste.

Hygiene is fundamental to the brewing process, get this wrong and you’re on the road to ruin. It pays for craft brewers to invest time learning the key aspects of cleaning before they even think of producing a drop of product. In all breweries, hygiene training should form a major element of any induction.

Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data, published data in November 2019 stating that in 2017 the average person in the UK consumed 122 pints of beer per year, with approximately 40 million hectolitres of beer produced in the UK that year.

Between 2000 and 2017 the total number of breweries in UK rose from 500 to almost 2,500.

In 2018, consumers spent £5.6 billion on beer in the United Kingdom and beer remains the most popular choice when drinking alcohol in the UK, accounting for over a third of all alcohol being consumed. All this points to the fact that beer plays a major part in the lives of many of us, be that as a consumer or as an industry employee, or both.

Due to the surge in the number of breweries and the amount of beer being consumed, increased legislation has been put in place in the UK to maintain consumer confidence in the industry. In June 2015 SALSA (Safe and Local Supplier Approval) launched its plus Beer Audit which provides small breweries and bottlers across the UK with a dedicated standard to follow that gives confidence to customers and retailers,

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and more importantly, keeps quality standards high.

Certification is only granted to suppliers who are able to demonstrate to an auditor that they are able to produce safe and legal beverages and are committed to continually meeting the requirements of the standard. Firms are audited annually to ensure continued compliance. In all situations, prevention is always better than cure.

There are also HACCP, (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), requirements for beer production whereby the Environmental Health Department requires that brewers have a plan that covers microbiological, physical and chemical food hazards throughout the brewing process.

We should not forget that the brewing process involves microbiological activity at every stage, from raw material production and malting to stability in the package, live organisms are present.

Although most of this activity is arrested by boiling during the brewing process, any contaminants introduced after boiling can pose a threat in terms of aroma, flavour and consistency so hygiene of the production plant and packaging areas must be carefully and consistently controlled and managed.

Adopting the correct hygiene methods at every stage of the process is therefore crucial to prevent unwanted contamination. We can only effectively disinfect a clean smooth surface, so we need to use the correct product formulation to make sure there is no build-up of scale. If any scale is allowed to develop, this provides safe havens for microorganisms to reside and go on to contaminate the next brew.

Deposition of scale also provides areas where other forms of soiling may start to deposit.

In order to ensure our staff are fully up to date on all the issues regarding potential threats in the brewing sector, we have recently teamed up with microbiologist Marilyn Seedhouse who specialises in the brewing industry and currently carries

out SALSA audits. Marilyn is providing formal training for our team so that we can better inform our customers on the dangers. As we work on a personal, face to face basis to tackle individual issues, this additional microbiological background information will help add depth and understanding to the hygiene systems and protocols we recommend.

“We have to understand that many brewers are dealing with ‘live’ beers which need to be properly managed,” remarks Marilyn. “As an example, in canned craft beers, where there is no pasteurisation, the wrong yeast or bacteria being present and growing, can cause the beer in the can to spoil or even explode. Where beers are packaged bright and pasteurised, the packaging process must be very clean and hygienically maintained, otherwise spoilage can occur over time, damaging a brand reputation. As with all products, customers will always be lost when they have a bad experience.”

Marilyn continues: “Using the wrong chemicals in the wrong place in the cleaning process can be extremely dangerous. If this occurs, heat exchanger plates and the fabric of delicate brewing plant can be damaged. For example, Ethylene glycol, which is used in a lot of breweries as a coolant for chilling parts of the process, could contaminate the beer if heat exchangers are damaged by the use of the wrong detergents. As ethylene glycol is a substance that is deleterious to health, it is very important that everyone understands just how crucial a part of the brewing process cleaning actually is.”

Microbiological control is bound by set rules and regulations, in place to prevent and eliminate contaminating microorganisms so that the quality of the beer can be protected. Constant hygiene control will detect spoilage microorganisms as soon as possible, and by using optimised and efficient cleaning procedures this process can be made as economic as possible.

Continued on page 26

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Spring 2020

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SHOWCASE In The Mix

Totally integrated solution to water treatment is the essential ingredient Water is fundamental to brewing.

Water is facilitator, essential ingredient, and by-product. It’s an increasingly precious utility that is a barometer for the impact of climate change and a key focus of sustainability initiatives.

Water scarcity is increasingly a fact of life and one of a host of new realities that are impacting production practice.

Brewers are under pressure to conserve water or use it smartly, which means that having the right water treatment tools is now a top priority.

An explicitly sustainable and responsible water management policy is becoming a key differential - influencing investment, consumer choice and market success.

Satisfying these expectations are crucial

to the future success of your brand.

Inefficient use of water risks significantly damaging your reputation.

Consequently, squeezing every last drop of efficiency out of water’s process value is essential to reduce your costs and ultimately the cost to our planet.

We recognise that enhancing your operational efficiency - improving your water, energy and emissions goals while reducing reliance on scarcer natural resources, is a difficult balance to achieve. Diversey offers a total solution.

We are with you at every stage of your brewing process to enhance hygiene, safety, efficiency and sustainability throughout your business.

Our expert analysis is underpinned by the provision of a comprehensive range of products and solutions developed

from Diversey’s industry-leading knowledge. These cut cleaning time, optimise your use of chemicals and reduce your usage of water; lowering your carbon footprint and boosting your sustainability profile. Diversey’s total approach to water treatment reveals the hidden opportunities to make savings in the lifecycle of your production process.

Water is fundamental to brewing. Equally fundamental is a partner with the global knowhow, experience and expertise to deliver an effective water treatment programme. One that is truly responsive to your needs and a key ingredient in driving your future success.

For further information: www.diversey.com

Continued from page 24

Why high standards of hygiene are a priority in the brewing industry Beer spoilage microorganisms such as lactic acid and acetic acid bacteria, enterobacteriaceae and wild yeasts can be present on all types of surfaces in the brewing process and microbiological analysis will highlight any contamination.

The correct steps can then be taken to eradicate any issues.

If the hygiene regimes employed are below standard, then this will have bearing on product quality as well as on the bottom line. Methodology is crucial here and that affects both time taken to clean, amount of water and energy used, as well as the quantity and type of chemicals and detergents. A combination of methodology and chemistry is required to best tackle these issues and brewers need to understand how the chemistry works and the methods to use that will generate optimum results.

Passionate about her work, Marilyn notes: “It is important to get through to people and make the industry a better place. I have made a living out of the beer industry for over 50 years and I wouldn’t want anyone to have a bad

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pint! With all the diversity in today’s brewing industry, it is even more important to make sure the hygiene is right.”

The brewing industry in the UK is currently in a great place. New and exciting flavours are being developed and the market has become much more sophisticated. It is not only beer and cider that is seeing growth but new brews such as the health drink kombucha and other non-alcoholic brews are growing in interest.

CFH works with a range of breweries across the UK and Ireland, both large and small, one of which is the Magic Rock Brewery.

Based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, Magic Rock was set up in 2011 by Richard Burhouse and after a fantastic first six months went on to being voted 2nd best new brewery in the world 2012 and 5 times a top 100 world brewer since, on the independent ratings site RateBeer.com.

Since then production has more than tripled to 2.7 million pints that are sold in 25 countries worldwide.

“Magic Rock prides itself on its excellence and consistency and we needed a chemical supplier to equal our own high standards – CFH are that company!,” states head brewer, Stuart Ross. “From the very start of our journey they have provided us with the right products to aid the commissioning process right through to our daily cleans. Their work has been a major factor in the continuous improvements during our expansion development as cleaning and disinfection are a fundamental part of our process.”

In conclusion, whatever the brew and on whatever scale it is produced, consistently high standards of hygiene are crucial to keeping not only individual breweries on top form but the industry as a whole.

For further information: www.christeynsfoodhygiene.co.uk

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Showcasing the British spirit

Spirits excise duty – a time for change Alan Powell

Just over a year ago, the British Distillers Alliance helped its members to write to MPs and interested influencers to lobby for a fairer excise duty rate for small spirits producers (including those who produce new products from spirits – gin and so forth). This initiative stalled in the tentacles of Brexit and political developments but is ripe for renewal. What was not surprising is that the initial replies from the Treasury to MPs via ministers were partial and unhelpful as well as disingenuous and, in some cases not true; the Treasury never wants to co-operate where duty reductions are involved! We shall see….

The case for a reduced duty rate for spirits is urgent now there are many more small distillers, rectifiers and compounders who toil under the highest alcohol; excise duty rate and which usually has to be paid “on the day” – no “credit terms” from HMRC (unless a deferment account is acquired, which initially requires a “doubled-up” guarantee). This is a massive constraint on business stability, never mind growth.

The big spirits producers have set up the UK Spirits Alliance, which is really a front to lobby for the old “unitary taxation” argument ie all alcohol taxed at the same rate per degree of pure alcohol rather than the various structures and rates that currently prevail in the UK for various alcohol regimes. This would, perforce, require a review of the entire

UK alcohol duty structure which is a bigger issue than can be considered here. Let’s focus on small producers instead, who look enviously at the progressive beer duty available for small brewers, which provides a generous and helpful “tax break” (and being conscious of the Treasury review into the reduced rates and some divergence of views about the impact on competition within lower-volume sectors).

Currently, under EU rules, and in contrast to beer production, there is almost no availability of effective reduced rates for small spirits producers.

The current EU alcohol duty structure requires Member States to impose duty on ethyl alcohol (spirits) subject to a minimum rate of 5.5 euro per litre of pure alcohol. Member States are not limited as to the rates they may apply above this minimum (ass is evident from the UK’s £28 quid plus rate!). The Alcohol Structures Directive 92/83/EC Article 22 provides for a limited reduction in the full rate for small distillers and states l the reduced rates, which may fall below the minimum rate, shall not be applied to undertakings producing more than 10 hectolitres of pure alcohol per year. However, Member States which applied reduced rates on 1 January 1992 to undertakings producing between 10 hectolitres and 20 hectolitres of pure alcohol per year may continue to do so, l the reduced rates shall not be set more than 50 % below the standard national rate of excise duty.

The UK had no real need to consider applying reduced rates and, even if the

The British Distillers Alliance (BDA) is a non-profit making body which provides a professional service for independent and craft businesses in the spirits production industry and supply chain. The BDA represents distillers, rectifiers and compounders and those in related sectors.

Its aims are to: • Promote the interests of members within the spirits production industry; • Represent members' interests to UK government and international bodies; • Provide prompt expert technical and legal advice; • Encourage exchange of information of mutual benefit to members

BDA membership is currently free and aimed at small and start-up distillers and associated businesses. Membership will fill the gap for new and small businesses who need close assistance whilst establishing themselves.

Although larger and more mature businesses may be eligible to join, this will be at the BDA's discretion.

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reduced rate were to be applied, there would be little benefit for most small producers given the limitations of the available reduction.

The proposal from the EU Commission last year for revision of the Alcohol Structures Directive does not carry through the EU’s own recognition of the need for more internal competition using (effective) reduced rates for all small producers. Small spirits producers’ reduced rates remain ineffective and ineffectual.

Post EU membership, the UK will be able to set its own rates, including reduced rates in whatever form and level the government may choose (or be persuaded to choose). The government can be lobbied with a commercial/ economic case as well as one based on levelling the playing field. As I noted earlier, however, the Treasury will be set against any change, so we need to be persuasive with both carrot and stick.

The BDA has carried out some initial work into the possible reduced rates structure for spirits and the progressive beer duty rate is a helpful example although the spirits sector is not directly comparable with the various sizes of UK brewers. Independent small distillers are all tiny relative to the majority of the dominant spirits producers.

Finally, if the Treasury is so dead set against reduced rates, how did it agree to Progressive Beer Duty? Well, that is a story in itself. For more of that you’d need to purchase a book called “Power Trip” by Damian McBride. It makes fascinating reading!

Alan Powell

Alan Powell is a specialist excise duties consultant, formerly a Policy official within HMCE’s HQ teams. He is excise duties advisor to the Chartered Institute of Taxation, honorary advisor to the UK Warehousing Association and founded the British Distillers Alliance as a conduit for consultation with, and representation to, Government bodies and to assist and advise on technical matters.

For further information: www.britishdistillersalliance.com

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Spring 2020

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PREVIEW

BeerX 2020

We asked companies exhibiting at BeerX in Liverpool (March 11th & 12th) to give us a flavour of what visitors to this year’s show can expect to see and discuss on their stands....

Come see BrewMan at BeerX 2020!

Premier Systems is a Gold Sponsor of BeerX and the team will be at stand 136 on both days. We will be demonstrating all of our software services including:

New Features l We will be giving an early look at our upcoming BrewMan version 7, a completely redesigned web app, based in your browser. l BrewMan Advanced Analytics - our analytics service that links directly to your BrewMan data, allowing our customers to investigate business performance through data visualisation.

BrewMan l Our cloud-based brewery management software is used and trusted by over 200 breweries. The system was specifically designed for breweries with features such as duty calculation, sales, stock control,

But who will help you if something goes wrong?

What happens if your premises are broken into, and your goods stolen?

Or your refrigerated stock deteriorates, and cannot be sold?

What if you’re out on the road at an exhibition, farmers market or other

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STAND 136

distribution and cask tracking. Pricing starts from just £20 a month for a basic one user system.

BrewMan Production l BrewMan's Production module manages production processes, raw materials, fluid movements and ensures end-to-end traceability for your brewery or distillery.

BrewMan Delivery App l Simplify your distribution by completing the whole process on-theroad with an easy-to-use ruggedized mobile application. Scan casks, take customer signatures and much more.

BrewRep l The BrewRep module has been specifically designed for breweries to manage their sales teams on the road.

Sales representatives can set objectives, plan visits, enter orders remotely. We will demonstrate how you can use it portably

Come and see Bollington Insurance at BeerX 2020 If you’re heading to BeerX this year, then you’re going to see the latest and greatest developments in the industry. Everything you need to be successful and keep up-to-date when it comes to delivering the best tasting products to your customers.

PREMIER SYSTEMS

Pictured: Sam Williams (right) of Premier Systems presents Sean Kennedy of Beer Monkey Brew Co with a Gold Award at last year’s BeerX

on windows tablets such as the Surface Go.

We hope to see you there.

For further information: www.premiersystems.com sales@premiersystems.com

BOLLINGTON INSURANCE STAND 182

event, and goods get lost or stolen in transit?

Or an employee or member of the public makes a claim for alleged injury in connection with your business?

Bollington Insurance can help you!

Visit Stand 182 at BeerX to speak to Tom Dowd, part of the SME team at Bollington Insurance who look after breweries, and Ed Green, Bollington’s Business Development Manager.

They can guide you through everything you need to know about insurance for your business – whether you’re starting out for the first time, or you’ve been working in the brewing industry for years.

Bollington covers all types of business, from bottling facilities to distilleries, microbreweries to alehouses.

Where Bollington is different to most brokers is that they can tailor an insurance policy specifically to meet your needs, with exclusive access to their very own brewery scheme.

And it is one of the largest independent insurance brokers in the country – so you’re in safe hands.

Can’t make it to BeerX? Give Bollington a call for an informal discussion about how they can help you.

And if you are at BeerX – Bollington Insurance very much look forward to seeing you there!

For further information: www.bollington.com 01625 577769

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Spring 2020

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PREVIEW

BeerX 2020

Amba brings new twist to LemonTop Creative A chance meeting between LemonTop Creative and Virtual College has reaped rewards for both companies. Amba Bradbury has joined LemonTop’s marketing team as part of the Virtual College Apprenticeship Programme.

Our recruitment philosophy here at LemonTop is simple. We employ curious people, problem solvers who seek answers and solutions to our clients’ needs. We had been looking to expand our team but knew we had to find the right calibre of apprentice if we were to fill the role and move forward with our plans for the business. Amba’s approach to her work showed us that she had the potential to bring a different way of thinking to LemonTop.

On joining LemonTop Amba said: “To join such a creative and forward thinking company is an exciting prospect for me.

Being part of the LemonTop team allows me to bounce ideas around and get a

LEMONTOP CREATIVE STAND 115

different perspective from some very creative people. The team at LemonTop have big ideas both for their clients and their business, and I look forward to helping bring them to fruition.”

Amba has brought a fresh approach to LemonTop and has widened our scope of digital marketing with her social media, photographic and even sign language skills. She is currently working on a variety of different jobs promoting both LemonTop and our clients, and is helping the creative team develop their digital offering. As we continue to expand our range of services, Amba hopes her skills can help LemonTop move forward in an ever changing and rapidly evolving marketplace.

We specialise in all creative services for your brewery, the most popular ones being branding, labels, pump clips, packaging, promotional material, logo design, bar runners, point of sale and keg badge design.

Helping you make a better beer!

Brewing Services Ltd has worked with over 200 breweries in the UK and abroad, offering training, advice and technical support. Our mission is to help establish breweries with a complete commitment to quality, promote excellence throughout the brewing process, assist brewers in producing beers of the highest possible standard and train brewers to achieve their full potential.

Brewing & QA Surveys At Brewing Services, we believe that good technique, consistency and efficiency are the foundations of great beer. Through a combination of on-site surveys and remote technical support, we provide a service tailored to your needs, looking at your brewing process and procedures, from raw materials to the quality of the beer on the bar, along with microbiological checks, analytical testing

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of products and hygiene monitoring.

You may want to sell or show your beers online, we can help you with Brewery Websites and Brewery eCommerce.

We make sure your products look appealing and stand out from your competitors.

For further information: www.lemontopcreative.com 01325 311177

BREWING SERVICES STAND 57

Training Providing on-site training, exam mentoring and brewing courses, Brewing Services has helped increase the knowledge of hundreds of brewers.

Our ‘Fundamentals of MiniBrewing’, a four-day residential training course held in March David (left) and Rob Smith of Brewing Services Ltd and November each year, covers the basics of brewing recipe development and commissioning. theory and good brewing practice We provide full support over those first through a combination of lectures, critical brews. workshops and visits, with participants gaining greater insight into the art, For further details of any of our science and craft of brewing. services, come and visit us at BeerX stand 57.

Start-Up Services

We aim to help you make a better beer before you’ve even brewed your first pint. Our Start-Up Consultancy service covers initial feasibility studies, through site and equipment planning, to training,

For further information: www.brewingservices.co.uk enquiries@brewingservices.co.uk

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BeerX 2020

Hiring a tank can be cheaper than purchase!

Crazy statement! How can hiring a product possibly generate more long-term value for your company than the cost of buying it outright?

Well…… the reality is that most breweries look at a tank purchase as the cost of the tank itself, and completely ignore all of the sundry costs associated with actually getting the tank from the manufacturer to their business and also the cost of the install.

Typically, if buying from China (considered the cheapest option), there is the shipping cost, import taxes, pressure certificates, UK destination delivery, unloading of the container on site and the positioning of the tank in the brewery – as well as the valves and adaptors which, of course, are needed to operate the tank. On a typical 40hl tank this will add anywhere between 45-60% on to the initial “cost” of the tank.

Yes, having multiple tanks delivered in one go will obviously affect that percentage but the principle is still valid – “tank cost” is only a fraction of the true cost of having a new tank installed.

Compare the above with the Ninkasi Rental option.

Ninkasi reduces the import costs by always buying in bulk which not only benefits the shipping rates as container space utilisation is always maximised, but also allows the negotiation of preferential rates across all the other aspects of the ancillary costs. As this is Ninkasi’s main activity all unloading, delivery and positioning is carried out in house rather than incurring a secondary cost – all of which means that Ninkasi pricing reflects the savings it makes and pass these directly onto its customers.

Great you think, but it’s still a Ninkasi tank, and “I want to own it”. My first thought is why? A businesses value is seldom in its asset base as this is always a depreciating factor. Particularly with breweries, business value is always in the revenue generation, branding and growth potential i.e. it’s the marketing and sales presence which is attractive to a buyer. I can’t think of a brewery that has been sold at a multiple of its brewery plant value, it’s always a multiple of revenue/profit, the value of the brew plant often does not even factor in the calculation.

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NINKASI BREWKIT RENTALS STANDS 51 & 52

However, in the UK we just like to own things - it’s in our nature and heritage - so if a brewery wants to own the tank no problem, and it will still cost less to do it through Ninkasi! Why not harness Ninkasi buying power and technical expertise, use our ability to remove costly barriers and we will happily work with clients to enable ownership in the future.

Still not sure? OK, well what if Ninkasi were able to sweeten the deal? One of the main benefits of using Ninaksi is the flexibility; if a brewery buys a tank - that’s the tank it has. If beer volumes increase and capacity is reached more quickly than forecast, the only option is to buy another tank. Not with Ninaksi, on just a call Ninkasi will swap a customer’s hired tank out for a larger one, it’s a very quick and simple process, often done in just one week.

Have you also considered, when a brewery buys a tank, the impact on the business is always negative to cash flow immediately, and with a wait of 4 months (or more) for the tank to arrive (compared to from 1 week with Ninkasi), the brewery is having to pay out between £25-£30k per tank without any revenue being generated to cover all the additional costs to deliver and install.

None of that happens with Ninkasi as we smooth all the cash flow concerns. Initial payments are minimal with customers hire costs largely in line with tank usage/cash generation.

So, the brewery can keep £25k in the business and still have a tank generating an extra £10k per month revenue (based on 40hl). Therefore instead of having cash flow challenges, it is cash buoyant and can use this money to facilitate further higher margin ventures e.g. increase tap room scale, invest in direct/additional marketing, employ a new sales manager that will take the business on to the next level etc.

Very simply, with Ninkasi the £25k tank now costs a brewery £260pcm, giving all the benefits detailed above, and leaving the option open to take ownership in the future for less than if the brewery had funded it through traditional asset finance.

Ninaksi was created to support the

brewing community. We are passionate about the industry and as a small business have over 65 years experience within the trade. If you would like to understand more about how hiring a tank can be cheaper than purchase, please get in touch, we look forward to hearing from you and supporting your business.

For further information: www.ninkasirentals.co.uk info@ninkasirentals.co.uk

ALFA LAVAL STAND 148

See Brew 20

Alfa Laval is exhibiting at BeerX 2020 to showcase its Alfa Laval Brew 20 compact beer centrifuge (pictured), designed for the needs of smaller craft breweries and brewpubs Be sure to find Alfa Laval’s experts at stand 148 for a chat and discover how its proven craft brewing equipment and systems can help improve yield, beer quality and range.

For further information: www.alfalaval.co.uk

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www.bulksystems.co.uk BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Spring 2020

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BeerX 2020

Celebrating hopportunities We’ve got heaps of hop news to tell you this year at SIBA BeerX, so come along and see Beth, Jon, Rafik and Charlie on stand 62 grouped together with the rest of the Brewery Resource Roadshow family for a friendly one-stop-shop of brewing needs.

Hoppier than a well hopped bine in August We start with beers showcasing the possibilities for tastes and styles using our own hops and the best ingredients.

Try the new and established UK and global hop samples that we’re bringing especially for you to get stuck in to.

We’ll have our customer service Sam over on Thursday to get to see you all and chat over a few beers.

To add to the excitement, stand 62 and

SIBA’s 40th birthday bar will feature a beer single hopped with our Wellhopped World Series 2020 winner. The results from the second annual Wellhopped World Series will be announced on Thursday at 12:30, so come along, meet the growers and be in with a chance to win a hop prize.

The World Series competition was designed to discover and celebrate the best and most exciting aromas from our Worldwide Hop Development Programme as well as the skills, commitment and labours of the growers.

The overall winner has been selected from hops growing in the UK, Poland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and the USA.

The second arm to the competition is finding out the best of our brand-new varieties in their earliest stages of

THIELMANN at BeerX 2020 THIELMANN is looking forward to once again meeting with its partners at BeerX 2020.

As a major event in the international THIELMANN exhibition calendar, BeerX always offers a valuable opportunity to meet with new and existing customers, learn about new trends within the UK brewing industry, and highlight new developments from within the company's extensive portfolio of keg and brewing solutions.

This year visitors to the THIELMANN stand can meet with our experts to talk through requirements and find out more about why THIELMANN stainless steel containers are the market leading solution for brewing operations of all sizes. Whether you are a small, independent brewer or running a large-scale operation, THIELMANN offers a full range of IBC containers, fermenters, kegs and casks, along with full service and repair options, from its Dewsbury, UK facility to meet all your brewing needs.

In order to keep your operations as agile as possible, THIELMANN

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kegs are available from stock from our Dewsbury facility. All our kegs and casks are customisable to ensure your brand remains visible throughout the supply chain, and are fully backed by the expertise gained from 275 years in the market that guarantees your beer is brewed to perfection and delivered to your customers in perfect condition.

Not only do THIELMANN stainless steel kegs produce the best quality brew, they control and retain those qualities throughout the entire process. And with a deep understanding of the care needed to keep your kegs producing top quality brew throughout their service life, THIELMANN’s servicing option include full keg fleet maintenance, repair and servicing to our customers right across the UK. Whether your keg fleet numbers in the tens or thousands, our servicing programme can be 100% tailored to your needs.

Our full service and repair programme includes internal and external inspection, neck repair, chime straightening, spear maintenance, customisation, re-branding, cleaning and tagging options. The maintenance process includes visual inspection and assessment, internal and external inspection, pressure test, record of fault analysis, spear maintenance and

CHARLES FARAM STAND 62

development. What hop will be the next big thing at Faram’s?

Find out which of our commercial and experimental hops made it as champion and who will be named as the winning grower for 2020 at the awards ceremony taking place at the show.

There’s more Our Group Technical Director, Will Rogers will be available on Thursday for any hop development or scientific questions. Don’t miss his talk at 16:15 on New Varieties creative opportunities.

He will also touch on the subjects of carbon footprint and pesticide testing.

For further information: www.charlesfaram.co.uk 01905 830734

THIELMANN UK STAND 196

refurbishment, including breakdown of extractor for ultrasonic cleaning, specification checks and data logging.

Find us on stand 196.

For further information: www.thielmann.com

HGM

STAND 126

As a top manufacturer brand from China, HGM custom-design craft beer equipment including brewing and packaging system and tanks ranging from 50L to 8000L. At HGM, you will be assured of top quality and professional service at all the times.

We are also the most complete and advanced manufacturer of beer keg filling and cleaning equipment in China, and in particular the leading brand in the field of rotating filling and cleaning system in China.

For further information: www.hgmbrewing.com

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BeerX 2020

Heating expertise for brewing industry Process heating specialist, Lanemark Combustion Engineering – with a proven track record in the brewing industry – is exhibiting for the first time at this year’s BeerX Exhibition.

The Nuneaton-based company is placing its TX tank heating systems in the spotlight and highlighting a range of performance and cost benefits which are of relevance across the mini- and microbrewing sectors.

“The industry has long been one of our key markets both in the UK and overseas,” says Lanemark Sales Director, Jeff Foster. “This has enabled us to develop a comprehensive understanding of the specific needs of beer producers, especially in the heating of brewing coppers and hot liquor tanks. With each installation we create facilities that not only deliver efficient heating, but which also address other important considerations such as space limitations.”

Lanemark tank heating systems comprise a burner – which can operate with either natural or propane gas – mounted onto

the outside of a vessel and firing through the wall into a submerged tubular heat exchanger of between one and a half and six inches nominal bore. A fan, located at the far end of the tube run, pulls the products of combustion through the system to generate heating of the solution with, typically, in excess of 80% efficiency achieved.

“Because of the circular nature of many vessels used in brewing we have developed a helical coil tube configuration,” continues Jeff Foster.

“This not only helps to optimise heating efficiency but also, importantly, occupies the minimum of space within the vessel itself.”

Lanemark brewing installations can generate heating outputs of between 15kW and 700kW to match exact throughput needs which makes them suitable for brewing facilities of between 5 and 80 UK barrels (8 – 130 hectolitres). In all cases, the ability of the company’s systems to provide excellent control is vital as it helps to create and maintain a rolling boil temperature to suit the brewing process.

Multipack machines designed for the beverage Industry T. Freemantle Ltd, the UK-based manufacturer of carton packing machinery, has a range of machines specifically targeted at the beverage industry. Recent installations with the likes of Thornbridge, Meantime, Vocation, Northern Monk and the London Beer Factory have helped these breweries to deliver carton board multi packs and retail packs that offer high impact on shelf and also meet the increasing demand for fully recyclable packs.

“T. Freemantle’s Automatic End Load

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Cartoner is both consistent in its performance and uniquely compact in its design making it an ideal solution for craft breweries of any size looking to enter into the fridge pack market.” said Eoghan McGuire, Packaging Manager, Beavertown Brewery.

The range of machinery on offer from T. Freemantle Ltd includes simple semiautomatic machinery through to fully automatic equipment specifically designed for canning and bottling applications. The semi-automatic machinery can pack a wide range of different pack counts and can/bottle sizes on the same machine with minimal adjustment and typically suit speeds of up to 10,000 can/bottle per hour. For faster speeds of up to 20,000 per hour, the company also offers fully automated machinery which includes features such as automatic marshalling of the product straight from the canning or bottling machinery, fallen can/bottle detection,

LANEMARK STAND 139

“We are delighted to be able to bring our technology – which can be shown to offer important advantages against alternative heating methods such as electricity or steam – directly to the brewing sector at the show,” adds Jeff Foster, “and invite all visitors to the exhibition to our stand, number 139, to discuss their own precise process heating needs.”

For further information: www.lanemark.com info@lanemark.com

T. FREEMANTLE STANDS 46 & 47

multipoint gluing to ensure pack strength and integrated pack coding.

In addition, T. Freemantle Ltd has partnered with leading beverage packaging suppliers to offer a full pack design service to ensure packaging and machinery work seamlessly together. The company offers equipment for a range of different pack styles including fridge ready packs, grab packs and simple multipacks for counts between 4 and 12 cans or bottles per carton.

For further information: wwwtfreemantle.com sales@tfreemantle.com

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BeerX 2020

Bigger and bolder at BeerX 2020

Market leading brewery equipment supplier, Core Equipment, will be exhibiting an even wider range of brewery equipment on its largest stand ever at this year’s BeerX 2020.

Top of the list will be the counter pressure 6 head in-line canning machine from Colorado-based CODI Manufacturing. The can filler system has a capacity of up to 55 cans per minute.

Counter-pressure filling greatly reduces dissolved oxygen pickup whilst at the same time enables higher levels of carbonation. The counter pressure system means you can fill your cans at any temperature. No need to chill your beer first. All stainless-steel construction makes high temperature CIP (clean-inplace) or even SIP (steam-in-place) stress free and straight forward. Also available from Codi is the DPL-250 fully automatic de-palletiser which has been specifically designed to work with the CCL-45. Its flexible configuration enables it to be filled with half or full height pallets and can be loaded with a fork lift truck or pallet truck. Full pack out options also available.

CORE EQUIPMENT LTD STANDS 39-44

Core will be showing the Bisaro Sifa twin-head kegging machine which can wash, rinse and fill up to 40-45 x 30 litre kegs per hour. The automated system allows for the whole operation to be conducted in one single movement.

Dual-head option allows for the sterilisation of returned kegs on the first head, whilst the second head is used for filling, optimising the operators time.

Core will also have on its stand an Eco Line in-line carbonator, which is ideally suited for either the Codi canning line or the Bisaro Sifa kegging machine.

Perfectly designed for controlled carbonation of beer, the Eco Line is equipped with a high specification at an affordable price. Brite tanks and Fermenters will also be on display from European manufacturer, Letina. Letina tanks can be built to the customers specification enabling them to fit with existing brew kit. Made from 304 or 316 stainless steel with machine welds and all the fixtures and fittings included, they deliver European levels of build quality at competitive prices.

For further information: www.core-equip.com

Brew Houses, Canning Lines and Small Pack at BeerX BEVTECH LTD BevTech Ltd and its sister company, BevPack Limited, will be exhibiting at SIBA BeerX

BevTech Ltd Specialising in Brewery installations and supply of quality GAI Italian filling lines, BevTech Ltd has worked with breweries throughout the UK to provide efficient, well-made and user-friendly solutions to brewing, filtration, kegging and filling.

With over 30 years of experience in the beverage industry, BevTech works with trusted European manufacturers to provide customers with the highest quality at a price they can afford, and a service they can rely on.

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STAND 84

BavPack Limited For contract bottling, speak to BevPack Limited.

Based in MidSussex, the state-of-the-art bottling facility is tailored to the needs of craft breweries and cider makers, with a focus on quality, consistency and flexibility.

Offering solutions for new product development, filtration, and bottle and closure style, BevPack Limited will work with you to ensure your product reaches your customer at its best.

For further information: www.bevtech.co.uk

Three from QCL

Analysis of chemical and microbiological parameters across the brewing process is essential for the production of consistent and high quality beer for your consumers.

At SIBA BeerX 2020 in Liverpool, QCL will be exhibiting three systems, allowing you to do this rapidly and accurately.

Ideal for bringing quality control to your brewery:

QCL

STAND 29

- CDR BeerLab is a fast and reliable analyser that measures a wide range of parameters in the brewing process including ABV, Bitterness, Colour and VDK. By monitoring the brewing process – from HLT to packaged product – the BeerLab can help avoid the use of excess ingredients, monitor mash progression, and investigate IBU pick-up from new equipment and during dry-hopping.

- Invisible Sentinel rapid microbiology for beer spoilage organisms can be used to detect Hop-resistant Pediococcus and Lactobacillus in under three hours and can also be used to detect Brettanomyces Wild yeast and Saccharomyces Diastaticus in less than four hours. The system can be used to check finished beer samples, fermenting beer samples, yeast slurries and environmental swabs – all ensuring that your beer reaches the customer exactly how you wish.

- AlcoTest-RI pairs a density meter with a refractometer, allowing you to obtain accurate %ABV (to .01%), PG and OG results in 3 minutes without the need for distillation.

For more information and to check out our show exclusive special offers, come and see QCL at BeerX on stand 29.

For further information: www.qclscientific.com info@qclscientific.com

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BeerX 2020

Beatson Clark to raise a glass at BeerX Leading glass packaging manufacturer, Beatson Clark, will be raising a glass in Liverpool in March and showcasing its products and services at BeerX 2020.

Beatson Clark produces a wide range of beer bottles for breweries large and small and will be exhibiting at the UK’s largest independent craft brewing trade show, BeerX.

Beatson Clark stocks a wide variety of standard bottles and can offer lower production volumes for smaller breweries. Thanks to this flexible approach and centuries of experience in the glass manufacturing industry, Beatson Clark supplies bottles for many popular beer brands including BrewDog, Robinsons and Greene King.

Brewery gas solutions

BEATSON CLARK STAND 137

Charlotte Taylor, Marketing Manager at Beatson Clark, said: “BeerX has always been a successful show for us, so much so that this year will be our seventh visit in a row. Our years of experience in the glass packaging sector and our flexible approach make us the first choice for breweries of all sizes, both in the UK and overseas, so we’re always very busy at BeerX.

“There’s talk in the industry of the craft beer boom beginning to slow down, but there are still well over 2,000 breweries in the UK alone and craft beer remains the fastest growing category. As people watch their spending the drink-at-home market has grown, which means higher sales of bottled beers as opposed to draught or keg beer sold in pubs and bars.

AIR PRODUCTS STAND 167

From production to dispense, we have the gas solution for you

Pushing, pumping or flushing Both nitrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2) can move beer through the brewery efficiently, minimising the risk of contamination. One benefit of nitrogen is that it delivers a faster flow rate than (CO2), allowing for an increased production capacity. In addition, nitrogen will not over carbonate beer as it moves throughout the plant.

Inerting and blanketing CO2 and nitrogen both minimise the impact of oxidation and microbial growth during the brewing process.

Bubbling/Carbonation CO2 is widely used in the brewing industry to deliver carbonation, ensuring that the brewer is able to deliver a consistently reliable and great tasting beer.

Cleaning in Place (CIP) Nitrogen gas, with its excellent antimicrobial qualities, can offer sustainability benefits to the CIP process in reducing

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the amount of water needed. Nitrogen can offer safety benefits over CO2 for the cleaning of vessels and tanks, as it does not react with caustic soda, which is commonly used as a cleaning agent.

Packaging Using CO2 or nitrogen during kegging, bottling or canning ensures the beer remains free of oxidation and potential spoilage. Nitrogen dispensed in the form of a liquid droplet into drinks vessel can be used to inert and stabilise the packaging headspace.

Onsite bar (tap room) - Dispense Gas mixes during dispense are able to deliver the final product as the brewer intended: consistently fresh and great tasting.

For further information: www.airproducts.co.uk

“We offer embossing options on our standard beer bottles, perfect for smaller breweries who still want a customised finish to their packaging, without the large volumes and outlay of a fully bespoke container.

“We’re also launching a new 275ml Alpha Drink concept bottle with a crown finish, which is perfect for fermented beverages such as Kombucha.”

For further information: www.beatsonclark.co.uk 01709 828 141

MOODY DIRECT STAND 86

Moody Direct - supplying the right part for your process. With over 40 years’ experience, Moody Direct has become a leader in supplying process solutions to the brewery industry.

Join the company at BeerX to discuss the range of products and services it provides, including: Process Equipment Components & Spare Parts • Servicing & Maintenance of Process Equipment – planned, ad hoc & emergency • Supply & Project Management of Process & Packaging Systems • Plate Heat Exchanger Servicing & Integrity Testing• Supply of New Processing Equipment With a varied customer range, Moody Direct provides a tailored service with the purpose of reducing operating costs, increasing production and sustaining efficiency. With an extensive range of products and services it can provide customers with a one-stopshop for all manufacturing needs.

For further information: www.moodydirect.com

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BeerX 2020

Unique tap solutions TAPHANDLES STAND 27 Taphandles is a leading designer and producer of bespoke dispense marketing solutions. Working with breweries worldwide since 1999 we understand how to define your brand in a busy space. Our design, engineering, product development, and manufacturing capabilities ensure you stand out. Whether a tap handle, draught font, LED sign, or a bespoke display, we’ll craft a solution for your unique needs.

We are reinventing dispense with our flexible font programme that enables adaptive, segment-focused execution.

Our award-winning, in-house design team is ready to develop concepts with your specific brand in mind. Opportunities are virtually endless, and focus on developing bespoke products that allow faster development timelines and require lower minimum order quantities.

STAND 204

Yes we ‘can’!

We are excited to announce we can now offer canning alongside bottling and kegging at our packaging plant based on Buckshaw Village.

Meet us at stand 27 during BeerX to begin the conversation about your dispense marketing strategy

For further information: www.taphandles.com

New MAKRO LABELLING UK LTD agent STANDS 173-175 for CFT in the UK and Ireland One of the emerging forces in the bottling, canning and brewhouse sectors, CFT of Parma in Italy, has appointed Richard Portman and his UK-based team to drive sales in the beverage industry by appointing him their agent in the UK and Ireland.

Richard Portman (pictured) commented of the latest agency that he is now representing in the UK and Ireland, “I have been very impressed with both the CFT company and its product range, which I believe will be ideal for this market. I have been in discussions with CFT for some time now and I am pleased to say that we have a significant number of potential clients already, bearing in mind that I only concluded the agency at Brau in early November.

“The CFT range of machinery is a great fit for the cider, beer, water and soft drinks industry, and is suitable for both the craft sector right up to the mid-sized firms who are looking for lines up to

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MORROW BROTHERS

32,000 c.p.h. CFT manufactures all of its own equipment apart from labellers, where we will of course include Makro labellers in the lines. With a number of potential clients looking at can lines where they will be labelling their cans, it is a perfect fit for us in this market.”

Richard continued, “I have the after sales and service team well established out of our Burton on Trent offices, who will be able to assist in both the installations and after sales and service in the coming months. There are already a number of CFT installations in the UK, which we will be looking after and we look forward to discussing this opportunity with the existing customers in the coming weeks.”

For further information: www.makro-labelling.co.uk

As with bottling our aim is to provide the highest standard of service to our customers with our primary focus being on maintaining the characteristics of the beer sent to us. With our laboratory on site we are able to provide a full analysis service along with specified carbonation and filtration levels, offering a bespoke service to all customers. We offer full microbiological testing as standard as part of our packaging service.

We are also able to offer a route to market for the breweries through our new website ‘Hops and Shots’, where the primary focus is selling the “freshest beer at the fairest price”.

By streamlining the production and distribution side of the process we are able to pass some of the savings back to the brewer so they deservedly make more from their craft!

More can be learned on this from the ethos page of our website: https://hopsandshots.co.uk/our-ethos/

Our plant is a SALSA approved facility we can offer you a comprehensive service which product quality is at the heart of.

For further information: morrowbrotherspackaging.co.uk

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BeerX 2020

Can filler on show at BeerX This year Enterprise Tondelli has taken three stand spaces to exhibit a rotary 6/1 craft can filler/seamer rated at 25 cans per minute.

With the launch of the machine in 2018, Enterprise has supplied a number into the UK market and sees a steady demand for this unit and the larger 3,000 cph unit. This rotary counter pressure machine features enclosed CO2 purging of the cans and counter pressure filling for reduced oxygen pick up. This continuous movement machine also has CO2 gassing before the lid is added.

Very importantly the seaming of the can end is mechanical with an invertercontrolled motor and a mechanical cam to ensure high seam integrity. An inline rinser can be added along with labeller and any other packaging options you may require to give a complete line. The machine has a small footprint and a very affordable price so why compromise – come and see the machine! Higher speed canning lines up to 80,000 cph are also available.

ENTERPRISE TONDELLI STANDS 187, 191-192

Enterprise Tondelli has been supplying bottling, canning and kegging lines since 1977 from single machines to complete turnkey projects. From its full range of equipment including depalletiser, labellers, packers and conveyors Enterprise also offers tunnel pasteurisers and has supplied a number in the last 12 months. The smallest unit available is 10 square meters for 1500 bottles or cans per hour up to 100 square meters. This guarantees product integrity.

Alternatively Enterprise can supply flash pasteurisers.

Videos of automatic packing equipment such as boxers, wraparound cartonner or shrink wrappers will show labour saving or increased line efficiency equipment available. Examples of new bottling and canning line projects completed by Enterprise this year will be demonstrated from a 1,500 bottling line to a turnkey 25,000 bottles per hour project. We supply beer bottling lines from 600

You love brewing Ecolab is with you

ECOLAB STAND 31

The UK beer industry is still growing in volume, number of breweries and variety of beer, but with growth comes challenges.

Whilst water, malt, hops and yeast are incredibly important ingredients that go into making your unique beers, the other key ingredient required to ensure consistent product quality is hygiene. Just like brewing beer, the secret to maintain a clean and safe brewery is part science, part experience and part ingredients.

Ecolab’s integrated brewery hygiene program helps improve and simplify brewhouse cleaning processes and systems to save time and help produce consistent results. Today we serve more than 1,200 breweries globally, including many of the world’s largest brands, and the same solutions that we provide to these breweries are available to meet the needs of smaller brewers.

As an industry leader in hygiene programs, supported with a depth of

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bottles per hour to 72,000 bottles per hour and all sizes in between.

Enterprise Tondelli has a full design service so we can the check space required and also ergonomics to give the most efficient project as possible. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your requirements from single machines to complete lines.

For further information: www.enterprisetondelli.co.uk

GEA UK

STANDS 90 & 91

Brewhouse range debuts

International technology giant GEA will showcase its Craft Beer Centrifuge at BeerX.

brewery experience, our offering is designed to boost your efficiency, meet your sustainability goals and ensure the quality and consistency of your beer, because how you clean matters.

Furthermore, our range of specialist cleaning and disinfection products are supported with detailed cleaning procedures, personal service and training programs to empower you to work smarter and safer. In a world where challenges never cease, neither do we.

For further information: en-uk.ecolab.com

Visitors to BeerX can come and see the separator for themselves at stand 90-91, where GEA will also be presenting its vast range of flow components including its hygienic processing pumps and valves.

As a specialist in the field of centrifugal technology, GEA offers separators and decanters for all manner of customer-specific requirements. GEA’s trademark Centrifuge Skids are capable of producing 5 to 10 per cent more beer from the same amount of raw ingredients, optimising the brewing process by the patented hydry® ejection system. The solids ejected with this system are concentrated to a maximum allowing more beer to be obtained from each brew.

For further information: www.gea.com

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11th & 12th March, Liverpool

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NEWS Containers

Lightweight Containers rebrands as OneCircle Lightweight Containers, the leading producer of innovative, circular plastic kegs, KeyKeg and UniKeg, has changed its name to OneCircle. The move underpins the company’s commitment to building a global community with the circular economy at the heart of its ambition.

The aim is that the high-quality raw materials used in its kegs are recycled and reused with the goal of creating 100% circular kegs. The kegs provide premium protection for draught beverages like beer, cider and wine, ensuring they reach the consumer as fresh as the day they were produced.

Both KeyKeg and UniKeg are fully recyclable and can be used in a circular way as raw material for new kegs.

Currently, 30% of a KeyKeg and UniKeg is made from recycled material thanks to the collection and recycling projects established by OneCircle which operate alongside existing waste streams. There

are now successful schemes in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, Switzerland, France and Belgium, with more planned around the world.

The kegs provide other significant sustainability benefits including reduced CO2 emissions and water use, and there’s no need for harsh cleaning chemicals. OneCircle has also joined the Plastic Alliance and signed its declaration that its products meet the environmental criteria of the European Union so no additional tax needs to be levied on them.

Anita Veenendaal, Chief Executive Officer of OneCircle, comments: “Our

innovative kegs are revolutionising the way beers and other beverages are distributed but we are committed to doing this without a cost to the environment. OneCircle’s mission is to leave the world a better place and we will do this by working closely with our customers and the supply chain to ensure our shared interests and needs contribute to the circular economy.”

Bringing the supply chain to customers – global manufacturing and resellers OneCircle is also ensuring that its supply chain as close to its customers as possible, with advanced production lines in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, UK and USA and as new warehouse facilities in Spain and Australia. In addition to its own sales team, OneCircle also has a global network of certified resellers who provide in-market technical support and local market knowledge to help customers.

For further information: www.onecirclecommunity.com

Kegstar & The Benevolent: The drinks industry charity launch a ‘scan-tastic’ partnership Kegstar, the smart keg rental and collection business, has announced a partnership that aims to “do two lots of good” across the UK and Ireland.

Its one-way steel keg and cask solution uses unique scanning technology at the heart of its operation to help producers keep track of what they use and reduce the risk of keg and cask losses. They’re now turning those scans into a charitable donation to support current and former employees of the drinks industry who are most in need.

From November 2019 Kegstar will donate 1p to The Benevolent for every empty keg and cask scanned for collection. Christian Barden, who started Kegstar’s operation in Europe less than four years and is now wanting to take the brand truly global, said: “We collect over 15,000 of our kegs from thousands of venues every week now and we love talking to all of them via phone, social media, email and events to arrange

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collections, but it’d be great to convert all of that into a donation that supports colleagues when they need it most.”

He goes on to say “There’s a bunch of us at Kegstar that have been in the drinks industry for many years and I’m certainly very grateful for everything it’s given me.

Adversity can hit anyone, any time, in many ways so this is a great opportunity to contribute to our industry through something that’s both simple and fundamental to how we work.”

Chris Baker, Partnership Development Manager of The Benevolent, is excited to see this project make an impact and said: “We are absolutely delighted to be

partnering with a company such as Kegstar, who clearly strives to make a difference to the industry they operate in.

The income that this project will generate for us as a charity is invaluable in helping those within our industry suffering hardship and difficulty in their lives and there are many additional benefits for the charity in working with such a well-respected brand in the brewing world. We look forward to a successful partnership between Kegstar and The Benevolent moving forward.”

So, if you work in a bar, restaurant, pub, hotel, club and have a Kegstar keg or cask empty and ready to be collected, rest assured, they’d love to hear from you but would be far happier if you downloaded their free Kegstar app, scanned the matrix code on each one and requested collection so you can “do two lots of good.”

For further information: www.kegstar.com

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NEWS Packaging & Labelling

Balancing nature with newly branded kombucha

The new beverage on the block is making quite a name for itself and becoming more established in bars and retail outlets by the day, with attractive labelling courtesy of label.co.uk.

If you’re unfamiliar with the name, kombucha is a tea-based drink, mixed with sugar and fermented using a Scoby, a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.

It’s this that transforms the tea into the tangy, fizzy drink whose popularity is steadily rising.

Still relatively new in UK, kombucha is beginning to gain interest. Its biggest market is the US where it’s been established for almost 10 years and is readily available. According to Adroit Market Research the global kombucha market value topped $1.24 billion in 2018 and is likely to significantly increase by 2025. Global consumption for kombucha was estimated to be 82,960.9 kilo litres in 2016 whereas consumption in the UK in the same year was 2,930.9 kilo litres, around 3.5 %, and projected to reach 27,803.9 kilo litres by 2025 (estimated by Grand View Research, Inc.).

Founded in 2016, near Winchester in Hampshire, Balanced Nature is

dedicated to ethically sourced organic and vegan products and the pursuit of the perfect taste. Owned and run by Peter and Julia, this sophisticated kombucha micro-brewery produces the traditional elixir in its purest form.

“With our first set of labels we chose digital label printing as it’s great for smaller quantities. label.co.uk was very competitive and had a good reputation,” explains Peter. The couple were keen to have a label that represented the brand and originally opted for a natural, artisan paper stock rather than a standard smooth paper.

Continued Peter, “We found our initial labels were taking in too much water during processing which affected their suitability for refrigeration. label.co.uk handled this very professionally and we found a solution that still represented our brand values. This gave us the reassurance to use label.co.uk a second time for our rebrand and with the new designs they have successfully used

metallic film for a foil effect on polypropylene, which we are really pleased with. The labels are fully waterproof and transport well.”

Digital label printing is perfect for upcoming brands as it allows for multiple variations to be printed all at the same time. As part of its cost-effective online service, label.co.uk provide initial proofs to ensure the design works as anticipated, before committing to a full print run.

For further information: www.label.co.uk

BeerX 2019 packaging entered in Awards

In the build up to SIBA’s 2019 BeerX exhibition that took place last March, the team at Saxon wanted to create a premium, promotional packaging solution that could be used as a creative way to hand out its contact details and provide an example of its packaging & printing capabilities for the exhibition attendees.

The company wanted to create something special. Something that would draw attention and provide a lasting, memorable experience that far surpassed the experience of a traditional business card.

After much consideration, it was decided to commission the development of not one, but two, separate premium 1x330ml can packs. To commemorate the exhibition, the choice was to include

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a beer themed packaging design, and a beach themed packaging design that would reference the local community.

The end result was the promotional ‘Beer Can Pack’ and the ‘Beach Hut Pack’.

The artwork for the Beach Hut packaging design was created using a ‘billboard’ effect, allowing for multiple packs of the same design to sit next to each other to continue the picture in the artwork, whilst the Beer Can Pack boasted flecks of Spot UV to simulate the condensation on the exterior of the can.

In order to create a high-res photo quality print on the packaging, the packs were printed using a 4-colour lithographic printing process and were both embellished with the additional print finishes of spot UV, satin gold foilblocking and a matt film laminate finish.

The two single can packs were so well received at Beer X that the company

decided to include them as its entry to the year’s PrintWeek Awards.

“It was a great experience working on these promotional packaging designs; they really have come out looking fantastic, “ said Suzy Harrold, Marketing Executive. “They look great on the images and look even better when seen in person. I’m pleased that we have fulfilled the design brief of showcasing some of our premium packaging capabilities in a single can box, and that they were received so well by the BeerX attendees.”

For further information: www.saxonpackaging.co.uk

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NEWS Equipment

Big Smoke Brew Co. expands its capacity with Ninkasi tanks!

Big Smoke Brew Co is a true ‘craft brewery’, having been established in the back of a pub - The Antelope - in Surbiton. Rich and James had a vision and belief to create something extraordinary, but required additional capacity to continue to grow the business.

Initially, Rich and James needed a Head Brewer. Nick was literally stopped on the tarmac before boarding a flight back to New Zealand, and the rest of the team soon followed. Together they all started creating not only amazing beers but a loyal and dedicated customer base – growth followed swiftly and sizeably.

To meet demand, the team at Big Smoke decided to contract brew two of its beers.

However, what was really wanted was a bigger brewery, and in December 2018 Big Smoke took delivery of a new 30HL kit, increasing capacity four-fold, and allowing the team to bring all of the control and functionality back in-house.

Importantly for Big Smoke, it enabled much more control of the process and

facilitating greater consistency across the range.

The Big Smoke team soon found themselves in the enviable position whereby the brewery had grown exponentially in a short space of time and was running out of capacity once again for its core range. Recognising the quality control enjoyed when all the beer was brewed in-house, a solution which increased capacity needed to be found, while at the same time protecting the cash flow and capital reserves.

The team spoke to Ninkasi, who agreed to purchase Uni Tanks and install them into the brewery. Big Smoke agreed to rent the tanks while deciding the next growth phase. The team at Big Smoke loved the Ninkasi experience, not only was the service professional but the vessels were in service within 24hrs from completed delivery.

A full interview can be found on the Ninkasi Website (www.ninkasirentals.co.uk) or feel free to chat to Rich and the team at

Moody Direct appointed authorised distributor by GEA GEA, one of the world’s largest suppliers of equipment for food and beverage processing, has announced the appointment of Moody Direct Ltd as one of its authorised UK distributors for GEA pumps, valves, and homogenisers

This appointment represents a significant business opportunity for both organisations and provides UK customers with a dedicated channel for GEA pumps, valves and homogenisers across a broad range of industries including beverages.

Moody Direct has been providing the process industry with spare parts, service and maintenance, new equipment, full turnkey projects and heat exchanger testing for more than 40 years. With a team of highly trained, in-house specialist engineers, the GEA UK

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customer base can be assured that Moody Direct has the knowledge and experience to provide the GEA high standard of customer service.

Barry Dumble, Managing Director of GEA UK, commented, “The appointment of Moody Direct as one of GEA’s authorised distributors for our pumps, valves and homogenisers here in the UK is a fantastic opportunity for both of us.

“The appointment will increase our coverage in the UK market, offering customers spare parts and components for our pumps, valves and homogenisers. I’m looking forward to working with Moody Direct on this new journey.”

The agreement enables Moody Direct to officially supply GEA spare parts and components for GEA pumps, valves, and

www.brewldn.co.uk where they will be showcasing their award-winning beers.

For further information: www.ninkasirentals.co.uk info@ninkasirentals.co.uk

homogenisers. As well as this, it can also offer installation, commissioning, servicing and maintenance support on GEA Homogenisation (Niro Soavi), Valves (Tuchenhagen) and Pumps (Hilge) process equipment categories.

Pictured from left to right: Peter Swift – GEA, Head of Separation Sales UK; Ken Wild – Moody Direct, Director; Barry Dumble – GEA, Managing Director UK; Paul Gregory – Moody Direct, NonExecutive Director; Paul Leeman – GEA, Head of Flow Components & Compression Sales UK; David Tomlinson – Moody Direct, Director.

For further information: www.moodydirect.com

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NEWS Equipment

MiniBrew CRAFT product launched in Europe Dutch food tech start-up, MiniBrew, has launched its first home brewing product, MiniBrew CRAFT, to the European market.

The all-in-one, automatic beer brewing machine has been created to transform beer lovers into craft beer brewers.

Designed to inspire the brewers of tomorrow, MiniBrew’s CRAFT machine offers beer enthusiasts an innovative, yet remarkably simple way to create a variety of quality beers in the comfort of their own home, or even pub shed.

Brewers are promised quality beers, made by their own hands, which come “fresher than any beer you can buy from the supermarket” and can be preserved up to three-months with the product’s built-in cooler.

The beautifully constructed MiniBrew CRAFT appliance features a real wooden back, a transparent mashing tun and a copper coloured keg for a traditional look. The product can be used to make recipes from all over the world while

helping consumers understand the brewing process step-by-step.

MiniBrew’s brewing portfolio features 10 different recipes crafted by its in-house brewologist and beverage scientists using its signature beer style, as well as natural flavours and herbs that are precisely measured in each Brew Pack. The appliance also calculates the precise amount of water needed and defines a mashing, boiling and fermenting scheme for each individual Brew Pack, helping to deliver an exceptional experience every time.

Commenting on the launch, Bart van de Kooij, founder of MiniBrew, said: “CRAFT is for consumers who love beer and want to explore their true, inner beer-making soul. We started with a clear vision: to transform the home-brewing experience, which is traditionally very timeconsuming, expensive and messy. Now that vision is a reality, our next step is to expand our brewing portfolio and help more beer lovers fulfil their brewing potential.”

The MiniBrew CRAFT machine starts at €1,199, and Brew Packs start at €17.

The MiniBrew CRAFT Pro is the same machine, but gives experienced brewers powerful software with the opportunity to pilot and create their own recipes, while also giving professional breweries the opportunity to collaborate and share their recipe as a Brew Pack.

For further information: www.minibrew.io

New forklift attachments get a grip on kegs at Wadworth Brewery

Wadworth is an independent family brewer and pub operator from Wiltshire. Established in 1875, this brewery is steeped in history and heritage, creating award winning ales. You can still see the Wadworth shire horses delivering cask ale to its local pubs in the area.

Best known for its popular 6X beer, the brewer’s selection of beers and ales have been enjoyed across Wiltshire and the UK for decades and the company continues to innovate to develop seasonal and bespoke beers.

Due to continued investment in its kegging capability, the brewer contacted B&B Attachments to achieve an efficient and effective method for moving its kegs and casks around its site. Wadworth required a solution to improve the product handling of both full and empty barrels around the yard and production facility.

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B&B Attachments specialises in the design and manufacture of bespoke forklift truck attachments, providing solutions to the most demanding material handling tasks.

Three Keg Clamp attachments were supplied to the brewer from B&B Attachments and fitted to Linde forklift trucks. The attachments allow for up to 18 barrels to be handled in a single lift, providing the driver with excellent visibility when approaching and moving the load.

The keg clamp attachment is the ideal solution for improving keg and cask handling. Its standard features include low profile stabilisers with long lasting rubber pad, wear indicators on tines, solenoid valve and end of stroke cushioning on side shift movement. A vertically adjustable pivoting load stabilizing frame, positions downwards on the kegs and holds them in place.

The kegs are gripped between the load arms of the attachment.

David Hiscocks, Transport Planning Manager at Wadworth, comments, “Due to the large number of kegs we handle daily, we need to ensure we are handling our product in the safest and most efficient way possible. The keg clamp attachments supplied by B&B have already made a big improvement to our on-site productivity.”

For further information: www.bandbattachments.com

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NEWS Equipment

SSV appoints Senior Process Project Manager Brewery specialist SSV Limited has added Senior Process Engineer, Mark Roberts, to its growing project team.

Mark (pictured right), formerly of Musk Process Services, has over 25 years experience in the brewing industry and comes with wealth of engineering knowledge.

He is looking forward to working with SSV’s growing client base and comments on his new role: “With the evolution of craft beer over recent years, SSV Limited has been at the forefront of this sustained growth. I have joined SSV Limited to strengthen the projects and process engineering teams, and I am looking forward to working with some old and new colleagues at an exciting time for the company.”

production for 2020, the addition of Roberts strengthens an already impressive projects team.

Managing Director and Founder at SSV Limited, Sam Lawson, said of Mark’s arrival: “It will be a pleasure to work with Mark again. Moving into 2020 at SSV Limited we are looking to further strengthen our offering and provide a full turn key brewing solution. Mark brings a wealth of experience in delivering brewing and distilling projects further expanding our ability to offer a comprehensive end-to-end solution taking more projects turn key.

In just over 5 years SSV Limited has grown into one of the leading suppliers to the brewing industry. With over 20 SSV Limited brew-blocs now installed in the UK and many more already in

“This will allow SSV Limited to not only deliver our industry leading brew-bloc brewing platform as part of a fully turnkey project, but also cater to the ever growing demand in cold block expansion projects which are moving ever more from the supply of only tanks to full projects with ingress, installation, platforms, hard piping, and services integration as well.”

Vianet, whose intelligent flow meters connect to the internet to provide real-time data on the dispensing of beer, has rolled out a 5-in-1 Mobile Workforce Management Platform from BigChange.

ERP solutions for some of the biggest names in the vending industry, combined Vianet monitor data from more than 230,000 connected devices providing detailed insight via its smart platform.

2020 is already set to be an amazing year at SSV Limited with its largest project to date scheduled to start and 5 more brew-blocs already in production.

For further information: ssvlimited.co.uk

BigChange mobile technology helps Vianet keep the beer flowing

The cloud-based system provides intelligent job scheduling, real timevehicle tracking and a mobile app for engineers - giving Vianet a paperless end-to-end solution for the business.

Through the optimisation of the field service operation, Vianet has achieved a 10 percent improvement in Service Level Agreement (SLA) performance.

Vianet was first established 23 years ago and is a UK specialist in the monitoring of draught beer dispensing equipment.

The Stockton-on-Tees based company collects data from 12,500 sites which dispense over 570 million pints of draught beer every year. The company also provides contactless payment and

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“BigChange has completely transformed Vianet’s field service operations,” says Craig Brocklehurst, Commercial Operations Director, Vianet. “We now have complete visibility on the whereabouts and status of each engineer so we can provide a faster, more dynamic response. We’ve eliminated paperwork and with automated job scheduling the whole field service operation is optimised. That’s boosting productivity and allowed us to improve our SLA performance by 10 percent.”

Vianet’s iDraught system intelligently monitors all aspects of the draught beer

operations. This helps to ensure quality and product yield is maintained also ensuring equipment is working properly so that the pub operator gets the best return from their draught products.

“The equipment monitoring is automated to the extent that the landlord may not actually be aware of any issues until they get a call from us saying we believe we may have identified an issue,” adds Brocklehurst.

For further information: vianetplc.com

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NEWS Equipment

New GAI canning line for Burning Sky Brewery Installation of a new GAI counter pressure filling line MLE-6661 has recently been completed at Burning Sky Brewery in Firle, Sussex.

Burning Sky selected Italian company GAI and its UK agents, BevTech, to supply and install the high-tech new line.

Working closely with Mark Tranter and the team at the brewery, David Cowderoy, BevTech Managing Director, was able to fulfil the brewery’s criteria: “We needed to supply a line that would maximise productivity within the brewery’s limited space, while providing the highest quality packaging solution for their products,” Cowderoy commented.

The MLE-6661 CAN uses double electropneumatic rinsing prior to canning and features a lid dispenser with gas injection and foaming jet, formulated to ensure the lowest possible oxygen pick up. These features, along with the weighing station with automatic rejection device, gives consistency of fill heights and increased quality and shelf life on all finished products. Adjustable and easy to use automated cleaning programmes make end of day cleaning quick and hassle free, particularly attractive to those wishing to package many different beer styles throughout the week.

The user-friendly touch screen controls enable the operator to tailor filling programmes for each beer style, while WiFi connection to GAI engineers in Italy

means that settings can be adjusted remotely, and advice given to help resolve issues that may arise during filling.

Mark Tranter, Head Brewer at Burning Sky, said: “When we decided to purchase a canning line, the GAI MLE was our immediate preferred option. We had previously looked at GAI’s products with a view to upgrading our bottling line and had seen their canning line. For a small brewery with limited space but the highest standards, this linear filler ticked all the boxes - inline rinser, isobaric counter pressure filling (giving exceptionally low D.O. pick-up), and a top-quality seamer.

Parker appoints product manager

Parker Bioscience Filtration has announced the appointment of a new product manager to support the continued growth of its operations in the brewing industry.

Lee Pattison – who has worked at Parker Bioscience Filtration (formerly Parker domnick hunter) since 1990 – has moved from the position of test group team leader to product manager, and will be responsible for driving product innovation.

Lee (pictured), who is based at Parker Bioscience Filtration’s Birtley facility, previously held development technician, product development engineer and validation engineer roles, and has

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“GAI's reputation is exceptional, the big plus for us was that BevTech is the UK agent and was able to help with infeed solutions, gentle product flow to the machine and, moving forward, a complete service package.”

Running at speeds of up to 1,600 cans per hour, the MLE-6661 CAN will be flexible enough to cope with the demands of a growing micro-brewery.

Pictured with GAI engineer, Andrea (left) in front of the new canning line are Robin Head-Fourman (right) and Mark Tranter of Burning Sky.

For further information: www.bevtech.co.uk

extensive technical experience. His responsibilities include product development and marketing across Parker Bioscience Filtration’s food and beverage range, and he will be liaising closely with customers across Europe, helping to provide solutions to their operational challenges.

Parker Bioscience Filtration has five decades of experience in working with the international food and beverage sector and offers a wide range of filtration solutions. Parker Bioscience Filtration has also developed cuttingedge technology for use in sterile filtration in the brewing industry and recently announced the formation of a partnership with Belgium-based

company Agidens Process Automation.

This has enabled the global brewing industry to access systems which integrate Parker Bioscience Filtration’s microfiltration solutions with Agidens’ automated processing technology.

For further information: www.parker.com/bioscience

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For the Brewing, Food & Dairy Industries

Maintaining Traceability for “Polished” Stainless Steel Hygienic Tubes Size range o/d: 12.7mm (1/2”) – 204mm (8”) • Full Identification Markings, linking material to the Material Test Certification • Permanent Line Identification for long term Traceability • Unique Customer Code Option at order stage • Clear Identification at the Fabrication Shop or Site Installation • Enhanced Compliance • High Durability and Tamper Resistance Please just request this service at enquiry/order stage

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NEWS Environment

Veolia launches new Sustainable Kemtile’s 40th Packaging Academy

Brewery flooring and drainage specialist Kemtile has been celebrating its 40th anniversary.

As part of the drive to increase the circular economy and tackle the problem of packaging waste, Veolia, is launching a Sustainable Packaging Academy that makes it easier to improve manufacturers’ environmental credentials.

Designed to close the link between producers and recyclers, this new initiative will provide businesses with the opportunity to better understand packaging circularity and future-proof packaging design.

The first of its kind, Veolia’s Sustainable Packaging Academy provides a new route for industry to achieve a real circular economy for all types of packaging and ensure materials can be easily collected, recycled and returned to industry for re-use. This approach brings in the consumer experience, waste collection, processing and end market realities to help provide the best advice on overcoming the challenges.

By joining the Academy members will be able to take advantage of the latest reports and design guides, and work in partnership to develop bespoke solutions

Formed in the Autumn 1979, the size and success of the Cheshire-based company has consistently grown over four decades in terms of size, capabilities and customer base.

that boost sustainability. Members will also be able to keep ahead of legislative changes, network with other packaging stakeholders, and take advantage of Veolia expertise in the latest recycling technologies.

The Academy is aimed at anyone who is involved in packaging design, environment, supply chain or sustainability roles in key sectors such as food and beverage, retail or packaging manufacture. For details of how to join the Academy please contact: uk.spa@veolia.com Pictured above is a tour of Southwark recycling facility

For further information: www.veolia.co.uk

Starting as a three-person team, Kemtile was acquired by US-based RPM Performance Coatings Group a year ago. Kemtile’s brewery clients include Gipsy Hill, Utopian Brewing, Salt Beer Factory, Brixton Brewery, Camden Town Brewery, Cloudwater Brew and Meantime Brewery.

Jamie Cook, Operations Director of Kemtile, said:“I took over the company with my co-director, Stephen Westley, back in 1998. Since then, we’ve worked with lots of leading brands – as well as many smaller players – and have become a hygienic flooring supplier of choice.”

For further information: www.kemtile.co.uk

Kotkamills collaboration with Lavazza Professional Kotkamills, a manufacturer of fully recyclable barrier boards, has signed a significant collaboration agreement with Lavazza Professional.

As a result of the collaboration, Lavazza Professional has announced the new KLIX Eco Cup™, a special Kotkamills’ eco-friendly cup made from ISLA® food service board, available in its KLIX® in-cup vending machines.

“We are pleased about the collaboration with Lavazza Professional. The company is a frontrunner in bringing eco-friendly solutions to the beverage vending sector, and they are ambitiously striving to implement a model of sustainability that responds to the challenge of reducing

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plastic in the next couple of years. This kind of collaboration partner is ideal for us,” elates Kotkamills CEO Markku Hämäläinen.

The barrier property of the Kotkamills’ food service board is based on a waterbased dispersion coating, eliminating the need for a separate polyethylene (PE) coating. Therefore, the cups do not have to be processed at a recycling plant – instead, they are recyclable with normal paper waste, like office paper.

“We share a goal of deeply rooting the eco-friendly way of thinking and to substantially increase recycling,” says Hämäläinen.

Last week Kotkamills announced a

collaboration with Norwich City Football Club, which plays in the English Premier League. Teemu Pukki, a forward in the Finnish national team, plays for Norwich City FC, which announced that it will replace single-use plastic cups with the eco-friendlier alternatives next season.

“In Great Britain an active discussion on restrictions and legislative actions reducing the use of single-use plastics is ongoing. It is great to have partners who are moving towards a more sustainable era by using recyclable fibre-based products instead of single-use plastics,” Hämäläinen notes.

For further information: www.kotkamills.com

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NEWS Training & Tuition

The Fundamentals of Mini-Brewing hits 30 and is still going strong 2019 saw a milestone for Brewing Services Ltd as it celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Fundamentals of Mini-Brewing, with attendees from across the brewing industry and from all corners of the UK taking part in the four-day residential course in York.

Brewing Services launched the first Fundamentals of Mini-Brewing course at Malton Brewery Co. in October 1989. It has run twice a year in every year since, making it the longest running training course in the UK for those working in small commercial breweries.

Over the past 30 years the course has explained the intricacies of the brewing process to hundreds of brewers and potential brewers, all eager to learn more of the theory that under-pins the brewing process. Fundamentals of Mini-Brewing, which has been described as ‘the course designed by brewers for brewers’, covers the basic theory of the brewing process, from raw materials through to packaging and QA, looking at what constitutes good brewing practice.

The course was set up by David Smith, who started his own brewing consultancy for micro-brewers in 1988, and Geoff Woollons, the owner and Head Brewer

of Malton Brewing Co, who between them had over fifty years of brewing experience. David suggested to Geoff that what the fledgling small-scale brewing industry needed was a dedicated training course for those working in breweries or thinking of entering the industry. They found that many novice brewers were simply shown how to brew and how to follow the basic steps of the process.

The main purpose of the Fundamentals from the outset has therefore been to fill in the gaps in brewers’ knowledge and

Cellarmanship - How to keep, serve and sell real ale by Patrick O’Neill With increased numbers of people trying and producing real ale, there’s never been a better time to master how to keep, store and serve cask ale. In a fully revised and updated edition of this CAMRA classic, Patrick O’Neill explains all you need to know about running a good cellar and ensuring that the pint you serve does both pub and brewer proud.

Cellarmanship is a must-have book if you are a professional in the drinks trade. Patrick O’Neill shares decades of experience, detailed technical expertise

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and a lifetime of passionate enthusiasm for real ale. Step-by-step instructions, concise knowledge and interesting anecdotes make this a book to keep and refer to time and time again.

It’s the seventh edition of this classic CAMRA publication, featuring: • Essential advice for anyone training to work in a pub cellar, planning a beer festival or serving real ale at a celebration.

• Clear and concise technical advice, complete with more that 30 informative illustrations and diagrams.

• Useful and comprehensive glossary of terms.

understanding of the brewing process, helping them to get to grips with not only the how but, more critically, the why.

The course moved to York Brewery in 1996 and this year moved again to Brew York. The course is held twice a year in March and November and continues to attract plenty of interest from within the ever-expanding brewing community.

For further information: 01904 706778 enquiries@brewingservices.co.uk

• The last word on storing, keeping and serving real ale.

For further information: books@camra.org.uk

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Spring 2020

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New courses on offer for 2020 at Brew School Brew-School is dedicated to running brewing courses in the Peak District. Its aim is to inspire both home and commercial brewers to create craft beers that raise the bar and linger long in the memory and after the taste has faded.

Says owner Chris Horne, “We have started running a phenomenally popular Practical Commercial Distilling Course (5 and soon to be 6 day course) this year and we have noticed a number of brewers have been attending to explore the potential of making gin and distilling.

“Having looked at the economics I think it is a ‘no-brainer’ for all micros to seriously consider getting into the craft distilling space.”

Brew School is also introducing a new course with Annabel Smith from Cask Marque, under her own business, ‘Beerbelle’. This will be a unique one-day course that not only looks at both cellar management and dispense but also educating people in the industry on beer styles / food matching etc.

“It’s the first time that both aspects have been covered in a single day and will be unique proposition to workers in the brewing and hospitality industry, “ adds Chris.

Pictured right: participants on another Brew School course

For further information: info@brew-school.com

The world’s best selling plastic casks

Call 01432 453146 email: info@breweryplastics.com

www.breweryplastics.com BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Spring 2020

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THE VIEW THROUGH MY GLASS BOTTOM

Keeping ahead at the top Julian Grocock

I have good friends ‘daahn saahf’ who might take exception to this latest attempt at a ‘punny’ beer-related title. A head, they’ll pontificate, is how you ruin condition, texture and flavour. To which my rejoinder is that great beer needs a great head – resilient, stubborn, standing firm, showing no sign of weakness, and maintaining an effective presence throughout the life of the liquid below it.

Needless to say, rather than this being a prelude to some foolhardy attempt to revitalise the row about the North-South divide (tight vs fluffy, retentive vs ephemeral), it’s really about what’s going on at the head of our beer and brewing domain.

And as such it’s a return to where I began this column, with an intention to re-immerse myself in industry and consumer politics…albeit these days from the trade media sidelines.

But first, a confession: I was distracted a couple of times during the last fifteen months or so, because both CAMRA and SIBA had vacancies for a new chief executive and, despite my advancing years, I fleetingly fancied my chances. I actually applied for one, but wasn’t shortlisted for interview. And the appointment to fill the other was announced on the day I finally found out where it was being advertised.

Rest assured, the conclusion I drew is that I really wasn’t a suitable candidate. Although age isn’t an officially allowable consideration in applicant-evaluation, I’m old and wise enough to concede that some sort of historic ‘blast from the past’ is the last thing future-focused representative associations in our rapidly evolving sector are likely to be looking for to take them forward.

So I’m not driven by sour grapes – or indeed their spontaneously fermented, stale-hopped, maltbased equivalent. ~ Nobody knows better than I do that Tom Stainer and James Calder don’t actually lead their respective organisations. Each is the numberone employee, appointed by their

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respective governing bodies. But I do hope they have the breadth of industry knowledge, perception and imagination to play a significant contributory role in the formulation, articulation and communication of both vision and mission for the stakeholders and enthusiasts they represent, and I wish them the very best in their positions of lofty responsibility.

The key word here is representation.

Success for James and Tom in the eyes of the immediate employers they report to – Board of Directors or National Executive – is relatively straightforward. However, satisfaction down the line, to each interest group’s broad constituency, is a different and somewhat more complex matter. Indeed, it shifts the focus of scrutiny onto those ‘governors’ who are the real head on top of their beery bodies. It is they who are elected by, and therefore answerable to, their members. They direct and develop policy, and carry the can for the efficacy (or not) of its implementation.

And policy, of course, is where I’ve commented before. It’s a thankless if not impossible task, trying to combine today’s infinite range of opinions into a recipe that can appeal to all, and won’t look too much like some celebrity chef’s tortuously arranged plateful of selfindulgent gobbledygook. ~ At the moment, I remain unconvinced about how well this ‘craft politics’ is being achieved by the two industry organisations closest to my heart – so perhaps it’s no wonder I didn’t get the job.

But, as it happens, I have assumed a new position of senior responsibility.

In March, 2019, I was elected CAMRA chairman…of my local Vale of Belvoir branch! ‘Back to the floor’ is something I’ve done before – and I maintain that there’s a significant advantage in knowing the industry first-hand at all levels, from my humble beginnings as an ordinary CAMRA member and part-time barperson, to those ultimate echelons you know about. Returning hands-on to the pub trade nine years ago kept me essentially in touch with beer trends at the retail sharp end, so I actually knew what was going on throughout the industry. Now, I can say the same about grass-roots re-engagement in our most successful ever consumer movement.

Travelling full circle has given me a broad and wide-ranging perspective from which to observe, and comment – and make one definite assertion…

Choose whatever head you prefer on your pint, but on top of your industry it has to be like the one you’d find ‘oop nooerth’.

Julian Grocock Julian Grocock is a former pub landlord, managing director of Tynemill/Castle Rock, and chief executive of SIBA. Extensive experience in beer and pub politics, brewery and pubco operations, and on the front line in the pub trade...‘from cellar to ceiling’.

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Spring 2020

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OPINION

Positioning your brewery for success

by Myles Pinfold

Over the last decade there has been a significant surge towards the higher end of the brewing market. Beer has been ‘on trend’ and consequently consumers have been willing to pay a premium. In the early days of the rush to craft it was all about hops and building

production. Now the market has become crowded and supply is starting to outstrip demand.

Brewers need to act smarter and look to build equity in their brand if they are going to thrive in the coming decade.

Brewing great beer is the most important thing any brewer can do. However, in an over-populated market where many very good brewers are striving to brew great beers, having a compelling and differentiating brand can be the make or break success factor. Too many brewers are following the market leaders and there is a strong temptation to go for cheap imitations with disingenuous graphics.

It is important for brewers to understand their position in the market and have a clear understanding of their selling proposition. The market is polarising, with established breweries expanding to capitalise on economies of scale, while

The NEXT issue of

at the other end of the spectrum, the consumer trend is to buy local or small.

For example, in the USA brewery taps are opening everywhere and it is the micro and nano breweries which are growing the market. In the UK, it is those who fall between the large and small who will feel the squeeze and who need to ensure they are developing unique positionings to build a strong fan base.

In today’s highly competitive and crowded market, your brand will prove to be both your key differentiator and greatest asset. Having outstanding presence on shelf and on bar, and an engaging story to tell, will help secure future success and profitability.

Myles Pinfold Strategic Director (WPA Pinfold)

For further information: wpa-pinfold.co.uk

Showcase Features

Containers

is

SUMMER

and will be published by

29th May 2020

EDITORIAL DEADLINE : Friday 1st May

ADVERTISING ARTWORK: Friday 8th May

l New, or pre-owned and re-furbished casks and kegs – for purchase or lease – plus cask repair and branding services, and container closures. l Bottles & cans plus labelling and decoration, and on-shelf packaging. l Bulk packaging & associated labelling for transportation of beer and other beverages. l IT systems for container tracking.

Branding

l Logo and image design, plus corporate branding on clothing, promotional literature, and other marketing material, including company websites

PLUS our FOCUS feature on the UK DISTILLING scene.

For more detailed information on these features, visit brewingbusiness.co.uk/features-list/ BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Spring 2020

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Brewers/Distillers Benefits BFBi represents the supply chain into the beverage industry with Full Members ranging from barley and hop merchants through to process engineers, packaging, point of sale, etc.

Manufacturers, including brewers/distillers, may join as Associate Members.

As a “traditional” industry (in its best sense), where relationships between supplier and customer are recognised as adding value and ensuring sustainability, BFBi is well known as a facilitator of social and professional networking events.

ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP COST: £230 + VAT per annum

For more information about member benefits, please contact info@bfbi.org.uk

Brewing Food & Beverage Industry Suppliers’ Association 11 Side Strand • Pendeford Place • Pendeford Business Park • Wolverhampton WV9 5HD

Tel: +44 (0)1902 422303 • Fax: +44 (0)1902 795744• Email: info@bfbi.org.uk • Website: www.bfbi.org.uk OVER 100 YEARS SERVICE TO THE BREWING, FOOD & BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

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BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Spring 2020

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