Brewing & Beverage Industries Business - Summer 2020 - Issue 17

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ISSN 2398-2489

The Products & Services Magazine for the UK Drinks Production Industry Summer 2020 Issue 17 August • September October

Our regular industry expert columnists

FOCUS

UK Distilling

Stephen BEAUMONT Top North American Beer Writer

Adrian TIERNEY-JONES Award-winning UK Beer Writer

Pages 50-56

Ruth EVANS Chief Executive of BFBi Alan POWELL Founder of the British Distillers Alliance

Julian GROCOCK First Chief Executive of SIBA

SHOWCASES in this issue....

Containers Branding & Marketing Pages 12-27

Bottling & Canning Equipment

Pages 36-49

Pages 28-35

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

Summer 2020 Issue 17 August • September • October

Special features In This Issue...

Published by freerbutler limited PO Box 9666 • Nottingham NG10 9BY United Kingdom Tel: 0115 8 549 349 brewingbusiness.co.uk

SHOWCASES Containers

Pages 12-27

Branding & Marketing

Pages 36-49

Cover Picture: Courtesy Keg Logistics

Bottling & Canning Equipment

Pages 28-35

FOCUS

Page 50-56

UK Distilling

l Updates on the UK Distilling scene, featuring suppliers servicing that sector of the market

...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.

Editor Chris Freer

Assistant editor Simon Butler

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 • Summer 2020

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WORD FROM THE BFBi

Together we can ‘Build Back Better’!

Ruth Evans MBE

Photo by Gerardo Jaconelli

Like the majority of businesses, BFBi has been working with much reduced resource. Being the person currently holding the fort, I have become an expert in Government guidelines/funding/loans etc – anything I can find that might be of help to members and industry. I have developed new skills – social media; zoom and Teams; webinars; design/marketing (currently grappling with how to make animated videos) and, like all of you, have discovered I am more versatile than I thought – I am proof of the old adage - you can teach an old dog new tricks….

All events from the end of March to whenever we are able to meet again are cancelled/postponed but we have made a foray into webinars, thanks to our partnership with member company Lemontop.

Are webinars and virtual meetings the way forward? They certainly work for the short term – where would we have been without them? But, permanently? I don’t think so. Many of us (including me) are zoomed out and hankering for some physical face-toface contact. I believe that it is a different brain process used when physically attending an event. There is greater ability benefit from something that comes out of what appeared to be idle chit-chat, to switch on the creative/out of the box aspects of our psyche. I am sure you have all, like me, found a day full of digital meetings truly mentally exhausting but not necessarily in a productive way.

One thing Coronavirus has shown us is that, if Governments and businesses work together, we are stronger. BFBi’s original strapline was “Union in Strength” now communicated as “stronger together”. Never has that message been so strong. Sitting in on the daily CBI webinars, much of the proposed strategies discussed by their business leaders involve collaboration and partnership.

Do I think we will come out of Coronavirus stronger? Some sectors already are – the packaging sector has had a very positive experience. Some sectors may not – dispense sector, the “invisible” sector, was challenged with very low margins and long payment terms before Coronavirus – I can only hope that this small, niche but extremely important sector gains the level of appreciation it deserves and is SEEN.

Something I learned the other day is that there are 5 types of business during Coronavirus:

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• HIBERNATORS (28%) either through choice or inflicted • SURVIVORS (32%) - working at 2030% turnover • PIVOTERS (21%) - made changes to business to adapt to new conditions • THRIVERS (6%) - thriving in the current crisis • AS BEFORE (12%) - coronavirus has not impacted their business Which one are you? What do you/we need to do to ensure you are a Thriver?

of a locally brewed beer, purchased online, to the day we can all meet up again in a safe socialised environment that facilitates vertical drinking (didn’t even know that was a term until a couple of weeks ago). Whichever beer festival opens first, I will be there.

As part of the “Build Back Better” agenda, as well as restarting to a greener, more sustainable strategy, we need to ensure that the country’s recovery package recognises the need to invest equally in women and to recognise that quality is as important as price. At the point of writing Government is in receptive mode so we should all shout out to ensure we do truly build back better.

Ruth Evans MBE, BFBi C.E.O.

I hear that one of the outcomes of COVID will likely be a high level of unemployment not seen since the early 1980s – between 8-10%, geared towards young females (hardest hit sectors believed to be travel/retail and hospitality).

What have I learned? That you can teach an old dog new tricks; that, no matter how much I bang on doors, shout and rant, nobody sees the cellar services/dispense sector (didn’t realise that the cellar and dispense system is “peripheral” to the pub – like to see it serve draught beer without it); that a supply chain has a supply chain has a supply chain…… (so, when you are lobbying for support for your industry and/or sector I would ask that you add just three words – “and supply chain” because without you your suppliers cannot survive and, equally, without your supply chain neither can you). I have also learned that there is only so much conversation one can have with a cat. As I write, I am raising a glass

Before signing off I want to pay my respects and those of the entire BFBi membership to Roger Ryman. A great brewer, respected by all who knew him. He was a believer in sustainable relationships – by which I mean he believed in engaging with his suppliers. Buying on quality as well as value. A great supporter of BFBi and the International Brewing Awards.

Roger – you are hugely missed but you will not be forgotten (further news to follow).

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-ofsale 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 82 FOR MORE INFO

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CALLED TO THE BAR

Crisis could mean a stronger industry

Adrian Tierney-Jones

As I write these words I haven’t been in a pub for over three months. I have passed many, all shuttered and closed, silent and almost resentful, it seems, at those who would usually come in, now passing on by, eyes fixed firmly on the ground. When you read this I would hope that these same pubs will have — to some degree or other — opened their doors, or at least the gates to their beer gardens.

As for breweries, I have been heartened and made to feel hopeful as many of them have turned to off-sale and mail order — I recall being moved when I read one brewer defiantly tweeting back in March that he wouldn’t let a business he’d spent several years building go under. Off-sales might not be as profitable as when linked with the on-trade, but these actions will hopefully manage to keep our fantastic brewing industry from capsizing like a beery Titanic in the ale-soaked waters of the North Atlantic.

There’s always a caveat though.

Whatever happens, I don’t believe the pub and the beer industry are going to be the same again for a long time, if ever. However, this might be a bag of mixed blessings. The lockdown might enable both pubs and breweries to reset thoughts on how they present themselves to the public and what place they will have in our society.

For one thing, I believe that the enforced long sleep of the pub has made a lot of people, especially those who rarely enter its confines, realise its importance (something CAMRA discovered in 2016 when commissioning a report on the role of pubs in their communities). It’s not all been plain sailing, admittedly, with instances of pub companies demanding rents from establishments whose revenue stream has completely dried up, but a lot of licensees have adapted to the lockdown by selling takeaways, both food and drink. Standing in a socially distanced line with a growler ready to be filled might not be on a par with a night out at the local, but even a queue can engender its own sense of community.

Award-winning licensee Pete Tiley of the Salutation Inn, just outside Berkeley in Gloucestershire, was one of those licensees who continued to serve his community when the lockdown began.

‘We certainly saw a huge amount of

goodwill and support from our local community when the lockdown first started,’ he told me by email. ‘I think people were genuinely terrified that they might lose their local pub and the opportunities it provided to socialise with friends. Online sales for our home delivery service at the beginning of lockdown were tremendous and can no doubt be attributed in part to people wanting to get behind and support the local pub.’

However, here comes the caveat I mentioned.

’We wondered at the time therefore how sustainable the home delivery model was and, as we expected, things have definitely quietened down. I think people saw products flying off the online shelves and perhaps now feel the job is done and the Sally is safe.

Obviously other factors will be at play — more people have gone back to work or lost their jobs and the “drink every night” honeymoon is over. We’ve learnt however that goodwill can only go so far.’

Sobering thoughts, but Tiley was also positive in the changes needed: ‘There are opportunities for the hospitality sector to evaluate and change the current business model and if we can communicate those effectively, we have a chance to change things for the better in the long run.’

Amongst his positive action points he highlighted a fair price for products and services, a chance to reset the ‘historical imbalance’ between landlord and tenant and lobbying the government for a more sympathetic tax regime.

Turning to the brewing industry, my first thoughts on its future would hopefully be a continuation of what could be seen as transferring the nimble and flexible response to the lockdown to other aspects of breweries’ operations. We have seen breweries donate a share of profits to various charities, offer discounts to key workers and seemingly

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become even more part of their communities through tap-rooms and home deliveries. For Miranda Hudson of Duration Brewing, the lockdown has shaken up practices across the supply chain and for her, ‘products, services and relationships will, I suspect, become more robust or fall by the way. Bend before you break mindsets will have brought with it deep thinking to adapt to survive as a business. And a little reinvention to stay relevant will lead to more creative end results. I believe the craft offering will be “sharpened” as a result of questioning your existence, your values and what you stand for.

‘The support for good beer seems pretty imbedded into today’s beer drinker and while I suspect there could well be a long slow death for many really valued and valid businesses based on simple economics, my hunch is being a stand up company with good transparency, a strong company culture and decent ethics will become as essential as putting out a damn fine product.’

I could be hopelessly optimistic, but talking with both Tiley and Hudson and hearing their well-argued thoughts on the future gives me hope that our beer and pub industry will come out of this crisis stronger and even more embedded in our communities.

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

The Future of Beer Retail Stephen Beaumont

The Canadian province I call home is not exactly known for its progressive or even modern approach to the retailing of alcohol. In fact, less than forty years ago, a trip to the government-owned LCBO chain – Liquor Control Board of Ontario, the name of which tells you a lot about how booze was viewed in the province – involved copying a number or two from a store chart onto a slip of paper, handing this slip to an attendant with payment – cash only! – and receiving one’s purchase already packaged into a plain brown bag. The viewing of actual bottles was verboten, lest the fancy colours on the label upset your otherwise sober decision-making, and yes, this was the only way you could buy spirits.

Most beer at the time, and to a lesser degree still today, was sold through a theoretical ‘brewers co-operative’ called the Brewers Retail, now the Beer Store, which is effectively owned and operated by the province’s three largest breweries: Labatt (AnheuserBusch InBev), Molson (Molson Coors) and Sleeman (Sapporo). Grocery store sales remained illegal until a couple of years ago.

As a beer and spirits scribe, I railed against this ridiculous system for years.

Turns out, we only needed a global pandemic to haul us kicking and screaming into the modern age.

It didn’t take long for things to start to change. Seeing small business suffer because of forced closure, and emulating what was being done elsewhere, the government decided to allow restaurants and bars to sell alcohol ‘to go’ so long as they also sold food. And when the food turned out to be a pretzel or bag of crisps, enforcement officials elected to turn a blind eye, as the technical letter of the law was still being followed.

In between all of this, breweries shifted to home delivery en masse, to the point that a large majority of those operating bricks-and-mortar facilities were offering the service to at least some degree. Other, edge-of-legality operations also sprang up, delivering brands from multiple breweries in conjunction with one or more bars or restaurants, and again, authorities were content to simply let them operate.

Similar scenarios played out in jurisdictions across North America, and of course, once the rules have been changed, it’s tough to get people to go

back to the old ways. Meaning that beer delivery, in any multitude of guises, is probably with us for the foreseeable future, as are bar and restaurant alcohol sales.

For many breweries, the whole process has been an exercise in logistical gymnastics, with one brewery I know going from a majority of in-house sales to a full e-commerce platform in under a week! Others have been compelled to add canning machinery to their breweries in record time, and with only virtual service technicians to help, while still others have made room for their local mobile canners to play. None of that is changing any time soon, either.

The good news is that, executed efficiently, delivery is a new and potentially lucrative distribution channel. The better news is that the same sort of nimbleness that allowed for the transformation from on-premise to take-out to delivery business in very short order is exactly the sort of strength that will continue to afford smaller breweries an advantage over much larger ones.

Think about it. While multinationals like Carlsberg and Anheuser-Busch InBev and Molson Coors are certainly capable of putting together beer delivery platforms – and indeed some already have, or have purchased existing companies specializing in alcohol sales and delivery – they lack the personal touch and local appeal that have been the hallmarks of craft brewing since…well, since forever.

So while Drizly in the US or Beer Hawk in the UK – the latter owned by AB InBev – can each process and deliver an order in a matter of days, it is doubtful they will also be able to supply

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the product knowledge that can be offered by a brewer in charge of their own brands, or personal touches like a sample can of something new, a handwritten note included in the package or a few complimentary coasters or stickers – all of which I have experienced since beer delivery began in my home market.

Similarly, take-out beer sales at bars and restaurants would – anecdotally, at least – appear poised to benefit smaller breweries in that those willing to pay an on-premise premium would also seem more likely to want a premium beer they couldn’t pick up at their local store. And in most jurisdictions, that means craft more than a regional or national brand.

Reflecting upon all of the above, and factoring in all the difficulties the multinationals were experiencing with supplies in the United States during the lead-up to summer, it would appear that, rather then the disaster once widely prognosticated, 2020 may well prove beneficial to craft breweries.

Provided, of course, that they continue to adapt to change and manage expectations.

Stephen Beaumont

A professional beer writer for 30 years, Stephen Beaumont is an award-winning author or co-author of fourteen books on beer, including his latest solo work, Will Travel for Beer: 101 Remarkable Journeys Every Beer Lover Should Experience, and the forthcoming, fully revised, rewritten and updated third edition of The World Atlas of Beer, co-authored with Tim Webb and available October 1.

He can be found online at beaumontdrinks.com and on both Instagram and Twitter @BeaumontDrinks

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Summer 2020

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SHOWCASE Containers

We asked companies supplying the following products and services to let us know something about themselves....

l New, or pre-owned / 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 IT systems for container tracking. l Bulk packaging & associated labelling for transportation of beer and other beverages.

Drynks calls in heavyweights to support alcohol-free venture

Premium alcohol-free drinks company, Manchester-based Drynks Unlimited, has worked with leading specialist suppliers - glass packaging company, Croxsons, and label manufacturers, The Label Makers - to supply primary packaging for its ‘Smashed’ range of 0% abv ales, beers and ciders.

As a start-up, Drynks has enjoyed a considerable run of success this year, having received funding from a favourable appearance on Dragon’s Den to its Smashed range, overtaking big established no- and low-alcohol products, such as Peroni, San Miguel and Budweiser in terms of units sold in Booths supermarket. And with consumers looking to drink less alcohol during the COVID-19 lockdown and beyond, a further opportunity has been created for alcohol-free brands to thrive as people focus more on their health and wellbeing.

For the packaging, Croxsons supplied the brewer with a complete range of

amber, flint and green glass 330ml bottles, together with a larger 660ml bottle as a Smashed Lager sharing bottle. The bottles are topped off with a stylish branded crown, also supplied by Croxsons.

Sporting a design by Leeds-based the Fun Agency, The Label Makers produced label packaging across different formats, bottle and can, ensuring in the process that a common material specification was used that worked across different filling environments. The labels were then flexo printed to ensure maximum colour control and consistent branding between both formats. Both the bottle and label packaging ideally support the premium feel of the brand.

“It’s vital as a start-up to have the right team around you who can support your vision, and both Croxsons and The Labels Makers had the ability to do just that,” said Richard Clark, founder and managing director of Drynks Unlimited.

“We needed heavyweight reputable and personable suppliers with experience

and they both delivered.

“The 330ml bottles from Croxsons have been excellently received and we have more recently taken supply of 660ml for the sharing bottle - Drynks being the first company in the UK to launch an alcohol free Lager in this sharing sized bottle.

The labels have this wonderful vibrant, tactile and premium feel - we were so impressed with the quality of the label finish, speed in turnaround and flexibility along the way.”

Both Croxsons’ COO, Tim Croxson, and The Label Makers’ managing director, David Webster, jointly agreed that Drynks was an “inspiring and highly enthusiastic brand to work with, possessing all the hallmarks of a market leader in this category.”

Croxsons adds weight to SIBA crown initiative

Long-standing Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) member, Croxsons, is supporting the association’s Assured Independent initiative by providing SIBA members with printed crowns displaying the message: ‘Assured Independent British Craft Brewer’.

Not helped by the commercial consequences of the ongoing pandemic, nor a continued interest by multinational drinks companies in exploring investment opportunities amongst some of the more successful “artisan” brands, the craft beer brewing sector’s growth has stalled.

Given the situation, it was felt that the ‘Assured Independent’ initiative will provide a degree of unity across the

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sector during tough trading conditions, helping to differentiate themselves from large drinks producers at retail and also acting as a badge of premium quality, signalling to consumers that it is genuine craft beer and should command a premium price.

Croxsons has produced 336,000 crowns to-date, and is providing the closures at a price normally applied to larger bespoke printed runs, thereby ensuring that every member, whatever their size, benefits. Commenting on the initiative, James Calder, SIBA Chief Executive, said: “Croxsons has always been highly supportive of the craft brewing sector.

The crowns are a great way of getting the message out there, particularly to the consumer who, understandably, may not

always recognise authentic craft beer.

Our thanks to Tim and his team, whose efforts are appreciated as ever.”

Croxsons has set up an e-commerce facility at www.croxsons.com/ our-products/siba/ to enable SIBA members to order crowns online.

For further information: www.croxsons.com

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SHOWCASE Containers

Big order win celebrated by NDL Keg Europe In these unprecedented times, there have been, and continues to be, challenging trading conditions for the brewing industry.

Nevertheless, NDL Keg Europe Ltd has secured an order to supply East African Breweries with over 100,000 kegs.

Raines said, “Like most suppliers, this year is going to be very difficult with pubs and breweries being closed for some considerable time, and it’s hardly surprising that the sale of kegs and casks has significantly slowed. We had some stiff competition with mainstream suppliers like Schäfer and Thielmann, so it’s very satisfying to see East African Breweries choose NDL Keg Europe as its

Beer sales in the UK slumped by 82% since the start of the lockdown, according to a survey by SIBA, the Society of Independent Brewers. But as pubs remained closed, the increase in doorstep deliveries, online orders and retail sales created demand for glass packaging which manufacturer Beatson Clark worked hard to meet.

protect our staff while they carry out their work.”

Sales & Operations Manager, Justin

Beatson Clark continues production of bottles to meet beer and cider demand

The South Yorkshire company is concentrating on production of its 330ml amber 1907 beer bottle, which is ideal for breweries large and small both in the UK and overseas.

“Our 1907 beer bottle is a very popular design and is used by many well-known breweries, including BrewDog,” said Charlotte Taylor, Marketing Manager at Beatson Clark. “It’s important to maintain the production and supply of food, beverages and pharmaceutical products during the COVID-19 crisis, and to do that producers need packaging.

“That’s why we took the decision to keep our glassworks running and to put in place stringent healthy and safety measures to

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preferred supplier. We have a passionate team of people at NDL Keg Europe who are committed to providing customers with a high level of service, and securing this order will help us move forward in reaching our goals.”

For further information: ndlkegeurope.com justin@ndlkegeurope.com

With pubs, bars and restaurants closed for such a long time, the main market for independent breweries ceased to exist - but they found new channels to supply their customers.

The SIBA report found that 70% of craft breweries were offering new delivery or takeaway services to keep the beer flowing, and around 61% of those breweries offered free delivery.

Meanwhile over half of craft breweries (55%) said they had seen an increase in online beer sales.

A number of breweries and cider makers that use Beatson Clark’s bottles saw an increase in online sales, including Dunkertons Cider, Saltaire Brewery and BrewDog.

Dunkertons Cider in Gloucester uses amber beer bottles from Beatson Clark and has seen a 1,100% increase in sales of bottled cider advertised via social media and through the company’s new online shop.

Saltaire Brewery has introduced a delivery service for their beers across West Yorkshire using Beatson Clark’s 330ml and 500ml amber bottles and is hoping to expand deliveries to the rest of

the UK soon.

The brewery reports that the delivery service has been so successful it may continue deliveries if there is still demand even after the lockdown was lifted.

Meanwhile BrewDog, which is a longstanding customer of Beatson Clark, has also reported an increase in online sales during the lockdown.

Beatson Clark’s beer bottles are available to order direct in bulk or in lower volumes via Beatson Clark’s distributors around the world.

The company has a long history of supplying beer bottles to many well-known breweries including BrewDog, Robinsons, Camerons, Greene King and the UK’s only Trappist beer, Tynt Meadow.

For further information: wwwbeatsonclark.co.uk

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SHOWCASE Containers

Close Brothers offers half price casks to help industry Close Brothers Brewery Rentals has announced that it will be offering half price unwashed ecasks this summer to help breweries with cash flow as lockdown is eased.

The drinks industry specialist is wellknown for its ecask and ekeg solution, which allows breweries to take a ‘fill and forget’ approach to wholesale distribution. Beer and cider producers simply rent and fill containers, report which wholesaler they have been delivered to, and Close Brothers Brewery Rentals will collect them when they are empty.

Now, as hospitality businesses reopen, Close Brothers Brewery Rentals is keen to support the industry with flexible term container rental solutions. It will offer 50 per cent off its unwashed 9-gallon ecasks throughout July and August to help the industry move forward.

In addition, those using the half price service will benefit from extended payment terms of up to 60-days. This gives businesses an additional 20 days to pay, which may provide some cash flow relief as breweries and cider producers begin to service the hospitality

sector again.

Close Brothers Brewery Rentals is also offering contactless deliveries to brewers and a bulk scanning facility to help organisations maintain social distancing where possible. It is hoped that this will facilitate the smooth and efficient running of deliveries and collections.

David Beswick, Managing Director at Close Brothers Brewery Rentals, said: “The hospitality sector has been amongst those hit hardest by this crisis, but as lockdown restrictions ease, many will be looking forward to serving much loved drinks again, albeit in slightly revised settings.

“It is vital that the industry is supported as things progress. There will be continued challenges, but we know firsthand that the businesses we work with are passionate about their products and incredibly innovative. Perhaps most importantly, they are key to the economy and our communities alike.

“At Close Brothers Brewery Rentals, we recognise that businesses may have additional pressure on cash flow and will need to be flexible and responsive at this time. Our drinks and equipment and

container solutions are designed with businesses in mind, and this half price offer reflects our commitment to that approach.

“To the breweries, pubs and others reopening I say: we are proud to work alongside you, and we’re determined to provide help where possible. We will continue to evolve together.”

For further information: www.closebreweryrentals.co.uk

Eye-catching labels for Anspach & Hobday can range

Following a £500,000 crowdfunding investment, Independent London-based craft brewery, Anspach & Hobday, has announced the launch of a brand-new can range, with labels supplied by Direct Labels

The cans being launched include three of its seven core range of beers and a different monthly special each month.

The first core range beers to be canned will be The Pale Ale, The Sour Dry Hop and The Ordinary Bitter, which is a new introduction into the core range. The first monthly special will be The Sea Salt & Chilli Stout, with all four beers coming in 440ml cans as standard.

The cans are available as a four-pack, with a mixed option or a singular style available on the web store. In time all of the core range and specials will be in cans, with each month a different mixed pack available.

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Anspach & Hobday will still be bottling for certain customers and for certain beers, most notably its range of bottle-conditioned 750ml specials.

Chairman and Co-Founder Jack Hobday says: ‘We’re extremely excited to launch the first range of Anspach & Hobday cans. It means we’ll be able to get our beer straight to our customers in the freshest way possible. They’re more ecological and more economical and of course they showcase our fantastic illustrations! Beautiful beer in beautiful cans.

“We’ve been working on our cans since our crowdfunding in January of early last year, so it’s rewarding to deliver and give our fans what they want and deserve.”

Head of Production and Co-Founder Paul Anspach says: “We’ve been wanting to can for a while, not only because of how they look and feel, but because at the end of the day it’s better for the beer.

Less Oxygen and no light means a better shelf-life and our beers tasting at their very best!”

Founded in 2013 by childhood friends Paul Anspach & Jack Hobday, A&H is undergoing rapid growth following a successful round of crowdfunding in 2019. Anspach & Hobday is best known for its flagship beer, The Porter. The brewery epitomises London craft beer brewing traditional styles made for the modern drinker.

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SHOWCASE Containers

Branded courier packaging increasingly popular During these unsure times, due to the Covid 19 Virus, we have found breweries adapting their business model to suite a change in the buying habits of the drinking public.

Above: bottle pack on alluminium

While their customers have been selfisolating, they have also been self-intoxicating with the dramatic increase in online and home delivery sales. Many breweries have increased their internet sales dramatically with the updating of their websites and the use of social media.

Advanced Packaging Materials introduced our Safepak-Eco last year to test the marketplace, and it has proved to be a tremendous success.

We are now supplying many breweries with this specialist courier packaging, with some of them having branded boxes.

In today’s attempt to become more ‘Eco friendly’ we have a packaging solution which is 100% recyclable and produced from a high content of recycled material.

Above: Beer bottle pack die cut fitment Below: Beer bottle pack - inside view

It offers a method or transporting a full range of cans and bottle assortments in one box, and there have been further developments with a 6 and 24 system which are all easily erected and stored.

For further information: www.printedbeerbottleboxes.co.uk info@advpack.co.uk

OneCircle builds KeyKeg collection network in UK OneCircle, a global leader in PET kegs, has expanded its network of KeyKeg collection partners in the UK as part of its ambition to ensure all the plastic used in KeyKegs is reused for new kegs, as part of its fully circular product design. There are now ten collection partners across the UK.

OneCircle has teamed up with Brighton Paper Round, part of the BPR Group, an ethical company which focuses on closed loop recycling and was originally Founded by Friends of the Earth in 1988. It is now offering the KeyKeg collection service to breweries, bars and restaurants in the Littlehampton, Brighton, Eastbourne to Haywards Heath catchment, ensuring the high-grade plastic they are made from are reused in new kegs.

Wayne Hemmings, Head of Service Delivery at Paper Round, said: “We had

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a number of customers asking us for help to recycle KeyKegs effectively, so we looked at the viability and found that it matched our focus on closed loop, ethical recycling, which is why we are now part of the OneCircle community.”

Southsea based Staggeringly Good Brewery has also joined the collection community. The brewery is very passionate about protecting the environment and reducing waste in all the processes it uses. Despite being made of high-grade plastic, the brewery was concerned that KeyKegs were not always being processed properly. It uses a lot of KeyKegs in its own tap rooms and for its customers because it considers them the best option for delivering quality beer to customers.

Joe Ross, co-founder of Staggeringly Good, said: “We want to change the conversation about KeyKegs because they are 100% recyclable and this isn’t always understood. They have significant

benefits over steel kegs, particularly when they are processed for recycling and reuse properly. We are passionate about our impact on the world we live in, so joining the OneCircle community is very important to us.”

Wholesaler Jolly Good Beer distributes beers from breweries such as Cloudwater, Northern Monk and Polly's Brew Co across East Anglia and the East Midlands, many of which are in KeyKegs, is now also a collection partner.

Yvan Seth, owner of Jolly Good Beer said: “We have a long-term relationship with OneCircle and have been collecting KegKegs for as long as we have been selling them. Now that we have the specialised baler, we can deal with them as sustainably as possible by processing them for recycling and reuse.”

For further information: www.onecirclecommunity.com

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SHOWCASE Containers

The Beauty of Decoration

by Susan Ellison of OPM (Labels & Packaging) Group Limited

Your label communicates multiple messages both overtly and subconsciously and can convince buyers to choose one product over another. Brand labels are complex beasts. While they need to convey key information about origin, styles, and the brand, they also need to appeal visually to consumers making it important to make this first impression count.

Label Logic, a label will be successful if it works on three levels:1. From a distance, when you see the label across the aisle, you are drawn to the label. It easily competes with the other products it is placed by in store.

2. At arm’s length, the label should be clear, simple and have a hierarchy of info.

3. At home, the consumer should notice another dimension they did not see at first. For example, a little about their history of the brand. Something that makes readers get out their smartphones or laptops to learn more.

How do you build a “SHOW STOPPING” label?

Colours influence emotions, increase brand recognition, create cues for messages and ultimately affect purchasing decisions. Particular colours are more predominantly associated with certain product categories or sectors.

Research your sector colours carefully at design stage. Colour is an essential feature of package design and constitutes a prominent component of the product’s visual identity

Use Bespoke Die Cutting to differentiate. Think beyond rectangles, squares, and circles; irregularly shaped labels can create a unique identity.

Choices include extra-rounded corners, sharp geometric angles, two-part labels, torn-look edges, or custom shapes. If you have, an interestingly shaped container consider using an unconventional label shape to match.

Material Selection – build an identity, what suits the brand? There are

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innumerable material options to choose, from textured uncoated stock to glossy paper, or clear film for a “no-label look” and metallised for a distinctive shine.

My own company for instance, OPM, has a vast range of options available to suit any desired look or application. Gloss paper, beautiful textured and uncoated papers, clear film, metallised options, and natural Kraft paper. We also have a variety of specialty materials that provide a unique look (e.g. leather, wood, holographic and more) .

For performance and sustainability Most brands are looking to engage their environmental responsibility, so why not choose a sustainable material. There are plenty of options available, whether it is recycled content, chain of custody certified, biodegradable, or made from unique waste products like sugarcane or limestone.

Embellishments and Effects

debossing) is a great way to create a tactile experience with a textured, prestigious effect by raising (or lowering) a pattern or image from the label surface. This gives a tactile feel and can highlight certain design elements.

Embossing is particularly effective on uncoated papers.

Elevate your label design, adding the finishing touch to enhance the presentation of your brand.

Foiling – Adding foil achieves a premium, luxurious effect that communicates quality and complements the label design. Foiling will give your label instant metallic shine and reflective depth, giving the label a distinct finish. A wide range of colours and effects are available; gold, silver, bronze, copper, rose gold, holographic, matt silver, black, white, and green to name a few.

Hot Foil is a method of foiling that requires a special tool and can achieve finer and higher quality detail than cold foil. Hot foils have a wider range of colours and effects such as holographic compared to cold foil. Hot foiling is suitable for use on uncoated and textured materials.

Cold Foil is an alternate method of foiling that requires a plate and is more cost effective than hot foil due to the lower set up costs. A selected range of colours and effects such as holographic are available. Embossing (and

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tactile, premium effect that highlights key design areas. They act as a clear or coloured raised surface on areas of your label such as your logo, variety name, or as a textured pattern.

They can also be very effective when used as a super glossy highlight over a matte finish background. It is also a good way of enhancing the richness and depth in colour of the chosen design elements.

Now to consider the Inks available that present colour with purpose.

Silk Screen creates Impact with Simplicity. The screen process has the ability to print a smooth, controllable laydown of ink with a raised, tactile feel.

Producing an excellent density of colour and it is particularly effective when using a white either on its own or to provide a base for vibrant design elements.

Lamination provides durability. The entire label surface can be finished in a gloss or matt lamination film. This provides a high impact appearance in addition to strong moisture and scuff protection. There are specialty laminations like linen and leather effects to create a unique tactile finish.

Holographic logos or patterns can be custom made specific to brand.

Coatings offer a perfect finish.

Flood Coating The entire label surface can be finished in either a gloss or matt coating. Spot Coating Gloss or matt spot coatings can be used over an element of the design to highlight it or to create a pattern. Textured Coating We have a number of coating options for achieving a textured look and feel to the label, including our super-gritty sandpaper coating.

Soft Touch Coating for a smooth touch of luxury. This luxurious coating can be applied to selected areas or to the entire surface of the label to achieve a subtly soft texture. It encourages touch and engagement and provides products with a unique velvety and warm positioning.

Utilising the silkscreen process we can create a High Build coating that gives a

Metallic inks are used to create a similar effect to foil, via the shine of the metallic particles found in the ink. Chameleon ink has colour-shifting impact. This specialty ink creates a colour shift when viewed from different angles. It is a great way to interactively transform design elements. Best used in large solid areas to maximise the effect. Glow-in-the-Dark – excellent brightness in total darkness.

This effect does just what it says, it creates glow-in-the-dark areas on the label. You can highlight specific design areas or incorporate hidden elements for a fun and interactive effect. We also offer a special black light ink that under a UV ‘black’ light glows fluorescently.

Scented ink –engage the senses, When scratched,this ink releases a fragranced aroma that can be used to promote a flavour, evoke an emotion or create a statement. It is available in a wide range of standard and custom scents from vanilla, fruit, flowers, citrus to chocolate; your imagination is the limit!

Scratch-off ink – generate excitement by hiding a message underneath that can be removed by scratching with a fingernail or coin. Ideal for promotions where the consumer is given the excitement of revealing a prize, discount, reward or hidden message.

Reverse Printing – the hidden selling space. Printing on the back of a label reduces the content on a label’s face side and minimises clutter. It’s a great way to add extra information or promotional content without compromising the look and feel of the brand. This only works for labels applied on clear surfaces where the back of the label is visible. It’s also a fun way to reveal hidden content as the product is consumed.

For further information: opmgroup.co.uk sales@opmgroup.co.uk

Susan Ellison is a very busy lady who runs OPM with husband Christopher, her family and a great team. She has been ‘in print’ all of her life - starting at Liverpool Printing College so long ago now ! So it’s her passion ... obviously as well as family , Buster the Bassett and painting.

“I also try to help others and hopefully make the most of every day!”

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SHOWCASE Containers

BrewMan update cuts the cost of container tracking Container tracking is a key module of modern brewery management software, both for traceability and keeping log of brewery assets as they are sent throughout the country. Without it there is no endto-end traceability and little possibility of the higher food hygiene standards.

This dual purpose is key as if a system was to only perform one of the functions, tracking or traceability, the other would have to be managed separately when both can and should be combined for minimal overheads.

Traditional container tracking has relied on sometimes quite pricey scanners.

Although these still give the best results for ease-of-use they are expensive which can be prohibitive for start-up breweries.

In response to this, BrewMan is releasing its latest product using modern scanning technology to help

keep the cost of looking after valuable containers as low as possible.

For traditional packages we offer ruggedised Android scanners to help manage container tracking and traceability. We recommend the Cipherlab RS31 due to its hardiness with a drop rating of 5m. For breweries looking to maximise their output using manufacturing spec, point-and-go devices like this are still what we recommend. However for some small and start-up breweries the price of £506+vat is one cost too many in an industry with already high start-up costs.

With the steady improvement of smartphone cameras and developments in barcode technology, we are excited to release our latest container tracking

system using 3D barcodes and modern phone cameras for scanning. Although using a camera phone for barcode scanning will not be as quick as a laser scanner, we believe this is the most costeffective solution to allow anybody to set up a complete container tracking system with end-to-end traceability built in.

BrewMan’s latest release is a complete webbased brewery management system designed to be mobile first and suitable for any devices. This product is currently being tested in beta with new breweries and we hope to roll this out to our existing customers in the future. If you are interested in trialling our new container tracking package please get in contact with us.

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

Print Leeds appointed by Black Sheep Brewery

Print-Leeds has been appointed by Black Sheep Brewery to print all its wet glue labels for its flock of bottled beers. Eight of the lines have already been produced and can be found in the shops.

The labels are printed on high quality, coated and uncoated papers with the majority of the designs being foil blocked. The Milk Stout label is slightly different and includes a drip off varnish.

All the labels are designed using an array of innovative, high quality finishes.

Jo Theakston, sales and marketing director, said: “A quality product is very important to us and that doesn’t stop with the beer – it’s everything and that includes the labels we put on our bottles. Print-Leeds have shown us that quality means everything to them too and we have developed a Yorkshire partnership on this premise. Our bottle labels are the best in the market and

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have stand out shelf appeal.”

Print-Leeds moved premises two years ago to a much larger 30,000 sq ft factory which has now been fully refurbished. At the same time the company invested in a new £2.5m Heidelberg XL106 7-colour press with coater which is running alongside its existing Heidelberg 7-colour UV litho press. This was part of a planned £5m investment to double the company’s production capacity, streamline production, provide greater flexibility and bring the all-important contingency option in-house for the production of wet glue labels, composite tube wraps, litho box laminates and UV litho work.

Rod Fisher, managing director of PrintLeeds, said: “Black Sheep Brewery is a great brand to add to our existing portfolio of household name food and drinks brands. We are proud to be working with this independent, innovative brewery that is producing an exciting

product for beer drinkers.

Jo Theakston, sales and marketing director at The Black Sheep Brewery with Rod Fisher, managing director of Print-Leeds Ltd

For further information: www.print-leeds.co.uk

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SHOWCASE Containers

Brewer beware – legal and optional requirements for labelling that brewers should know

by Amy Ralston, Stephens Scown LLP Under the European Food Information to Consumers Regulation No 1169/2011 (FIC) and the Food Information Regulations 2014 (FIR), there are mandatory requirements for items of information to be included on bottles, cans cask and keg labels.

These regulations are in place to protect consumers and more specifically, to ensure that consumers have the correct information to make an informed purchase. The consequences of mislabelling can include prosecution.

This article does not consider the circumstances for the UK post–Brexit, and it is unclear how Britain’s anticipated exit from the European Union will change the obligations. It is suspected that the content of this article will remain applicable for UK exporters of beer bottles, cans and draught products to the EU.

Mandatory requirements

Bottles & Cans The following information must be provided directly on the packaging or on an attached label on both bottles and cans:

1. The legal name of food For example, “beer”. The name should be in the language(s) relevant to the countries in which the product is to be marketed. This is subject to minimum font size requirements, depending on the size of the surface area of the packaging or labelling.

2. Alcoholic strength The amount of alcohol contained to a maximum of one decimal place in the format ‘x% Vol.’(ABV) i.e. 4.0% Vol.

3. Ingredients If the beer is stronger than 1.2% ABV, the ingredients do not have to be listed on the labelling. However, a QUID (Quantity Ingredient Declaration) is required if the name of the beer refers to a particular ingredient. SIBA gives the example of ‘Honey Beer’ – the percentage of that ingredient i.e. ‘honey’ must be declared within the ingredients.

4. Allergens Allergens must be declared; allergens can either be listed in bold within an

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ingredients declaration, or alternatively, they can be listed as “Contains: X”. It is also mandatory for details of allergens to be available for a large pack of beer or on draught beer as sold to the consumer.

5. Net quantity For example, 500ml. The net quantity must be in the same field of vision as the legal name of food and the ABV.

6. Best before date This must be included.

7. Brewery name, addresses and/or website This must be included.

8. Batch/lot/gyle number This does not need to be included if the best before date is being used for batch traceability.

9. Country of origin This is mandatory where the failure to declare would be misleading to consumers, for example, when exporting the products.

10. Special storage conditions/conditions for use This should specify any instructions to ensure appropriate storage conditions i.e. keep refrigerated/store in a cool dry place.

11. Instructions for use Instruction should be provided where it would not otherwise be possible to make appropriate use of the product.

Draught products i.e. casks and kegs Requirements 1-11 as detailed above also apply to casks and kegs.

12. Total Saleable Volume This must be declared on the cask labels i.e. total saleable volume 30 litres – this must exclude the unsaleable sediment.

Best practice

There are further details which may be included on the packaging, which may be considered best practice in the brewery industry in light of recent trends.

For example, optional extras like the brewery’s social media details, recycle symbol, unit alcohol content, pregnancy message, drinkaware.co.uk, agerestriction and responsibility statement –

Amy Ralston is a second seat trainee solicitor in the Intellectual Property, Information Technology and Data Protection team at Stephens Scown LLP. The IP/IT team is one of the largest specialist teams of its kind in the UK and advises businesses in the South West and beyond on how to protect and exploit their IP, contract issues, data protection and has particular expertise in advising food and drink clients.

To contact the team, please call 01392 210700, or email ipit@stephens-scown.co.uk to name a few, can be considered best practice.

Intellectual Property

The inclusion of either the registered trade mark symbol or the unregistered trade mark symbol on your packaging can be crucial to promote and protect your brand and/or product. It is important to note that the registered trade mark symbol can only be used if the mark to which it is applied is a registered trade mark. Trade marks which are not officially registered can be marked with a TM symbol to indicate that a business is using something – be it the word mark, figurative mark or a combination of the two.

Protecting a logo or brand name by way of trade mark registration is crucial to ensure that it is not copied and that no other organisation or business can benefit from your reputation of the beer brand and/or equally damage it.

For further information: www.stephens-scown.co.uk

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SHOWCASE Containers

Keeping an accurate track of your casks Container management may not be an exciting subject but managing your containers in a timely and simple way is important to support the efficiency and profitability of your brewery and manage your costs.

Whether you own, rent, lease, lease purchase, they are all a financial liability to the business and it is impossible to run a cask/keg business without them.

Knowing where they have gone and how long they have been there will help in recovering them. If you improve the recovery time and reduce losses you need fewer casks. A 10bbl brewery brewing 3 times a week with a 12-week cycle on containers needs a minimum of 1440 casks, improving the cycle time by 50% reduces the containers by half. This helps reduce the risk of loss and reduces the number you need to rent/purchase and space to store them.

Utilising SPAsoft software with low cost barcode labels, a robust scanner and thermal label printer brings high volume supermarket/warehouse proven technology to give you a reliable solution.

“CASKTrak in a Box” is a simple cloud-based solution designed to improve your tracking and cask efficiency straight out of the box, - no more pens, pencils, sticky notes or excel documents, it’s a dedicated software package to make your life easy.

Russell at Empire Brewing in West Yorkshire now knows where his casks have gone. “Before we bought CASKTrak everything was in the grey matter and it didn’t really matter until we were short of casks, getting busier and needed to buy more casks,” he says.

“Using CASKTrak we have much more control, we recover them faster and on a quiet day we can run a list and do a pickup run. We know how many are out and how many are in. The label print shows who is having what so we don’t get wrong deliveries and the BBE date is on the label so the customer knows when it is at its best. A great bit of kit, simple,

logical and easy to use, quickly set up and great support the whole way through.”

CASKTrak is the base module for SPAsoft’s cloud-based Brewery Management System, making it a good entry point to grow with as your business needs. Upgrading is easy, training is included and support is there if required.

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

Three ways Close Brothers is supporting brewers

After several challenging months, the hospitality industry needs support as lockdown eases. For many brewers, cider makers and other drinks manufacturers, the renewed focus is on increasing production and moving towards businesses as usual.

At Close Brothers, our drinks equipment and container solutions are designed with businesses in mind and we’re committed to adapting to meet new requirements. Here are a few of the things we’re doing now to help breweries get moving again:

1. Fast logistics and container solutions With over 250,000 containers, we have the largest owned collection of casks and kegs in UK. We also offer world-leading services in cleaning and maintenance, as well as decanting services which help brewers and pubs to dispose of container contents in an environmentally friendly manner.

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This part of our service has remained open throughout the crisis, and now, as usual keg and cask cycles begin again, our depots are ready to help with logistics and supply containers quickly.

2. Innovation and problem solving Our drinks equipment specialists have also been able to help several businesses with canning and bottling lines, enabling them to extend their lines or get their products out to new markets during lockdown and beyond. We have strong, long-standing relationships with supplier partners and industry leaders, enabling us to excel when sourcing equipment and agreeing finance terms.

We hope to be able to help more innovative brewers as they avail new and

alternative trading opportunities.

3. Half price short term rental ecasks We recognise that getting back to business as usual will be challenging, so Close Brothers will offer 50 per cent off their unwashed 9-gallon ecasks throughout July and August to help the industry increase capacity and move forward. In addition, those using the half price service will benefit from extended payment terms of up to 60-days. This provides an additional 20 days to pay, which may provide some cash flow relief as breweries and cider producers begin to service the hospitality sector again.

For further information: www.closebreweryrentals.co.uk

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Cask and Keg Repair & Refurbishment Specialists

The world’s best selling plastic casks

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

Call 01432 453146 email: info@breweryplastics.com

www.breweryplastics.com

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SHOWCASE Bottling & Canning Equipment We asked companies supplying the following products and services to let us know something about themselves.... l New and pre-owned bottling & canning equipment available in the UK. l Companies that will install your equipment and work with you in commissioning and initial production, in addition to providing tuition.

Italian Isobaric fillers for bottling and canning Italian machinery specialists, GAI, is an industry leader for quality small pack.

Through its UK partner, BevTech Ltd, GAI Macchine Imbottigliatrici has been helping UK brewers improve the quality of their small pack with innovative and user-friendly bottling lines, focusing on reduced DO pick up, increased flexibility and control of each bottling or canning stage, automated cleaning programmes and dedicated technical support.

Anthony Goddard, owner of Goddards Brewery, said, “I was always a fan of GAI bottling machinery going back 30-odd years ago when we had a vineyard. The GAI machine hasn't disappointed.”

Mark Tranter, owner of Burning Sky Brewery, commented, “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.

“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.”

BevTech works with a range of European machinery manufacturers, enabling them to provide tailor-made bottling and canning solutions that will support growing businesses.

“With the aim of maximising productivity and improving quality, often in limited space, flexibility in sizes and speeds of

equipment such as labellers and conveyors is just as important at the filling line itself,” says David Cowderoy, BevTech Managing Director. “The technical support offered by GAI is second-to-none, and with our UK-based engineers we are able to further support customers, not only with the initial installation, but also with servicing contracts to keep them up and running when they need it most.”

For further information: www.bevtech.co.uk

Laser system capable of coding 172,000 cans per hour

Further reinforcing its unrivalled position at the forefront of advanced coding and marking technology, Macsa ID has launched a range of fiber lasers specially designed to offer low cost of ownership and maximum marking resolution and definition for high speed beverage can production lines.

The company’s latest SPA F-100 series is capable of coding up to 172,000 cans per hour, with guaranteed legibility, traceability and security, even in hot and humid environments.

Today’s fast moving beverage manufacturers typically operate at speeds of approximately 80,000 aluminium cans per hour and require several lines of text to be applied to each pack. As a result, coding equipment should be quick, reliable and deliver high quality printing. Until now, the only

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available option was continuous inkjet (CIJ) printing.The hot and humid beverage plant environment often affects the readability and adhesion of information applied by CIJ printers. For this reason, manufacturers install two CIJ printers on each line so if one machine fails the other will still mark a code on the can. As well as increasing operating costs, when both CIJ printers are working the information can be unreadable because the two codes overlap. Macsa ID’s SPA F-100 fiber lasers provide a more precise alternative to CIJ printing for the beverage industry. The laser generates a reaction in the aluminium which produces excellent visibility as well as ensuring a reliable and sustainable coding method without the use of inks.

For high output beverage facilities where a lot of characters must be printed, Macsa ID’s SPA F-10,000 model is ideal.

Whilst most beverage lines run at a maximum of 100,000 cans per hour, it can mark two lines of text with 2mm high

characters on the base of a can at speeds up to 172,000 cans per hour.

For further information: www.macsa.co.uk

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Brewers: It’s Your Name on the Package

by David Smith, managing director of Brewing Services Ltd Over the past four months we’ve seen a quadrupling of the sales of small pack beer. More brewers than ever before have rushed to offer beer in both bottle and can, to be consumed at home.

Packaging slots became like gold dust, and anyone with a means of filling bottles or cans was approached by desperate brewers needing small pack products for this quickly expanding home trade.

But how often do brewers (particularly when eager for stocks of bottles or cans) check that their beers are being handled properly by the packaging vendor? It’s potentially damaging to the brand if a beer lovingly brewed by the brewer, and bearing its name on the package, reaches the consumer in less than perfect condition as a result of problems during packaging.

Of course, as the old saying goes, ‘you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear’. So often the disappointment on opening a can of beer and pouring a less-than-perfect pint can be traced back to the brewery, rather than the way it was packaged. So first and foremost, the brewer must do their part to ensure the beer sent for packaging is of the quality expected by the consumer.

If brewers are SALSA accredited, under Section 6 on Quality Requirements, it states, ‘Where beer is packed at another site, precautions must be in place to ensure quality is retained’. The best way to do this is to inspect the packaging premises for yourself. This should be the case for all brewers, not just because they are part of an accreditation system but because they care about the quality of their beers.

The brewer checks that the beers will be processed as expected and quality is

maintained from receipt through all the stages of the packaging process, and into final product.

The packagers need to know something about the brewer and their capabilities and assure themselves the beer is fit to package. The brewer and packager must work together to ensure the product’s integrity and quality is maintained, very much a symbiotic relationship. But it is all too often the case that, when problems do occur, the situation quickly becomes adversarial, rather than brewer and packager working together to discover the cause.

Before the beer leaves the brewery the brewer and packager should enter into an agreement about the product specification and how that beer will be handled to maintain the integrity of the product. This may vary greatly depending on the type of beer being packaged. It is at this stage that the packager ensures the expectations of the brewer can be met and they can achieve the desired final product.

The packager should have some means of checking the incoming beer is the correct one. It has been known for a mix-up, the wrong beer despatched, which then ends up wrongly packaged, both brewer and packager are equally at fault. The onus should be on the packager to perform some basic tests, including simply tasting the beer, checking the correct beer has been sent and is fit to package. If there are any suspected problems, the brewer should be notified immediately, and it is then be the brewer’s decision as to whether to go ahead with the packaging run or not.

Checks should be carried out by the packager at each stage of the process to ensure the product specification is met, including the legal requirements for packaged products, and to ensure beer

David Smith is MD of Brewing Services Ltd. The company undertakes packaging quality surveys at various bottlers and canners which follows a beer through the process from receipt through to final package and QC and shelf-life checks. Whilst this article is about quality assurance, not equipment, it makes all the difference whether or not your contract packager is doing their job correctly.

quality is maintained throughout the packaging run. All of which should be fully documented, as well as any process or packaging line issues, such as filtration problems or packing line stoppages.

For the purposes of Due Diligence, it is important that when the beer is returned to the brewer, it is accompanied by full details of its journey from brewery into package and back to the brewer. This is of course especially necessary for accreditation purposes.

So, there is far more to getting the beers safely into small pack than simply standing at the brewery gate waving good-bye to the beer with fingers crossed behind your back. If you want the best for your beers don’t leave it to chance.

Work with your chosen packager to help ensure what does come back is as expected by the consumer.

It is after all your name on the package.

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

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SHOWCASE Bottling & Canning Equipment

Major Cosmapack order from H & A Prestige Bottling Despite the COVID 19 lockdown the UK agents for Cosmapack International Srl, Makro Labelling UK, received the largest order for the Italian manufacturer of case packers, comprising American carton erectors, pick & place carton loading, division inserters and case sealing machinery, from H & A Prestige Bottling in Chorley.

This brings the total number of machines supplied by Makro Labelling UK to Halewood Wines and Spirits Group to 40 and this latest order has a value approaching £1m.

Richard Portman, Managing Director of Makro Labelling UK, commented on this latest order, “The Halewood Wines & Spirits Group have been a wonderful customer since I established Makro in the UK ten years ago, both for Makro labellers and equipment supplied from the agencies that I have represented over the years. I took on Cosmapack as an agency last year and this latest order for three lines is not only their first case packing order in the UK but also their largest single order.”

Richard continued, ”When the machinery

comes to the UK in October it will all be installed by my UK team of engineers, something that I attach a lot of importance to, should any travel restrictions come into force in the coming months due to COVID19. In the first 12 weeks of the lockdown my team have been working flat out to help keep our ever-growing list of UK clients working to full capacity as they have done such a wonderful job keeping the UK Supermarket shelves full at all times.”

The three Cosmapack lines will include; a carton erector with Nordson hot melt glue systems, bottle laning device, pick and place packer, division inserter, powered carton conveyors and case sealers. The units will run at 9,000 b.p.h. handling 6-bottle cases with the bottle sizes of 70cl to 1.5 litre. On line 8 at H & A the units will be also be able to run oval flasks for 25cl, 30cl and hexagonal bottle formats in 50cl and 70cl.

Richard concluded, “This latest project will give H & A Prestige greater flexibility, fast changeover for their high value,

lower volume production multiple flavour variant run products and at the same time greatly increase the line speeds as automatic case packing will be replacing what is currently manual case packing.

The Cosmapack equipment is ideal for smaller distillers and wineries looking to upgrade the end of their lines to increase throughput. The ROI once installed can be as little as a year, so making it a sound investment.”

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

Crowler machine investment in Little Faith initiative When Deptford’s Little Faith taproom launched a “Keep the Faith” initiative to raise funds to keep Little Faith in business, after only one day of the campaign they had raised enough money to fund the purchase of a crowler machine, from Dorset-based Gorilla Canning.

A crowler is a can of draft beer that you can take home, keeping draught beer fresher for longer. The online shop also went live and they are discounted pre-orders of Little Faith beers for collection and asking individuals to pledge their support by becoming a Little Angel, which gives them lifetime benefits at the bar.

With the funds generated from the sales of pre-ordered crowlers and Little Angel memberships, the bar will be able to start brewing new beers again.

Henry Pecod, Little Faith co-founder, said to customers: “We’ve missed you all in

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recent months but we hope this will give you a taste of Little Faith at home until we can reopen fully. If all goes well we hope to provide a full range of our beers in crowlers as soon we’re back to our normal operation. We can’t thank you enough for giving us a leg-up during this difficult time. Looking forward to sharing a beer with you all soon!”

Said Pete Bechervaise of Gorilla Canning: “We’re excited about supplying one of our can seamers to Little Faith, and the immediate response to their campaign has been fantastic. We look forward to supporting them and many other independent businesses over the coming months at a time when takeaway sales are becoming increasingly important.”

Gorilla Canning supplies independent businesses all over the UK. Little Faith was set to receive one of the first of a new model of can seamer that was launching in early July, before going on general sale in early August. The

seamers are available in formats compatible with can sizes ranging from 150 - 500ml, so are suitable for businesses selling a range of drinks from cocktails to craft beer.

For further information: pete@gorillapackaging.com

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Summer 2020

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Best filtration practices in a brewery process Tips and advice from Fileder Filter Systems Ltd Over the last 10 years the brewery industry has been on the rise following vast development in product diversity and consumer demands for finest products with exceptional taste, flavour and appearance. There are so many different options on the market from classic lager to IPAs and ales..

The major differences between types of beer comes down to the selection of ingredients, fermentation process and filtration stages. Selecting ingredients can be a complicated process for brewers, so is tuning the fermentation process to deliver the desired final product. The third area for consideration is the level and type of filtration wanted to affect the appearance and shelf life of the packaged brew.

For best filtration practice, equipment such as sanitary housings designed for high purity applications are often a preferred option for a brewery. These housings are designed to reduce the risk of potential microbial adhesion from the bioburden in the brew to protect the production quality. SPECTRUM Inox Sanitary Housings with their optimised design, meet the requirements of the food & beverage market. The body which is highly polished allows for simple access to change cartridges rapidly, whilst also offering the ability to clean-in-place or full dismantling for thorough clean-down.

These housings are the perfect solution for any stage within the physical filtration process, although they really prove their worth at the critical part of a brewery production process. This is where

spoilage organisms, haze from polyphenols and appropriate yeast levels, are removed, leading to the best practice method of controlling the flavour, stability, appearance and shelf life of the packaged products.

There are three common physical filtration stages of Trap, Clarification, Stabilisation and one additional stage of Integrity Testing, when beer producers can monitor the performance of their filter cartridges.

Trap Filtration: This is when visible particles are removed to improve aesthetics, protect tanks and enhance further filtration stages downstream.

There are two common filtration technologies that are well known within the industry – spun and pleated cartridges. Spectrum Premier Spun Polypropylene (PSP) and Spectrum Premier Pleat Polypropylene (PPP) cartridges are the two products often specified at this stage providing high efficiency removal rates and exceptional longevity.

Clarification: Bioburden reduction is essential for product clarity and protection of the final membrane cartridge stage. At Fileder we have two different technologies that are suitable at this stage SPECTRUM Premier Pleat Glass Fibre (PPG) and Spectrum Premier Pleat Depth Polypropylene (PPDP). Both of these cartridges use absolute rated technologies that are extremely effective at producing clarity in the brew by removing bioburden.

Stabilisation: Also known as ‘Sterile’ filtration, this final polishing stage removes yeast and spoilage organisms to prevent refermentation and extend

shelf life. Fileder’s latest filtration technology incorporates a performance upgrade to a validated, integrity testable range to provide reliable brew quality. SPECTRUM Bubble Point cartridges are certified for beverage polishing before packaging. This innovative range uses a highly asymmetric PES membrane media, with an initial increased pore capacity that significantly improves performance and service life, an important factor for high load contaminant removal as found in most beverage applications.

Integrity testing: Testing cartridges before, during or after a packaging run is imperative to ascertain if they are performing within set tolerances. This monitoring stage provides process validation and produces reports beneficial for keeping records. It can also assist faster identification of product inconsistency or contamination.

Employing the SPECTRUM Integrity Tester PES-IT (pictured above) will measure a defined decay in pressure and monitor the cartridge filter media’s ability to function within a set limits.

If you would like to find the right products for your brewery filtration process, please get in touch with us and we will be glad to assist you in selecting the most appropriate products to achieve your desired beer.

For further information: www.fileder.co.uk

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SHOWCASE Bottling & Canning Equipment

New multi-pack applicator maximises can output A G2 multi-packing applicator from WaveGrip, a brand of Berry Global, has helped a leading beverage company to fully automate its packing line and double its canning output, achieving ‘an exceptional return on investment’.

Based in London, Ontario, Black Fly Beverage Company produces a range of ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages alongside its co-packing services, beverage alcohol production and packaging sales. With customers across North America, the business was looking to automate its previously manual multipacking process for its range of cans.

The G2 has been specifically designed for the medium volume multi-packing of cans. At Black Fly the applicator is packing regular and sleek 12oz cans and regular 16oz cans in both four and six-packs, at speeds of up to 245 cansper-minute (cpm). Operating 24/7, the G2 has replaced a previously manual process and is expected to deliver payback within six months.

“When it comes to the multi-packing of cans at mid-range volumes, our research showed that the WaveGrip G2 is the only practical solution in the marketplace,” said Martin Kamil, Vice President of Finance and Operations at Black Fly. “Installation was both quick and easy, with the G2 operating straight out of the box. Our multi-packing is now fully

automated, delivering significant savings both in terms of output and the ability to re-deploy labour elsewhere in the business. We are delighted with the results we have achieved to date.”

As well as the improvements in production, the sustainability of the WaveGrip carriers and their continued material development played a large part in the decision-making process for Black Fly.

Weighing less than 4g for a standard six-pack and using less material than any other multi-packing solution, WaveGrip is claimed as the lightest carrier on the market. Additionally, all WaveGrip carriers are fully recyclable in PE film collection streams and meet current US Packaging regulations.

“Knowing that WaveGrip was a part of Berry Global was another important factor in our selection of the G2 applicator,” said Martin. “We felt reassured that the supply of carriers would grow with our business and through the strength of the wider group, we knew we would have access to the latest material developments and sustainable multi-packaging options.”

Competitively priced, the WaveGrip G2 can run multiple pack formats and significantly reduces downtime with its quick changeover times. With the ability

‘Resilient’ barcode labels printers

Transporting beer and other beverages to retail and catering customers relies in no small part on the barcode labels accompanying the order. But logistics environments are hostile places for printers, prone to extremes of temperatures, airborne dust and tyre abrasion.

The printers need, therefore, to be resilient if there’s to be no downtime in picking, packing and transportation.

Staff depend on the reliable operation of printers to ensure they get through as much uninterrupted work as possible.

Seasonal influences, holidays and long weekends all put further pressure on

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to handle both standard and sleek can designs, the G2 has speeds of up 400cpm for standard, and 325cpm for sleek carriers .

Designed and engineered by manufacturing partner Massman Automation Designs, the G2 is part of the WaveGrip range of applicators, which also includes the G1, an entry level machine capable of speeds of 80cpm and the larger G3 model which can handle higher volume packing over 2000 cpm.

“Overall, we have been extremely happy with our choice of WaveGrip,” said Martin. “From the build quality of the machine through to its consistent 24/7 performance, we would highly recommend the G2 to others looking to automate their multi-packing for cans.”

The full range of WaveGrip machines is available in the UK.

For further information: www.wave-grip.com

picking teams so smooth workflows are essential, especially for such periods of high throughput.

Downtime is not an option and industrial printers from Printronix Auto ID ensure that even the busiest of beverage logistics operations will stay up and running. “One of our customers delivers 2,250 crates every day from its largest facility. Since installing a number of our devices, it has significantly reduced the faults in label printing to a tenth of what it had previously,” says Dave Huckle, Printronix Auto ID Sales Manager UK and Ireland.

Karl-Heinz Möcker, Head of Information Systems at Trinks GmbH says: “The

industrial printers from Printronix Auto ID are real workhorses.”

In addition to enterprise-level thermal and RFID printers, Printronix Auto ID also supplies online data validation (ODV) devices that prevent unreadable barcodes entering the supply chain.

For further information: printronixautoid.com

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SHOWCASE Bottling & Canning Equipment

Counter pressure canning at 3,600 cans per hour There is nothing on the market like the CODI counter pressure canning system, claims Core Equipment. With beer loss rates as low as 2%, this is the pioneering technology a business needs to pack the punch and deliver the quality they need, says the company.

Counter pressure filling greatly reduces dissolved oxygen pickup, whilst at the same time enabling higher levels of carbonation. With an oxygen pickup as low as 10ppb from tank to can, the longevity of the product shelf life is increased considerably. There is no need to chill the beer first; the counter pressure systems allows the cans to be filled at higher temperatures. High temperature CIP (clean-in-place) is made straight forward and stress free with the all stainless-steel construction.

The 6 head in-line canning machine has a high degree of efficiency and the ability to fill different can sizes. Any size of beverage can from 150ml slim to 500ml standard, the Codi can fill it.

Canning the products should be hassle free; the ability to operate a full system remotely makes this possible. The capability to set custom parameters allowing fill times or levels ensures the canning process will continue to effectively deliver quality results, no matter where it is running from!

Dan Tomlin, Sales Manager at Core Equipment explained; “Every stage in the canning process plays an integral role in the success of canning your product. The Codi fully automatic depalletiser from Core is nothing short of remarkable with a wide range of versatile capabilities.

This extraordinary machine can unload up to 250 cans a minute, and be built to suit any height, tailor making to suit your end destination.”

The intelligence of the DPL-250 includes a system of sensors; demonstrating knowledge of how many cans are left at

any given point and providing information including when more cans will be required. The size of the cans are not an issue with the ability to provide suitability for any can size with no changed parts.

With a knowledgeable team on hand to provide turnkey solutions and support to meet specific business needs, please contact the sales team at Core Equipment to find out more.

For further information: www.core-equip.com

Trusted packaging partner for UK beverage industry PakTech, a family-owned and operated business, founded in 1991 and headquartered in Eugene, Oregon, USA, has been delivering smart, simple and sustainable secondary packaging to UK brewers for over 14 years.

As the industry moves rapidly towards a zero-carbon footprint, brands need to stand out in the crowd by having shelf-appeal to a consumer base who are more demanding than ever when it comes to sustainability.

PakTech’s packaging solutions are designed with exactly this in mind, embracing a circular approach to the entire value chain at the core of the business. The handles are made from 100% recycled HDPE, one of the most widely collected and recycled materials in the UK and are fit to be processed by the UK’s current waste management and treatment infrastructure. 92% of UK councils collect HDPE bottles ensuring that PakTech solutions are perfectly aligned with the UK’s vision for the circular economy.

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Businesses should not have to compromise on practicality when it comes to sustainable packaging. By choosing PakTech handles, our customers have all the practical advantages of plastic - light-weight, water resistance, durability and usability - while having a much lower footprint than alternatives, including paper. Not only do the handles minimise loss of goods through in-store slippage but reusable many times over before they re-enter the recycling system.

Clients requiring high volumes of PakTech handles applied to their products can rely on PakTech’s handle applicator services. Designed and built in-house, PakTech’s automated machines apply handles on cans at high speed and volume to save both time and manual labour. The company offers a wide range of applicator models to meet the varying needs of drink and can producers – from a simple application tool that assists with hand application to an automatic machine that can apply handles from 120 up to 1,750 cans per minute. All PakTech handles and

applicator services are available in the UK, making us a proud handle provider to many of our clients, including Magic Rock Brewing.

Whatever solution you’re looking for, PakTech handles are smart, sustainable and simple and respond to the growing consumer and retailer need for a sustainable and circular packaging solution.

For further information: paktech-opi.com

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SHOWCASE Branding & Marketing

AD Profile - distinctive assets?

Beer is all about taste, but our taste in design is just as important when deciding which brand to buy.

We realise that brewers are, on the whole, passionate people when it comes to their beer and their business and we think its important to reflect that passion in their branding, it needs to translate into a design with strong visual impact that appeals to various generations.

This is where ‘distinctive assets’ are key, those unique and distinguishing visual elements that help build and differentiate a brand.

A big focus for many breweries branding, is locality, especially when there is a tourist trade with a taste

for both beer and souvenirs…

Our latest rebrand has been for ’Stringers Brewery’ in Ulverston, South Lakes. The bespoke, illustrated design for their core beer range revolves around the four seasons in the changing view of a local, prominent monument which also forms the centre piece to the new brewery logo.

Another example of ‘distinctive assets’ and an ADP favourite is the recent brand refresh for ‘Intrepid Brewery’, in High Peak, Derbyshire. More bespoke illustration to draw the eye with the use of bold colours.

Branding is about making a connection with your customers and making your beer more accessible to potential new drinkers.

At ADP every opportunity to design a beer brand is special, it’s an opportunity to not just design a label but to create an artwork which is an extension of the brewery’s personality, history and ambition.

For further information: www.adprofile.co.uk darren@adprofile.co.uk

Offering quality merchandise at low volumes There are many hidden benefits of utilising consistent branding and a colour scheme for your business aside from the recognition and awareness that it creates. If your core product consistently delivers on its promises of flavour and texture then it goes without saying that any associated products will also deliver on those promises.

We have seen in recent years several brands that are now able to sell quantities of socks and clothing from their shops and webshops that would make some clothing brands jealous!

On a daily basis we manage the expectations from promotional companies that the cheapest price is the key reason for buying decisions. When

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we work with the brand owners we quickly establish that quality is actually the key decision maker, ensuring that your brand is represented consistently to become instantly recognisable and upholds the quality values of the brewery.

It is well-known that Guinness in the 80’s and 90’s could afford to give away all the pints served at the London Boat show due to the number of new drinkers the event created. The charge for Guinness was there to keep the queues to a manageable level. This kind of ‘new business generation’ can only be created by ensuring that all your associated products and communications delivers the same level of quality.

At the Cotton Textile Company, we produce bar towels, clothing and socks in low volumes allowing you to offer new products to existing clients on a regular basis. By pantone matching the fabric to your brand guidelines and adding branded labelling and packaging increases the perceived value of your offering without materially affecting the cost price.

We have also seen that by utilising a specialist for each product that you buy ensures that you are getting the best out of your supply chain and ensures uniformity in the collection.

A specialist will also want you to have the newest fabrics or branding techniques which will stand out from the crowd, whether seen on the bar, on someone’s feet of in their choice of t-shirts Ultimately this will increase trust in your brand, awareness of your products, and conversation around your beer that will increase recommendations, desirability and new drinkers…

For further information: www.thecottontextilecompany.co.uk sales@thecottontextilecompany.co.uk

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SHOWCASE Branding & Marketing

How craft beer changed the rules of branding and packaging by Steve Osborne of Osborne Pike For almost as long as I’ve loved beer, I’ve also loved (and then worked in) branding and marketing. So it came as a bit of a shock when craft beer started playing by very different rules to the ones I’d grown up with, and long advised clients about.

I felt an urgent need to understand why consumers, including me, were happy to pay more for an abstract, psychedelic artwork on a can than a beautifully designed traditional bottle, with richly embossed glass and a label oozing with luxury print effects?

It’s obvious that craft beer has been a major disruptive force, and I viscerally experienced this when I first read the label of Brew Dog’s Punk IPA a decade ago: “This is not a lowest common denominator beer. This is an assertive beer. We don’t care if you don’t like it…”

WTF?? I remember being amused by innocent’s invention of ‘talking packs’, but Brew Dog were telling lager drinkers to “f*** off”. That’s another level.

Nowadays Punk gets about 30% of my beer consumption, sharing fridge time with a few other choice pale ales and IPAs, including Beavertown’s Gamma Ray (with a design featuring gun-toting skeletons) and Mikkeller’s Hair in the Mailbox (er, that’s a Danish proverb).

Lager barely gets a look in, and back in pre-lockdown days I had to remember to buy some, when friends who hadn’t yet got the memo came around.

To be fair there’s still plenty of lager being drunk in the UK, though even here the branding and advertising is rapidly adopting craft codes. The days of Gillette men raising a glass of international Beer codes – the far side

mega-lager to their handsome selves may well be numbered; nowadays real men know the names of at least 3 types of hop.

But back to my quest to understand the codes of craft, and in the end the answer wasn’t hard to find if you know where to look. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to compare the branding tropes of craft beer with the album art of ‘alternative’ music in all of its forms.

Just as punk rock, jazz, rap, death metal and more arose to replace commoditised, mainstream, popular music and stadium rock, so craft did the same for beer: in place of one-size-fits-all premium lagers, early craft brewers re-invigorated the beer world and excited drinkers with countless new (or re-discovered) tastes and styles, replacing slick salesmanship with innovation, and a lot more ingredients.

The branding and design codes for this movement echoed the anti-establishment motivation of the entrepreneurs behind the beers: proudly self-sufficient, locally sourced and small batch. With creative artists as natural partners, craft beers became identifiable by the vibrant naivety or painstaking artistry of their designs.

new generations of visually literate consumers (who practically live on image-driven social media), identifying a ‘style’ is what they do all the time.

The beauty with craft branding is that there is no fixed template, which means it does not always have to be disruptive.

The work we have produced for our client Hertog Jan is a good example of this. Based in a tiny brewery in the southern Netherlands, its team of brewers have been crafting regional speciality beers since well before the term ‘craft beer’ was invented.

Over the years we've worked on a number of new launches to firmly establish the brand as an innovator in the new craft landscape. Of all his speciality beers, Head Brewer Gerard van den Broek is most proud of Hertog Jan’s Quadrupel, ‘Grand Prestige’. It is marketed as a beer to be savoured, perhaps after a couple of years ageing in the bottle, and since 2017 it’s also been available in a limited release barrel-aged edition. Packaged in an elegant 750ml wire-corked bottle and weighing in at 12-14% ABV, craft beer fans are happy to part with €20 a bottle for the experience.

But were any of them actually ‘branded’?

At first sight the design language looks like anarchy unleashed, but on closer inspection many (though not all) craft brands are using disciplined design systems, and more importantly: recognisable ‘Distinctive Assets’.

Whilst these are normally found in corporate logos, colours and symbols, why not extend the definition to an Artist’s unique style of illustration? The key to branding is consistency, and to

2019’s ‘Four Dutch Masters’ series has been aged in the barrels of three of The Netherlands’ finest Jenever distillers. This design, depicting the famously complex recipes and processes of Jenever making, helped to sell out the entire 35,000 bottle production in 26 days.

The 2020 series had been set to launch in March, but will now be available to socially-distanced brewery visitors from September. An extra few months in the bottle will only have improved it!

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SHOWCASE Branding & Marketing

Beer Box Shop contributes to Cellar Selection craft beer box partnership

A popular box from Beer Box Shop is playing a key part in a collaboration between Two Tribes Brewing and the Tate Modern.

The Cellar Selection craft beer box features Two Tribes beers alongside others from some of the UK’s leading independent breweries, including: Cloudwater Brew Co, Northern Monk Brewery, Burnt Mill Brewery and Wylam Brewery.

The offer includes a selection of 12 mixed beers and only a limited number are available. It retails at £35.

Justin Deighton, Two Tribes Chief, says: “The spirit of collaboration is what Two Tribes is all about and, especially during this time, it’s important to support our customers in any way that we can. The Tate Modern Cellar Selection box is the perfect partnership for Two Tribes and

we look forward to promoting this through our online community.”

The Tate Modern Cellar Selection box (which is 12 cans) is housed in a plain brown 12pack which is supplied by Beer Box Shop (see picture).

Says Simon Hulse of Beer Box Shop, “Although all the can and bottle trade boxes are core lines for us, we have noticed a massive spike in sales since the beginning of lockdown as breweries have had a sole focus on sending small pack directly to end users. We have quickly adapted our business including taking on a further 4,000 sq/ft of warehousing to ensure we keep these boxes in good stock for our customers.

“Additionally we have added double wall can trade boxes to the range which offer

a budget alternative for cans to be sent directly by courier. It’s great to see the different ways in which our boxes are used and fantastic that Two Tribes are selling their Cellar Selection Box in the Tate Modern as they are a long-standing customer of ours.”

Tate Cellar Selection boxes are available from the Two Tribes webshop.

(Customers are encouraged to make a donation to the NHS on checkout, which will then be matched by Two Tribes.

For further information: www.beerboxshop.co.uk sales@beerboxshop.co.uk

Brewery rebrand puts the family’s ‘lucky 7’ on cans Craft brewery SEVEN BRO7HERS Brewing Co has unveiled its £70k re-brand, as the family business strives to drive in-store and off the shelf purchase. The Salford-based brewery has taken inspiration from its ‘lucky number seven’ and applied the vibrant creative across the core range and special beers portfolio.

The ‘clearer and cleaner’ cans, by strategic branding agency Creative Spark, have been designed to stand-out to consumers on shelf, and aimed at making the craft beer more recognisable as SEVEN BRO7HERS.

The ambitious brewers believe the new distinctive look will unlock opportunities to expand further into retail and help them to get cut through in a busy market.

Founder Keith McAvoy, SEVEN BRO7HERS , said: “The craft beer scene has exploded in the last couple of years making it a competitive space to position our business in. We found our brand has

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been starting to get lost next to similar marketing and can designs – and that just wasn’t doing our product justice.

“After nearly seven years we felt it was time to shake up our brand and bring it back to what we are known for, the seven of us. It is our goal to have instant recognition on shelf.

“Dominating our packaging with a ‘7’ makes it unmistakeably SEVEN BRO7ERS at a glance, helping consumers to make a quick decision when shopping in store.”

As part of the overhaul the well-known core range has also undergone a makeover. Now known as the ‘family of beers,’ the core focuses on four flavours; Amber Lager, Hoppy Pale, Easy IPA and a Juicy IPA.

Keith McAvoy added: “We now have a brand which jumps out at you and ultimately backs the beer that we know and consumers know tastes great. The labelling is clear, what you see is what you get. Our changes to the core range needed to reflect the evolution of SEVEN

BRO7HERS, as we’ve grown, so has our drinking audience. The family core now has something for everyone.”

Growing annually, in 2019 SEVEN BRO7HERS Brew Co saw 53 per cent growth following an expansion from ecommerce into retail. The brewery has also established its own beerhouses across two sites in Manchester and Salford plus the brewery taproom.

For further information: creativespark.co.uk

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SHOWCASE Branding & Marketing

Hop Forward takes ‘whole brewhouse’ approach Hop Forward is a creative agency and consultancy offering marketing and branding services for brewers, brands and businesses within the beer industry; supporting everyone from budding beer entrepreneurs to well crafted professionals.

“We take a ‘whole brewhouse’ approach when helping our customers within the beer”, says founder Nick Law, “to help develop, grow and sustain their business through a wide range of creative and digital solutions aimed at brewers and suppliers.”

Including working with craft breweries such as Truth Hurts Brew Co, Six30, social enterprise Spotlight Brewing, and Sheffield’s Loxley Brewery and Neepsend Brew Co on a variety of branding and marketing projects, Hop Forward recently undertook a brand refresh for Lincoln Green Brewing Co - a brewery creating traditional ales with a modern twist brewed with pride in Nottingham.

“We’ve been delighted to work with Nick Law from Hop Forward in a refresh of our branding – our bottle labels and pump clips had been in place since our beginnings in 2012 and the original designs were looking cluttered and ‘clunky’”, says Anthony Hughes, the company’s founder.

“We’d attempted a refresh using a different design agency in 2018 but never really fell in love with anything they

offered – Hop Forward nailed the brief very quickly, with Nick grasping that we were looking for something cleaner, more contemporary, whilst retaining a feel of heritage and tradition.

“Nick isn’t afraid to challenge back if he feels strongly about a design principle and we’ve found he’s usually right to do so – we’re really pleased with the end results and would heartily recommend him to others!”

If you’re thinking of refreshing your brand, looking for marketing content

and strategies to help you grow your beer business, or in need of business and brewery support, we’d love to chat to you.

To book a free consultation to see how we can help you get ahead in the brewing and beer business visit hopforward.beer and check out our weekly industry focused podcast, available on iTunes, Spotify and other streaming services.

For further information: hopforward.beer

Three agencies combine for winning fount design Five Gold winners were announced at the prestigious DBA Design Effectiveness Awards on 3rd June in a special online ceremony.

The Grand Prix Award went to Diageo and a trio of creative agencies - Bompas & Parr, Design Bridge and Dolmen – for a new beer fount that has cemented Guinness’s presence on crowded bar-tops amidst growing competition. Diageo also won a silver award for their Bailey’s Strawberries & Cream innovation.

Other winners from the drinks categories include Ian Macleod Distillers for The Glengoyne Distillery Experience (gold award); Albury Vineyard, Jubel Craft Beer and BEARFACE whisky

by Mark Anthony Brands International (bronze).

The awards champion the impact design makes across a broad section of business and industries – from global brands and major retailers, to innovative start-ups, social enterprises and local government, such as Glasgow City Council.

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When you need to box clever, could Advanced Packaging Materials be your answer?

So after all of your hard work getting your brewery installed, branding figured out, and team put together, it can be the last thing on your mind but packaging has an important role to play in actually getting your product to drinking public when selling offsite. Whether it is sending your bottles or cans to traders or selling directly to the public, it all requires consideration.

The use of well-thought-out packaging has been acknowledged as increasing sales, opening new markets and strengthening the brand you already spent so much time in creating. In this ever-expanding industry, a good box can make the difference between being picked off the shelf and not. The interesting ingredients will give buyers a reason to return to your brand, but a well-designed box will give them the

incentive to choose yours when standing amongst the sea of other craft ales.

Although the temptation may be to opt for plain boxes to save essential funds, it may be worth thinking of the box as an extension of the label and pump clips. It’s another opportunity for shameless self-promotion of not only the lines of product included in the pack but your whole product range.

There is now the opportunity to work with a specialist packaging supplier using digital printers meaning that there are little, if not no, initial set-up costs, whilst being able to facilitate short production runs.

For further information: www.printedbeerbottleboxes.co.uk info@advpack.co.uk

Beer packaging for Big Smoke Brew Co. The Big Smoke Brew Co., based in Esher, Surrey, has been brewing modern brews such as hop forward pales, rich stouts, and everything in between since 2014. In 2016, they contacted Saxon Packaging to supply them with 24x330ml bottle shipper cases.

“Happily to oblige, we manufactured these for them in true Saxon fashion; with great customer service, remarkable quality and excellent turnaround time on production,” said Mike Impson, Sales Director of Saxon Packaging

“The team at Saxon was incredibly adept at interpreting our designs into bold and functional packaging,” said Sam Medway of Big Smoke Brew Co.

This experience and existing working relationship meant that when Big Smoke Brew was seeking packaging for its new canned range of beers, Saxon Packaging was the obvious choice.

Sam, the Marketing & Design Manager behind Big Smoke Brew’s graphic arts and visual branding, masterminded the

bright and bold visual design of the boxes. “We created a bold and eye-catching design that contained all the elements of our branding and an extension to the artwork on our cans,” he commented.

Once the visual artwork was finalised, Sam worked with Saxon’s in-house packaging design team to develop the final can box design. Several weeks later the design was deemed so successful that Big Smoke Brew extended the design onto the rest of its range of beers.

In order for the packaging to truly reflect Big Smoke Brews existing brand elements and colours, extensive consultation was required with Sam and included sending copies of the brewery’s artwork to the ink supplier for them to match the brands colour tones directly.

“Having supplied Big Smoke Brew Co. with their packaging requirements since 2016 we were really pleased that we were chosen to work on their new boxes.

The completed design and results ensures their beer packaging remains consistent with their overall brand look

and feel. The print process we used was also a very economical solution given the number of designs” said Mike Impson.

“We are incredibly pleased with the finished products. The beer packaging really stands out and reflects the design and does a great service to further extend our branding!” added Sam Medway of Big Smoke Brew Co.

For further information: www.saxonpackaging.co.uk

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SHOWCASE Branding & Marketing

Northern breweries reap the LemonTop benefit Leading design company, LemonTop Creative, has been busy with several local companies keen to rebrand for the new decade.

Both Yorkshire Dales Brewery and Castle Eden Brewery have been working with the Newton Aycliffebased company and reaping the benefits.

For over 15 years Yorkshire Dales Brewery has been making extraordinary craft ale, brewed with pride and passion, using the finest ingredients. The brewery in Askrigg, North Yorkshire, is in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, with each beer in its core range taking its name from a nearby town or landmark.

For its new range, however, the brewery wanted to create something a little different and unique. With regular special brews and collaboration brews, Yorkshire Dales Brewery is proudly independent and loves what it does. It wanted to show that it is not just following the crowd, not just creating standard beers and not doing what the brewery world expected of a small craft brewery. It wanted to show off its personality and remind people that you don’t always have to conform to industry standards, and great beer can be brewed from the most unlikely of sources.

As humans, we are very visual. We knew that the brewery only had one chance to make a great first impression, so we created a range of eye-popping, colourful can designs that portrayed the lively and unique personality of the brewery team. Extravagant? Maybe, but in a competitive market full of everchanging design trends, we needed to demonstrate how unique the beer and recipes were.

Some would argue that the can designs were ostentatious and flamboyant, but we knew we had to make these stand out if only to prove that Yorkshire Dales Brewery is pushing the boundaries of experimental craft beer and ensuring customers remain excited by what it is producing.

Competing with the latest packaging available in bars and on supermarket shelves is something we have to consider on a daily basis. Every time we look there is something new, something eye-catching and occasionally something

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that makes us think, wow, that’s creative.

But that only makes us push harder, be more innovative and create something that really jumps off the shelf and makes customers take notice. The designs we created for Yorkshire Dales Brewery do just that.

The result is a visually appealing, vibrant and energetic set of designs which can be modified to suit the next beer in the range, whatever the style or recipe.

These beers will stand out and catch the eye wherever they are displayed and have already become a talking point throughout the Yorkshire brewing industry. Whether your preference is for dark stout, golden ale or juicy IPA, there’s sure to be a drop you’ll enjoy!

After completing a full set of bottle label designs for the Classic Castle Eden range, Castle Eden Brewery asked us to create a few ideas for a selection of modern, experimental beers they were going to produce. As we had taken an illustrative, historical approach to the Classic range, the brewery wanted to see a complete contrast with these new

modern beers and asked us to produce something fresh, stylish and contemporary that would grab the attention of the modern drinker. We were given the opportunity to create something completely new and different, but we knew we had to put our thinking

caps on if the new range were to stand out on the shelf. Being brewery branding specialists, we have to keep an eye on what everyone is doing regarding branding, labelling and packaging. We already know what the modern design trends are, but we always have to keep one step ahead of the game.

For the Castle Eden Modern range we went for a completely typographic approach, simplifying everything down to create a clean, crisp, progressive design that would be different enough to stand out from competitors yet still look like a desirable and drinkable selection of beers. We know colour plays a big part in how labels are perceived, however we took it one step further and created colourful background patterns that illustrated the name of the beer without being too exaggerated or overstated.

Many breweries have the misguided goal of wanting everybody to drink their beer, but Castle Eden Brewery realise that their audience can’t be everyone. While they have the Classic Range to appeal to the traditional beer drinker, these labels had to appeal to the more discerning drinker.

Someone who is maybe just a little bored with the mass market lagers they have been used to and is now getting into the craft beer scene.

The result was a unique set of labels that appeal to a targeted audience and have created a niche in an otherwise crowded marketplace. Simplicity of design and message have ensured they will stand out and the modern progressive design can be easily transferred to future beers, standing the test of time for many brews to come.

For further information: www.lemontopcreative.com hello@lemontopcreative.com

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SHOWCASE Branding & Marketing

Rudd Macnamara has ‘Faith’ in UK Manufacturing In the first part of April this year we received an enquiry from Northern Monk Brewery for embossed metal signs. This stood out, not only because it was an interesting piece of artwork and an interesting beer name, “Faith” but also it was at a time when there was very little activity in the craft ale market, and in fact any enquiries from the craft ale community at that time were about as rare as hens’ teeth.

The sign is printed to aluminium and embossed. All the artwork preparation, printing, embossing and cutting out was carried out at our factory in the West Midlands. So the whole process was carried out under one roof.

Embossing dies were supplied by a local company. We were able to turn the sign around quickly. We

could hardly use the excuse that we were inundated with other work.

Rudd Macnamara MD Graham Caunce commented: “Rudd Macnamara started producing printed metal signs many years ago but only in recent years have we been able to develop processes and acquire the equipment necessary to produce embossed signs at a competitive price. We are pleased to be able to say that Rudd Macnamara provides a viable alternative to overseas manufacture and we are helping to keep jobs in the UK. We are grateful to clients such as Northern Monk who really appreciate the value of local provenance. For our part we want to make Rudd Macnamara their supplier of choice and not give them a reason to go elsewhere.”

Founder and Managing Director of Northern Monk Brewery, Russel Bisset commented: “Faced with a global pandemic and lockdown restrictions in place across the country we wanted to do what we could to enhance people’s

home drinking experiences. We worked with Rudd Macnamara on these signs that bring our products to life, perfect for your home drinking set up, helping you ‘Keep the Faith’.”

Rudd Macnamara is a multidisciplined manufacturing company with many interesting in house processes. Print is central to what we do.

For further information: www.ruddmacnamara.com enquiries@ruddmacnamara.com

Jam brews up a new brand with Hydes’ Brewery Marketing Communications Agency, Jam_, was appointed to refresh Hydes Brewery’s ‘The Beer Studio’ range. Known for its experimentation and innovation, Hydes Brewery’s brief involved taking its range to the next level with branding that would create a point of difference and ensure the beers would stand out within a competitive market.

Hydes Brewery’s ‘Beer Studio’ range is dedicated to creating truly unique and innovative beers that use exciting flavour combinations - Jam recognised that this new range needed to mirror the creative nature and values of the Salford-based brewery.

With inspiration drawn from design trends and works of art, Jam developed unique names for each beer, including Blackberry Burst and Raspberry Rascal.

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The quirky names were supported with a striking new style, unseen in the craft beer world. Jam believes that crafting beer is an art in its own right and so through the blurring of the lines between the different art forms, Jam could create a distinctive appearance for Hydes Brewery’s range.

The refreshed brand identity was rolled out by Jam across pump clips, marketing collateral and digital assets.

Paul Holmes, Marketing Manager for Hydes Brewery, said: “Jam truly demonstrated their passion for the brand and their winning concept provided the powerful impact we were looking for, whilst honouring the experimentation and innovation we apply to the production of the cask ales in the Beer Studio range.”

Jam has been working with Hydes Brewery since 2014. Jam’s work

included conceptualising and branding Hydes Brewery’s Abel Heywood pub and boutique hotel, creating its Kansas Avenue Brewing Company range, as well as branding for many of its managed and tenanted pubs in the North West and North Wales.

Jam’s creation of a full suite of marketing collateral for Hydes Brewery has previously been awarded Best Print Design at The Drum Awards.

For further information: wearejam.agency

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SHOWCASE Branding & Marketing

Rankin helps to #RaiseAGlass to support industry Industry stalwart Rankin Brothers & Sons is playing a key role in a brand-new campaign launched to support the British brewing, distilling and winemaking sectors.

Triggered by news of the industry facing difficulties following the closure of pubs, bars and restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic, the #RaiseAGlass campaign has been created to encourage UK drinkers to make local choices and discover the unique gems on their doorstep.

With the hospitality sector’s temporary closure drastically reducing demand and sales opportunities, British producers have faced a surplus of stock levels with limited channels for purchasing.

However, with the innovation of the Great British drinks industry knowing no bounds, many breweries, distilleries and vineyards took to social media to offer customers new and safe ways to purchase their products – from online home deliveries to socially-distant pickup services.

It was this innovation which led Jim Rankin – Commercial Director and Co-Owner of cork and closures manufacturer Rankin Brothers & Sons and fierce and passionate supporter of the British drinks industry – to find ways to further help these businesses. Looking to raise awareness and celebrate the wealth of unique local tastes and flavours available to British consumers, the #RaiseAGlass campaign was born.

“We are incredibly lucky in UK and Ireland to have access to such a brilliant range of drinks on our doorstep,” says Jim. “At times like these, we are undoubtedly strongest when we work together. Supporting local businesses where we can is so incredibly important – for those who are able to, it would be wonderful to see people make the choice to spend mindfully and spend locally when it comes to choosing what to kick back with on a Friday night!”

As a celebration of our producers, the campaign is running on social media,

encouraging businesses to highlight the easy ways to buy their products, and consumers to share which locallyproduced drinks they are enjoying over the weekend. All instilling a sense of modest pride and utmost community spirit in raising a glass to our local producers.

For more information on how to get involved in the campaign, including bespoke visuals and social media guides, see the box below.

For further information: www.rankincork.co.uk/raise-a-glass sales@rankincork.co.uk

Scots brewery continues expansion with full rebrand

A rapidly expanding Scottish craft brewery has announced a full rebrand with the introduction of five new additions to its core range of bottled beers.

As part of an overall £1.5m investment plan, a successful crowdfunding campaign that took place in January saw WooHa Brewing Company raise over £600,000 over just 19 days, enabling the craft brewery to execute a rebrand across its entire product range.

The rebrand has been delivered by Glasgow design agency, Cause and Effect and Muckle Media has been appointed to deliver consumer and trade PR. The rebrand marks the start of WooHa’s plans to expand its current production by 17 times over the next three years, growing in-house production capacity from 5,000 hectolitres to 88,000 by June 2023.

Recognising the need to tailor the brand to its new and growing international markets, the new look has moved away from WooHa’s widely recognised cartoon cow imagery, while still paying

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homage to its Scottish provenance. WooHa has also secured a listing with fine food distributor Cress Co which will further enhance its reach into the trade sector.

Kerr Vernon co-founder at Cause & Effect said: “The WooHa team have been so great to work with. The new look really captures WooHa's bright, playful personality.

Looking forward to seeing the beers behind bars and on the shelves.

“We worked very closely with the WooHa team on the rebrand. Following a brand workshop at their distillery in the Highlands we learned how passionate they are about making beer. It's a serious business but also one that they really enjoy. Communicating this was key to the success of the rebrand. WooHa has a big personality so super-bright, bold colourings that accented each beer was a no-brainer.

“Digging deeper into the original brand we discovered there was equity in some

of the existing visual assets. It was our job to develop these further and introduce some rules through a set of brand guidelines. Icons were updated, textures were added and the old WooHa font was completely redrawn by hand and updated to a custom working typeface.”

Heather McDonald, WooHa founder and chief executive, said: “Our bold new look brings a completely fresh perspective to the brand. It represents the brewery's fun and energetic persona and our ambitious plans for expansion.”

For further information: www.causeandeffect.design

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Immortalise your brand says Myles Pinfold

The recent death of Milton Glaser, one of the greatest graphic designers of our time, reminded me just how immortal brands can be when in the right hands. Whilst he is probably most famous for his ‘I (heart) NY’ logo, Glaser also did many other great works over his career, one of which is the Brooklyn Brewery brand which he created over 30 years ago.

There are two significant factors behind this brand: / Steve Hindy, who jointly founded Brooklyn Brewery, in Williamsburg in 1988, had a clear vision from the start ‘he wanted to brew the best beer possible whatever the cost’.

Moreover, he went out of his way to find the best designer in New York City to help create a brand for his brewery that would represent this aspiration, despite being a start-up with very limited funds.

/ The Brooklyn brand logo has retained its integrity for more than three decades with very little changes and has seen the brewery successfully grow from a pioneering micro-brewery in a NYC suburb, to become a major global brand. The brand mark has remained a constant throughout and is a testament to how trust and foresight can prevail.

I had the honour of interviewing Milton two years ago, he was still actively designing at the age of 89, and he vehemently opposed the transient graphics that are particularly prevalent in today’s beer market. He classed them as fads that were shallow and lacked any real design substance. Wise words spoken by someone who certainly knows how to make a design stick.

Now, more than ever, brewers need to be clear about their place in the market - as well as outstanding beers, they need outstanding brands that will give them real equity and build lasting relationships with their consumers.

You can find out more about the great Milton Glaser in an obituary to him in the New York Magazine, which he co-founded in the late 60’s – check it out online. Or read my article on Brooklyn Brewery – Crafting a brewing icon on WPA Pinfold’s website.

Myles Pinfold is founder and strategic director at WPA Pinfold.

For further information: wpa-pinfold.co.uk

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FOCUS UK Distilling

We asked companies supplying the UK Distilling market to let us know something about their products and services.

LemonTop’s spirit branding team delivers the goods

Our team of spirit branding experts have been working with The Herbal Gin Company on its new gin range, some of which are infused with CBD. We have all heard of the medicinal properties of CBD over the past few months, so we were quite intrigued by the concept they put forward.

They asked us to create the logo and brand identity for their company along with a range of labels for these new gins, which would come in a range of exciting new flavours.

We had a little fun with the look of the product, creating the idea of a unique infusion graphic as the background of the label, making it look as though the flavour was being infused into the gin.

We even went as far as creating a video to use on the website and social media showing the infusion taking place.

We then created a different colour for each flavour of gin to make it was eye-catching enough to stand out on any bar or shelf but also allowing us to create a new design for any new gins introduced into the range in the future.

After creating the new brand identity, one of the first things we had to do was choose a bottle shape that suited the product.

The client was keen on the bottle having a medicinal theme to it. Being infused with CBD and playing on the medicinal properties of the gin, we chose a style of bottle inspired by vintage style Victorian medicine bottles.

They chose the clear version of the bottle as it gave a modern, creative and unique look. Using these meant customers and bar tenders could instantly see how much gin was left in the bottle, as some opaque bottles can be quite make stocktaking difficult.

We created various designs and videos that suited their CBD and non-CBD gins.

There are 16 different gins to choose from, with 8 different flavours in CBD infused and non-CBD infused versions, including Smoked Orange, Rhubarb & Ginger and Mediterranean Lemon.

We needed a creative way to tell the difference between the CBD and nonCBD version, and thought simplicity was key to this. So opted for a version of the logo where a dot replaced the leaf for

the non-CBD products.

We then created some simple watchstrap style tamper-proof labels to go over the top of the bottles.

The non-CBD version has dots running through the watchstrap and the CBD version has a leaf icon running through them. Simple but extremely effective.

It has been an absolute pleasure working with The Herbal Gin Company. All of their hard work has finally come to fruition and we can’t wait for customers to start trying these new, experimental gins.

For further information: www.lemontopcreative.com hello@lemontopcreative.com

BACARDÍ rum partners with O-I : EXPRESSIONS

BACARDÍ rum has chosen O-I : EXPRESSIONS, O-I’s bottle customisation service enabled by digital printing, to create a stunning limited edition bottle.

Simone Kockelmann, Customer Marketing Manager, BACARDí Europe says, “Consumers are looking for personalised brand experiences. The digitally printed bottle, together with our AR experience and the Snapchat lens, transport the user to the homeland of

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BACARDÍ, the shores of the Caribbean.

We previously used sleeves for our limited edition bottles, but O-I : EXPRESSIONS gives a much improved look and feel to the packaging and is a more sustainable alternative.”

The brand’s Caribbean spirit is the heart of the promotion, starting with the bottle’s graphic design. On the shelf, the bottle stands out through its luscious, 360°, full colour print of palm leaves and tropical flowers. Through the selective

application of design elements in O-I : EXPRESSIONS RELIEF, a tactile effect was added to the BACARDÍ bat motif and the brand name along with selected leaves and flowers.

An innovative Augmented Reality (AR) experience and Snapchat Lens can be unlocked via the Snapcode on the bottle.

For further information: www.o-i.com

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Showcasing the British spirit

Distillery start-up options, benefits and pitfalls Alan Powell

There are a several options and routes to produce and distil or redistil spirits but first the terminology needs to be sorted out and by reference to UK law.

Distillation

Distillation is the production of spirits from a fermented liquor. It also includes other processes, specifically ethanol extracted form ethylene but – according to legal advice I obtained when I was running HMCE spirits policy - not freezeconcentrating a fermented liquor.

Distillation requires a distiller’s licence from HMRC and approval of the plant and process to be used. HMRC retains discretionary powers to refuse a licence to an applicant where the largest still to be used is less than 18 hectolitres and, until 1996, HMRC policy was to refuse licences in such circumstances.

I changed that policy such that HMCE/HMRC would entertain applications accompanied by a credible business plan and the revenue was not compromised and this is the established case for most “small distillers” (although HMRC seemed unaware of that policy change for years, despite it being stated clearly in their internal “manual”). Most licensed and approved distilleries also have an associated excise warehouse approval because the law requires that spirits produced and accounted for in the distillery must be immediately removed “to warehouse”. This brings the spirits into the excise warehousing regime, which is very strictly regulated, but permits a wide range of standard operations to be carried out such as maturation and subsequent operations (reducing, bottling etc) and also the rectifying and compounding of spirits (re-distillation of spirits with or without materials that communicate flavour or colour to the spirits).

Rectification and compounding in warehouse Rectifying and compounding of spirits can be carried out on spirits produced by the licensed distiller but may also be carried out in the warehouse on spirits

made elsewhere, such as grain neutral spirits to produce gin or other flavoured spirits.

HMRC may authorize an applicant as an excise warehousekeeper under s92 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 under what is called the “trade facility” policy criterion to carry out any operations including the rectifying and compounding of spirits. A licence for the excise trade of rectifier/compounder is also required but the Commissioners have no powers to refuse the licence, so it is really just a nicety; the real substance is the warehouse approval.

The benefit of operating in excise warehouse is cash-flow; the duty remains suspended from supply of GNS to finished product (as does the VAT in effect) and duty is not liable on losses of spirits in warehouse due to “natural waste or other legitimate cause” (ie genuine production losses or accidents).

HMRC also requires observance of the “due diligence” condition of section 10 of Notice 196, which is essentially to guard against becoming involved in supply chains susceptible to alcohol (inward diversion) fraud. Since HMRC has stated repeatedly to industry, Parliament and the media there isn’t any focus on spirits as a fraud risk, and illustrated that why spirits isn’t a fraud risk in a submission to the Court of Appeal last year, it raises the question to any sane person – what due diligence is required to mitigate a risk that doesn’t exist?

Application to operate an excise warehouse There is no minimum “entry” level for a trade facility warehouse, but the applicant has to be “fit and proper” and have a credible business plan. For SMEs, it is unlikely a premises guarantee is required, which is another benefit. The downside is the duty-suspended regime is severe and draconian: often even genuine errors of no revenue risk can create an inadvertent duty point which then triggers an immediate liability to the duty (actually, the goods are liable to be sized as forfeit to the Crown but may be

restored to the owner, subject to conditions which is usually full payment of the duty). There are also ferocious associated civil penalties for “wrong doing” (schedule 41 to the Finance Act 2008 if you want to peer into the abyss…) That said, HMRC and the industry last month (June 2020) commenced work on modernization and simplification of the alcohol regimes and the severity of the current legal framework will be subject to that review.

Rectification and compounding of duty-paid spirits Finally, it may be simpler to rectify or compound spirits on a duty-paid basis (ie the supplier of the spirits has paid the duty to HMRC and passes that amount of duty on in the invoiced price, plus VAT).

All that is required is a licence from HMRC to rectify/compound the spirits and the “making of an entry “ ie a submission to HMRC of a list of the premises/rooms and the kit to be used (archaic and unnecessary but HMRC saw fit to retain that law in 2012).

For all duty-paid spirits of 30%+ abv released on sale in the UK in retail containers above 35 cl, the law requires that duty stamps be affixed to the container or incorporated in the labelling. This legal requirement was a misconceived response by HMCE to a duty fraud that hasn’t existed since 1998 and wouldn’t work anyway (as HMCE/HMRC knew full well even when planning the legislation). It is utterly pointless and is also subject to current industry lobbying for removal from the law.

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

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FOCUS UK Distilling

Ryebeck Ltd. helps Cornish distillery create gin with ‘picture postcard’ appeal

Andy Walton is the creator of Copperfish Distillery in Looe, Cornwall. Starting off in 2018 producing moonshine, Andy needed to purchase a new still the following year, to produce whisky, in addition to rum and gin.

He contacted various suppliers without success, as he recalls. “The biggest issue for us as a new, small and recently incorporated business was that many suppliers gave us short shrift. There was no real desire to assist and provide any experience or pass on any knowledge.”

However, his experience with Ryebeck and, in particular speaking to MD Tim Prime, was very different. “With Tim, you get the personal angle and you are made to feel important. I felt that he was providing above and beyond in terms of the service. We explained to him exactly what we were looking to do and he quickly came back with some quotes.

About the end of July, we decided to proceed.”

Struggling to find financing options, Tim’s advice again proved invaluable.

“He introduced us to a couple of finance houses for small businesses. We had a quote through after we’d provided accounts, it looked favourable and so we decided to proceed.”

Thanks to Ryebeck’s bespoke service, they decided on a 500L still with three columns and twelve bubble caps. “Due

to our location and building”, Andy explains, “We have quite a low ceiling and Tim worked with the manufacturers to develop our still.

We now have three columns instead of the two which were on the original specification, to allow us to fit comfortably within the building.”

The still was installed and commissioned at the end of 2019.

A key element in this process was the involvement of Ryebeck’s Master Distiller, Craig Law, who helped provide some invaluable training on the new equipment.

Andy is full of praise for Tim’s network of contacts with business expertise: “It’s almost like Tim’s created a one-stop-shop. It takes away a lot of pain, time and effort in looking for people and sets him apart from everybody else.”

The week after their new still was installed and just before Christmas, they launched Looe Gin. This will be followed soon by a pink gin, flavoured with fresh raspberries. The design has a mermaid on the front with a picture of Looe beach. “It’s a holiday postcard style”, says Andy. “The gin is dry and straightforward and it’s a very good take on a London Dry. However, our branding on the bottle is really different.

Rather than the approach of other craft distilleries in the locality, we’ve gone very much with a bold, picture-postcard look.

It stands out and is at an approachable retail price of £30.”

If you’re interested in purchasing distillation equipment or are seeking some advice, do give Ryebeck a call.

You can reach the team on +44 (0) 800 689 3216 or contact them via their online form.

Thanks to Robin Goldsmith of ‘The Write Taste’ for this article.

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

Non-core benefits for distilling industry supplier

As a leading supplier of neutral grain alcohol to the distilling industry, wheat processor Sedamyl UK generates hundreds of tonnes of non-core product remnants, including feed wheat and syrup, which are collected from site by the company’s co-product partner, ForFarmers.

As well as helping Sedamyl to continue uninterrupted manufacture of their core products, ForFarmers has also developed a unique animal feed product from Sedamyl’s residual volumes. Not only is this delivering increased

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commercial returns for Sedamyl, it is also contributing to Britain’s growing closedloop food chain.

“We felt that by blending Sedamyl’s two co-product streams of feed wheat and syrup, we could meet farmers’ demand for a ruminants feed that offered a higher nutritional value and an increased lifespan than what was already available,” explains Neil McInnes, Purchasing Manager UK at ForFarmers.

After proposing the idea to Sedamyl, the two companies agreed to jointly fund a new mixing station and commissioned the R&D experts at ForFarmers’ in-house

Nutrition Innovation Centre to analyse the composition of the co-products.

Product development continued until the optimal, balanced blend of materials was created, using additives to increase the feed’s shelf-life. ForFarmers presented Sedamyl with the finished product – SelcoPlus – just six months later. It proved an instant hit.

Unique to ForFarmers, the SelcoPlus brand attracts a loyal customer base of dairy farmers, filling the gap for a highly nutritious, long-lasting, premium ruminants feed; and helping to close the loop by boosting milk production.

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FOCUS UK Distilling

CS Labels’ added-value solution for new gin brand

Stewart Brewing, a multi-awardwinning, family-run craft brewery based in Edinburgh, knew exactly who to contact when it decided to launch a new specialist gin onto the market.

The company turned to CS Labels. “We we’re inspired by a beer label design we had seen. Once we found out that CS Labels was the manufacturer, we decided to reach out,” said a representative for Stewart Brewing

CS Labels looked at the design and proposed a Tintoretto Gesso material for the top layer to give texture and a raised tactile varnish on elements of the artwork to make the colours really pop and draw attention. The combination worked beautifully!

The gin was named as a homage to Scottish botanist, George Forrest, and a ‘peel and reveal label’ was chosen to perfectly showcase his story in a unique and engaging way. “It helped us to get a lot of information on the bottle rather than a leaflet which would just been

thrown away,“ continued Stewart Brewing.

The front label has a combination of materials to create a 2-page, 3-page-view, peel and reveal label with a specialist adhesive used for drinks bottles. The Tintoretto Gesso top layer was embellished with a matt, tactile, raised varnish. All layers were printed in full colour with a matt laminate finish.

“It was a complex process due to the fact it was a new project for us and there were so many unknowns, but we had help along the way from the team at CS Labels.”

With ‘peel and reveal’ labels or any type of embellishment you get added value. Often used on labels for premium products, the consumer will have an indication of quality based on the presentation.

By utilising multiple layers on the label, it actually delivered a cost saving, negating the requirement for additional paraphernalia. This added-value solution

delivered everything together!

For further information: www.cslabels.co.uk

Gin distillery secures CBILS loan from RBS

Edinburgh-based Old Curiosity Distillery was able to secure a £250,000 loan from Royal Bank of Scotland through the UK Government’s Coronavirus Business Intervention Loan Scheme (CBILS).

The funding provided the Edinburghbased business, which currently employs 28 staff at its distillery and herb garden in the city’s Pentland hills, with essential cash flow - helping to secure jobs and protect the future viability of the company.

Old Curiosity is believed to be the only gin distillery in the UK to grow its own botanical ingredients onsite, securing contracts with high end retailers including Harrods and Fortnum and Mason. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the distillers began producing their own hand sanitiser using herbal ingredients and essential oils.

While the firm has suffered a shortfall in sales, adapting its business model to focus on the production of hand sanitiser

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has allowed the business to stay afloat and continue producing the safety approved antibacterial sanitiser - essential in the fight against coronavirus.

Hamish Martin (pictured), Managing Director, Old Curiosity Distillery and Secret Herb Garden, said: “Like countless others, our business has taken a previously unimaginable hit since the outbreak of COVID-19.

“This is the most challenging period we’ve ever experienced, but Royal Bank of Scotland worked quickly to grant our loan – providing us with the necessary cash flow to survive the crisis and safeguard our family business for the future.

“Despite seeing such a dramatic shortfall in sales, we’ve used this time to think about the direction of Old Curiosity and are focusing on developing new products such as our hand sanitiser, non-alcoholic gin spirit and gin infused tea range until we can welcome the public to our garden once again.”

Old Curiosity Distillery has been a Royal Bank of Scotland business banking customer since launching in 2017.

Denis Curran, Relationship Director, Royal Bank of Scotland, said “Old Curiosity Distillery is a long-standing customer and we are pleased to be able to support the company during such an unprecedented time for businesses across the county.

“Royal Bank of Scotland is committed to safeguarding the future of businesses wherever possible.”

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FOCUS UK Distilling

New ‘Discover Distilling’ course at Brewlab

Looking to distil commercially and wondering how to start? Try our online introductory course covering the basics of the distilling process, the ingredients, recipes and equipment required for manufacturing different spirits.

Focussing on the practical aspects of distilling this course will help you learn more whether you want to extend your current business or start a new venture.

Based on Brewlab’s popular three-day ‘Start Up Distilling’ course this online content contains presentations, examples and case studies at a range of levels.

It also includes tutorial support with question and answer opportunities and feedback on technical details.

At the end of the Discover Distilling programme you will have:

• Seen an overview of the distilling and rectification processes with an introduction to the concepts of distilling theory.

• Had opportunity to view and explore the parts of a still and their functions.

• Had opportunity to view cash flow examples of small-scale commercial distilling.

• Had opportunity to engage with tutors to discuss distilling concepts and practical examples.

• Obtained feedback on understanding from on-line activities and tutor engagement.

• Had opportunity to view the features of common rectification products – gin, vodka and rum and seen their recipe details.

Booking gives you a 10% discount on the Start Up Distilling attendance course where you can experience practical demonstrations in production as well as detail on techniques and start up support.

• Had opportunity to read reports of commercial distilleries and case studies.

For further information: www.brewlab.co.uk

• Seen presentations on small scale practical distilling.

The course fee is £60 including VAT.

MBG signs distribution agreement with Cellar Trends MBG has signed a distribution agreement for the United Kingdom market with Cellar Trends Ltd. – part of the Amber Beverage Group (ABG). Cellar Trends will take over national sales, distribution and merchandising rights for the MBG brand MAHIKI Coconut Rum.

Established in 1999, Cellar Trends has an enviable record in building brands for wines, spirits and associated products in the UK. The company serves all sectors of the UK drinks trade in both on and off trade categories, representing the famous brands of 40 international drinks companies.

Those premium brands include Stolichnaya® – the iconic Russian vodka, Luxardo Maraschino – a permanent presence in the Top 50 Bars of the World, and Faustino Rioja – the world leader in Reserva and Gran Reserva Riojas, along with many brands that are outright leaders in many markets.

The global spirits group Amber Beverage Group fully acquired 100 percent of the UK-based drinks distributor Cellar Trends Ltd. in June 2019. ABG itself is a leading producer, distributor, logistics provider and retailer of beverages. It operates internationally from its head office in Luxembourg and through its production and distribution companies in

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Russia, Mexico, the UK, Australia and the Baltics, its historical home.

The contract between the MBG Group and Cellar Trends Ltd. includes the whole MAHIKI Coconut portfolio and has been signed for three years, starting from 1st January 2020 and ending on 31st December 2022.

The distribution area comprises the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland including the Channel Islands.

MAHIKI is the fastest growing Coconut Rum in Europe. More than 100,000 bottles of MAHIKI Coconut were sold in only six months following its active launch on the retail market in Germany.

MAHIKI Coconut is a liqueur refined with Jamaican and Polynesian rum and rounded off with coconuts from Samoa.

With an alcohol content of 21 percent, it can be used in many ways: The coconut liqueur can be enjoyed pure, well-chilled

on ice, but is also ideal for mixing with other spirits, liqueurs, fruit juices and lemonades. Its colour is unmistakably rose, as coconut water from fresh coconuts turns to rose after ripening – creating this special effect.

For further information: cellartrends.co.uk

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NEWS Business Services

Three words for easy delivery Home delivery of drinks has proved to be particularly popular, with reports of searches for the delivery of beer having shot up by more than 2,000% in parts of the UK. With social distancing still in place for when bars and pubs reopen, and many feeling anxious to return back to these establishments, home delivery is an option that many suppliers will continue to offer, even when they are able to reopen their doors.

what3words has divided the world up into 57 trillion 3m squares, every square has been given a unique combination of three words: a what3words address. For example, ///device.glow.jungle is the exact 3m square for a spot next to the Serpentine in London’s Hyde Park. By asking their customers to provide a what3words address, drinks brands can navigate to a precise location, making delivery locations easy to find and easing pressure on SMEs.

This reduces delivery times meaning businesses are able to carry out more deliveries, therefore increasing customer satisfaction. Also, at this time, customers can provide a what3words address so that drivers are able to deliver items accurately with no-contact - a service

that many customers are seeking during COVID-19.

UK businesses such as Langham Brewery in West Sussex, Cotswold Brew, Charrington Drinks in Kent and Yorkshire Wolds Apple Juice Company have also integrated with what3words to aid their home deliveries.

what3words has been so successful for Langham Brewery, that the brand has just launched a new beer named after their what3words address, Hence Mute Lizards.

Exclusively available for the Langham Brewery’s local customers from 15th June, ///hence.mute.lizards is a WestCoast Style IPA, brewed from Citra and Simcoe Hops. The beer can only be bought at the brewery (///hence.mute.lizards) or is deliverable to local delivery customers.

Says Lesley Foulkes, co-founder of Langham Brewery; “Since the lockdown started in March, we’ve had to change our business model to keep going safely and survive. Before COVID, our customer base was 80% pub trade.

When the pubs closed, we had to move quickly to become a 100% safe drive-(or cycle!)thru, as well as also expanding to offering a local delivery service. After

posting our what3words address on Facebook we received fantastic feedback, including the suggestion to name a beer after it! So, we came up with a brand new brew and its something we think is really special!

“///hence.mute.lizards will be a brewery exclusive beer, but anyone can come and find us using what3words to try it for themselves. We will also deliver it locally and customers can provide their what3words address on the delivery instructions. It’s great that we’ve been able to keep going during lockdown, as well as being inspired to create a delicious new beer to thank all our lovely supporters through these challenging times... thanks to what3words!”

For further information: what3words.com

Landlord support helps brewery with NHS beer Within two weeks of the lockdown happening, the Forest Road Brewery devised its own unique way to support the NHS – the ‘stay at home’ lager, with £1 donated for every bottle sold.

Working from its offices and tap room at Arch 335 Westgate Street, South Hackney, the brewery was due to start its own production line at the start of March. Founder and native Bostonian, Pete Brown, said: “Lockdown was announced and immediately we had to shut the bar service. Fortunately, we were deemed essential workers as part of the food supply chain and allowed to continue selling beer so we flipped overnight to an off licence and hoped for the best.”

For the Forest Road Brewery, none of this would have been possible without the

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support of their landlord at Westgate Street, Arch Co, which has given tenants a 3-month pause on rent payments. Pete said: “If we hadn’t had the Arch Co rent holiday we wouldn’t be here, because all our overheads would have made it impossible. A combination of Arch Co and the government’s furlough scheme has allowed us breathing room.”

The Arch Company is the UK’s largest small business landlord with a portfolio of approximately 5,200 properties throughout England and Wales.

Thousands of small businesses make up its diverse tenant community.

Pete said; “We had beer in the tank due for kegs but our market had all dried up overnight, so we had this beautiful beer with nowhere for it to go. I came up with the idea for a bottle where we donate £1 to the NHS for each one sold. I said why

don’t we call it ‘Stay home lager’. We have raised £7,000 for NHS so far.”

The brewery has used that time to go digital and now has a Deliveroo service.

Pete also converted an old van into a beer delivery service, the Pint Mobile.

For further information: www.thearchco.com

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Craft Beer Drop launching to save British breweries A new site; craftbeerdrop.com is launching, bringing craft beers to consumers across the UK. Customers will enter their postcode to find independent craft breweries delivering to their area.

This is a free service for both customers and breweries. All proceeds go directly to the breweries so that the nation's favourite craft beers will be ready and waiting once all of the pubs are fully open again.

Craft beer drop aims to help connect craft breweries with beer drinkers in their area.

“The closure of pubs, bars and many independent retailers meant that many of our breweries lost their main source of income. The Craft Beer Drop site is one of the ways that we can support the industry and give back to the Craft Beer community,” says James Gardener, CEO Craft Beer Drop & Premier Systems.

With pubs and bars being closed during the UK’s fight against COVID-19, numerous independent breweries saw their customers and revenue disappear overnight. Many are now reliant on selling directly by offering contactless delivery to individuals in their homes.

The Craft Beer Drop mission is to: ● Support our small independent brewers during this difficult time. ● Invigorate local economies. ● Help craft brewers connect with their customers. ● Get people enjoying, quality, craft beer at home. ● Encourage people to explore the diverse product range on offer from British breweries.

Craft Beer Drop has been created by Premier Systems. Providing software to some of the UK's best breweries, Premier Systems wanted to find a way to support the brewing industry at this difficult time.

Craftbeerdrop.com launched in May 2020, with over 40 breweries on board from the outset.

For further information: craftbeerdrop.com www.premiersystems.com

Global study identifies factors for investment and development in UK brewing market A new trends report published by Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG) has outlined a number of factors influencing the global brewing market.

Offering a wealth of intelligence and insight, the report will help the UK’s brewers of all sizes to achieve greater and greater competitive advantage through greater understanding of industry drivers.

The report’s authors have identified distinct shifts in consumer-led behaviours as well as wider sustainability issues such as water scarcity as drivers for change and innovation.

With contributions from the highly respected International Centre for Brewing Science, the overall messages in

WMFTG’s Brewing Trends Report are focused on how brewers can achieve competitive edge without compromising on process efficiency.

'WMFTG supplies sine and peristaltic technology offering maximum production uptime with the hygiene and quality control standards the brewing industry demands to many of the world's biggest and best-known brands., The report will help to focus - and justify investment decisions in the brewing sector.

Rod White, Master Brewer, Assistant Professor at the International Centre for Brewing Science at the University of Nottingham said: “To remain competitive, brewers need to be able to brew a wide range of beer styles while maintaining a high degree of process

efficiency. The pressure to produce high quality beers at the lowest cost increases every year. In this report, we examine some of the core changes happening in the global industry and explore some of the trends developing in the next few years. and we hope people find it useful.”

The report will help brewers - large and small - to see that by investing in technology that offers improved product quality and reductions in greater overall equipment efficiency, it is also possible to achieve reduced wastage, greater efficiencies and cost savings.

A copy of the Brewing Trends Report is available online. Hard copies on request.

For further information: www.wmftg.com

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Russell Scanlan continues to manage insurer support for brewery and distillery diversification Breweries and distilleries across the UK have continued to help in the fight against COVID-19 by switching production to much needed hand sanitiser for NHS, community use and workplaces. And these new lines could stay in place even as lockdown measures continue to ease. Mike Dickinson, Sales & Marketing Director at independent insurance broker, Russell Scanlan, which provides the specialist Masterbrew insurance policy for breweries and distilleries, discusses the insurance implications of the switch and how insurers are managing policy changes.

As a result of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the cry for hand sanitiser grew exponentially. To help with the increasing demand for product, The World Health Organisation (WHO) encouraged those with the facilities to do so, to consider producing hand sanitiser, in line with its recommended formula.

And although this was an unprecedented situation for insurers, they did understand the urgency and were quick to investigate the matter.

The team at Russell Scanlan was firmly behind clients’ decision to start producing hand sanitiser and was able to provide additional information to the insurers based on guidelines issued by both HMRC and WHO. To help ease concerns, we sent the tested and approved WHO sanitiser formulation, along with the HMRC advice, to the insurance company to strengthen our argument for the change.

Llanfairpwll Distillery on Anglesey and Ludlow Gin in Shropshire were amongst the first in the country to recognise that they were in a position to help address the shortage of hand sanitiser, crucially needed by communities, carers and key workers. While they adjusted their operations to take on the new lines, our team made sure that they had support from the policy underwriters at the insurance companies.

The work involved in changing the policy, was simply a case of including the manufacturing of hand sanitiser alongside alcohol in the terms. The

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insurer was quick to escalate the matter at an internal level and was able to amend existing policies to cover additional production lines for hand sanitiser, meaning the distilleries were finally free to go ahead and start production with peace of mind they had the correct cover.

Rob Laming of Llanfairpwll Distillery commented, “We are a small business and like many others, lost our trade orders as the Covid-19 lockdown forced the closure of our clients’ shops, bars and restaurants. Still, we had the facilities to help and when Welsh Drinks Cluster, our industry association, got in touch and suggested a move to sanitiser production we were very keen to help.

“We have been working closely with the Welsh Government and other local distilleries since that point to meet the overwhelming demand, and producing the sanitiser for those that need it in our community, delivering directly to district nurses, Marie Curie care nurses and local food banks to name just a few.

“Despite the demand for the product, which is not showing any sign of letting up soon, this is not a profit-making venture. We took on the challenge to help our community and the key workers risking their lives, whilst keeping our production line going and our doors open.”

Shaun Ward of Ludlow Gin also jumped at the opportunity to give back to his adopted hometown of Ludlow. “We decided from the outset to work in partnership with other local distillers to help frontline NHS staff on a noncommercial basis. Our customers have been incredibly supportive of what we decided to do and have relished the chance to spread the word on the importance of hand washing. We’ve valued the opportunity to give back to those working so hard in the health and care services and do something that

could help save lives.

“When I started my gin making career, I never believed I would be asking myself moral questions as to whether I should be doing something for commercial gain or not. These are exceptional times and we must all do what we can if we are able, it’s not the time to think profits. It’s a great privilege to be able to help.”

It is likely that the need for sanitiser will not decline quickly, especially as employees start a return to work, phased or otherwise, and businesses are responsible for ensuring they have enough sanitising products for the health and safety of their staff. This could have a domino effect, encouraging other distilleries and breweries to introduce sanitiser production as a new commercial venture. If it is likely that a business may consider producing the product long term, we recommend leaving sanitiser in the manufacturing terms of the policy. This will allow for continued production and cut out the need to chase the insurer in the future.

We would emphasise the importance of talking to a broker beforehand if you are considering making the switch in production. Now the precedent has been set and insurers are on board, the process for allowing room for sanitiser within a policy, is much smoother and more efficient.

Our Masterbrew team offers specialist insurance-cover for micro-brewers, craft beer producers, distillers and the wider drinks industry. We are on hand for anyone looking to branch out of their normal production line to help with the demand for sanitiser and can also help any business that has questions about how their insurance may be affected as a result of the pandemic.

For further information: www.russellscanlan.com Tel: 0115 947 0032

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NEWS Business Services

Cease and desist: Craft beer and trade marks

by Cameron Malone-Brown of Potter Clarkson Ltd The UK craft beer market is moving from strength to strength. With demand increasing, we are seeing more and more of the stuff appearing on supermarket shelves, and the selection of interesting brews has never so extensive.

Standing out on a crowded shelf is becoming tougher, so establishing a brand with a consistent impression is vital. Many breweries get this perfectly right, with products that can be picked from a line-up at 20 yards, so distinctive are the trade marks and branding.

Breweries are absolutely wise to this, too.

From 2009 to 2019, the number of trade mark applications filed seeking protection in the UK for “beer” (in class 32) increased by around 530%. This huge leap is indicative of the growing market and increased importance of ringfencing intellectual property rights.

One result of this surge, however, is that any new brand entering the market, even under the supervision of an experienced brewery or marketing team, stands a greater risk than ever of infringing or being infringed by a third party.

Last year, Mancunian wonder brewery Cloudwater was approached over its adoption of the trade mark GOOD CALL, as covered on its blog. Even BrewDog, which rode the craft beer wave as well as any UK brewery, is not immune, having been challenged over its BREWDOG ELVIS JUICE. The risk of challenge and potential need for

enforcement is greater than ever in the craft beer sector. Thankfully, there are cost-effective steps which may be taken to manage risks and ensure that branding may be rolled out without hindrance.

1. Searching new brands It is difficult not to immediately commit mentally to a new brand idea, especially the good ones. After all, what is craft beer if not an endeavour of passion?

Taking a moment to check the risk position on the trade mark register and in the market can mean the life or death of the brand, and result in enormous cost savings down the road.

2.Don’t take all threats at face value A cease and desist letter will likely detail the claimant’s best-case scenario, which is unlikely to be your only option of settlement. Legal advice is advisable but consider a) how seriously you would take the matter in their position, and b) what a reasonable resolution could look like to both sides. Bear in mind, however, that the risk of injunction is higher than in some other industries, so serious threats do need to be addressed.

3. Protect and watch your brands Registering trade marks provides you a reliable basis to enforce your brand.

Trade mark watching is a service whereby you are notified of parties filing trade mark applications for marks identical and similar to yours. One may then prevent third parties obtaining rights in their trade mark. A combination of a

Cameron Malone-Brown is a chartered Trade Mark Attorney with expertise in trade mark protection, prosecution and strategy in the UK and before the European Union Intellectual Property Office. He is also an award-winning home brewer and, at present, is coping with a minor obsession with Baltic porters.

registered trade mark and watch is a powerful tool.

4. Don’t ignore or delay addressing conflicts The longer you wait to raise a concern, the less serious you appear and the less seriously a court will view your concerns, if ever reached. Many disputes are resolved through discussions between breweries, as ought to be the case. That said, your brands deserve more than gentleman’s agreements, and putting pen to paper may alleviate further conflicts down the line.

Protecting your brands and enforcing when necessary needn’t be expensive nor taxing. A brief legal opinion can be inexpensive and pay dividends down the line, easing the stress of competing in this now crowded marketplace.

Getting it right straight off the bat will enable further focus where we can all agree it ought to be - great beers

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

WSET to branch out into beer qualifications The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), the world’s largest global provider of wine, spirits and sake qualifications, has announced its intention to develop a suite of beer qualifications.

WSET already offers qualifications in three subject areas – wine, spirits and sake – and plans to add two beer qualifications (Levels 1 and 2) to its portfolio, both online and in the classroom.

While development of these new

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qualifications is still in the early stages, WSET is working in partnership with the Institute of Brewing & Distilling (IBD) on this initiative. IBD, a global provider of technical education to professional brewers, distillers and associated suppliers, is lending its expertise to WSET in the creation of its beer qualifications.

Beer is not a totally new subject stream for WSET as, prior to 2005, it was included in its intermediate wine and spirits qualification (equivalent to today’s

Level 2). WSET Level 1 and 2 Awards in Beer will be created with both trade professionals and consumer enthusiasts in mind. The courses will explore the main types and styles of beer, key methods of production, tasting technique and food and beer pairing, following the same well-established principles as the Level 1 and 2 courses in wines and spirits.

For further information: WSETglobal.com

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Brewlab discounted quality assurance packages

As part of the post-lockdown restart project, Brewlab has put together three discounted analysis packages that will be available through to the end of September.

Package 1: Analysis of Beer in Tanks ABV and micro assessment of beer held in tank.

Normal price: £68.25 inc VAT (£56.87 exc VAT) Offer price: £50 inc VAT (£40 exc VAT)

Package 2: Quality Assurance of first brew back Micro analysis of first brew back Normal price: £38.36 inc VAT per Micro (£32.36 each exc vat) Offer price: All 5 micros for £100 inc vat (£80 exc VAT)

Offer 3: Priority Yeast Supply (limited availability) Benefits: Guarantees propagation ready for collection within 2 or 3 weeks. This is a no obligation list, nothing is logged or invoiced until the actual orders are confirmed. Regular prices apply to product.

For further information: www.brewlab.co.uk

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NEWS Hygiene & Resources

BSI kitemark a first for Christeyns hand sanitiser Warrington-based Christeyns Food Hygiene, producer of specialist hygiene solutions, has become the first manufacturer to receive the globally-recognised British Standards Institution (BSI) kitemark for hand sanitiser.

Phago’rub Gel SPS and Phago’rub Solution SPS are hypoallergic, alcoholbased sanitiser products that disinfect hands in only a 30-second contact time.

Already extensively tested and proven in the food and beverage industries, Phago’rub has virucidal efficacy under BS EN 14476 and kills 99.99% of germs.

Both Phago’rub products contain over 70% alcohol plus the addition of an effective emollient, that helps protect the skin from dermatitis, a common side effect of frequent hand sanitisation. The products are fast drying and non-sticky, so quick and easy to use in all types of facility, such as retail, manufacturing or leisure.

“Although Christeyns Food Hygiene has gained a reputation for innovative, quality products over the past 30 years, this kitemark certification is global recognition of the high standards we aim for and we are delighted that our Phago’rub products are the first of their kind to obtain this,” states Peter Littleton, Technical Director.

The BSI kitemark is a highly recognised mark of quality, safety and trust and according to BSI research, 67% of consumers have an awareness of the BSI kitemark. The kitemark is not just a sign of quality in the UK but is globally recognised. Established in 1903, the BSI kitemark can be seen on a huge range of products and services and is one of the most recognised badges of quality for business around the world.

Hand hygiene is, and will be, a constant battle in the war against Covid-19 and virus contamination. Effective and highly developed alcohol-based hand-sanitisers

Surface protection from Covid

To help protect the health of those making their way back to the workplace, a new ultra-effective surface sanitiser – Hi-KLEEN – is being introduced by Hi-line Industries.

Spraying a single coating of HI-KLEEN on to surfaces such as doors, handles, handrails, chairs and desks is not only claimed to kill coronavirus, but provides protection against further contamination for up to five hours

Hi-KLEEN has been specially formulated to kill and inhibit both bacteria and viruses (including enveloped viruses such as coronavirus) on hard or soft surfaces subject to frequent contact. Simply spray at a distance of approximately 10–20 cm from the surface to be treated for effective protection. This odour-free, clear product is ideal for workplaces including entertainment/hospitality venues (including restaurants and pubs), and even transport.

Notably, active biocides present in the formulation provide longer-lasting protection than alcohol-based preparations. Hi-line’s new surface sanitiser does not stain, is non-corrosive

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and will give a streak and smear-free finish to most polished surfaces, including glass and stainless steel. The product is safe to use and alcohol-free, meaning that there is no drying or irritation to the skin.

To provide proof of efficacy in the control of harmful micro-organisms, HIKLEEN has been tested to BS EN 1276, which is the European standard for the bactericidal activity of chemical disinfectants. In order to meet the standard, products are tested by an independent laboratory and must kill 99.999% of bacteria within 5 minutes.

Composed of organic, non-chlorinated solvents, HI-KLEEN is offered by Hi-line Industries in both 500ml aerosols and disposable 17kg canisters. The latter is particularly useful for those looking to sanitise entire rooms, providing a typical coverage of 750 square metres.

Canisters are connected by either a 3.5 or 5.5 metre hose to a spray gun, delivering an easy-to-use, self-contained, time-saving spraying system that requires minimal set-up.

For further information: www.hilineindustries.com

have a significant role to play in the dayto-day work environment, for all staff both on-site and out delivering as well as facility visitors.

Well known for its specialist hygiene products for the food, dairy and beverage industries, Christeyns Food Hygiene manufactures a range of surface, equipment and hand cleaning products as well as installing bespoke monitoring systems and offering hygiene training.

Says a spokesperson, “The introduction of this new BSI standard sets a new benchmark in hand sanitiser standards and Christeyns Food Hygiene is proud to be the first to meet this.”

For further information: www.christeynsfoodhygiene.co.uk

New tests at Campden BRI

Scientists at food research establishment Campden BRI have developed a new test to assess the effectiveness of cleaning chemicals, and cleaning and disinfection operations on a SARS-CoV-2 surrogate virus.

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. With rigorous cleaning regimes regarded as vital in reducing virus transmission, the new test will provide companies with greater confidence in their abilities to clean effectively.

It involves the use of a safe ‘surrogate’ virus and is classified at biosafety level one (BSL-1), which means it safe to handle in a range of environments.

Campden BRI can test sanitisers and other cleaning products in its UK laboratories, and can also test and advise on the effectiveness of cleaning practices.

For further information: www.campdenbri.co.uk

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Kersia acquires Manchester-based Holchem

Kersia, a global leader in biosecurity and food safety, has announced the acquisition of Holchem from Ecolab. With this important milestone, Kersia becomes a leader in the UK hygiene sector and the second largest player in Europe.

Holchem will join Kersia’s global operations platform that spans from Northern Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and China.

The Holchem acquisition is being supported by additional capital from Ardian, one of the world's leading private investment houses.

Based near Manchester, Holchem is a leading provider of hygiene and food safety solutions and technology in the UK. A large majority of the company’s sales is directed to the food, beverage and dairy industries, with additional sales to the food service, retail, institutional and farm sectors. With a turnover of approximately €55 million, Holchem operates from two industrial sites located in Bury and Liphook, primarily serving the UK market.

Following the acquisition of Kilco in July 2018, which enabled Kersia to penetrate the UK livestock sector, the Holchem

transaction allows Kersia to continue its development in this key geography, leveraging Holchem’s strong positioning to provide leadership in the British food & beverage hygiene market.

Joined together, Kersia and Holchem will be able to benefit from major growth opportunities in the context of high global health and food safety standards, which are continuously rising. In the UK market, Kersia and Holchem are truly complementarity, both in terms of geographies and sectors, offering an important synergy opportunity, especially as country-specific standards and customer requirements become increasingly more stringent. Both companies share common values via their strong focus on environment and social responsibility and offer innovative digital solutions to enable their clients’ productivity.

During the Covid-19 public health crisis, both companies have been and remain strongly committed to supporting their customers and wider communities by refocusing operations towards the traditional products which have been most in demand, such as disinfectant and hand-hygiene solutions, while also continuing to support the rising demand for biosecurity protocols and enabling

knowledge-sharing and best practices.

Sébastien Bossard, CEO of Kersia declares: “We are thrilled to welcome the Holchem teams to the Group. Their DNA, the quality of their work, the experience of their employees, their solutions, their services, strongly oriented towards the food industry in the UK and Ireland, make them very complementary to our current operations.”

Stuart Middleton, Managing Director of Holchem adds: “Over the years, Holchem has built a prominent position in the hygiene and food safety solutions market in the UK and Ireland thanks to its comprehensive and innovative offering. We can be proud of what our managers and employees have achieved. We are very excited to join the Kersia Group of companies, which has become a global leader in food safety in a few years, and we look forward to contributing to Kersia Group’s growth, both in our home markets and globally.

We believe that this important transaction will bring many opportunities to all our employees and our customers in the combined organisation.”

For further information: www.holchem.co.uk

NFU Mutual warns of risk in low food hygiene scores

Following the recent Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) announcement that foodborne illnesses in the UK are estimated at 2.4million a year, latest research from NFU Mutual shows that food hygiene is already higher in the public consciousness than ever, with two thirds of people (69%) now actively checking food hygiene ratings before they spend.

Based on these findings, NFU Mutual is urging businesses - including breweries running ‘tap’ rooms - to take action now on food hygiene, or risk losing trade.

The issue is highlighted in the insurer’s report ‘A Fresh Look at Food Hygiene’ which reveals that 34% of people would turn away at the door if faced with a food hygiene rating of 3 or less, affecting over 40,000 hospitality businesses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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NFU Mutual’s research also found that restaurants rated 3 and below could already be losing more than half of their possible takings, as the public are willing to spend on average £8 more (nearly double) on a meal at a restaurant rated 5 (£17.31 vs. £8.97).

Public awareness of food-related illnesses is running extremely high.

Ninety per cent of consumers were aware of salmonella being an issue for food producers, 86% recognising E. coli, 68% recognising listeria and norovirus being the 4th most recognised at 44%.

Only 6% of respondents failed to identify any illnesses at all.

Darren Seward, Hospitality and Food & Drink Manufacturing Specialist at NFU Mutual, said: “Food hygiene looms larger than ever in the public consciousness. Even the smallest lapse in hygiene standards can make or break a reputation overnight, so it’s crucial that

businesses don’t get complacent about food hygiene. Our research shows that consumers are already seeking scores out for themselves and turning away as a result. With a clear link between hygiene ratings and financial performance, the 40,000 hospitality businesses with a rating of 3 and below should prioritise hygiene now, or risk losing up to a third of their custom.

“There are concerns across the UK about the consistency of local authority inspections and cuts have put even more pressure on both the regulator and businesses. The number of checks taking place has decreased as a result, potentially making re-inspections harder to organise. We’d encourage businesses to do everything they can to get their hygiene ratings right first time.”

For further information: www.nfumutual.co.uk

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Thomas Fawcett & Sons Ltd Est. 1809

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

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.

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

Thomas Fawcett & Sons Limited

Mighty Oak Oscar Wilde in 2011.

Eastfield Lane, Castleford, West Yorkshire WF10 4LE

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

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NEWS Ingredients

Yakima boost for relaunched Deliverance IPA

Sheffield-based Abbeydale Brewery has announced that it has brought back its award-winning Deliverance IPA range, in collaboration with world renowned hop supplier, Yakima Chief Hops.

After almost a two-year absence, this new release is a statement of intent for the future of the Deliverance series, which Abbeydale has released as a stronger, higher alcohol beer than its well-established Voyager IPA series.

The new Deliverance is a 7.0% ABV double IPA, hopped with Sabro™ Brand HBC 438 and experimental hops HBC 472 and HBC 692. The result is an aromatic and juicy beer with a heady, resinous character and a whole host of tropical fruit flavours on the palate. It is full-bodied and creamy with a lingering bitterness in the finish which really showcases the complexity and diversity of flavour that the chosen hop combination brings.

This beer is one of the first to be made in the UK using HBC 692, a newly available hop from the Yakima-based Hop Breeding Company, supplied through YCH’s experimental hop program.

Brewer Christie Mcintosh states, “It’s fantastic to have access to such high quality and innovative ingredients such as experimental hops, giving us the ability to really get creative with the beers we are making and ensure they taste the best they possibly can.”

Yakima Chief Hops regional sales manager, Jason Little, says of the collaboration: “We are all really excited about the beer here at YCH and we really appreciate [Abbeydale Brewery’s] help and support in trialling these new varieties. The brew trial and feedback on the hops will provide invaluable information for the breeding programme team.”

Deliverance was launched just in time for local celebration Sheffield Beer Week, and is available in cask, keg and can formats from March. The beer also showcases distinctive artwork from Abbeydale Brewery’s in-house designer, James D Murphy.

For further information: www.yakimachief.com

Practical support for craft brewers by Crisp

While the whole brewing and distilling industry is suffering the knock-on effects of Covid 19, the craft brewing sector has been hit disproportionately by the lockdown. It’s no understatement to say that cask brewers in particular have a problem.

Although players in the supply chain can’t solve the crisis, they can offer support. Various initiatives have been created to help craft brewers and distillers, and among these are the ones Crisp Malt has introduced.

“Our aim always is to work in close partnership with our customers” says Rob Moody, Crisp Malt director, “and that means when things get tough, we want to provide support initiatives that actually make a difference. That’s not just commercial considerations but also technical and educational. Wherever possible we want to help brewers to weather the COVID-19 storm and support their efforts to come back stronger.”

Refunds Crisp is offering craft brewing and distilling customers the opportunity to

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return whole pallets of malt purchased after 1st March and to be refunded.

Credit terms and individual payment plans “We have offered extended credit terms and individual payment plans. This has been warmly welcomed by many customers,” says Rob. “If you would like to discuss your specific needs, please just phone your sales manager or send them an email.”

Half tonne pallets Many who are still brewing during lockdown are producing fewer or smaller batches.

Educational tools and Insights Craft brewing and distilling sales manager Colin Johnston has led a stream of information and educational resources.

“The newest is The Steep, a bi-weekly newsletter,” says Colin. “It will contain information and news relevant to brewers. Sure, there will be plenty of focus on malt, but that isn’t all. We’ll be writing features, looking at beer recipes, listing our webinars and those of others and suggesting brewing content from across the web.”

Audiences of 50 – 80 brewers from across the world have been attending the maltsters’ weekly technical brewing webinars. You can catch up with these on Crisp’s blog.

“The technical blog posts on subjects ranging from crop insights to malt functions have been well received too,” says Colin. “Take a look, and let us know what other topics you would like to see covered.”

Rob Moody concludes, “The craft brewing and distilling industry has been one of the business success stories of the past decade. Like so many businesses it is now in for a very difficult time. But, unlike many industries, it has a culture of co-operation and collaboration between producers and suppliers. Hopefully by working together we can get through it and be prepared and ready to go once the pubs and bars re-open and brewing ramps up again. We’re always open to ideas on what we can do to support you.

Please get in touch if you have suggestions about anything that would help in these challenging times.”

For further information: crispmalt.com

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New yeast product from Fermentis Revtech is top for maltsters Fermentis has released a new yeast product: SafBrew DA-16 Yeast, aimed at producing beers with high attenuation (like Brut IPAs).

The product contains the fungus-derived enzyme amyloglucosidase which will break down the dextrins remaining from the mash into smaller, fermentable sugars. Fermentis also state that the product will handle high gravity worts, allowing a level of alcohol up to 16% ABV.

As with other Fermentis products the yeast can be warm-pitched directly into the fermenting vessel (20°C – 32°C) or hydrated with sterile water or boiled wort (25°C – 35°C) prior to pitching.

Fancy brewing a Brut IPA? Here is a guideline recipe to play around with. The beer should be light, well carbonated and hopped with fruity hops. Keep the IBUs low.

ABV 6.2%

OG 1.0477 TG 1.0000 Mash 65°C / 149°F

Grist: (additional lautering aid may be required, such as rice hulls) 75% Pilsner malt 20% Flaked torrified rice 5% Malted wheat Hop Additions: 20 min whirlpool or post boil steep @ 80°C Motueka™ 2.0 g/L Jester® 1.3 g/L

Dry hop post-fermentation @ 18°C Jester® T45 1.5 g/L Nelson Sauvin® 2.3 g/L

SafBrew DA-16 Yeast is available in the UK from Charles Faram. Shelf life is 36 months from production date.

For further information: www.charlesfaram.co.uk www.wellhopped.co.uk

Simpsons posts strong results

Simpsons Malt has reported a solid set of financial results for 2019 with strong performances in both its malting and agricultural sectors.

The fifth generation, family-owned company, delivered a profit before tax of £9.8million (2018: £7.5million) and an increased turnover of £168million (2018: £156.6million).

One of the key reasons behind the increase in both profit and turnover was a rise in malt sales volumes through increased plant utilisation. The company’s unique and well-invested infrastructure ensured that the malting business secured sufficient raw material following an extremely difficult 2018 harvest to deliver a supply of high quality malt throughout 2019.

The merchanting business also performed well as it continues to benefit from the company’s integrated supply chain, delivering strong farm input sales of fertiliser, seed grain and agrochemicals during the first half of 2019.

The company continued investment in infrastructure throughout 2019 at its two

sites in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland – where the company is headquartered – and Tivetshall St Margaret in Norfolk, with capital expenditure of £3.3million (2018: £2.9million).

Speaking about the financial results for 2019, Simpsons Malt Managing Director Tim McCreath said: “We’re delighted with the performance of the company over the last 12 months with both our malting and merchanting divisions reporting increased contributions.

Holmach Ltd has been working with market leading technology provider Revtech of Loriol, France, to introduce revolutionary spiral heating and roasting technology for the UK malting industry.

Revtech has already experienced significant sales within the US, South Africa, Belgium, Portugal and Japan for turning green malting barley into defined colour roasted malt for the brewing, distilling and food industries.

Revtech’s patented spiral technology allows the continuous flow of product into what is a heated vertical elevator.

Simple to run with little maintenance and low risk of fire due to the confined product flow, the technology is disrupting formed opinion on how to deliver great tasting brews.

In traditional systems liquifying starch to sugar in the grain and then crystallising it and finally colouring it can take 4 hours with challenges to uniformity of colour and high risk of fire on atmospheric drum or belt roasters.

“Looking ahead to 2020, malt demand in both the distilling and brewing sectors continues to be strong and the prospects for the malting business remain positive.

Taking as little as 50 minutes to turn green malt into black malt, the Revtech is electrically powered, meaning that the solution is hailed as the first system in the world that is truly green as energy can be sourced from wind, wave or solar power, unlike traditional roasters that rely on gas, with typically 40-50% efficiency.

For further information: www.simpsonsmalt.co.uk

For further information: www.holmach.co.uk

“The merchanting business faces challenges due to weather patterns in the autumn of 2019 and currently.

However, the company’s infrastructure should allow us to mitigate those challenges and enable this side of the business to deliver another positive contribution.”

Capacities are available from 200kgs to 12 tons per hour and can also be used for malting other products such as seeds and other cereals as well as simple toasting or roasting. Given the demand for craft brewing and distilling Revtech’s design also allows for injection of smoke or flavours such as peat, honey or citrus into the roaster to make unique recipes.

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NEWS Ingredients

WildBrew™ Philly Sour launched by Lallemand

After years of research, development, and collaboration with the University of the Sciences (Philadelphia, USA), Lallemand Brewing has introduced its first Non-Saccharomyces in dry form: WildBrew™ Philly Sour.

Isolated from nature by Dr. Matthew Farber and his research team, this yeast is able to produce both lactic acid and ethanol during primary fermentation.

Framed within the WilBrew™ Premium Series product line, Philly Sour was individually selected from nature for its performance and sensory characteristics among many other yeasts. This yeast was determined to be of the genus Lachancea; however, the species is defined as new and the use of the product in sour beer production is patent pending (N° PCT/US20 18/043 148).

WildBrew™ Philly Sour is a pure culture of Lachancea spp. It will produce sour beer in 7-10 days at 25°C. The acidity produced is described as smooth, elegant and subtle. The resulting brew is

highly balanced with flavour notes of red apple, peach and honeydew melon.

WildBrew™ Philly sour is recommended at a pitch rate of 50-100g per hL of wort, which is sufficient to achieve a minimum of 2.5-5 million viable

cells/mL. WildBrewTM Philly Sour is available in 500g and 11g sachets.

For further information: www.lallemandbrewing.com

Muntons is generating power from waste

Muntons, based in Stowmarket, Suffolk, has announced that it has reached a genuine milestone having generated 10 million Kilowatt hours of electricity since opening its Anaerobic Digester (AD) plant in 2015, enough electricity to power 2,000 average sized homes every year.

Muntons AD plant has been operational since January 2015 making Muntons the first maltster in the UK to take this bold step for increased sustainability. Not only does it generate electricity, it also makes significant reductions in road haulage.

By using its own process waste water, residues from the processing of barley into malt and malt extract, the company has saved the equivalent of 3,000 tonnes of Greenhouse gas emissions. This substantial saving is the equivalent of the emissions from 1,600 cars every year.

The Muntons AD plant doesn’t only produce electricity, a by-product of the process is a high quality digestate, or bio-fertiliser, which can then be used on local farms to enrich the soil, helping to

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ensure top quality crops are grown ready to be malted. It really is full circle sustainable thinking in action.

Nigel Davies, Muntons Director of Technical and Sustainability commented: “Our decision to build an AD plant has proved to be well founded, making a valuable contribution to our energy requirements. Generating energy locally is efficient and environmentally sound, and the positive impact on nature is significant, reducing greenhouse gasses and helping to enrich the soil on local farms.”

Muntons has calculated that, since the plant was commissioned, it has produced 5,606,175 cubic metres of biogas. It has also treated 411,000 cubic metres of waste water, which is then safely introduced into the River Gipping to help keep the fish swimming and the river flowing.

Pictured above: Muntons Anaerobic Digester plant, Stowmarket - photo Andy Janes

For further information: www.muntons.com

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NEWS Equipment

Craft brewers can now measure alcohol and extract independently

Craft brewers value their independence – their freedom is what makes their beers unique. An alcohol and extract meter for beer, Alex 500 from Anton Paar, now frees craft brewers from the need for external laboratories.

The reliable lab-grade analyzer determines the beer’s alcohol and extract content, calories, degree of fermentation and many more parameters whenever they wish. Now easily able to monitor their entire production from wort to bottle, craft brewers can always be sure to keep their customer promise

Anton Paar has been a partner to the brewing industry for decades. The Austrian high-precision measuring instrument manufacturer is established as the world’s leading provider of alcohol and density measurement in the brewing industry. The compact alcohol and extract meter Alex 500 is the company’s answer to the rising demand

for an affordable quality control in smallscale breweries. Creative beer recipes, including bottle-fermented products as well as seasonal fruits added to the mash or fruit juice as part of individual beer mixtures, make a craft breweries product stand out from others on the market.

Especially for these creations, an alcohol content calculated from the extract loss during brewing is just an estimated value, leaving only one option: measuring, instead of calculating. Alex 500 is ready to measure any craft brewer’s new beer creation from scratch, after a simple adjustment with deionized water. The accuracy for an alcohol measurement is 0.2 %v/v and density is determined with an accuracy of 0.001 g/cm³. With these numbers on their side, craft brewers can be certain that their beer’s taste and quality are always stable, pint for pint. And just in case: turbidity is automatically detected by the instrument in order to show that you shouldn’t trust the measured results

before doing a proper filtration.

In contrast to glass hydrometers, still commonly found in smaller breweries, Alex 500 covers the entire beer measuring range, not just part of it.

Brewers are provided with direct, realtime results, without the necessity for a separate calculation or distillation. They only need one single instrument for all samples in their production – and it’s a really robust one that will not break. In addition, all data is automatically documented and perfectly traceable.

For further information: www.anton-paar.com/alex500

Outstanding benefits from on-site nitrogen generation

At BeerX 2020, Atlas Copco revealed how on-site nitrogen generation systems offer breweries many benefits over bottled or liquid nitrogen, including reduced costs, more flexibility and less administration.

The company used the event to demonstrate the latest technological developments in this field, including NGMs and NGP+ nitrogen generators that represent a viable alternative to bottled or liquid nitrogen.

NGMs membrane nitrogen generators offer N2 purities from 95% up to 99.9% and represent a highly efficient and compact on-site solution for small breweries with low-flow N2 requirements, with the added benefits of minimal maintenance and operational costs. The NGP+ with pressure swing absorption technology is the premium range offering 99.999% purity and 50% lower energy costs.

Many breweries have already benefited from adopting on-site nitrogen

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generation systems, including the Outstanding Brewing Company in Salford, UK. The company recently installed a compressed air and on-site nitrogen generation system from Atlas Copco that has enhanced its product quality, productivity and growth.

The Outstanding Brewing Company relies on a continuous supply of compressed air and nitrogen at critical stages of its production process: from purging kegs and tanks, oxygenating beer to promote fermentation, through to filling, bottling, labelling and packaging the final product.

To meet these needs, Atlas Copco installed a system comprising a tankmounted 5.5 kW GX5 rotary screw compressor with integral refrigerant dryer, together with filtration for hydrocarbon and odour removal. The energy-efficient compressor’s dry air output feeds a plug-and-play NGP8+

nitrogen generator and buffer tank, then a separate storage receiver for nitrogen at the required purity.

The installation not only met The Outstanding Brewing Company’s process needs but also provided opportunities to realise operational cost savings, in terms of energy requirement, and will deliver a comparatively shortterm payback on capital costs.

For further information: www.atlascopco.com

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NEWS Equipment

B&B Attachments appointed exclusive distributor for Griptech mobile weighing products B&B Attachments, a leading material handling equipment manufacturer based in the UK, has announced its exclusive distribution rights throughout England and Wales for Griptech highperformance weighing systems for forklift trucks.

Mobile weighing technology allows the integration of weighing systems in industrial trucks, with the aim of being able to weigh the load directly. Using mobile weighing technology eliminates the need for stationary scales. This means no additional routes, no waiting time on stationary scales, less energy consumption and a lower risk of accidents.

B&B Attachments is a leading UK independent supplier of forklift truck attachments and masts, offering the widest range of solutions available from a single source. B&B’s reputation has been built on its ability to solve handling problems through its professional and experienced sales force, to offer well

engineered, quality products and to maintain those products through the course of their working life.

Neal Fowler, Sales Director at B&B Attachments, comments, “Griptech has many years of experience developing and producing electronic measuring instruments primarily for industrial applications. This makes Griptech mobile weighing systems the ideal product range to add to B&B’s ever growing offering of material handling solutions.”

“We are delighted to collaborate with B&B Attachments,” said Rodney van der Lingen, Export Manager at Griptech.

“Griptech GmbH has made a commitment to focus on European growth, and the UK is central to this expansion. We are confident that we

Customised flange seals meet the highest hygiene standards To suit every individual application, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies can offer bespoke flange seals that meet the highest standards in hygiene.

Developed for customer-specific sealing grooves in industries including food and beverage, the customised flange seals are available via authorised distributor Dichtomatik Ltd, the exclusive provider for Freudenberg’s food and beverage related products in the UK.

For each customer requirement, Freudenberg experts can set about developing a completely new design of flange seal. Factors such as prevailing pressures and temperatures, the product and cleaning media, as well as the dimensions and process-related variance of the sealing groove, have a role to play. Importantly, the company’s tailormade solutions enable hygienic sealing,

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have chosen the right partner in B&B Attachments to develop this market further and ensure customers understand the breadth of the Griptech portfolio.

This partnership will further increase market reach and product accessibility of Griptech mobile weighing systems throughout England and Wales.”

For further information: www.bandbattachments.com

flush with the product – the flange seal neither protrudes into the product area, nor does it rebound.

Of particular note, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies can offer a proven design for special housings in the process industry. Thanks to unique FEM analyses, the company’s design provides optimised hygienic sealing that surpasses conventional flange seals. This highperformance seal also provides an easily cleanable solution in non-rotationally symmetric systems and standard housings.

The material variants deployed, such as EPDM or HNBR, show high resistance to CIP/SIP (cleaning-in-place/sterilisationin-place) media and meet the requirements of the American FDA (Food and Drug Administration). As a result, the solution is ideal for use in the demanding operating conditions typical of food and beverage, applications.

Close-up of a typical bespoke hygienic flange seal from Freudenberg Sealing Technologies.

Thanks to the wide range of research and development capabilities at Freudenberg, as well as the company’s extensive product and materials expertise, the respective sealing solution can be tailored to meet the exact application, including where hygienic flange seals are required.

For further information: www.dichtomatik.com

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www.bulksystems.co.uk

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NEWS Equipment

More Ziptech tanks for Two Tribes Brewing London’s Two Tribes Brewing is set to upscale its brewing capacity with new tanks from Europe. The planned installation in the current ZIPTECH brewery will increase capacity by 300%.

This upgrade will not only increase capacity and improve functionality, but includes improvements to its canning line and upgrade of the existing laboratory.

The planned expansion is in direct response to increased sales over the past six months.

At Two Tribes Brewing, beer is just one part of a creative lifestyle. Based in Tileyard, King’s Cross, London, the company has built its brand around and celebrate BEER + MUSIC + ART, spreading its passion for creativity through collaborations with a range of industries and partners, including record companies, Michelin star chefs and clothing labels.

Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the strains on the hospitality industry in 2020, Two Tribes has continued to grow sales, having successfully launched online and offering home delivery. This allowed the brewery to continue brewing fresh beer throughout lockdown.

As part of the expansion project, Two Tribes will relocate its taproom within the Tileyard community. The new site will be called “Two Tribes POWWOW” and will be a day and night bar. It will offer a socially-distanced space for the creatively-minded people of Tileyard Studios and the King’s Cross community to meet, work and socialise while enjoying Two Tribes beer, small-batch cocktails, sodas, wines and soft drinks.

There will also be a schedule of programmed events involving live fire cooking, DJs and bands, all reflecting the Two Tribes ethos of BEER + MUSIC + ART.

Justin Deighton, Two Tribes founder, says: “Two Tribes has always been so much more than beer and the time we’ve had to engage directly with Two Tribes beer drinkers through our direct delivery online sales has been invaluable.

Creating a following of people - a tribe of individuals who not only respect what we do, but believe and love Two Tribes makes us want to continue to improve and do what we love.”

For further information: zipbier.com

Multiple uses for heat exchangers in brewing

By Matt Hale, International Sales & Marketing Director, HRS Heat Exchangers

There are numerous uses for heat exchangers in breweries, from cooling, pasteurising and fermenting products, through to efficiently dealing with waste streams such as yeast slurry.

Compared to other methods of heating, heat exchangers can be much more energy efficient, providing both environmental and economic benefits.

One of the first uses of heat exchangers in brewing is for rapidly cooling the wort following boiling (often from a temperature around 95°C to something around 12°C.) Both plate and tubular heat exchangers can be used in this crucial process, with tubular heat exchangers often having a larger capacity and being able to chill the wort more quickly. The warmed water (or other cooling medium) which results can be up to 80°C in temperature and as a result has a number of other uses in the process, such as pre-heating the steeped wort before boiling, and this is one of the ways that heat exchangers can reduce energy use throughout the process.

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Using chilled water or other coolant can also cool fermented beer prior to maturation or bottling, and for some products, such as cider, it may be necessary to pasteurise the product before bottling and heat exchangers are ideal for this. In particular the use of High-Temperature, Short-Time (HTST) pasteurisation techniques helps to preserve the refreshing taste which is so distinctive to cider.

Heat exchangers can also play an important role in treating the waste products of brewing. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a popular way of treating the wastewater and slurry from breweries as they often have a high concentration of yeast and sugars, making them an ideal feedstock. Heat exchangers have many uses in AD including pasteurisation so that the resulting digestate can be sold as a valuable bio-fertiliser, and evaporation to reduce the water content.

Evaporation using heat exchangers is also an energy efficient method for reducing the water content of spent grains which can then be used as animal feed or bioenergy feedstock.

Reusing heat for energy efficiency

Recapturing and reusing heat from other sources (such as surplus heat from cooling operations or spare boiler capacity) can be an effective way of increasing capacity or adding a new production process without the need for major new heating or energy infrastructure.

Depending on the application, HRS Heat Exchangers’ equipment has been shown to recover as much as 50 per cent of previously wasted heat, which can then be used for water, space or process heating, waste treatment or other thermal applications.

The type and model of heat exchanger will depend on many different factors, such as the nature of the process to be carried out (pasteurisation, sterilisation, dehydration, etc.) and the viscosity of the drink being processed.

For further information: www.hrs-heatexchangers.com

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Micronics flowmeter used by Fourpure Brewery The award-winning Fourpure Brewery is using a Micronics U1000 flowmeter in its brewery in Bermondsey, south east London.

Ben Roberts, Head of Engineering and Environment at Fourpure Brewery, ‘Googled’ flowmeters and discovered the Micronics website.

He felt that the U1000 offered excellent value for money and decided to purchase one. And he has not been disappointed.

“Most flowmeters seem to be quite expensive and are not versatile so they don’t allow us to use them for different applications like the Micronics unit does,” he says. “I would have no hesitation in recommending it to colleagues in the brewing trade.”

The ultrasonic flow meter is a quick and reliable flow measurement solution which is widely used in process, energy management and retrofit building services markets around the world to verify, monitor or control process operations, help reduce energy

consumption and monitor water use.

Ben Roberts chose it because it meant that there was no need to cut into pipes which, in turn meant that installation costs and process disruption were minimal. It is configured for pipe size so there is nominal configuration on site and with its easy to follow menu it proved to be a cost-effective alternative to a traditional in-line meter installation.

In addition dry servicing is possible so that downtime is kept to a minimum and of course as its non-invasive there is no risk of flow contamination. With 35 years’ experience in the market, Micronics can provide unique solutions to customers through a long-established distributor network backed up by an experienced team of design, service and installation engineers.

The Buckinghamshire-based company can supply or rent a simple to use portable instrument for the initial

investigations, ideal for helping to build an initial picture of what’s going on. And as a next stage they can provide fixed clamp-on solutions to provide the continuous ongoing measurement and monitoring where required.

Fourpure Brewery supply a range of beers across the UK and abroad and feature a fully-automated, state of the art GEA Craft-Star Brewhouse, which provides improved brewing capabilities and tighter controls, affording better yields.

For further information: www.micronicsflowmeters.com

Bürkert module continuously measures iron content

To complement the Type 8905 Online Analysis System, Bürkert has launched its compact flow injection analysis (FIA) module for monitoring iron content in water supplies.

The modular design offers simple integration of pH, ORP, turbidity and chlorine sensors all of which can be calibrated quickly and easily.

The quality of drinking water and water used in the food and beverage industry needs to be maintained at the highest level for consumer safety. For some, weekly analysis does not offer the level of assurance required and a continuous monitoring station is required to maximise confidence in the water quality.

In situations where water is stored in steel tanks, levels of iron can fluctuate significantly and the process to remove the iron needs to be carefully monitored to ensure an effective solution. Bürkert’s FIA module integrates the whole reaction, analysis, cleaning and calibration of the iron measurement

process into the Online Analysis System.

The Type 8905 uses a combination of modular cubes, simple calibration processes, operational flexibility, reliability and a very compact footprint to set the standard for clean water quality analysis. The system has an intuitive control interface as well as connectivity to enable datalogging and remote monitoring.

The Bürkert system has been adopted by customers in many countries including the Netherlands, where manufacturers are seeing the benefits of continuous monitoring. This ensures very close control of the iron content compared to the traditional weekly testing, which has the potential to see iron levels exceeding specifications for several days.

The compact footprint of the Type 8905 platform means that it is easy to install and integrate to an existing water quality monitoring environment. The ease of operation, calibration and maintenance reduces the time traditionally associated with water quality monitoring.

As experts in flow control technology,

Bürkert has applied its expertise to water analysis and is setting new standards in terms of ease-of-use, flexibility, installation time and reduced operating costs. The addition of the FIA module will provide users with further flexibility and functionality in the monitoring and control of water quality.

Pictured: The Type 8905 uses a combination of modular cubes, simple calibration processes, operational flexibility, reliability and a very compact footprint to set the standard for clean water quality analysis.

For further information: www.burkert.co.uk

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NEWS Distribution & Logistics

Plan ahead!

With pubs and some other venues reopening from early July, CitySprint, the ‘same day’ courier company, called on the drinks and hospitality industries to plan ahead and stock up in advance, to avoid disappointing customers this summer.

Darren Taylor, Business Solutions Director at CitySprint, comments: “With so many pubs and venues across the country looking to restock drinks and beverage supplies at once, we’re advising customers against waiting to the last minute to place orders. While wholesale drinks deliveries are typically some of the fastest around, it’s important to check stock levels now and work out a sensible restocking plan with suppliers.

“In addition, social distancing measures will mean that many venues will be looking to offer refreshments outside and in different kinds of locations this summer, where it’s easier to maintain distances. Smaller volumes of wines, spirits, beers and other beverages that can be delivered to more specific locations will help these venues and can be more easily utilised.”

‘Quick & Cold’ service unveiled Drinks brand Innis & Gunn has teamed up with Thermo Logistics to operate a “Quick & Cold’ delivery service as part of its support to customers in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

Innis & Gunn launched the delivery service through its collaboration with Thermo Logistics, the company it uses for keg deliveries to pubs. With its refrigerated vans and drivers off the road due to the COVID-19 crisis, part of its fleet was recruited by Innis & Gunn to make deliveries to households, initially in the Glasgow and Edinburgh areas.

Innis & Gunn also announced it would be offering 30 of its customers over 5,000 pints worth of free beer to sell to help them get back on their feet when they re-opened. The cost of stock has been identified as a key concern across the industry.

The free stock is part of the Innis & Gunn’s “Remember Pints” campaign which launched in May on social media and has attracted praise from the UK’s most famous landlord Al Murray amongst a raft of others. The brand has decorated 30 Scottish pubs which are currently boarded up with its own ode to

the pint and will repay them for the space with the free stock when lockdown lifts.

Innis & Gunn has also called on consumers to show support for their local pubs by penning them a lager-based love letter on social media for a chance to win free beer to their doors.

Crawford Sinclair, Commercial Director at Innis & Gunn, said “Our customers are hugely supportive of our brand, and when we spoke to one of their biggest concerns for when they reopen is ensuring they have enough stock. So, we’ve signed up 30 of them to our ‘Remember Pints’ campaign and now that’s one less thing for them to worry about when the time comes.”

Remember Pints? is the fourth support scheme announced by the brewer in recent weeks. In addition to Remember Pints and ‘Quick&Cold’, the brand has supported creatives for the last 10 weeks with its Innis & Gunn x The Originals Campaign and has also launched a partnership with UK wide charity Meals & More.

For further information: thermologistics.net

Drinks logistics operator opens new £60m facility Specialist beer, wine and spirits logistics operator Europa Warehouse has appointed its first Head of Sales at its ‘best in class’, state-of-the-art £60m facility in Corby, Northants which is set to open this summer.

Europa Worldwide Group is an ambitious independent logistics operator with six divisions – Europa Road, Europa Air & Sea, Europa Showfreight, Europa Warehouse, Europa Contact Centre and Continental Cargo Carriers. The new Corby site will become Europa’s largest facility in the UK.

Sally Watson, who joined Europa as a Senior Account Manager in 2014, has swiftly progressed up the management ladder within the business, first to Branch Manager in Nottingham, then Birmingham and now to Head of Sales for Europa Warehouse. The division is particularly proud of its long-standing

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and expanding customer relationships with well-known brands in the beer, wine and spirits sector.

Tasked with building relationships with potential new customers to fill the futureproofed 715,000 sq ft 3PL facility at Midlands Logistics Park, Sally has relished the opportunity of meeting key players in the retail, ecommerce and drinks sectors and presenting to them about Europa’s new facility coming soon at Corby.

Sally (pictured) said: “I’m thrilled to have been promoted to this very exciting new position at a time of such growth and expansion for Europa. Our new facility in Corby is at the forefront of innovation within the logistics sector, so discussing its credentials and contract requirements is proving to be a really rewarding and positive experience as everyone is keen to learn more about it.

Europa Worldwide Group is a leading

independent logistics firm which has gone from strength to strength, reaching a turnover of £180m in the last financial year, with further growth expected for 2020. It has been an exceptional 12 months for Europa Worldwide Group, the best in the company’s 50-year history. Europa employs over 950 staff and was recently featured in The Sunday Times Top Track 250 for the second time.

For further information: www.europa-worldwide.com

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NEWS Bar & Cellar

Clean beer lines, wherever you choose to pour In an increasingly discerning market, beer quality makes or breaks a brand.

Perhaps you have a venue with a desire to provide a chilled and perfect pour for draft beer but not necessarily the cellar and traditional set-up that is required to provide draft. Maybe you would like a self-contained keg unit that can be easily moved from one location to the next.

Perhaps you are nervous about how to maintain the cleanliness of your beer lines at all times, regardless of needing skilled staff. Micro Matic may just have the answer you have been looking for.

Micro Matic listened to customers who wanted to offer a high quality draft product but either did not have a cellar for a traditional beer line solution to be installed or wanted to be able to move the dispense location depending on event.

FlexiDraft™ was launched to meet these customers’ needs and is already proving to be a big hit with venues that want flexibility, affordability and most importantly, exceptional quality beer to ensure their customer return for more.

FlexiDraft™ is an innovative solution for venues that would usually be unable to provide a draft drinking experience for their customers as it is a self-contained, mobile unit that combines refrigeration technology with a simple to use, disposable line from the keg to the font.

Happy customers include Sunderland’s Stadium of Light football stadium, outside catering venues, restaurants, small bars and pop up events. The disposable line proves popular for its ease of installation which removes the need for an expert to be on site to create a quality pint. The beer line is simply and quickly fitted in to the unit then disposed once used. This is convenient as it takes away the need for cleaning, which removes the many health and taste quality risks associated with dirty lines.

Glen Houston, Key Account Manager at Micro Matic UK commented: “FlexiDraft™ allows draft brewery brands to suddenly be available where previously only bottled beer could compete. End users loyal to draft beer love the quality and having draft on tap can be a decision point when choosing to hold an event at one venue over

another so it enables a new point of difference for many locations.

“From weddings in the middle of a field to pop up concerts, the ability to have a great quality chilled draft solution opens up the beer market even further.

FlexiDraft™ is easily moved as the unit simply plugs into a mains electricity supply, with no requirements for cellars, long complicated beer lines or cleaning of the equipment. A truly flexible way to serve draft.

“Increasingly demanding customers appreciate a quality beer that is the correct temperature. FlexiDraft™ offers the confidence that this can be achieved every time. There is almost no beer wastage too which makes FlexiDraft an economical choice. It can cost around £50 per bar to do a line clean due to beer wastage alone plus other costs include the water, gas, labour and cleaning materials and inconvenience of down time that can now be eliminated.

Cleaning beer lines is a cost that can be avoided as once a keg is empty, you simply dispose of the line, fit a new one and then you are ready to go, taking just seconds to complete the process.

“FlexiDraft™ can also help you save on energy costs as the keg only needs to be cooled in a smaller more efficient unit rather than a large cellar.”

For further information: www.micro-matic.co.uk

Major joint venture signifies industry confidence

During a challenging time for the drinks and hospitality sectors, T&J client Marston’s has revealed a planned joint venture with Carlsberg UK. Investment within the industry will play a major part in getting the wheels turning again, as licensed premises continue to reopen.

T&J Installations is a leading service provider of installation and maintenance of beer dispense equipment in pubs and bars, up and down the country.

T&J started working with Marston’s over 30 years ago with a contract to install and service beer dispense equipment

alongside their internal team. Eventually, Marston’s decided to outsource its installation operation and, for many years now, T&J has held the UK installation contract.

Ian Jones, Managing Director, says of Marston’s: “Over the years, we’ve developed an in-depth knowledge of our client’s requirements and, by being closely involved and made to feel an integral part of their team, we provide a highly responsive and tailored service to their customers.”

He continues: “The Carlsberg-Marston’s merger is excellent news for both companies – the funding and resources this joint venture will have at its disposal

will stand it in good stead.

“Similarly, T&J, having recently joined forces with Italian drinks dispense specialist, Celli Group, is strategically placed to support our industry right now in getting back to the new normal.”

Celli’s investment in T&J reinforces the underlying strength of its business to serve clients in the UK’s hospitality sector. Working with Celli will enable T&J to offer an enhanced range of products and services to the UK market more quickly by expanding the company’s technological offering.

For further information: www.tandjinstallations.com

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THE VIEW THROUGH MY GLASS BOTTOM

Brave new bubble Julian Grocock

I used to be a fan of dystopian science fiction – you know, the sort that charts the trials and tribulations of human survival after an unspecified but catastrophic worldwide event. But now it all seems just a bit too real, don’t you think?

On a personal level, it started innocuously enough: 11th March, drive to Liverpool, M6 closed for some reason, diverted towards Runcorn, then over the spectacular Mersey Gateway Bridge, to hotel check-in (a few Atletico Madrid guests milling around) and thence to SIBA’s BeerX. I’m going to admit – because I know I’m not the only one – I wasn’t at the time taking ‘the virus’ seriously enough.

‘No handshakes, but nobody’s said anything about snogging!’ I joked.

Scared a few old friends, that did – mostly for reasons other than the fear of infection.

The first time the laughter died was when I browsed through Independent Brewer magazine’s 40th Anniversary history of SIBA and found a reference to the trade body’s first chief executive…and there…in black and white...it wasn’t me.

Bloody hell, I didn’t get a single mention in the whole article.

A fleeting thought crossed my mind: was that futuristic Mersey Gateway actually a portal into a parallel world where my whole backstory had been rewritten? ~ Nearly four months later, the alternative-reality concept has persisted far beyond the trivial damage of a bruised ego, put my angst into some measure of perspective, and consigned any residual flippancy to the ‘inappropriate box’. I’m trying very hard to grasp the extent of the pandemic’s dire impact, both definite and potential – health-based human tragedy, disruption of everyday life, immediate individual financial cost, and longer-term broader economic consequences.

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And it’s even harder to strike the balance, between these conflicting elements, which is essential for the formulation of a constructive strategy to rebuild, with minimised risk, some semblance of ‘normality’.

Please don’t expect me to pass forensic comment on the Government’s handling of the crisis.

Of course I have my opinions, but you’d have to buy me a pint to get them. And once you got me started you’d probably regret it.

Closer to home, though, I ought to be qualified to contribute some thoughts about the beer and pub industries’ response. Reasserting the credentials of my real résumé, I have held positions of authority at every professional level: pub, pubco, brewery and, yes, trade association, so I can picture myself back at what is now an extremely sharp end of operational management responsibility. There but for the grace of antiquity, you might say.

In spite of this track record, I’m finding it difficult to offer dispassionate and objective assessments. My entire working life has been underscored by an indivisible passion for both beer and pubs – together, never one without the other. It’s exactly fifty years – summer 1970 – since I first went into a pub as a pint-buying punter, and losing that really has felt dystopian. ~ I have nothing but admiration for publicans who have found ways to continue to serve their communities with some form of takeaway provision. Equally, however, I empathise totally with those who have kept their doors firmly closed because their commitment is so fundamentally dependent on premises that are fully open for

on-trade business. I’m a little ashamed to admit to some selfish relief that I’m no longer in a role where I have to make decisions in such circumstances.

Most brewers have significant off-trade sales, so haven’t been hit as hard as pubs – we have all kept drinking, haven’t we? But this is not to downplay the challenges they have faced, and many have responded with brilliant click-andcollect and home delivery schemes.

What has been highlighted is that different sectors of brewing feel the loss of the on trade to varying degrees. Traditional cask ale has naturally been the biggest loser, in contrast to anything aspiring to the ‘craft’ label that is just as at home in bottle or can as on draught. Where the beer/pub synergy really lies has never been more apparent. ~ As I’m writing this, pubs are about to re-open – albeit under strict operational guidelines, which have forced my village local to cancel its planned live music celebrations. I can’t expect another half century of proper pub leisure time, but I do hope to enjoy at least a bit more before too long.

At the moment, it feels a social distance away.

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 • Summer 2020

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The NEXT issue of

Showcase Features

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For more detailed information on all these features, visit brewingbusiness.co.uk/features-list/ BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Summer 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: £235 + VAT per annum

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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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