The Brewers Journal December 2018 ~ January 2019, iss 10 vol 4

The magazine for the professional brewing industry

Brewers J o u r n a l

December~January 2019 | Volume 4, issue 10 ISSN 2059-6669

hawkshead

A new brewery and new horizons for cumbria’s finest 20 | john keeling: cask beer needs our help

44 | brixton brewery: ramping up production

5o | The lowdown on the brewers congress, 2018

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le ad e r

Taking the next step

T

here’s an odd feeling of emptiness when you come out the other side of probably the busiest week of your career to-date. Having months of hard work come to an end is, I'll be honest, a relief. But what's more important is the perspective it gave me on the parts of the industry I'm less experienced in.

So firstly, as I say later in this issue, thank you to everyone that came to London at the end of November for the second Brewers Congress event. I’m indebted to the hard work each speaker put into their talks, the sponsors and exhibitors for making the event part of their tradeshow calendar, the breweries and snack companies that helped out, and also everyone that attended!

Liaising with industry figures on everything from the file type their presentation came in, to the coupler we’d need for a particular beer gave me an increased awareness of the hard work that goes into every taproom event and beer festival that breweries hold on what seems like a weekly basis.

There’s plenty of hardworking people in the brewing industry that do not get the recognition that other members of the brewery do following successful events.

So, thank you!

2018 has been a period of growth for many, many breweries across the UK. Two businesses with very different backgrounds, but with the same desire to produce bloody good beer, are Hawkshead Brewery and Brixton Brewery. It was fascinating to visit both companies recently, and I enjoyed hearing about their approaches to growth, getting to grips with new kit and their rationale behind the types of beer they brew.

In our interview this issue, Matt Clarke, head brewer at Hawkshead and a staunch advocate for cask beer, tells us that there’s not enough recognition of the hard work that goes into cask beer production. He also warns other breweries that lowering their prices to push volume is a slippery slope, which makes raising

brewersjournal.info

editor's choice How Brixton Brewery have embraced investment and are looking to a bright future - page 44

prices in the future an impossible task.

Another brewer with a wealth of experience in the field of cask is John Keeling, the former head brewer of London-based Fuller’s. In his latest exclusive column for The Brewers Journal, he tells us that the industry needs to pull together to help reverse declining cask sales. But that we can’t do it alone, either.

“I will be travelling the country talking to drinkers and beer writers about the future of cask beer. If they agree with me that something should be done then I will try to get this moving. If not, I would reluctantly drop this,” he explains. “The reason being that if I cannot persuade interested parties then how can I persuade the government? Banging your head against the wall has no future.”

I’d hazard a guess that a good….100% of the readership of this publication have enjoyed a fantastic pint of London Pride or ESB in their lifetime, so it’s time to get behind John’s cause.

Until next time, I hope you have an incredibly successful 2019 and thanks for all of your support this year. u Tim Sheahan, Editor

December~January 2019

3

co ntac t s

contacts Tim Sheahan Editor tim@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 592

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Brett Ellis, The Wild Beer Co, Somerset, England

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co nte nt s

contents 20

25

44

50

12

Cover story 37 - Matt Clarke started washing casks at Hawkshead some 15 years ago, now he's head brewer managing the company's impressive new Krones brewhouse.

dear john 20 - Cask beer is struggling, but there is much we can do to help ressurect this beloved category, which truly is the Beer of Britain

BREWERY TOUR | BRIXTON BREWERY 44 - How Brixton Brewery have embraced investment and are focused on growth

bREWERS cONGRESS, london COMMENTS 25 - A strong core range is essential for a brewery but specials are key too, explains Jen Ferguson 28 - Advanced Dynamics on what to look out for when it comes to your packaging proposition 31 - There are many facets of the brewing business you need to assess when starting out and they're all important, says Susanne Currid

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December~January 2019

50 - The lowdown on a successful second Brewers Congress event in London

SECTOR | FILTRATION 54 - How Pentair has helped transform the filtration operations at St Austell brewery

science | DIASTATICUS 59- Lallemand discuss Diastaticus yeasts, their qualities, and how you should handle them

Brewers Journal

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n e ws

EX CLOUDWATER AND LEEDS BREWERY HEAD BREWERS JOIN SSV LIMITED

S

SV Limited, the Leeds-based brewery supplier has appointed former Cloudwater and Leeds Brewery

head brewers.

James Campbell, formerly head brewer at Cloudwater and former Leeds Brewery head Venkatesh Iyer have joined the SSV Limited to form a new team of commissioning brewers.

Campbell, who played an integral role in the rise of Cloudwater, left the brewery in September.

He did so with the view to helping small breweries grow and expand, with plans to eventually fund a brewery of his own.

Iyer spent 11 years as the award winning head brewer at Leeds Brewery growing and developing a range of highly praised and much loved beers.

SSV Limited, UK importers of brewing vessels and

Brewhouses.”

Campbell signed an 18 month contract with the manufacturing company and plans to develop their brewhouse offering with the view to funding his own brewery project in 2020.

Commenting on his new role, Campbell said: “Working with SSV Limited gives me the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting new brewery projects that are coming up in the UK. It also give me the chance to work with the high standard of plant that I’d like to become accustomed to.

"With that in mind, at the end of the contract, there’ll be the opportunity to design and buy my own plant, helping me towards my long term goal” Lawson added: “Bringing James and Venkatesh into the team is an investment in our company. We’ve been

brewhouses, celebrated their 1200th tank installation in

long known for our quality products and engineering but

July and have recently completed brewhouse projects for

their addition means we have insider knowledge and can

Salt Beer Factory, By The River Brewing, and already have

work closer with brewers to help them create and build

a healthy order book for 2019 including installing the new

their business.”

Verdant brewhouse and cold bloc.

According to Sam Lawson, founder of SSV Limited, it

Iyer said: “I made the move to SSV Limited as they are becoming a dominant supplier in the brewing equipment

was time to bring a team on board that could “match our

market and it presented an opportunity to work on some

current technical knowledge with brewing pedigree!”

great projects, alongside some of the most talented

He added: “The addition of James and Venkatesh, means we now have an award winning team of skilled

individuals in the industry.”

The new brewing team will not only work with

brewers to ensure we can offer clients solid brewing know

customers but will advise the current SSV Limited

how to back-up our technical expertise .

engineering team on projects from the start ensuring the

“Both brewers will work with our commissioning team to ensure the installation of our brewhouses runs

company is focused on the whole brewing process.

“We’re not just supplying a product,” Lawson said.

smoothly and bolster our after sales service by providing

“Brewing is at the heart of our business and knowing we

optimisations and recipe development. They will also be

have two highly-respected brewers on the team gives me

on hand to offer consultancy work to clients, while James

peace of mind that we can continue to offer our clients

will be helping to expand and develop our Brew-bloc

industry leading service”

Supplier aims to streamline spent grain recycling

A

for the UK’s breweries, whether it’s destined to be used as animal feed, for compost or fertiliser.

Measuring 1200mm (L) x 1000mm (W) x 760mm (H),

new recyclable, rigid pallet box designed to improve

the plastic pallet box has a large internal capacity of 610

the recycling of spent grain recycling has been

litres making it ideal for handling large volumes of spent

launched.

GoPalletBox 1210S, a new product from

grain.

The GoPalletBox 1210S comes on either four feet, two

GoPlasticPallets, aims to make the recycling of spent

or three runners or four swivel castors and in a choice of

grain easier. With spent grain constituting as much as

five different colours – blue, red, green, yellow and grey.

85 percent of a brewery’s total by-product, recycling or

For large orders the rigid pallet box can be screen printed

disposing of it in a sustainable way is a major challenge

with a brewery’s company name or logo.

brewersjournal.info

December~January 2019

11

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FYNE ALES REVEALS NEW LOOK AND CANNED BEER FORAY of our brand put us at risk of falling behind in this fastmoving industry,” explained Fyne Ales managing director, Jamie Delap.

He added: “We set out to create a new identity that better tells the story of who we are and where we come from, but also reflects our ambitions as a modern, progressive brewery.”

Fyne Ales has partnered with Glasgow brand and design consultants O Street for the project, working closely with them to create the new look – each beer features stylised textures created using photography from the brewery’s farm estate, chosen to help tell the story of the beer and brewery.

“We’re proud to be a farm brewery; being a working farm in such a historic, beautiful and isolated location is part of everyday life at Fyne Ales,” commented Fyne Ales marketing manager Iain Smith on the new designs.

A

rgyll, Scotland-based Fyne Ales has revealed a new brand identity that draws inspiration from its farm

He said: “O Street have created a unique, striking brand identity that celebrates our provenance and we can’t wait

brewery status and rural location on a 4500-acre estate at

to showcase it across our core beers and introducing

the head of Loch Fyne.

Workbench and Easy Trail cans.”

The brewery has revamped the branding of its core

The brewery has also revealed details of three

range but has also added three beers to its year-round

bottled limited specials which will debut with the new

portfolio.

branding – Remote Parts, a 7% West Coast IPA brewed in

From December, the brewery’s Workbench, a 5.5%

collaboration with Cigar City Brewery; Perfect Silence, a

IPA, and Easy Trail, a 4.2% session IPA, will be available

6.9% red IPA and an 11.1% bourbon barrel-aged version of

in 330ml cans, and North West, a New Zealand-hopped

Brouwerij De Molen collaboration imperial stout, Mills & Hills.

lager will join them as a permanent keg offering.

“Fyne Ales has always been recognised for the

All three will be available in 330ml bottles later this month, with Remote Parts also available in keg and

diversity and quality of our beers, but the look and feel

Perfect Silence in keg and cask.

World Cup drives third quarter beer growth

summer months, which encouraged people to visit their

It was also driven in part by the good weather over the local and enjoy the pub garden. The off-trade, namely

G

ood weather and the World Cup helped drive sales

supermarkets and off-licences, also had a strong quarter,

of beer during the third quarter of 2018 that were up

with sales up 7.6% on the same period in 2017.

4.4% on the same period in 2017.

The on-trade experienced its first third quarter growth

The BBPA added: “To improve the long-term sales of beer and the viability of pubs, appropriate measures are

in 15 years with sales up 0.9 percentage points, according

required by the government. Uncertainty around Brexit,

to the latest Beer Barometer sales data from the British

however, is a major concern for the brewing and pub

Beer & Pub Association.

sector. With consumers unsure of what the final outcome

The association explained: “This increase in sales was driven by the success of England at the World Cup, which saw the national team reach the semi-finals of the

of Brexit will be, pubs have started to see customers tighten their purse strings at the bar.

"Clarity on the transition period and a strong steer on

tournament, driving footfall in pubs where fans watched

the future relationship with the EU is needed to reassure

the games.

brewers, publicans and consumers alike."

12

December~January 2019

Brewers Journal

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n e ws

Ossett Brewery opens £1.7m Salt Beer Factory

can and cask formats - including IPA’s, NEIPA’s, Stouts and Lagers - as well as a number of collaborations planned for 2019.

O

ssett Brewery has opened the doors of its new £1.7m brewing business, Salt Beer Factory.

The 20hl brewery is housed in a Grade II Victorian

Jamie Lawson, the owner of Ossett Brewery, explained: that the vision for Salt had been three years in the making.

He said: It's a concept that began with an idea to brew

tramshed in Saltaire and has been designed with the aim

some beer at the back of the Hop in Saltaire has now

of “unifying heritage and modern brewing”.

evolved into something much greater than we could’ve

The mission, the business, explained, is to produce hop-forward beers and couple them with an interactive brewery experience.

The brewery will produce a wide range of beer in keg,

14

December~January 2019

ever imagined.

"The vision has now extended beyond the brewery as we aim to showcase the best in craft beers and gins, in a modern pub environment.”

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n e ws

Moor Beer launches Double Stouts

M

oor Beer has unveiled the first beers to emerge from the barrel ageing programme located at their

London-based Bermondsey Vault.

The Batallas Double Stouts, brewed in collaboration with the Madrid-based brewery La Quince, are exclusively available from Moor Beer’s taprooms in Bristol and Bermondsey on draught and in 330ml cans.

The three varieties are from a single brew. The first is the original expression of the Double Stout. The other two have spent much of this year maturing in rum and whisky barrels.

Each barrel has come from renowned independent spirit makers from across Europe to introduce diverse and complex flavours to the rarely seen style of beer.

Justin Hawke, Moor Beer’s head brewer, explained:

“The beers from the rum and whisky barrels have been enhanced by the flavours from wood and the spirit that was previously within. For instance, the whisky

"We have been barrel ageing for almost 10 years, but

barrels provide a notable yet balanced peaty flavour that

as many know, it’s not only a time-consuming project, it

compliments the richness of the double stout.

also requires a lot of space. Our Bermondsey Vault has

“We collaborated with La Quince to brew this beer with

allowed to us up the ante and we’re thrilled with the first

our mutual friend Batallas. We all love dark beers full of

results.

flavour that are immensely drinkable. It was a pleasure to

“We are firm believers that good beer should not be

share our first Vault projects with friends like these.

rushed. Having the opportunity to barrel age for a period

“Other than holding a few kegs back for special events

of time has delivered natural beers that are full of flavour.

next year, our taprooms will be the only place to try these

This is a fantastic opportunity to see how the same brew

three beers. We’re expecting a great turnout and lots of

can be influenced and enhanced in three different ways.

celebration in both cities.”

British barley is best, says Crisp Malt

B

rewers that opt to buy malt made from home-grown

infiltrating the very character of the grains. This terroir is

barley, don’t have to compromise on quality, explains

ideal for the growing of malting barley, particularly the

Crisp Malt.

The region’s harvests are relatively reliable, and even

winter varieties.

LePoidevin said: “Being based in the heart of this

this year when barley yields are down, the quality is very

perfect terroir has allowed us to build close, long-term

good. The North Norfolk winter barley crops have come

relationships with growers and agronomists.

in with an average nitrogen content of 1.48%, with Maris

“We work with around 250 local farmers, and are

Otter at 1.39%. British brewers generally look for barley

closely involved with them in research projects, cereal

with low nitrogen content, preferably below 1.6%, so these

variety development and crop trials. That’s as well as

are strong results, explained Steve LePoidevin, sales

being supplied with their premium barley - provenance

director at Crisp Malt.

and traceability guaranteed.”

Craft brewers in Britain are increasingly interested in

Looking at the present, this year’s wet spring, and the

nuances of flavour, colour and body of beer. Taking the

summers drought, meant spring barley yields were down

lead from American brewers, many are beginning to

10%, and winter barley yields down around 2% - that’s

explore how terroir can impact on barley – and how this

country wide,” added LePoidevin.

plays out in characteristics of malt and subsequently of

He added: “While farmers can implement certain controls and practices to get the best results possible,

beer.

North Norfolk features highly in terroir considerations, said the malster. The region is well known for its sandy

they clearly can’t control the weather.

“That’s why terroir is so important. And terroir is why

and chalky, light soils; gentle slopes; and warm, dry

North Norfolk malting barley makes such consistently

climate with mild sea breezes waving across the crops,

great malt – and why it is so highly prized by brewers."

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December~January 2019

Brewers Journal

15 Years, 200 Breweries Strong and Reliable as Ever

braukon.com

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Welbeck Abbey's sustainable production

W

elbeck Abbey, the Sherwood Forest-based brewery, is aiming to put the spotlight on the

sustainable business practices in 2019.

The brewery, which launched a range of specials,

Following is an experimental stilton porter titled “Out of the Blue”, made with the whey from the award-winning Stichelton Dairy.

Claire Monk, the brewery’s founder and general

“Foraged & Found”, in 2018, has made a concerted effort

Manager, said: “We’ve teamed up with some of the local

to have a positive impact on both the environment and

producers on our doorstep that source their ingredients

local community.

carefully and considerately to make use of their by-

The “Foraged & Found” beers will be brewed with

products, as well as sourcing products from nature itself,

a food by-product from food producers, eateries, and

and created a range of beers that highlight the way in

community groups local to the brewery.

which we can all help to repurpose, reuse and recycle

A variety of typical beer styles from across the world will be brewed, chosen to enhance and highlight the key flavour notes of the foods utilised.

‘found’ foods”.

Other beers from their new range include a rhubarb saison entitled “May the Forced be With You”, a pale ale

The brewery will enter the New Year with a coffee

brewed with orange rind called “Take it Squeezy”, and

porter made with coffee grounds for the nearby Harley

a nettle pale dubbed “No Pain No Gain”, brewed with

Cafe, named “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee”.

nettles that the team will forage locally.

Abbeydale Brewery unveils collaboration project with artist Lewis Ryan

Abbeydale has collaborated with six breweries on the project to produce a range of diverse beers from a strong IPA to a chai latte inspired stout.

Beers produced as part of the project are Creeping

S

heffield-based Abbeydale Brewery has released

Brett, a 4.7% mixed fermentation wheat beer with Yeastie

a series of collaboration beers, coupled with an

Boys, Sage Advice, a 5.0% apricot and sage saison with

ambitious artistic twist they believe to be a world first.

The brewery has worked alongside Barnsley artist Lewis Ryan (Lewy) to create six individual beers that have all been released in can.

While the pieces of art on each of the labels are

Northern Monk and Laid to Rest, a barrel aged apple saison with Fyne Ales.

The brewery has worked with Norway’s Haandbryggeriet on Splash It All Over, a 6.5% Brut IPA, You May As Well Pass, a 6.9% IPA with Brew York and Chai

standalone illustrations, they can be put together to

Tea Chai Tea Bang Bang, a 6.4% Chai Latte Stout with

create a single piece.

Black Jack Brewery.

Project coordinator and office manager at Abbeydale,

Lead brewer Jim Rangeley explained: “we’ve pushed

Laura Rangeley, said, “It’s like a beer label jigsaw!” On

our processes as a brewery and in working with and

establishing the project she says “it’s been an absolute joy

learning from others, we’ve enhanced our knowledge and

to work on and Lewy’s colourful and wildly imaginative

created some beers which we can truly be proud of. They

style has really brought the idea to life”.

taste just as good as they look.”

18

December~January 2019

Brewers Journal

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d e a r

j o h n

The Future of Cask Beer: A bed of roses or a thorny issue?

A cursory glance at cask beer sales makes for sombre viewing, but there are a wealth of ways this category can be resurrected. John Keeling, former head brewer at Fullerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, is determined to make this happen. He just needs your support along the way.

companies. I would say that they spend their money to get the most reward. Cask, with its smaller profit margin, is not worth it while keg beer with its bigger margin, is. What is true of the brewer is also true of the retailer and margin is king.

Cask beer is one of the cheapest beers on the bar.

Couple this with the effort needed to look after it properly, makes it one of the least profitable drinks for the pub.

Then we have the government. They apply taxes, most

by JoHN keeling

notably duty, in this case. Why is beer taxed differently to cider? Why do small brewers get duty relief and big

I

brewers donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t? Why is cask beer taxed the same as all

have been pondering the future of cask beer. I have

beer? Cask beer is taxed differently to all other beers, as

also been reading cask beer sales statistics. It has

there is a sediment allowance. Why is this not applied

not been an easy read for me. I am a big fan of cask

to bottle conditioned beers? The government does

beer, but it appears I am a dying breed. This has

influence the market because it influences margin.

made me question whether the future is a vibrant

What I am trying to point out is that the market is

beer scene where the beautiful natural flavours and

influenced by a number of forces outside of the drinkers'

carbonation of cask play an important role, or whether

desires. What I would like to do is to influence those

cask beer dwindles and sits on the periphery of the beer

forces to act in the interest of cask beer.

scene only available in a small number of specialist pubs?

You might, at this point, ask the valid question why we

Ok, at this point you might accept that the market is not entirely working towards what the drinker wants but

should care. Can we not let market forces decide and if

then again, you might ask why we should care about cask

cask beer dies, then let it?

beer?

I would answer that by saying that market forces are

I can only answer that by explaining why I care about

influenced by other factors and not just the drinkers'

cask beer and give you my reasons. I would hope that

interest, such as how the marketing budget is spent by

you might find some agreement with at least some of my

20

December~January 2019

Brewers Journal

d e a r

points here.

Cask beer is unique, but it didn’t use to be. At one point, most of the world’s beer would have been in cask.

However now, for whatever reason, Britain stands pretty much alone in its production of cask beer. Cask beer can rightly claim it is the Beer of Britain.

Cask beer is served at a higher temperature and a lower CO2 than keg beer. It is less processed and this adds up to a flavour profile and mouth-feel that keg cannot match.

The process of producing cask beer involves the landlord and the brewer. It is the beer that cements the relationship between them. Cask beer cannot exist without the pub and the best pubs cannot exist without cask beer. Cask beer influences, and is an indicator of, the standards and values of a pub.

There is a tradition behind cask beer that does not exist in keg beer. Like a lot of people, I have a respect for tradition.

So why are people not flocking to drink cask beer. I will give you some reasons, but firstly I will give you a quote from Pete Brown writing in the Morning Advertiser.

Cask right now is hurting, really badly. It’s in such dire straits that since I stopped writing the Cask Report three years ago, that report no longer gives statistics for cask’s year-on-year performance, because it’s so bad…the reason for this is not the growth of ‘craft keg’ but issues

brewersjournal.info

j o h n

“

Cask beer is unique, but it didn’t use to be. It can rightly claim it is the Beer of Britain with the quality of Cask Ale cellaring and dispense Ask anyone who knows the market as a whole, and they’ll tell you. But here is what I say.

It is not sexy enough. If Americans made cask beer, then brewers around the world would do so too. Just look what they have done for sours! But they cannot because their distribution chains and their pub cellars are not suitable.

Quality is a problem for cask. Too many pints are substandard mainly due to lack of throughput and poor cellar practice. Cask beer is susceptible to misuse precisely because of its lack of processing which is one of its main attributes. Keg has a longer shelf life and greater stability which leads to less input from the landlord.

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If Americans made cask beer then brewers around the world would do so too. Just look what they have done for sours!”

Add the margin improvement and guess which one the landlord likes to sell.

The removal of Trade Quality advisors. When I first

Brewers could afford to invest in new casks and maybe bring back Trade Quality or pay Cask Marque to do it for them. Landlords could afford to spend more time on cask beer and maybe follow the advice from Cask Marque or the Trade Quality Advisor.

It would also improve sales as a consequence of improved quality while also encouraging innovation from the brewers So how do we improve margin. We could try to produce a premium version of cask beer but there are a number of problems with this. However, I will be speaking to several brewers about these problems and looking at possible solutions There is another interested party in all of this, though.

Not the brewer, not the drinker and not the landlord, but her Majesty’s government. The government makes more

came into the industry many breweries employed people

out of cask beer than any other party. So can’t we ask for

to visit pubs check on the beer quality and offer advice

duty relief on cask beer?

to the landlord. Sadly, many have got rid of this position

Here is another interesting fact. A cask beer at 4.1%

sacrificed on the altar of cost cutting. Cask beer needs

ABV pays £78.22 per hl while for cider at 4.1% ABV, you’re

them more than keg beer does.

paying £40.38 per hl.

So what can be done to improve cask beer quality?

Well I think bodies like Cask Marque and CAMRA would be interested in this and are actively trying to improve the

There is roughly 176 pints in a hl so that becomes 44p per pint for beer and for cider, 22p per pint.

So I ask the question, why cask beer can’t be taxed

situation, but they are failing.

like cider? So come on CAMRA, instead of playing around

Why? I think it is because the margin is not there to support extra work to make the beer better. Landlords are so busy now that they spend their time supporting the more profitable parts of their business, and it’s the same with brewers. This is the reason so many brewers do not brew cask.

If you go to any pub in Britain and look at the price list, what do you observe? I see cask as perhaps the cheapest beer and very little price differential between all the cask beers being served with often the strongest cask beer being served cheaper than the weakest lager or cider.

Now, if I tell you that duty is the biggest single cost of any beer or cider then what do you think the margins are on the different beers?

There are a number of points that I can draw from the above. Most beer styles have a premium and a standard version, cask beer struggles to have a premium version.

The margin on non-gas beers is bigger, too.

So what can be done? Could we have a premium version of cask beer or could we just increase the price?

This must be difficult because if we could it would have been done by now.

So what does that leave us? I think the solution lies in improving the margin for the brewer and the landlord. I don’t think dropping the price to encourage drinkers will work; more brewers would just stop making cask.

For me, increasing margin would improve quality.

trying to get one or two pence off all beer, why not try

22

December~January 2019

and get twenty pence off cask beer. Think how that would unite your movement. Would you not get support from SIBA too? What about the great British public? Would they not see the righteousness of your cause?

In the post-Brexit world this is possible, plus the government might just be minded to introduce a popular benefit of Brexit. Those that are now worrying about how much tax the chancellor would be giving up, you’re looking at about one year’s standard increase. Cask beer is only about 9 percent of the total market and therefore 20p off this is about equal to 2p off all beer, something the beer industry asks for every year without any success.

Again, I will try to do something about this. I will be travelling the country talking to drinkers and beer writers about the future of cask beer. If they agree with me that something should be done, then I will try to get this moving. If not, I would reluctantly drop this. The reason being that if I cannot persuade interested parties then how can I persuade the government? Banging your head against the wall has no future.

There is maybe one group that might not support this.

The big brewers.

So why would the bigger brewers support this? Maybe to bask in the warm glow of doing the right thing and we can all reflect that maybe, just maybe, they are human too. Oh and perhaps they should start brewing cask again.

Over to you CAMRA and SIBA. u

Brewers Journal

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Core range vs specials – a retailer’s perspective Having a strong core range is important for the brewer and it's important for those selling it because such a portfolio allows the consumer to build a relationship with the brewery and retailer in question. But special and seasonal beers complement such staples in a very effective way too, explains Jen Ferguson, co-founder of London’s Hop Burns & Black.

by Jen Ferguson

A

dependable signifier of quality as well as an opportunity to drink local and support independent business.

A gateway to move on from macro

C

raft beer still accounts for less than 20 percent of the overall UK beer market, which means the majority of British drinkers are still choosing

macro beers at the bar and in shops. I see core beers as hugely important as a gateway to introduce people to independently brewed and/or craft beers.

Brick Brewery founder Ian Stewart agrees. “An accessible beer and recognisable brand creates a safe

sk any independent retailer and they’ll tell

zone for the macro drinker who has probably read a

you that core beers are the bedrock of their

lot about the craft beer boom but feels it is a little out

business, as "fridge favourites" and party

of reach. They’re probably not going to dive into a 10

beers.

percent pastry stout or funky sour, but they do like the

Even though we stock more than 350

idea of buying local – a beer such as Peckham Pils from

different beers and bring in from 15 to 30+ new beers a

our Foundation range, for example, provides this easy

week, it’s our core brews that drive the volume through

introduction.”

repeat purchases, six-packs and case buys. Our top five best-selling beers each week will almost always be

But one-off specials are important too...

cores from breweries local to our two South East London shops – the likes of Brick Peckham Pils, Gipsy Hill Hepcat, Villages Rafiki and The Kernel Table Beer.

It’s the sign of a great brewery if they can deliver a consistently good quality core range and these core beers are ones that customers return to again and again.

Core beers are important to brewers

F

or us, one off, experimental, limited edition beers are what brings the boys, girls and tickers to the yard. Particularly with our online store, if we can be

the first to list, say, the latest Verdant, Northern Monk or Cloudwater special, we win the day. Our biggest spending customers come for the newbies and rarities and stay for the rest of the catalogue.

I

These big spenders aren't buying huge quantities

’ve been banging on a lot this year about the

of these specials – they’ll likely choose one or two of

importance of independent breweries, which are

each beer before moving on to the rest of the catalogue,

increasingly under threat from the advances of

creating an important halo effect.

‘Big Beer’. For many independent breweries, key to

Most of our best-selling breweries have both a core

their success and survival is being at the heart of their

range and a strong programme of specials. Many started

community.

with a strong, well-loved core range but have seen how

More and more, drinkers want to buy local. Most of us take pride in where we live and provenance plays a key role in our choices at the bar or the bottle shop.

A consistently good core range offers breweries the

the market has changed and evolved accordingly.

Gipsy Hill co-founder Sam McMeekin says: “I remember the days of delivering beer to a bottle shop and having customers buy cases of Beatnik right off my

chance to cement their place in the community. Drinkers

trolley. But we saw the market changing in front of our

look out for their beers as a touchpoint in pubs, as a

eyes, with many craft customers moving to specials as a

brewersjournal.info

December~January 2019

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primary purchase, with core as a filler.

“We developed a line up balanced between specials

breweries.

Cloudwater also famously made its name with an

and core to ensure we can stay up to date with what’s

ever-changing range of specials and seasonals. Recently

wanted by consumers, as well as supporting the indie

though, even it has moved to more of a core approach

shops who are at the coal face of changing hearts and

with its autumn/winter range, with “brewed all season”

minds to craft.”

beers joining the list of one-offs.

Breweries doing both successfully also include the likes of Brick and Northern Monk, which now sell their

I have a new brewery, what should I do?

core ranges in supermarkets while reserving specials for the specialist market. Brick, for example, works on a pricing structure for its core range to ensure indies have a fair price and can continue to provide these much-loved fridge favourites.

Can you only do specials?

A

bove all else, make sure you launch fully formed with consistently good beers. The market is so crowded these days that you’ll likely not get a

second chance if you stuff it up. Don't go chasing a huge schedule of specials until you're certain every one of those beers is going to hit the mark. Get your basics right first – I'd far rather enjoy three rock solid core beers than a

T

here are no hard and fast rules in the wonderful world of beer! Some breweries have done very well without a core range. Newcomer Loka Polly

dozen dodgy one-offs.

In fact, as much as I love drinking in-demand specials and innovative one-offs, there’s no greater joy than when

in Wales, for example, has targeted the craft market

I order a core beer and it's been brewed perfectly. I had

this year by producing a schedule of one-off beers that

a pint of Brick Peckham Pale at our local pub the other

showcase constantly changing duos of hops. In doing

week and it was so good it brought tears to my eyes.

so, it has quickly become one of our most in demand

Never underestimate the power of your core! u

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December~January 2019

Brewers Journal

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Co m m e nt

P ackag i ng

Find your edge Packaging is an integral part of your small pack proposition. Here, Tom Smith, sales director at Advanced Dynamics – a supplier of packaging solutions to the brewing industry – shares his advice culled from the firm’s wide experience in partnering breweries of all sizes.

by Tom Smith

W

hen it comes to the biggest challenges that start-up breweries face, it has to be space. Space, the final frontier… Seriously, it can be a big issue for start-ups in particular.

You may be operating literally out of a converted garage or other cramped premises so it’s about making sure you’re maximising that space to make the business viable.

Meeting turnaround and volume targets can also be a

must be applied correctly so as not to compromise the

bit tricky – especially with a small team. All it needs is for

presentation quality and critical message to consumers,

one colleague – half the workforce in some cases – to be

and at speed to help products get to market quickly. We

off sick and your operation can go to pot. It takes a lot of

know that breweries pride themselves on using traditional

determination, hard work and often investment in reliable,

methods, but facts are facts – as a business gets

compact machinery to make a brewery fly.

established, manual production can rarely keep pace with

We specialise in helping breweries across all areas of their packaging and labelling requirements so the

growing demand.

Thanks to the booming industry breweries need to

questions we’re asked can be really left-field! Probably

look for an edge, something that’s a bit special or unique.

the most obvious one is something like: We’ve hit a

So many times, we hear the sorry tale that there was

plateau, what can we do to boost productivity? And

the germ of a great idea, but it was never progressed

of course the answer will usually depend on where

because of a fear that it wouldn’t be accepted. Take

they’re at in their development. If it’s a start-up labouring

it from us – consumers are crying out for something

with hand-labelling, the obvious solution is a neat little

different and if a brewery will take the chance on moving

desktop-size automatic labeller. If the business has

their idea into mass production, chances are it will take off.

already got a canning or bottling line, they need a decent

Just go for it!

supply partner to work out exactly what step they need to take next to get the best ROI.

Is your brewery doing ok? Well of course you are otherwise you wouldn’t have got this far. Still, we reckon that any brewery worth its salt can benefit from having

To invest or otherwise

a supply partner that can be trusted not just to provide robust, efficient machinery but also the backup, service and support that is not always readily available from

S

Someone else to make you a cuppa? Great idea!

‘world-leading’ machinery providers. You’ve invested a

Or not… We’re all for creating more jobs but the

massive amount of time and effort in your product but

fact is, for a fraction of a year’s wages you can get

it’s useless to you stuck in a vat. That beer is only good

a seriously speedy, really efficient piece of kit that will

if it’s in a can or bottle that a customer can buy, and a

churn out accurately placed labels on bottles or cans at

trustworthy supply partner will ensure that happens come

a far faster rate than even your quickest worker. Labels

rain or shine. u

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December~January 2019

Brewers Journal

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Essential steps for a new craft brewery There is a long, long list of factors to consider when opening up your own brewery. From how you'll tackle marketing and distribution to who will be making the beer you hope to sell. It should come as no surprise that you need to pay all of these issues the upmost attention, explains Susanne Currid from advice firm Business of Drinks.

by SUsanne currid

with your target market. These days craft beer sales are

A

strongly driven by quality, so make sure your beer is

know, brewing excellence is just one ingredient when it

your delivery service. Solicit feedback from a wide range

comes to building a successful business. At The Business

of your target drinkers. Speak to buyers working in the

of Drinks, we’re often asked for advice on the best way

distribution channels you want to target. Ask their opinions

forward when you start out.

and get their feedback too. Don’t be afraid to change

passion for making great beer is often

reaching a consistent good standard. In an increasingly

the first step that convinces enthusiastic

crowded marketplace, it’s also essential that you

amateurs or long-time brewery employees

communicate a distinctive brand story with an image that

to set up on their own. The dream for many

appeals to your drinkers.

is to become master of your own ship and

to create something of value for the longer term.

However, as many Brewers Journal readers will already

From the get-go, I suggest you make an honest appraisal of your experience and skills not just in brewing but also across the key business functions. What are you

Creating a beer proposition that has a combination of unique features will help you to stand out. Test your beers, your design & packaging, your brand story and

things if you get negative feedback! All this information is invaluable when it comes to growing your business.

If you start life as a group of founders, have a full and

competent at and where are your experience blind spots/

frank discussion about roles and expectations. Get some

skills gaps across the following?

advice when you first draft a shareholders agreement as it

This means looking at operations such as production and quality control. Then you have the financials of the business which comprises securing funds, managing

could help you avoid some serious disputes further down the line.

You can also create an opportunity to create an early

cash flow and invoices. Elsewhere, there’s sales and

profit margin boost if you can operate a taproom onsite

marketing to manage, distribution and building your team.

several days a week. We’d suggest you give this idea

Wherever you identify a leadership/management skills or experience gap, decide what you’ll need to do to bridge those missing elements. The longer you ignore this

careful thought before you decide on your ideal brewery location.

When making your first hires, hire for attitude, flexibility

exercise, the slower your speed of growth will tend to be.

and energy first. You can always teach people the skills

You don’t necessarily need to be an expert in all of these

they need. Try and grow the team rather than take the

areas, but it helps to know where you will go for answers

risky approach of buying in experienced people at

when you are stuck on a particular point.

higher cost. Ideally you, the founder/s will have enough

In the early stages, your first focus should be to test the market to ensure your beers are hitting the spot

brewersjournal.info

experience to act as mentors and trainers on the core brewhouse tasks.

December~January 2019

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out

Which end of the market should I aim at?

Decide on what you want to make. The market is big enough for many different styles of beer. The key issue is once again to identify the type of consumer who is going to drink your beer and where do they go to do that.

Most new breweries start by selling locally, it is a known statistic that around 75 percent of craft beer is sold within 40 miles of the brewery. Start there, create a product that people want and like. Do it consistently.

Cask, Can or Keg? This will in many ways depend on where you plan on selling. If your market is more country than town, cask is important.

Country pubs etc tend to take more cask than keg. City dwellers have more esoteric palates and keg sells well. If your aim is to create lots of special beers, you can decide to go keg only.

Identify your market, see what sells in it, then create your versions which should aim to be as good as if not better than your competition.

Should I have a tap room?

More and more breweries are creating, setting up tap rooms. Essentially, they give you three key benefits; u They allow you to sell beer at retail prices, rather than trade u They allow you at first hand to gather market research on new beers and existing beers, seeing what your customers like u They allow you to start building a “Tribe” of fans who will come in useful further down the line when you launch an on-line shop or decide to go crowd funding

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December~January 2019

What size Brewery?

Ideally it would be as a minimum around 10BBL. With a 10BBL mash tun, cold & hot water tanks, a range of FV’s starting initially at 10BBL and possibly going to 20BBl (30 HL) the brewery will be able to produce around 5000HL in a year which is the max for the SBDR. A wellrun brewery should be able to achieve around £1.5M turnover with such a brewery.

Brewers Journal

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When will I make a profit?

What does a successful brewery look like?

There is no standard formula, but generally they fit into the following u Up to £250,000 - Brewing on 10BBL - 5 FV’s - Maybe four people Founder doing sales/brewing Sales if founder is the brewer (maybe cofounder) Brewery support Part time driver u £250,000 to £500,000 - Brewing on 10BBL - 8FVs some 30HL - Five people ♣Founder Dedicated Sales person Brewer Brewery Assistant Driver/Delivery/odd job u £500,000 - £1,000,000 - Brewing 15BBL, upscaled kit - 8 – 10 FV’s - Up to nine people (ideally seven or eight) More sales people More brewery support - Possibly canning line - Possibly part time staff running tap room at weekend

brewersjournal.info

The current numbers would tend to indicate the following u From start up to £250,000 you are unlikely to be able to pay yourself a realistic salary. You might break even if you limit costs, but a profit is unlikely u From £250,000 to £500,000 you gradually move to being able to pay yourself a reasonable salary (not a great one!) As you get towards £500,000 you also should make a small profit (after paying depreciation & interest) u From £500,000 to £1 million you must make a profit, if you manage your costs - Limit your staff numbers at all times - Sweat your asset, don’t invest in big kit (the asset finance people will be happy to lend you the finance – but you have to pay it back!)

- Manage your numbers, use online accounting software such as Xero, get a good accountant, don’t find out your profitability at year end when your accountants do the numbers. You should know month by month your profit - Focus on cash flow. At any one time you will generally be owed around 1.5 x your monthly sales! So you need to create the cash to fund this - Think of price per litre – maximise your price per litre - Cask tends to be around £1.95 a litre - Keg tends to be around £2.80 a litre - Cans around 4.20 a litre u Generally breweries sub £500,000 the cost of sales (The production costs excluding salaries of brewing staff) will be around 52-55% u Above £500,000 the cost of sales moves towards 50%

December~January 2019

33

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H awkshead

M e e t

Th e

B r e w e r

Crafting a legacy in Cumbria While cask production continues to prove to be a point of contention for breweries up and down the land, Hawkshead has shown that flavoursome, quality cask can play an integral role in your business.

With an ambitious expansion now complete, and with head brewer Matt Clarke at the helm, the business is ready to further cement itself as one of the UK’s great modern breweries.

to thank for that.

The New Zealand native who happened upon these shores some 16 years ago, has worked his way up from cask washer in the formative months and years at Hawkshead’s original barn site to head brewer overseeing a new multimillion pound facility that houses a Krones rapid-batch brewhouse. And it’s safe to say that he’s in no mood to look back.

“We’re moving fast, but we’re not an overnight success!” laughs Clarke. “Regardless of how much we physically change as a brewery, the ethos we adopt to what we do remains the same. And that’s to brew great beer, challenge perceptions and not be defined by one

By Tim Sheahan

M

style or another.”

Though he’s too modest to admit it, Clarke has driven much of the growth at Hawkshead. His first recipe,

aybe it’s the way travel opens the eyes

Windemere Pale, is the brewery’s biggest cask seller

and broadens the horizons. Maybe it’s

and had brewers knocking down the door for refills at the

something in the water. Or maybe it’s

company’s recent launch event for its new brewery.

the desire for a bloomin’ good pint in

The old and the new

countries where such a beverage is

hard to come by. But it seems somewhat fitting that Alex Brodie, the now-retired founder of Hawkshead Brewery, started the brewing business in 2002 after calling time on his career as a BBC journalist where he covered troubles in places such as Iran, Pakistan and Jerusalem.

It’s fitting because some 18 years prior, and 3,500 miles away over in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, one Steve Hindy had just returned a five and a half-year tour as the Middle

T

he 3.5% Pale Ale is bursting with hop flavour from the signature hop - Citra, and is brewed with soft Lakeland water, Maris Otter malted barley and

whole cone hops. It also has more awards to its name than most breweries have released beers in their lifetime.

And on one recent visit, Wayne Wambles, brewmaster

East Correspondent for the Associated Press, where

at Tampa, Florida’s Cigar City Brewing made a confession

he had covered wars and assassinations in Iran, Iraq,

to Clarke.

Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Sudan.

Four years later Hindy would go on to help found

“Matt, I’ve been thinking about this for a while,” he told him. “You’ve got the old brewery, and you have the new

Brooklyn Brewery and much like Hawkshead, it’s a

brewery. It’s my ambition to pour a Windermere Pale from

brewery that has made it’s name from creating beers

each, sit down, and analyse just how far you’ve come with

with subtlety, nuance and flavour, all underpinned by

the beer from each brewhouse.”

consistency. But both breweries can also ramp things up

So while beers such as Windermere Pale resonate

when they want, and they’re not afraid to throw out all the

with seasoned brewers and drinkers alike, Clarke has

stops to make the beers they want.

broadened the brewery’s portfolio with a diverse range of

The ability to tread that fine balance between sessionstrength cask beers and heavy-hitting kegged stouts laced with desert flavours, is an art form.

And at Hawkshead, they have head brewer Matt Clarke

brewersjournal.info

beers such as its coveted Tiramisu Imperial Stout, a 10% beer brewed with the aforementioned Cigar City.

Elsewhere, Imperial Flump King is another 10% number with prominent marshmallow flavouring while Key Lime

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Tau has become a successful mainstay in the annual release calendar of modern beer.

First brewed in collaboration with Crooked Stave (USA) for the 2015 International Rainbow Project, it’s a kettlesoured, lactose infused Golden Ale brewed with fresh lime zest and lemon grass to taste biscuity and strongly of lime.

The beer was christened Key Lime Tau because of the doubling up. A collaboration between two brewers, has been brewed on both sides of the Atlantic and mathematically Tau is 2 x Pi (3.142) or τ = 2π, which is also the strength - 6.28%. Got it?

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Clarke may have tried to turn the tides at Hawkshead, pushing modern styles to complement their popular mainstays. But it’s not that simple.

“I'll tell you what, if it was left to Alex he would have chucked out all the traditional stuff a while ago,” Clarke smiles. “I like the appeal of those classic brewing styles.

Those products are still in strong growth, while other people are ignoring them.”

He adds: “Sure, you won't win overnight glory with them, nor will you be the coolest Kid On The Block for banging out a session bitter but for me, that makes you very cool indeed.”

Passion for cask

B

eers of all styles, destined for all dispense methods, are produced at Hawkshead, But it’s cask beer where Clarke’s true passion lies. And

like many brewers, he’s concerned with what he sees happening across the beer landscape.

“We are still 65% cask, which is somewhat unusual for a modern brewery. And it’s not a case of that all being sold locally, either,” he explains. “The lakes bring in a great deal of tourism, but that doesn’t correlate with strong sales for our cask. We probably cost more for these pubs to buy in, so there’s a reluctance to opt for Hawkshead. Especially when those pubs are catering for a lot of one-off custom, it’s easier to go for the cheaper option and move on.”

Clarke adds: “That aside, you need to treat cask like everything else, and that’s with attention and respect. Too many people have seen cask as a low GP commodity so in turn, they’ve devoted less energy when it comes the time producing it and the quality of ingredients.

“Achieving consistency in cask beer is bloody hard, but not enough people are trying. Look, I can knock out Double IPAs everyday and not hear one complaint but if one batch of Windermere Pale is slightly off spec, I’ll know about that within hours!”

There are a number of UK breweries that command the price they want for cask. It’s perhaps unsurprising then

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H awkshead

that this leads into positive consumer perception towards these beers. They're more likely to be looked after, well cellared and sold in an efficient manner.

But those dropping their prices to push cask beer volumes out, are not helping themselves and its damaging the wider reputation of cask, Clarke believes.

“Once you drop your price you can't bring it back up,” he explains. “This problem happened a long time ago and cask prices have dropped or remained stagnant, while keg beer has only increased.”

He adds: “Yes, people bang on about extra processing with kegs and other associated costs. But really, in an age of one-way kegs, non filtration and turbid beer? I’m not buying it.

“Then you look at cask. Managing a cask population, washing them, reclaiming them, filling them. The cost of cask beer does not reflect the work that has gone into that beer. People dial in a processing cost to keg but not cask. That’s not right.”

So when it comes to selling to customers such as J.D Wetherspoons, Clarke is proud that Hawkshead common the price they set. If a pub wants Windermere Pale on cask, they pay the going rate and then, only then, they sell it for price they want.

“Not everyone can, or will, do that. I hear some crazy prices being offered by breweries. It’s scary,” he adds.

Hawkshead is sticking to its guns, and it is paying off.

M e e t

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You need to treat cask like everything else, and that’s with attention and respect Matt Clarke, Hawkshead Brewery

Wych Elm.

In Iran, it was Heineken from a tea pot. In Pakistan, he

had to register as a Christian to get beer from the Murree Brewery. In Mexico City, Dos Equis hit the spot. The USA, meant Sam Adams Boston Lager. And when home in the UK in The Lake District, fell walks would be contrived to end with pints of session Bitter from Cumbria's first micro, Yates. It’s no surprise Hawkshead would be a success when you’re a true beer fan at heart.

In 2006, the brewery relocated to the Mill Yard, beside

the River Kent at Staveley, brewing on a new 20 barrel brewhouse and a brewery tap - The Beer Hall - was

While its mission statement towards the beers it produces

built. It was around this time that a change in brewing

remains the same, the environs those beers are brewed

personnel saw Clarke thrust into the role of head brewer,

in have changed significantly since Brodie started the

picking up the pieces from where the previous brewer left

business back in 2002.

off. It gave new meaning to learning on the job, but Clarke took it in his stride and running the current site is just

Steady growth

reward for the graft put in over those years.

However the opening of its new facility in 2018 was

T

preceded by another milestone in the brewery’s story, the

he brewery began life 16 years ago, in a barn just

acquisition of majority stake in the business by the UK’s

outside the village of Hawkshead in the English

largest independent drinks company, Halewood Wines &

Lake District. Brewing on a 7 barrel second hand

Spirits.

kit, it was creating highly hopped cask beers, in an

The deal, announced in March 2017, enabled the build

unsaturated craft beer scene. Brodie was hopping his

of the new brewery, increased production and the ability

Golden Ale with Cascade and the Porter with Bramling

to gain new routes to market. Halewood also entered the

Cross, and nobody was going to tell him otherwise.

UK brewing industry as a result.

Brodie grew up in East Yorkshire in the 1960s drinking

Speaking at the time, Brodie said: “Demand for our

John Smith's cask bitter right up until the day crazed keg

beers exceeds our ability to supply. We have gone

marketeers stripped out the hand pulls. He drank Morrells

about as far as we can on our own. This partnership with

at university, and served fizzy beer in London bars in the

Halewood will allow us to grow and fulfil our potential.”

early 70s, whilst seeking out Courage Directors.

He joyfully imbibed King and Barnes, Shepherd

“I am convinced that Halewood share our values,” he said. “We have had a long negotiation and I believe that

Neame and Harveys, in Kent, where, in 1973, he joined

this deal gives Hawkshead a way of getting significant

CAMRA. In the Midlands, the Davenports wagon delivered

investment without being absorbed into ‘big beer.’

"beer at home". In Cardiff, even late night bars served

Halewood sees small, craft and premium as the future.

Brains S.A. The flat in Wandsworth didn't have a sitting

And they are Northern. I like that.”

room - that was round the corner in the Youngs brewery tap, and in South West London, the local was Fullers'

brewersjournal.info

Halewood’s chief executive Stewart Hainsworth also added: “Hawkshead Brewery will continue to operate

December~January 2019

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H awkshead

independently of the Halewood Group, under Alex’s leadership, with Halewood as its main distributor and

and Western Europe, the Americas and Asia.

The company’s existing brewery at Staveley is

investor. Hawkshead brews great beers. We are delighted

continuing production, concentrating on small batch

to help them carry on doing what they are so passionate

specialist and limited edition beers. It currently produces

about.”

7,000 barrels (11,500 Hectolitres) per year.

With that deal signed and sealed Hawkshead opened

Going forward in to 2019 and beyond, head brewer

the new Flookburgh site in 2018, a move that trebled

Clarke has a lot of weapons in his armoury, and a great

its annual production capacity. The centrepiece of this

team to work alongside. Not bad for a New Zealander

is a Krones turn-key 40 barrel (6,500 litre) rapid-batch

who only came over to the UK for a holiday 16 years ago.

brewhouse, capable of multiple brews per day.

The kit can initially produce up to 240 beer barrels

“I’m not one for global domination. I’m a safe person and like it that way,” he explains. “I like to make people

(8,640 gallons or 69,000 pints) of beer each week, with

happy through beer. So whether that’s a session pale on

this set to increase as it gears up to export its Hawkshead

cask or an Imperial Stout on keg, if you’re enjoying it, well

Lager and Hawkshead Windermere Pale across Eastern

then I’m happy too.” u

42

December~January 2019

Brewers Journal

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20/11/2018 10:41:49

b r e w e ry

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brewery

EmbracE the opportunity Brixton Brewery has done a great job of placing South London on the brewing map since starting out in 2013. But a life-changing approach from Heineken has allowed the team to accelerate their growth plans, employ more staff and increase the brewery’s visibility. And they’re just getting started, reports Tim Sheahan.

was balancing the endless commitments that comes with such territory.

It was a moment that is both a distant memory, yet one I recall vividly.

Fast-forward more than 18 months and Galaun is in attendance at the inaugural Brewers Congress 2017, an educational event organised by this very publication. Talks were delivered on areas such as branding, the barriers to growth, as well as the exciting opportunities that are out there for breweries.

The following day, Brixton Brewery announced the biggest news in its short history. That it had partnered with

by Tim Sheahan

Heineken UK in a deal that would enable the business to open a second site in Brixton, boost capacity nearly

A

tenfold from its 3,000hl site to up to 30,000hl, and

year can be a long time, and it can also fly by. At times, it can feel like both.

I first met Jez Galaun, co-founder of

significantly grow its team as a result.

One year on, Galaun and Brixton Brewery, co-founded

by Libby Galaun, Mike Ross and Xochitl Benjamin, are

Brixton Brewery, back in 2016. Dressed

looking very much at ease in their new home. But they

head to toe in brewing overalls, he was

know this is just the beginning.

under the cosh, balancing half a dozen different tasks

“It was surreal and somewhat strange being in a room

while also overseeing a brew at the company’s railway

with all of our peers without anyone knowing,” explains

arch brewery.

Galaun. “The year that has followed was crazy, if I’m

The South London site – just a stone’s throw from the frenetic, melting-pot high road that connects Brixton

honest. Building a new brewery feels like starting again."

He adds: "We’ve had much to learn and we want to go

Road and Brixton Hill – was full to the brim. This was the

as fast as we can, but we’re particularly conscious of the

sign of a business enjoying steady growth, but one that

pressure that would put on us as a team. So we’re simply

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trying to build things up step by step.”

And that’s exactly the approach they’ve taken. The new brewhouse, manufactured by Gravity Systems, has produced in excess of 50 batches since it was commissioned earlier this year. The brewery also has a sales team for the first time in its five-year history.

The imminent appointment of new sales person complements a sales manager and brewery ambassador, tasked with winning new business outside of the brewery’s South London home where much of its beer has traditionally been sold.

“London is a big market and to make a mark, you are going to wear out a lot of shoe leather,” says Galaun. “Until we moved into this brewery, we focused a lot on small pack as it helped us get our beer out there. When you’ve only got a little bit of beer to sell, you focus on the smaller containers. We can change that now."

Fifty percent of their beer produced at the brewery’s old – and still operational – site at Arch 547 on Brixton Station Road went into bottle, while the remainder was split between cask and keg. Since the move, close to 70 percent of the beer Brixton Brewery produces goes into keg while the rest is canned and bottled.

“We really want to make our canning line sweat in 2019,” he says.

The scale and scope of Brixton Brewery’s new facility

brewery

b r e w e ry

to u r

We outlined our vision for the business and that was something they wanted to get behind Xochitl Benjamin, Brixton Brewery.

levels, it hasn’t engaged in much hand-holding as Galaun and the team grow into their new brewery.

“They don't brew on this scale or produce the style

of beers we brew. But they've helped in terms of project management and getting the brewery up-and-running,” he says. “What’s also been valuable is the way they’ve helped in getting the kit in the right place, not just for our needs today, but in five-years time.”

For Galaun, the new site has a logical flow with raw

materials coming in one end, going into the brewhouse, then fermentation, before packaging and warehousing.

This setup has allowed the team to reach their production

is impressive, but there is still much room to grow into, as

goals for 2018, which is producing close to double the

well. New FV tanks will arrive in the new year while the

3,000hl capacity its arch site is capable of.

bottling line, currently operational at its older site, will be

At its maximum, the new setup could produce

moved into the new brewery so to bring all packaging

30,000hl per annum, but Gallaun sees such output as a

under one roof.

way off yet.

This methodical approach follows months of getting to

“This facility is big enough to hold tanks to produce

grips with the company’s new brewhouse. Such a jump

such volumes, but that’s a lot of brews each week on a

has been exciting for the team, but it’s not without its

brewhouse that isn’t automated. We wanted it that way.

challenges, too.

We wanted that manual level of control and intervention

“We’ve wanted, and needed, to take time to

we had on our old system,” he says. “Other brewhouses

understand the different efficiencies this new kit offers.

were more automated, more suited to brewing multiple

Whether that’s how we extract sugars from the malt, or

times a day.”

the flavour and bitterness from the hops,” says Galaun.

What Brixton Brewery did specify though was a

“We also need to make sure that we are getting the right

whirlpool, with Heineken recommending a three degree

yield from the equipment, because that doesn’t simply

slope on such a system.

happen straightway.

“When we started brewing at the new brewhouse,

“Like anything else, they didn’t recommend kit we should buy, they just sanity checked things and ensured

we were getting the flavour we wanted but not the right

each supplier was providing us quality equipment,” he

amount of beer. So we had to adjust things by increasing

adds.

the amount of wort we were casting from the brewhouse to the fermenters.

“With that, the flavour changes so you’ve got to dial

The addition of a canning line was a big move for Brixton Brewery, kit that has perhaps unsurprisingly been specified with the ability to fill 440ml cans when required.

things back in with the amount of dry hop. It has taken

This is something that will see the light of day in 2019, with

quite a few brews of each recipe to say ‘ok we’re happy’

Galaun identifying lager and “hazy, hoppy beers” likely to

with this flavour profile and the amount of beer we’ve

be distributed in such vessels.

produced. That has been an interesting experience and not something we have had to do before," he says.

While Heineken has offered its expertise at many

brewersjournal.info

While Brixton Brewery always planned to grow, expand and invest in new kit, the Heineken partnership enabled the team to accelerate such plans.

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the best beer we can. We want to place Brixton on the map for great beer. That’s not something we felt we could do as well in the old site when it comes to the level of quality control and analysis. But we can, now.”

Galaun is enthused with the beer the brewery is producing, noting a stable wort heated by its steam system. Packaging quality has experienced an uplift too, with lower dissolved oxygen levels being achieved in

We were fortunate to find a path to allow us to carry on with our journey, and there's a lot of breweries looking for that same next step Jez Galaun, Brixton Brewery

the three canned beers it produces: Reliance Pale Ale, Atlantic A.P.A and Low Voltage Session IPA. The brewery’s co-founder is also positive about the impact the tie-up will have on the team as a whole.

“We want to give our staff the opportunity to grow as professionals but also improve their quality of life, too.

Brewing and living in London can be tough, and you have

They’ve never looked back.

to be very passionate about what you do. We want to

“It was serendipity, I suppose,” says Galaun. "We had

ensure our staff can grow with us, in work and outside of

long reached maximum capacity in the Brixton arch.

There was no way we could add any more fermenters!”

With that, the company identified an 8,000sqft site

located on Brixton Hill, half the size of the site they now have. However that site came off the market and at the

it,” she says.

A positive working environment will also pay dividends for Brixton Brewery as it further grows into its new home, and its relationship with Heineken evolves, too.

The brewery’s beer has already made it to around 15

same time, late 2016, they received an approach from

of the multinational’s Star Pubs and Bar estate, a number

Heineken.

that will only grow in time. But for now, the focus is still

“They emailed out of the blue to tell us that they liked

what we were doing, their desire to talk and to discuss how we could work together. It was to the point,” he

firmly rooted on developing direct relationships across London, fulfilled by the brewery’s sole trusty delivery van.

You get the impression that such an approach suits Galaun and the team, while they continue to get to grips

explains.

Galaun says he and the team were “humbled” that such as business had noticed what they were doing on a relatively local, modest level.

“You don’t get that type of email every day, and we’re

with Brixton Brewery 2.0.

“The task of setting up a new brewery is almost like starting a business all over again and it is very, very intense. We've been fortunate that we've had help and

an open-minded bunch so it made obvious sense to

project management advice, so I have massive respect

agree to talk,” he says.

for those that make that journey alone,” he says.

“And we made them come and brew with us!” laughs

Galaun adds: “I think that we've taken a quantum leap

co-founder Xochitl Benjamin. “We outlined our vision for

going from a small 10 hectolitre railway arch setup to a 50

the business and that was something they wanted to

hectolitre 15,000sqft facility.

get behind. We don’t think this current setup would have

“Then away from production, we’ve had to really think

been achievable for us if we had used crowdfunding or

a lot more about our brand, what it means to us and what

similar."

message we want it to convey. You spend a lot of time

These discussions continued for 12 months until

thinking about that when you’re supplying locally, but that

Brixton Brewery announced the deal in November 2017.

ramps up incredibly when your beer is reaching a wider

And the team remain heartened by the response to news.

audience.”

“We had a lot of people congratulate us, acknowledge

And reaching a wider audience will become more

the hard work we had put in and tell us it was a great

commonplace for Galaun, Benjamin and the Brixton

opportunity for us and our beers,” recalls Galaun. “That

Brewery team in 2019 and beyond.

meant a lot."

Concentrating on producing a quality core range of

He adds: “A lot of breweries in our position know how

beers remains the priority, while the older site will enable

hard it is to grow in London when it comes to identifying

production of more seasonal and experimental beers and

suitable space. We were fortunate to find a path to allow

offer up a stronger taproom experience in due course.

us to carry on with our journey; there's a lot of breweries

“We want our beer in more places than ever before.

looking for that same next step. They could relate to us

But not at the compromise of quality, either,” says Galaun.

and the opportunity we were given.

“We want more people discovering what we do, enjoying

“For us, much of this partnership is about us making

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it, and associating Brixton with great beer.” u

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Industry converges for Brewers Congress Craft beer’s place in the wider drinking spectrum, best practices for cleaning in place, the secrets behind brewing a quality cask beer and the benefits of collaborating with industry peers were all on the agenda at the second Brewers Congress in London last month.

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and that “there is no hiding place in cask beer”.

He shared some of the guidelines the Keighley brewery follows in cask production, namely no adjuncts, no enzymes, no hop pellets, no filtration or centrifugation.

Closing this session, Georgina Young, head brewer at Fuller’s, spoke passionately on collaborations, and what brewers old and new, big and small, can take away from them.

Through her experience working with breweries of all

he Brewers Congress, organised by The

sizes at Fuller’s, Young made it clear that when it comes

Brewers Journal, returned to the venerable

to collaborations, both brewers are equal.

surroundings of The Institution of Civil

“There is no master and pupil,” she added.

Engineers in Westminster, London for a

Chairing the panel discussions throughout the day was

day of education, knowledge-sharing and

networking.

John Keeling, Young’s predecessor at Fuller’s and a figure with more than 40 years’ experience in brewing. Sam

300 professionals from across the brewing industry

McMeekin, co-founder of London’s Gipsy Hill Brewing,

spectrum attended to take in talks from speakers such

joined this panel, sharing his experience and advice of

as Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver, Fuller’s

working with other breweries through collaboration, while

head brewer Georgina Young and Cicerone founder Ray

also focusing on growing your own operation.

The second session of the day placed the spotlight

Daniels.

In addition, 20 exhibitors from the world of yeast, brewhouse manufacturing, training, malt, glass, bottling and more were on hand during the day to engage with customers both old and new.

Following introductions from Velo Mitrovich, host of the new Brewers Journal Podcast and Tim Sheahan, editor of The Brewers Journal, Brooklyn Brewery’s Oliver kicked off with a confident message, stressing that brewers need to “know their religion” and what they stand for when it comes to the beers they make.

“Decide who you are and who you want to be. Success

firmly on beer styles, with some of the most respected figures in their fields taking to the stage.

Mike Marcus, founder of Manchester’s Chorlton Brewing Company and Ulrike Genz, founder of Schneeeule Berlin, delivered a joint talk that allowed both brewers to outline their approach to beer production.

Genz, who makes excellent Berliner Weiße, presented a passionate defence of the style.

“What is not a traditional Berliner Weiße? Beer with fruits and not brewed in Berlin,” she told the audience.

Chorlton’s Marcus explained his brewery’s approach to

is becoming the person you always claim to be in public,”

brewing accessible sour beers such as Mango Sour and

he told the packed Telford Theatre.

Strawberry Sour, as well as their exciting plans to open up

He also put paid to the idea that craft beer could still be considered something of a fad, or a recent trend.

“Craft beer is not a trend or a fad, however it is a return to normality,” he explained.

Following Oliver in the day’s first session was Andy Leman, head brewer at Yorkshire’s Timothy Taylor’s.

a Lambic brewery in the foreseeable future.

Colin Stronge, production manager at Northern Monk followed with an engaging look at the art of dark beer. A brewer with a proven track record of producing some of the best dark beers going, Stronge extolled the virtues of the need for depth and “big, round flavours” in your beer.

Concluding the session was Chris Pilkington, head

Cask and craft - One of the same

brewer at Estonia’s Põhjala Brewery. Põhjala have made their name from heavy-hitting dark beers as well as delicate releases crafted with locally foraged ingredients.

A

t a time where the brewery’s flagship Landlord

But at the Brewers Congress, Pilkington shared his

beer remains as popular as any current modern

expertise on barrel ageing.

release, Leman told the room some harsh truths

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December~January 2019

While he acknowledged the financial risk involved, he

Brewers Journal

b r e w e r s

co n g r e s s

rev i ew

said such exercises are about “testing your mettle”.

“Barrel ageing is about experimenting, about learning and releasing something you’re proud of,” he added.

Joining the panel discussion was Jen Ferguson, co-

Starting the second half of the Brewers Congress, and a session on training and standards, was Ray Daniels, founder of the Cicerone Certification Program.

In his talk on unwanted flavours, and how to avoid

founder of London bottle shop Hop Burns & Black, who

them, Daniels implored the room to acknowledge when

told John Keeling her thoughts on the importance of a

they’ve made a bad beer, and that there’s nothing wrong

core range of beer.

with that. But what is important, he said, is the ability to

“It’s the sign of a great brewery if they can deliver a consistently good quality core range and these core beers are ones that customers return to again and again,”

recognise a bad beer and work out a solution.

“Learn, train, practice, test and refresh,” he told us.

Daniels’ talk was followed by an extensive overview of fermenter CIP by Pete Lengyel, co-founder of Brooklyn’s

she explained.

Kings County Brewers Collective (KCBC).

Best in class beer

As many a nervy brewer in the room exchanged glances at the the comprehensive nature of his regime, Lengyel showcased how other brewers can follow suit to

A

s the Brewers Congress broke for lunch and its first beer session of the day, attendees were

ensure exemplary fermenter hygiene.

Concluding the penultimate session, Dr Keith Thomas,

greeted with beers as diverse as Timothy Taylor’s

founder of training and analytical business Brewlab,

Landlord on cask, a Smoked Apple Sour from Chorlton, a

lectured on microbiology, focusing on how modern

peated Barrel Aged Buckwheat Porter from Põhjala and

techniques can tell us the hazard areas and organisms to

an Imperial Stout collaboration from Northern Monk and

look out for.

Old Chimney's.

A massive thank you to Brewster's Brewery, Brixton

In a hotly debated panel discussion joined by Robert Percival, regional sales manager for Europe at Lallemand

Brewery, By The Horns Brewing Co, Cassels & Sons,

and Dr Nigel Davies, technical and sustainability director

Chorlton Brewing Company, Dhillon’s, Donzoko, Five

at Muntons, John Keeling asked how we can educate

Points, Gipsy Hill, Goose Island, Infinite Session, London

people more on detecting off flavours.

Brewing Co, London Fields Brewery, Mondo, Northern Monk, Põhjala and Timothy Taylor’s.

52

December~January 2019

“Off flavours are unpleasant and they detract from enjoyment. We need people to learn. I’ve wanted to take

Brewers Journal

rev i ew

b r e w e r s

co n g r e s s

beers back, but know the bartender won’t know what’s

on scaling up production, and the pitfalls to avoid, telling

wrong,” lamented KCBC’s Lengyel.

attendees to “become better, not just bigger.”

Dr Davies added: “We need to look at positives as

“I believe in professional development and investing

well as negatives when it comes to flavour. If we did

in people. There also needs to be room for people to

more tasting rather than just analysing the heck out of

climb a ladder within a company. You’re not going to run

everything we might understand more.”

a healthy organisation with a lot of people on £20k,” she added.

Quality, consistency and growth

Contributing to the final panel discussion, Camden Town Brewery head brewer Rob Topham gave an insight

A

s attendees enjoyed more of the great beer on offer during the event’s final break, they were also treated to excellent pitta chips from Sophie

and the team at Soffle’s. These were expertly paired with houmous from ChicP. Elsewhere, Billy Frank’s Jerky

into his experience as a brewer working at a high-growth business.

“Some companies can use crowdfunding as advertising. If you’re not managing growth effectively then it isn’t going to work. We had a plan,” he explained.

While many of the attendees headed to Vauxhall’s

thanks to Will Yates, wowed attendees with innovative

Mother Kelly’s to continue the discussions started that

concoctions such as Double IPA and Oatmeal Stout.

day, planning is already underway for the next Brewers

In the day’s final session, Sophie de Ronde, head brewer at Suffolk’s Burnt Mill Brewery looked at the challenge of achieving and maintaining consistency in your beer, receiving rapturous applause for her dialogue between brewing and sales.

Congress. Details of this event will be announced in due course.

Until then, thanks to all of the speakers and attendees that helped make 2018 a success.

And also, to the fantastic sponsors and exhibitors that

“When we say a beer is not ready, it’s not ready,” she

took part: Lallemand, QCL, Muntons, SSV Limited, ACO

explained. “Don’t ask a brewer if it can be rushed. It isn’t

Building Drainage, Bruni Erben, Cara Technology, Cask

coming out of the tank until it’s ready. The beer has got to

Global Canning, Cicerone, Enterprise Tondelli, Fermentis,

be right, always. That’s our reputation.”

Gravity Systems, Johnson Brewing Design, Moorgate

And Jenn Merrick, brewing consultant and founder of new London brewery Earth Station, shared her expertise

brewersjournal.info

Finance, Moravek, Murphy and Son, Portman Group, Rastal, Rankin and ThemThatCan. u

December~January 2019

53

s e c to r

f i ltrat i on

Focus on Filtration

St Austell invested in Pentair’s 60 hl/h BMF + Flux Compact S4 earlier this year to replace a Diatomaceous Earth (Kieselguhr) filter. Here, the Cornwall brewery helps outline a number of benefits it’s experienced since leveraging such technology

Under the leadership of brewing director Roger Ryman, St Austell’s growth is being powered by a number of increasing popular beers launched since his arrival in 1999. Tribute, a characterful premium ale, was the first to gain prominence in the brand portfolio. It has been joined recently by Proper Job, a session strength IPA with oodles of citrus hop character.

And then there’s Korev, St Austell’s own lager brand launched in 2009 that has achieved the near impossible,

by Tim Sheahan

T

gaining sales against lagers backed by the considerable marketing spends of multinational brewers.

St Austell has also distinguished itself from its regional

o those unfamiliar with the venerable

family peer group by acquiring a near-by craft operation,

brewery that is St Austell, it’s a business

Bath Ales, in 2016, subsequently announcing plans

founded in 1851 that has prospered ever

for a greenfield 60,000 hectolitre brewery that began

since.

production in May 2018.

As it approached its 150th anniversary in

Currently at St Austell the brewery is producing

2001, St Austell remained a dedicated purveyor of cask

130,000 barrels (213,000hl) annually on a 24/5 shift

ale, brewing three times a week and producing around

pattern. While cask ale still accounts for 50% of volumes,

16,000 barrels (26,200 hectolitres) annually. And it was a

keg (17%) and bottled beers (30%) are driving growth, with

largely un-automated brewery, one dependent on the

cans starting to enter the mix.

variability of manual processes.

Today, almost 20 years later, the story has played forward at pace. St Austell has kept up with the accelerating trends in the brewing industry – and in many ways surpassed them.

54

December~January 2019

None of this would have been possible without investing in the brewery and, when possible, preferring the latest in brewing technology.

For St Austell high on their must have list was membrane filtration. It had been on Ryman’s radar for

Brewers Journal

F i ltrat i on

“

s e c to r

Moving to BMF eliminated the ofttimes messy requirements for handling powder and the environmental impact and costs of disposing of DE powder Roger Ryman, St Austell

product quality.

“Iron pickup has always been a risk with filter pads,”

he explains. “We’re not getting that; we just think that the beer is cleaner and has a better stability in pack as a result of the move to the membrane.”

Beer membrane filtration is already credited with

improving the shelf life of St Austell’s beers. The brewery’s

some time, with neighbouring cider makers making use of the technology for years.

In 2017, Pentair brought to market a BMF range with

taste panel is of the opinion that there’s a noticeable difference in flavour stability.

“Dissolved oxygen control is critical,” elaborates

hourly capacities between 60 - 85 hectolitres designed

Ryman. “We could achieve good DO control with the

for brewers with annual outputs as low as 10,000 hl up to

DE filter but it was highly manual and therefore anything

120,000 hl.

that is manual has potential to be variable, a little bit of

Ryman said: “As soon as we saw that this was a viable option for us it was something that we were very keen to do.”

Following trials, in early 2018 Pentair’s 60 hl/h BMF + Flux Compact S4 came into service.

For Ryman there are broadly three areas in which membrane filtration benefits – environmentally, with a

operational procedure dependent. Now we have greater consistency of DO control.”

There’s also been a noticeable reduction in beer losses from filtration. Ryman estimates the gain at between 1-2%, a considerable advantage given the volumes being processed.

More than this, BMF is providing considerable process

move away from DE filtration; improved product quality;

gains, both operationally and financially, immediately

and accruing process savings, in terms of reduced inputs

upstream and downstream.

and operational gains.

Membrane filtration replaced St Austell’s use of a

With DE filtration St Austell has been using a centrifuge, which meant operating a two-tank system.

Diatomaceous Earth (Kieselguhr) filter, in so doing offering

BMF made it possible to eliminate use of the centrifuge

immediate environmental improvement.

and move to a unitank system, resulting in reductions in

As Ryman highlights: “It is about health and safety.

Powder is not nice stuff, as we know.” Moving to BMF eliminated the oft-times messy requirements for handling

processing time, CIP and CO2 consumption, with the CO2 having been used to displace tanks on transfer.

“This was the big one on the return in investment,” says

powder and the environmental impact and costs of

Ryman. “The energy costs of running a centrifuge are

disposing of DE powder.

considerable.”

What’s interesting, here, though is that in moving away from DE in Ryman’s thinking that there is a direct gain in

brewersjournal.info

With St Austell not pasteurising its kegged and bottled beers, use of Pentair’s BMF has also resulted in

December~January 2019

55

s e c to r

f i ltrat i on

substantial gains in final filtration.

“One of the big advantages that we have seen with the crossflow is an improvement in the life of those cartridges, almost double in fact,” reports Ryman. “So we were typically getting maybe five to eight thousand hectolitres through a set of cartridges. Now it’s roughly twice what we’ve done previously.”

There was one other factor that figured significantly in St Austell’s opting for Pentair’s compact BMF solution.

Pentair offers a leasing option, where the brewer pays a set fee for each hectolitre of beer filtered, thus providing calculable cost certainty and a reduced capital expenditure requirement.

“Leasing the membranes was extremely helpful from our return on investment determination for the project,” says Ryman. “The membranes have a life of two years but leasing just takes the risk out. It gives us a known cost so it just means that we can be more specific in understanding where the savings are going to come from.”

“

One of the big advantages that we have seen with the crossflow is an improvement in the life of those cartridges, almost double in fact Roger Ryman, St Austell

and support we’ve been thoroughly backed up by Pentair.”

An area of further co-operation is potentially a CO2

recovery system. Recent CO2 shortages in the United Kingdom have highlighted St Austell’s geographic

St Austell’s partnership with Pentair originated well before its interest in membrane filtration, dating more than ten years when the first of what were to become many Südmo valves were installed.

Ryman recalls, “When I joined the business there were no automated valves in the brewery at all. Everything was

vulnerability. Along with the attractiveness of selfsufficiency there’s also an environmental gain, with the amount of CO2 recaptured from fermentation equivalent to the requirements of the packaging line.

More immediately, St Austell has been so impressed

with the results of beer membrane filtration that it has

with manually controlled valves. So, gradually as we’ve

acquired a second identical Pentair system for its new

automated the process, we needed to have automatic

brewery in Bath. It was an easy decision to make.

valves control the processes and our valve of choice has been Südmo.

“Genuinely they are good solid valves that require minimum maintenance but certainly in terms of spares

56

December~January 2019

“Well, we bought one and then we bought a second one so I think we recommended it to ourselves,” says Ryman. “I’ve believed for a number of years that membrane filtration is the way forward.” u

Brewers Journal

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D i astat i cus

s c i e n c e

Diastaticus yeasts and their role in your beer Diastaticus yeasts can be used to produce complex and interesting beers, and Saison style beers are the perfect case in point. But we also have a responsibility as producers and consumers to take these yeasts seriously and to handle them appropriately, explains Robert Percival, regional sales manager for Europe at Lallemand Brewing

by robert percival

I

t seems a life time ago now but “The summer of

Saison flavour wheel

Saison” hailed the revival of a much loved and mysterious beer style, and arguably Saison style beers have been a staple favourite of the modern craft beer sector since, albeit a relatively specialist

niche style. Indeed, Saison style beers are certainly nothing new. On the contrary, this historical beer style has been brewed for centuries.

Originally hailing from French-Belgian border regions (Wallonia in particular) this simple and thirst quenching farmhouse beer style was brewed in the winter months and consumed by sated seasonal farm workers (“Saisonniers”) toiling away in the height of the summer, what could be more refreshing? Traditionally, the recipe

Wallonia: The birthplace of Saison

composition of these beers has been quite simple (see overleaf for an example recipe with a modern twist). Simple

arts of fermentation. In this regard Saison yeasts, largely

grist and modest flavourings (with hops and/or spices)

defined by their high attenuation, are classified as

make way for the centre piece of the beer; the yeast.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus. The ability to

Saison yeasts are revered for their complex aromatic and flavour qualities, offering something unique and complex; citrusy esters balanced with spicy peppery

ferment dextrins and starch not fermentable by other brewing strains presents a quality control challenge.

Cross contamination with Diastaticus yeasts (not

notes and typical phenols we have come to associate

necessarily saison style yeasts) have certainly been

with Belgium in particular. They are top fermenting yeasts

making the headlines in recent times with some notable

that have high temperature tolerance and can be brewed

lawsuits ongoing in the US as well as a number of high

in ranges as extreme as 15-35C.

profile and public product recalls closer to home in the

As our collective understanding of yeasts has advanced, so too has our appreciation for the darker

brewersjournal.info

UK in 2018, so very much a relevant and timely topic to focus on. Once of the most serious threats that Diastaticus

December~January 2019

59

s c i e n c e

D i astat i cus

Mechanism of amylase activity α-Amylases Amyloglucosidases

Amyloglucosidases

β-Amylases

Reducing end

Glucose

Mechanism of amylase activity

The effects of over-carbonisation

Detection in beer

yeast poses to product integrity is over-carbonation, with

1,6 and 1,4 bonds one glucose unit away from the end of

the potential of excess CO2 evolution leading to gushing

the starch chain releasing free glucose into solution.

and even exploding final pack product.

This article seeks to introduce and highlight the unique

This newly created glucose is then utilised by the yeast producing alcohol and CO2, which causes a very

nature of diastaticus yeasts, what they are, sources, how

high degree of attenuation (>90%). Diastaticus is also

they can be detected and how they should be handled.

known to be temperature and alcohol tolerant so can

Knowledge sharing and fundamentally understanding

be considered robust and able to survive in hostile

what we are working with as brewers is essential not only

environments.

to consistent product quality but also consumer safety.

What is Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus?

Diastaticus yeasts, a variant of S. cerevisiae, are

How Can I detect Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus?

Herein lies one of the issues with Diastaticus

found naturally in a wide range of environments and are

yeasts, they are not always necessarily easy to detect.

also used in commercial applications such as brewing

Sources within the brewery can include packaging lines

and baking. Where they vary from typical ale strains of

(surprisingly >70% of reported cases), transfer hoses,

S.cerevisiae is that they crucially possess STA (1, 2 or 3)

pipework and in fermentation and cellaring areas. In this

genes. It is these genes that set Diastaticus apart and

respect hygiene is crucially important and working with

enable the yeast to produce and secrete glucoamylase

and seeking recommendations and best practice from

enzyme.

chemical suppliers can be invaluable.

This enzyme and mechanism is familiar to us and very

So, too, can the source come from raw materials;

relevant to Brut IPA, for example, as covered in November

ensuring a high quality and pure supply of yeast is of

2018 edition of the Brewers Journal (A Paterson, pp 58-62)

course essential. Does your yeast supplier include testing

as well as low carbohydrate and higher ABV beers. As

for Diastaticus as part of their QC release for example?

highlighted in last month’s Brut IPA article, this enzyme

Wild yeasts, including Diastaticus yeasts, have also been

acts upon dextrin material in wort (which typically

found on hops and something very relevant to bear in

provides body and mouthfeel) by hydrolysing both alpha

mind for breweries adding dry hops post fermentation

60

December~January 2019

Brewers Journal

Maltose

D i astat i cus

s c i e n c e

Modified Durham test

Windsor + Belle Saison - after five days

Windsor + Belle Saison - after 13 days

We can detect 10 cells of S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus in one billion cells of brewer's yeast in two weeks

and without pasteurising/sterilising final product.

Two of the most common methods for detection of Diastaticus yeasts include plating on selective media (LCSM or starch plates) and genetics (PCR detection of the STA genes).

One of the primary difficulties of such testing is that low

practice CIP should be followed which can be further monitored by using cleaning controls such as swab testing and ATP strips.

If Diastaticus yeast has been used in primary fermentation (for example brewing a Saison beer) allow fermentation to fully complete before further processing

levels of Diastaticus can be incredibly difficult to detect in

and packaging, which could include allowing additional

the presence of other brewing yeasts and so can be like

conditioning time to ensure complete attenuation. Using

looking for a needle in a hay stack. There is no acceptable

dedicated equipment such as hoses and vessels and

level of diastaticus in a finished beer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even single cells

keeping these isolated from other beer production and

can cause problems. Since Diastaticus yeast can be

streams is another option to consider in limiting the

active at very low cell counts, detection limits are set by

potential of cross contamination.

the sample volume.

Removal or inactivation of the yeast itself from the beer

For example, if there are 100 diastaticus cells per litre

is another option to prevent re-fermentation and over

we would expect to have to sample at least 100ml of beer

carbonation and could be achieved via pasteurisation,

before we would expect to find a single cell. As well as

filtration or specific separation (centrifugation for

plating and PCR, recent developments have been made

example). For breweries that dry hop their beers one

in using a modified Durham tube method (which has the

option could be to test incoming hops and to treat/

advantage of being able to detect as little as 10 cells of in

sterilise if necessary, though there would be the

1 billion brewing yeast cells) and similarly the Ankom test,

obvious limitations of sampling and getting an accurate

in which fully attenuated beer is inoculated with sample

representation of a batch/crop of hops.

yeast to test for further attenuation. A summary table

Whereas we have a responsibility as producers and

outlining these key methods along with their respective

consumers to take yeasts like Diastaticus seriously and

pros and cons can be found in the best practices

handle appropriately, this is not to say they should not be

summary page overleaf.

used in brewing. On the contrary, Diastaticus yeasts can

How can contamination and over carbonation be prevented?

Cleaning and sanitation is the obvious area to focus on.

be used to produce complex and interesting beers and Saison style beers are the perfect case in point.

As continuation of this article our best practices

Inadequate hygiene in the brewery can lead to formation

guide to Diastaticus can be found overleaf and we have

of biofilm where Diastaticus yeasts have been active,

als included an example recipe for a Saison style beer.

which can be more resistant to cleaning regimes. Best

Hap(and safe) brewing!

brewersjournal.info

December~January 2019

61

Best Practices

Diastaticus What is S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus?

But when handled correctly, S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus is a magnificent yeast that can produce great flavors and beers.

What are common sources of diastaticus contamination?

Gravity (°Plato)

Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus is a variant of S. cerevisiae that possess STA (1, 2 or 3) genes. These genes cause yeast to produce and secrete glucoamylase. Glucoamylase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes α-1,4 and α-1,6 linkages in dextrins. This then produces smaller, simple sugars that the yeast can take into the cell, which causes a very high degree of attenuation (>90%). Diastaticus is also known to be temperature and alcohol tolerant.

Diastaticus is found in many environments. Because of this, cleaning and sanitation are highly important. We encourage you to speak with your local chemical representatives to establish a cleaning and sanitation regimen conducive to your brewery and specific needs.

Sources: • Poor Hygiene - Bottling/canning lines (>70% of reported cases)* - Brewhouse - Fermentation cellar - Storage cellar • Raw Materials - Yeast - Hop (dry hopping) Name

Days

Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation vs S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus

How can I detect it?

There are a handful of options for detection of diastaticus - lets focus on plating, PCR, overattenuation tests, and monitoring.

There is no selective media yet available to distinguish diastaticus. The methods provided below are other options, but each have their own challenges.

Description

Pros

Cons

LCSM Plates

Lin’s Cupric Sulfate Medium – used for the detection and quantitative determination of wild yeast populations in brewing culture yeast.

• Low cost

Starch Plates

Plates with high starch content - S.cerevisiae cannot ferment starch but S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus can – will see growth if diastaticus is in sample.

• Low cost

PCR Genetic Test

PCR is a common laboratory technique that can detect the presence or absence of specific DNA fragments.

• Fast and specific results

• Initial investment required (approx. $10k) • Non-quantitative • Low sample volume

Real time PCR (qPCR)

Real Time PCR is a more sensitive PCR technique that quantifies the amount of the targeted DNA that is present in the sample.

• More sensitive than regular PCR • Faster than regular PCR • Quantitative results

• Higher initial investment required (approx. $50-80K) • Low sample volume

Modified Durham Test

This is a simple test that is run by adding 1g or 1 ml of yeast to fully attenuated beer and monitoring possible gas production over 2 weeks.

• Low cost • Can detect small amount of diastaticus cells (ex: 10 cells of S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus in 1 billion cells of brewer’s yeast)

• Long waiting time – up to 2 weeks • Dry yeast might give false positive results due to metabolism of internal sugars • Low sample volume

Ankom Test

A shake flask test, Similar to modified Durham test for 25g sample.

• Shorter wait time; • Larger sample volume (25g vs 1g of Modified Durham Test)

• Intracellular storage carbohydrates will produce gas as well and can give false positive results due to metabolism of internal sugars

• Non -diastaticus strains can grow on this media which can produce false positives • Low sample volume • Low sample volume • Only detects presence or absence

Notes: For packaging breweries – Run sensory & monitor beers over time – have a beer library available to screen; check the alcohol and CO2 levels. Take any off flavors into consideration as a contamination.

Documentation is highly important to notice any deviations. * Meier-Dörnberg, T., Jacob, F., Michel, M., & Hutzler, M. (2017). Incidence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus in the Beverage Industry: Cases of Contamination , 2008 – 2017, 54(4), 140–148.

For more information, you can reach us via email at brewing@lallemand.com

www.lallemandbrewing.com

Recipes

Belle saison 10hl Belle saison 10hl Recipes

Step 1

Step 2

malt

Liquor Step 1 Final Kettle Vol

Litres 900

Evaporation Rate

Beg Kettle Vol

1000

0.10

L:G

3.1 Litres

Mashing in Liquor Final Kettle Vol Lauter Beg Kettle Vol

583 900 0 1000

Sparge Liquor L:G Total Liquor Mashing in Liquor

717 3.1 1300 583

evaporation amount

0

100

Liquor

Lauter Sparge Liquor

717

Total Liquor

1300

Extract (kg):

Weight of Malt (kg)

Step 2Gravity/Plato Original

1,0568

malt Colour (Lovibond)

3 to 11

Original Gravity/Plato

1,0568

BME (premised)

evaporation Evaporation amount Rate

BME (premised) Type of malt Colour (Lovibond) Pils

100 0.10

Flaked Wheat

0.860

145

63.0

Sparge Temp

172 °F

78.0 °C

Conversion Temp

145

63.0

Strike Temp Step 3 Sparge Temp

162

72.0

Sparge acid

172

78.0

none

Conversion Temp

temperature 162 72.0

Strike Temp

hops

Type Step 3

hops

Pils 170.13 Flaked Wheat 22.12 Yield Colour (L) Colour contribution TOTAL 192.25 0.697 3.0 3.3

0.77

0.662

2.5

0.3

% of Grist

Extract (as-is)

Yield

TOTAL Colour (L)

3.6 Colour contribution

Pils

0.89

0.81

0.697

3.0

3.3

Flaked Wheat

0.11

0.77

0.662

2.5

0.3

Font Legend Font Legend

Sparge acid none

Kettle Boil Time: 75 Min alpha-acid

170.13 22.12 133,16 192.25 Weight of Malt (kg)

14,0

0.860Extract (as-is) % of Grist 0.893 to 11 0.81

temperature °C

Pils Flaked Wheat Extract (kg): TOTAL

14,0

0.11

Type of malt

°F

133,16

boil time (min)

TOTAL

3.6 Temp

Gravity/Brewing parameters Water Malts Temp Hops parameters Gravity/Brewing Yeast Water Malts Hops

IBUs: 23

Hop Additions: 5 utilisation %

IBU (%)

Irish Moss @ 30 min before knock-out: 50 G Yeast (1g per 20 l kettle full volume)

IBU contribution

weight of hops (g)

Columbus

0.16

0.200 Hop Additions: 5

0.880IBUs: 23

Irish Moss @ 30 min before knock-out: 50 G 20.24 569

Green Bullet

0.12

whirlpool

0.050

0.030

0.69

104

0.13 alpha-acid 0.07 0.16

whirlpool boil time (min) whirlpool 75.00

0.050 % utilisation 0.050 0.200

0.030 IBU (%) 0.030 0.880

0.69 IBU contribution 0.69 20.24

weight 96 of hops (g) 177 569

0.13 0.12

whirlpool whirlpool

0.050 0.050

0.030 0.030

0.69 0.69

96 104

Galaxy Type Motueca Columbus Pacific Jade Green Bullet

Kettle Boil75.00 Time: 75 Min

(1g per 20 l kettle full volume)

Galaxy

0.13

whirlpool

0.050

0.030

0.69 TOTAL

96 1041

Motueca

0.07

whirlpool

0.050

0.030

0.69

177

Pacific Jade Step 4

0.13

whirlpool

0.050

0.030

0.69

96

TOTAL

1041

yeast

notes

YeastStep Type/Number 4

Belle Saison

Fermentation Temp

28°C

Yeast Type/Number

Belle Saison

yeast

For more information. you can reach us via email at brewing@lallemand.com

Fermentation Temp

28°C

For more information. you can reach us via email at brewing@lallemand.com

brewersjournal.info

• Non-filtered • Dry hop @ 3 g/liter blend of: galaxy (40%), motueka (40%) and pacific jade (20%)

notes

• Non-filtered • Dry hop @ 3 g/liter blend of: www.lallemandbrewing.com galaxy (40%), motueka (40%) and pacific jade (20%)

www.lallemandbrewing.com

December~January 2019

63

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conTRACT BREWING For all your engineering needs, consultations, design, fabrication & installation please get in touch with a member of our team today who will be happy to help.

www.contractcraftbrewing.co.uk info@contractcraftbrewing.co.uk

hOPS

www.advancedbrewing.co.uk +44 (0)1427 890099

johnsonbrewing.co.uk +44 (0)1204 887754

COOLING FLUIDS

YOUR ADVERT HERE FOR A WHOLE YEAR

consultancy services

www.brewingservices.co.uk +44 (0)7970 629552

www.6ixengineering.co.uk +44 (0)7375 448 118 | +44 (0)1963 205001 sales@6ixengineering.co.uk

Customer-specific brewery solutions www.hikingbev.com info@hikingbev.com

josh@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 594

brew houses

www.closebreweryrentals.co.uk enquiries@closebreweryrentals.co.uk +44 (0)1425 485421

BREWING EQUIPMENT

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hygiene

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josh@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 594 www.cclpentasol.co.uk +44 (0) 1942 722000

Suppliers of speciality cleaning & hygiene chemicals for breweries, cider makers & beverage manufacturers

info@cclpentasol.co.uk

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December~January 2019

Brewers Journal

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c l a s s i f i e d

he Craft Brewer! insurance

malts Cont'd

quality assurance Cont'd

www.qclscientific.com +44 (0)1342 820820

www.muntons.com +44 (0)1449 618300 Free survey and risk assessments undertaken. Cover includes Legal Expenses and Loss of Licence. Health cover available for Key Staff. Liability and stock covered at Events & Festivals

requirementswww.cbi-insurance.com +44 (0)1492 534524 pblundell@cbi-insurance.com sments included nses and Tax Investigations HANDLING the Keymalt Brewer and Festivals 01492 534524

01483 202211 / 07968 193795 info@bulksystems.co.uk www.bulksystems.co.uk

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Packaging

recruitment

We supply the finest quality kegs & casks in the world, manufactured to the highest industry specifications. We provide 50 litre kegs, 30 litre kegs, 4.5 gallon Pins & 9 gallon Casks.

www.carlingpartnership.com enquiries@carlingpartnership.co.uk +44 (0)1483 893 100

training

www.keglogistics.com/united-kingdom

+44 (0)7734 035562 SHorrox@keglogistics.com www.brewingservices.co.uk +44 (0)7970 629552

Conduct Authority

Packaging systems

malts

www.cicerone.org +1 (773) 549 4800

www.moravekinternational.com +44 (0)1427 890 098

yeast

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quality assurance

WCETT

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www.vigoltd.com +44 (0)1404 892100

UALITY M

www.fawcett-maltsters.co.uk +44 (0)1977 552490 sales@fawcett-maltsters.co.uk

brewersjournal.info

www.lallemandbrewing.com +44 (0)7930 451687

S

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www.crispmalt.co +44 (0)1328 829 391 info@crispmalt.com

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www.fermentis.com

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December~January 2019

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date s

&

e v e nt s

events

The Manchester Beer and Cider Festival returns to Manchester Central in January 2019

12/01/19

Mindful Drinking Festival Truman Brewery, London www.joinclubsoda.co.uk 23/01/19 - 26/01/19

Manchester Beer and Cider Festival Manchester Central,, Manchester www.mancbeerfest.uk 06/02/19

Brewers Lectures Manchester Castleford Rooms, Manchester lectures.brewersjournal.info

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December~January 2019

16/02/19

Beavertown & The Seven Deadly Sins Beavertown Brewery, London www.beavertownbrewery.co.uk 19/02/19

Great British Beer Festival, Winter The Halls, Norwich www.winter.gbbf.org.uk 14/03/19

Brewers Lectures Birmingham The Old Library, Birmingham lectures.brewersjournal.info

Brewers Journal

You put in the good stuff We’ll take care of the other stuff

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