The magazine for the professional brewing industry
Brewers J o u r n a l
February 2020 | Volume 6, issue 1 ISSN 2059-6669
Small Beer The session strength specialists showing how it’s done
26 | dear john: 2020 is the year of bitter and mild
28 | Core or variety: what approach should you take
38 | Real Ale: the retail veterans look to the future
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Get involved
f anyone has read this particular publication even more than once, there's a strong chance you'd have observed the focus we place on the various Brewers Lectures events we love hosting. It will therefore come as no surprise that we're thrilled to continue in that fashion in 2020. Kicking off at Northern Monk's excellent Refectory in Leeds on 26th February, we will then hold our first talks in Norwich the following month (18th March). In another first, Brighton is next up (May), before returning to Nottingham in June and Bristol in October. The Brewers Congress will then return at the end of the year, and we have a load of exciting news to share on that front in the coming weeks. With that in mind, we want to ensure that the events we put on are as valuable and relevant as possible. There's not enough hours in the day as it is, so we greatly appreciate the support and attendance these talks get. It would be really useful to know more about the subjects and themes you'd like to see dicussed at future events. With that in mind, the aim of the Brewers Lectures and Brewers Congress is to bring people together. It's a bloomin' great feeling to hear that a collaboration has taken place due to a meeting of minds at the talks, or that brewer has found that certain manufacturer that will help elevate their brewery operation to the next level. So, if you're interested in delivering a talk at a future event please feel free to get in touch! We can be found on Twitter @BrewJournal, on Instagram @ thebrewersjournal, under The Brewers Journal on Facebook and on email at tim@rebymedia.com Don't be shy! For this issue, it was great to sit down with Nick Dolan and Zeph King of Real Ale. Not just a bottleshop and taproom operation with three sites in London, the business is responsible for helping Marks & Spencer improve its beer offering no end. Working with breweries across the UK, it does the groundwork to get many breweries those valuable listings across the retail giant's stores. Regardless of the types of beer they're promoting,
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editor's choice How Felix James and the team at Small Beer Brew Co are mastering session-strength beers- page 32
however, one thing remains constant. "It makes a lot of sense to support local breweries. As long as the quality is there, freshness isn’t going to be an issue. It means we can make a promise to the consumer that they’re getting the best beer, in the best condition, possible,” says Dolan. “We are blessed in this country. Unlike the US and similar, it’s quite easy to get product around in 24-48 hours. Though while I’m not convinced there’s a fully-chilled fulfilment avenue in the UK at present, things are improving all of the time." Elsewhere in this issue, Velo Mitovich looks at the balancing act in beer. Asking if you should stick with four or five core brands and only occasionally dip your toes into something new, or if constant change with more brews is better. Turn to p28 for more. Until next time (come to Leeds on the 26th!) Tim Sheahan Editor
February 2020
3
CO NTAC T S
contacts Tim Sheahan Editor tim@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 592 Velo Mitrovich Deputy editor velo@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 591 Josh Henderson Sales executive josh@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 594
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February 2020
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without the express prior written consent of the publisher. The Brewers Journal ISSN 2059-6650 is published bimonthly by Reby Media, 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 1PA. Subscription records are maintained at Reby Media, 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 1PA. The Brewers Journal accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of statements or opinion given within the Journal that is not the expressly designated opinion of the Journal or its publishers. Those opinions expressed in areas other than editorial comment may not be taken as being the opinion of the Journal or its staff, and the aforementioned accept no responsibility or liability for actions that arise therefrom.
Brewers Journal
C ont e nt s
contents 26
28 38
44
52
Cover story 32 - London's Small Beer Brew Co have made session strength beers their raison d’être and all signs are pointing to 2020 well-and-truly being their year.
Brewers lectures | leeds 18 - The full lowdown on the first Brewers Lectures of 2020, taking place on the 26th February at Northern Monk
comment 21 - Advice on keeping compressed air clean 24 - Best practice in wastewater treatment
sector | retail & distribution 38 - Nick Dolan and Zeph King of beer maestros Real Ale assess the retail landscape
meet the supplier | black forest beers 44 - How one business has helped introduce the UK to the beers of Germany's Rothaus Brewery
Dear John
focus | social media analytics
26 - John Keeling reflects on his love of Bitters & Milds and muses on their resurgence
48 - The role social media can play in beer
crossing continents | bali trending | core beers 28 - How do you perfect the art of finding a balance between a solid core and regular new releases to keep the consumer engaged?
brewersjournal.info
52 - Canning innovation in Indonesia
Science | tasting terminology 57 - Know your beer-tasting terminology
February 2020
5
y b e R
Brewers J o u r n a l
p o d c a s T
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St Austell appoints new quality manager
S
t Austell Brewery has appointed Paola Leather as its new quality manager.
In her role, she’ll help ensure the continued quality and
consistency of the brewery’s award-winning beer brands, including Tribute Pale Ale and Proper Job IPA. Leather, who previously worked in St Austell Brewery’s quality team between 2005 and 2011, is one of the UK’s most experienced female brewers. In the past nine years, she has worked as Skinner’s head brewer, head of brewing services at Campden BRI and brewing production manager at Brains in Cardiff. Leather was born and grew up in the Colombian capital of Bogota. While living in South America, she worked in quality for a chocolate company and a coffee
perfecting the quality of some of my favourite Cornish
federation. She is also director of her own best-selling
beers – and some exciting new brews too.”
rum business. Rathlee golden barrel aged rum is distilled in Latin America and blended with Cornish water. On her new role at St Austell Brewery, she said: “It’s
Roger Ryman, brewing director, St Austell Brewery added: “I’m delighted to welcome Paola back to Cornwall, following her stint at Brains brewery. Paola has a broad
great to be back working with Roger, who I worked with
breadth of knowledge and experience – in beer and
for six years, and the rest of the brewing team.
beyond – and we feel lucky to have her back in our team
“I look forward to getting stuck in and working on
again.”
Thornbridge reveal anniversary collaborations
T
hope to bring it to even more people.”
Bakewell-based Thornbridge is teaming up with 12 of
has entered 2020 with a programme of keg releases, a
the UK’s best breweries to celebrate its 15th anniversary.
new low ABV beer and the opening of a new taproom.
hornbridge will mark its 15th anniversary in 2020 with a series of 12 cask collaborations.
The twelve collaborations kicked off in January with Trevail, an East India Porter brewed with the independent
Not only dedicated to producing cask, Thornbridge
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
and family owned St Austell. Following this will include brews with Adnams, Harvey’s, Fyne and Burning Sky as well as an exclusive collaboration with multi award-winning Yorkshire based Timothy Taylor’s to name but a few. Thornbridge have worked closely with each brewery to create a range of styles, including a mango and jasmine
A YEAR OF COLLABORATIONS
A YEAR OF COLLABORATIONS
A YEAR OF COLLABORATIONS
TREVAIL
FORTRESS
STRICKLAND
EAST INDIA PORTER ALC.
5.3% VOL.
EXTRA PALE ALE ALC.
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THORNBRIDGE
APRIL
4.0% VOL.
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THORNBRIDGE
ALC.
MAY
A YEAR OF COLLABORATIONS
A YEAR OF COLLABORATIONS
MYDDLE
CLEVES
AMERICAN RED IPA ALC.
DRY IRISH STOUT
6.2% VOL.
JUNE
A YEAR OF COLLABORATIONS
FIEROL
ESB
FORAGED PALE ALE
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THORNBRIDGE
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THORNBRIDGE
ALC.
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THORNBRIDGE
5.0% VOL.
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THORNBRIDGE
5.3% VOL.
ALC.
3.8% VOL.
IPA with Marble, a white stout with Ossett Brewery and a DDH session IPA with Oakham Ales. Commenting on the initiative, Simon Webster, chief
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
executive officer of Thornbridge Brewery, said: “We love A YEAR OF COLLABORATIONS
cask beer and we’re delighted to be collaborating with such a range of incredible breweries. Many of these have
ARTESIAN
GOOSEBERRY & ELDERFLOWER PALE ALE ALC.
4.1%
VOL.
A YEAR OF COLLABORATIONS
DÀL RIATA RASPBERRY PALE ALE ALC.
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THORNBRIDGE
4.7%
A YEAR OF COLLABORATIONS
MANCUNIO MANGO & JASMINE IPA
VOL.
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THORNBRIDGE
ALC.
5.5% VOL.
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THORNBRIDGE
become close friends of Thornbridge over the past 15 years and its fabulous to be able to celebrate together.
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
“We’re constantly evolving our beer range and the opportunity to work with the best of the UK beer world to
A YEAR OF COLLABORATIONS
A YEAR OF COLLABORATIONS
GALAVA
EYEBROOK
NZ PALE
ALC.
create something seriously special is incredibly exciting, for us cask beer is thriving as much as it ever was and we
brewersjournal.info
4.8% VOL.
ALC.
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THORNBRIDGE
A YEAR OF COLLABORATIONS
OSLA
DDH SESSION IPA
WHITE STOUT
4.6% VOL.
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THORNBRIDGE
ALC.
4.8% VOL.
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THORNBRIDGE
THORNBRIDGE CASK YEAR OF BEER 2020 February 2020 For enquiries please email sales@thornbridge.co.uk or call 01629 815 999 thornbridge.co.uk
9
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XT BrewING Co hires new head brewer
X
T Brewing Co has hired Craig Bennett as its new head brewer. Bennett has joined the Long Crendon
brewery to replace Vinny Rosario, who is starting his own operation in Edinburgh. Bennett has more than twenty years experience in brewing, having worked at a number of breweries both big and small from around the country. He is a brewing graduate from Herriot Watt and qualified with the Brewing Institute Master Brewer Programme. He will be brewing the full range of XT and Animal beers and heading up the brewing team at Long Crendon while adding a few speciality brews of his own to the already extensive beer line up. Bennett is passionate about cask beers and will be a
Rosario’s new brewery will be called Origin Brewing and he has teamed up with another former XT brewer,
great addition to the team at XT working to promote and
Fin Heslop, to develop a range of new beers which they
develop the diverse range of beers in the XT portfolio.
expect to start flowing from their taproom in summer.
Beavertown collaborates with Tottenham Hotspur on new IPA
B
eavertown has teamed up with Tottenham Hotspur to
time favourite, and we wanted to add to this by offering
produce a new IPA, ‘One Of Our Own’.
something new at the start of 2020.
to the North London club, has produced a 4.9% IPA that
the same. It’s familiar, yet distinct. A satisfying pint that
features a bill of Callista, Mandarina Bavaria and Barbe
makes you feel at home.
The brewery, which is the official craft beer supplier
Rouge hops. The beer was brewed on the Beavertown kit, which
“Supporting a club is in your bones and this beer feels
“We see Spurs as the beating heart of the Tottenham community, a central hub for football fans and residents
was installed at Tottenham Hotspur’s impressive new
alike. We both share values of bringing people together,
stadium last year.
creating revolutionary experiences and even world firsts
The IPA was named by Tom Rainsford, a Spurs fan who recently joined Beavertown as marketing director. He said: “Beavertown’s Neck Oil is already a half-
10
February 2020
like our microbrewery inside the stadium.” The beer was first at the Premier League home clash against table-topping Liverpool last month.
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Peated malt’s popularity on the rise
T
he use of speciality malts is growing not just among
high levels of phenol we’re able to achieve with the new
craft brewers, but also among craft distillers.
burner, we are looking to release a ‘Super Heavy Peated’
According to Crisp Malt, the ingredient is increasingly
coveted by brewers producing rauchbiers and smoked
malt in 2020.” Peat is sourced from the Highlands. The barley, which
stouts and porters. The business has recently invested
benefits from long summer days, light soils and sea
£3.3m in a new peat kiln in Portgordon, on the North coast
breezes comes from farms local to the maltings. Crisp
of Scotland, is helping to fulfil the increasing demand for
team members work closely with growers, ensuring
this premium speciality malt.
that the barley coming into the maltings is always of the
The new plant more than doubled the production capacity of peated malt to nearly 40,000 tonnes a year. The new peat kiln incorporates a custom-made peat
highest quality. “This might sound simple,” said Johnston, “but with all the variables involved in growing, it is an art as well as
burner built by Don Valley Engineering in Doncaster.
a science. We are very fortunate in having fantastically
When peat is burned in the kiln, it releases smoke
skilled farmers in the region. They have learned over
impregnated with phenolic compounds.
generations – general barley-growing ability, but also
“By smoking still wet but germinated barley, we ensure
expertise related to their own particular patches of
that the peat phenol penetrates deep into the kernel,”
land. Many of them have been working with us since
said Colin Johnston, Crisp’s craft brewing and distilling
Portgordon maltings opened in 1979. We’re very proud of
sales manager in Scotland. “The smoky characteristics
that fact.”
produced by utilising this traditional method ensure that
“They intimately know the topography, the soils, and
the flavour intensity lasts through the transport, mashing,
the vagaries of the micro-climates – all of which affect
brewing and distilling processes – even if the malt is
the crops they grow. This allows them to adjust sowing,
being sent around the world.”
fertilising and harvesting regimes – and to produce the
He added: “Peated malt is ideal for rauchbiers, and
highest grades of malting barley for us. Our new plant
smoky stouts and porters – and also gives peated
gives us the capacity to supply craft brewers and distillers
whiskies those wondrous phenolic flavours and aromas.
in Scotland, Britain and across the world with premium
“The new burner is ultra-efficient, maximising the
peated malt produced in Scotland. Already the renowned
creation and capturing of phenols – at the same time
home of malt whisky, Scotland has a growing reputation
as minimising the use of peat. With the exceptionally
for its fantastic range of craft beers.”
City of Ale to return for 10th year
N
orwich City of Ale is returning in May and is set to be the biggest one yet.
The 10-day celebration of beer, which takes place from
Thursday 21st May – Sunday 31st May, comprises 11,000 pub visits, nearly 250 events, 50 pubs, up to 40 breweries and seven ale trails. If your brewery is interested in either heading up your own beer week, becoming a part of one in your region or is already involved in one, you’re encouraged to come along to Britain’s original beer week and scope out the advantages, get tips, and explore collaboration opportunities. To kick-off proceedings, there will be a launch party happening at The Waterfront, Norwich on Thursday 21st May, which brewers from across the country are welcome to attend. It’s a great opportunity to use the platform to
Find out more, and get involved email:
reflect your own beer week and get ideas.
will@redflamecommunications.co.uk.
12
February 2020
Brewers Journal
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n e ws
Timothy Taylor’s renames Ram Tam
T
imothy Taylor’s has rebranded its dark beer Ram Tam as Landlord Dark.
The brewery said with an ever-increasing interest in
dark beers, it felt the time was right to introduce Ram Tam to a wider audience. Ram Tam is brewed to the multi award-winning Landlord Pale Ale recipe but with the addition of caramelised sugars to give a rich yet light and drinkable dark ale. Therefore, Timothy Taylor’s selected the new Landlord Dark name to reflect the beer’s true pedigree. "Drinkers are becoming more experimental, particularly younger legal drinking age ones, and seek choice of beer styles on the bar," the brewery said.
Goose Island collabs with Signature Brew
centered around small farming communities in Norway which allows the yeast to take on unique characteristics when compared to traditional Europeans strains.
G
oose Island has teamed up with Signature Brew to produce Earth Kveik, a 6.7% IPA.
The two London breweries have produced a beer
described as an intensely fruity pale ale brewed with 5 different hops and fermented on a Norwegian farmhouse ale yeast. A rustic malt backbone and soft mouthfeel provide the perfect backdrop for the hops while notes of orange, cherry, and strawberry blend together for a complex but approachable beer. Goose Island Head Brewer Andrew Walton said: “We
New agent for CFT in the UK and Ireland
C
FT of Parma, Italy, has appointed Richard Portman and his UK based team to drive sales in the beverage
industry by appointing him their agent in the UK and Ireland. The business is known for its work in the bottling, canning and brewhouse sectors. Commenting on his appointment, Portman said: “I have
are huge fans of Signature Brew here at the Brewpub and
been very impressed with both the CFT company and
jumped at the chance to brew a beer with them. We both
their product range, which I believe will be ideal for this
love hop driven beers but wanted to put a twist on it to
market.
dial up the flavours. The Kveik yeast we brewed with has
“I have been in discussions with CFT for some time
added an extra fruity element that harmonizes beautifully
now and I am pleased to say that we have a significant
with the hops. Earth Kveik is approachable but has a
number of potential clients already, bearing in mind that I
massive depth of flavour to keep you coming back.”
only concluded the agency at Brau in early November.”
Signature Brew Head Brewer Tom Unwin added: “It’s
The CFT range of machinery is a pitched as an ideal fit
great kicking off the year by collaborating with our friends
for the cider, beer, water and soft drinks industries, and is
at the Goose Island Brewpub. We pride ourselves on
suitable for both the craft sector right up to the mid-sized
our collabs, although they’re usually with musicians like
firms who are looking for lines up to 32,000 c.p.h.
Mastodon, IDLES and alt-J, so this was something fresh for us.
He added: “I have the after sales and service team well established out of our Burton on Trent offices, who will be
It’s also the first time we’ve brewed using Kveik yeast so we’re really excited for drinkers to try Earth Kveik as it promises to be a really special beer.” Kveik yeast has seen a huge resurgence in popularity
able to assist in both the installations and after sales and service in the coming months. “There are already a number of CFT installations in the UK, which we will be looking after and we look forward to
in the last five years and is mostly commonly used in
discussing this opportunity with the existing customers in
Norwegian farmhouse ale. This generational yeast is
the coming weeks.”
14
February 2020
Brewers Journal
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Wo r l d
Mark Anthony Brewing to open new $250m facility
M
ark Anthony Brewing is to invest $250 million in a
and aggressive timeline,” said Mark Anthony Brewing
new facility in Arizona to keep up with demand for
president John Sacksteder.
its White Claw Hard Seltzer. The facility, located in Glendale, will be housed on a 916,000-square-foot site and will be up and running in under seven months. It will create more than 200 full-time
“Once complete, this new facility will be a beacon for the advanced manufacturing capabilities of the city of Glendale and the state of Arizona.” Mark Anthony Brewing, part of The Mark Anthony
jobs. In addition to White Claw, the facility will produce
Group, is focused on the beverage alcohol sector and
Mark Anthony Brands’ other offerings, including Mike’s
expects 2020 sales of approximately $4 Billion.
Hard Lemonade and Cayman Jack Cocktails. “The primary reason we selected Glendale was the
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey added: “We’re thrilled that Mark Anthony Brewing has chosen Arizona for their
innovative thinking and personal support of Governor
western manufacturing centre that will create hundreds
Doug Ducey, the city of Glendale, the Arizona Commerce
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Authority, and their willingness to embrace our vision and
keeping Arizona the best place in the nation to start and
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Drink driving rules hit Vietnam beer sales
Founded in 1997, Atwater Block Brewery revived Detroit's brewing tradition from its location in the historic Rivertown district.
B
eer sales in Vietnam have dropped 25% since the country introduced new drink-driving laws.
The new rules, introduced on January 1st, have
resulted in more than 6,200 fines being issued to date. Speaking to Bloomberg, the Vietnam Beer Alcohol
After investing in the brewery in 2002, Mark Rieth purchased the brewery outright in 2005, setting off several years of booming growth. “Atwater has been a staple and a leader in the Michigan craft community for more than two decades,
Beverage Association said its members have witnessed
and we’re thrilled to have them join Tenth and Blake,” said
about a drop in sales due to the new law.
Paul Verdu, vice president of Tenth and Blake. “Our priority
“Just look at any beer places and you will see how
is to make sure their beer is enjoyed by consumers
empty they are these days,” Luong Xuan Dung, the
throughout their core markets and eventually across the
group’s general secretary told Bloomberg. “Falling beer
Great Lakes region.”
sales are a reality. We haven’t got an exact number of
Atwater Brewery joins other brands in the Tenth and
the decline in alcohol sales yet, but they have definitely
Blake portfolio, including the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing
dropped a lot.”
Company, AC Golden Brewing Company, Saint Archer
Molson Coors acquires Detroit's Atwater Brewery
T
enth and Blake Beer Company, the U.S. craft division of Molson Coors has acquired Detroit-based Atwater
Brewery. The brewery is highly regarded in the Michigan craft beer community for its traditional German-style lagers and unique ales. "The agreement with Tenth and Blake is both the culmination of our past and the catapult to our future," said Mark Rieth, Atwater Brewery owner. He added: "For Atwater to continue to grow, it will require both capital and brewing expertise. Tenth and Blake brings both, which makes them the ideal strategic
Brewing Company, Terrapin Beer Company, Hop Valley Brewing Company and Revolver Brewing.
South Korea beer imports fall
B
eer imports in South Korea dipped in 2019, the first time they've declined since the global financial crisis
of 2009. According to Korea Bizwire, beer imports have been hit by South Korea's boycott against goods and services from Japan. Figures from the Korea Customs Service, and the liquor, industry show that beer imports amounted to $288.8 million last year, down from US$396.8 million a year earlier. South Korea, in 2018, brought in $78.3 million worth of
partner to help us continue to live our mantra 'Born in
Japanese beer. This figure is higher than imports from China
Detroit. Raised Everywhere.'"
($40.91 million) and Belgium ($36.18 million). combined.
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February 2020
Brewers Journal
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Brewers Lectures | Leeds We’re thrilled to be returning the Northern Monk Refectory on the 26th February for the first Brewers Lectures of 2020. As always, it’ll be an afternoon of thoughtprovoking, engaging discussion, an opportunity to catch up with friends old and new and the chance to enjoy some excellent beer.
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eeds is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to excellent beer and equally brilliant environments to the enjoy it in. If names such as North Bar, Whitelock’s Ale House, The Turk’s Head, Bundobust and Little Leeds
Beer House are new to you, don’t apologise and don’t feel ashamed. Instead revel in the envy of your peers that you have the opportunity to experience these incredible venues for the first time. And what better time to visit, be it for the first or thousandth time, when the Brewers Lectures come to town on the 26th Feb. Taking place at the Leeds Refectory, home of the Brewers Choice ‘2019 Brewery of the Year’ Northern Monk. Join us for what promises to be a great afternoon!
Gabe Barry | Brooklyn Brewery Gabe Barry is the head of Brooklyn Brewery’s education programme in Europe. Having started with Brooklyn Brewery as its tasting room manager, she has gone on to spend years educating drinkers across the globe about the sensory experience of what makes a good beer. With an insatiable drive and enthusiasm, Barry was once told that if you ever see something that should be a position within a company, continue to do the best version of your current job but also, write the description for the other..
KEY INFORMATION The Venue Northern Monk Refectory Marshalls Mill, The Old Flax Store, Marshall St, Leeds LS11 9YJ The time 26 February 2020 12.30 -17:00
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Jonny Mowat | O Street Jonny Mowat is an excellent designer at O Street, a studio based in Glasgow, London and Denver. Shortlisted for the Rising Star award in Design Week's 2019 Design Awards, Mowat is part of a team that worked on the rebrand of Fyne Ales and Brewdog’s Abstrakt range to a recent redesign of Scotlands Polymer banknotes.
Brewers Journal
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B r e w e r s
L e ct u r e s
SUPPORTED BY
Paul Jones | Cloudwater Paul Jones is the founder of Cloudwater Brew Co. The Manchester-based outfit, which produced some of, if not, its best beer to-date during 2019 has long-since established itself as one of the UK’s leading breweries. The guardians of this year’s Northern Powerhouse series of collaborations has demonstrated a deft ability to produce a wide spectrum of beers from accessible hoppy pales and nuanced lagers to DIPAs and barrel-aged beauties with unerring ease.
Luca Lorenzi | Northern Monk Luca Lorenzi is the strategy director at Northern Monk. In his role at the Leeds-based brewery, Lorenzi is helping lead capacity expansion from 23,000HL to 50,000HL as well as oversee its commercial strategy. He was previously on trade marketing director for Europe at AB InBev before moving to the UK to become managing director at Camden Town Brewery. In this time, total beer volume grew 108% and net revenue increased 111%.
Sienna O’ Rourke | Pressure Drop Sienna O'Rourke is the powerhouse behind Pressure Drop's marketing and online presence. With over a decade of experience working in hospitality & the beer industry, Sienna has embraced Pressure Drop's DIY ethos to create a dazzling visual identity for the North London brewery.
Robert Percival | Lallemand Robert Percival is a qualified brewing professional with extensive experience in quality and technical roles in beer production. As Europe technical sales manager for yeast and bacteria specialists Lallemand, the IBD young brewer of the year 2013/14 is an expert in the fields of fermentation and cask beer production and dedicates his time helping brewers take their production to the next level.
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C ompressed
A ir
co m m e nt
Clean air clean beer Compressed air has critical roles to play in brewing operations but poses a major threat if it becomes contaminated. Mark Whitmore, general manager at BOGE Compressors, offers some advice on keeping your air clean – effectively and economically.
compressed air and the product. Food and drink companies should have Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans in place which include measures to avoid contamination of compressed air. Specific guidance can be found in the publication ‘BCAS Food Grade Compressed Air Best Practice Guideline 102’. This sets out a voluntary code of practice agreed by the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS) and British Retail Consortium (BRC). It advises on
A
ccording to consultancy firm BDO, Britain’s food and beverage sector, of which
the type of compressed air equipment to use and how it should be installed, maintained and audited. Recommendations on levels of air purity needed to
breweries form an important part, accounts
minimise contamination riswks from dirt, water,
for 19% of this country’s total manufacturing.
microorganisms and oil are also stated in the code. In
Sadly, despite generating a combined
addition, compressed air users are referred to
annual turnover of £97.3 billion, food and drink
international standard ISO 8573-1: 2010, which covers a
manufacturers and processors don’t always see their high
range of contaminants and air purity classifications.
productivity reflected in large profits. One key issue that lowers their profitability is product recalls due to
Contaminants and their sources
contamination. Recalling and disposing of contaminated stock is an expensive exercise whose costs may be compounded by reputational damage, compensation claims and loss of sales. Contaminants can make products unfit for consumption by spoiling their taste, appearance and
C
ontaminants in compressed air come from three main sources: the atmosphere, the compressor and the pipework through which compressed air
is received and distributed. They may be present in three
colour, reducing their shelf life and compromising their
interacting forms.
hygiene. In a sector where the health of consumers and
Solid – dust and microbes are drawn in from the
employees is protected by tight legislation and controls,
atmosphere, while particles of various materials are
this is a serious problem.
released by abrasion or corrosion of the system’s components
Best compressed air practice
Liquid – along with compressor lubricants and coolants, the liquid contaminants include atmospheric water pulled
C
into the system or condensing from vapour within it
ompressed air has many opportunities to come
Gaseous – lubricants, coolants and water may all be
into contact with beer, other beverages and food
vaporised
products during their manufacture and
Oil removal
processing, so it must be kept contaminant-free. Brewers use it, for example, to power machinery used in bottling, canning and kegging. There are various air-powered systems which handle, move and cool the beer, apply labels and secondary packaging, and help in the cleaning of brewery equipment. In processes like fermentation and aeration, there is particularly close contact between
brewersjournal.info
O
il contamination is especially unwelcome in brewing, as it kills yeast and adversely affects the beer’s frothing characteristics. Oil is present as
hydrocarbon vapour in the air all around us, which we
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breathe and which we feed into our compressed air systems. Atmospheric hydrocarbons come from burning fossil fuels in vehicle engines, for instance and from evaporation of substances like paints and solvents. Oil levels in the atmosphere may be very low, but once the air is taken into the system and compressed they become much more concentrated. The same can be said for water vapour and anything else suspended in the ambient air. It means that even if you use an oil-free compressor, you will need purification systems to remove oil and other
A complete cleaning system
contaminants from the compressed air it produces. Or to put it another way, with the right purification system you can use an oil-flooded compressor to supply oil-free compressed air. Most industrial screw compressors use oil for
Catalytic converters may be supplemented with some or all of the following treatment methods to create a complete system:
lubrication and cooling. BOGE offers a wide range of both oil-flooded and oil-free compressors, giving buyers a choice of approaches. Oil and other hydrocarbons in the compressed air they produce can be turned into carbon
Water separators – to remove bulk quantities of condensed water and liquid oil
dioxide and water by BOGE catalytic converters, branded as ‘bluekat’. In this way, Class 0 oil-free compressed air, complying with standard ISO 8573-1, can be delivered without the need for an oil-free compressor.
Coalescing filters – to extract water or oil which has formed an aerosol of small droplets
Combining BOGE oil-flooded compressors and catalytic converters is more affordable than buying and operating oil-free compressors or conventional treatment systems. What’s more, it provides a reliably pure compressed air supply, regardless of the intake air quality.
Drying systems – to reduce air humidity by use of refrigeration, pressure-overgeneration, membrane or adsorption (desiccant) dryers
A further bonus is that there is no need to dispose of a contaminated condensate. For brewers, like anyone in the food and beverage
Dust removal filters – to capture dry particulates and other solid materials
sector, protecting consumer and employee health is paramount. Further incentives for using compressed air with care are provided by the wider financial considerations around contamination. Aside from their
Sterile air filters – to ensure absolute removal of any remaining particles and microbes
effects on people, products and business, contaminants can also damage expensive machinery. With the right specification and advice, compressed air systems run more economically, effectively and profitably, as well as
Routine maintenance – to clean and sterilise all piping between the sterile filter and the application
cleanly. u
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Brewers Journal
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W aste
water
Waste Water Treatment for Brewing Keeping the wastewater treatment process at your brewing facility at optimum performance is imperative. Here, Dimitris Theodoridis operations manager at Omex, highlights the key points to achieve the best performance from your wastewater treatment plant.
be neutralised first, i.e. pH value around 7 before they are led to a biological treatment. The low pH value in a wastewater intended to be treated biologically can cause rapid deterioration of the biomass, loss of performance and as a result discharging of effluent that will be out of consented limits. Omex is the manufacturer of Magmex, a range of non-hazardous, environmentally friendly neutralising products that will help achieve the neutralisation of acidic wastewater in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Nutrition supplementation
by dIMITRIS tHEODORIDIS
F
or the plant to function at an optimum level, the first area to look at is ensuring the biology is “happy”. Nutritionally, most wastewaters
B
rewing facilities can vary in the range and type of raw materials used in production in order to deliver the various products found in the market.
are deficient particularly in Nitrogen (N)
It is this variability that makes the operation of wastewater
and Phosphorus (P). Keeping the biology in
treatment plants unique between sites.
working condition enables the plant to operate correctly,
The most common issues in biological effluent
so this should usually be the first point to check on any
treatment plants are normally related to the lack of
site manager’s checklist. If the biology isn’t getting all the
nutrients. This can be a combination of deficiencies, which
necessary elements it needs, such as adequate food,
might include Nitrogen, Phosphorus and a range of trace
aeration and nutrition, the plant will subsequently fail and
elements. Each of these macro- or micronutrients will
performance will decrease.
play a role in keeping the biology healthy and as a result help with plant performance optimisation.
Analysing the plant
The company produce a range of non-hazardous nutrient blends that will help with optimising the plant performance and minimise the risk of out-of-consent
T
he best way to assess the biology in the plant is
effluent discharging. By analysing the plant they will be
to analyse the upstream of and/or the biomass
able to recommend the best solution for the specific
for parameters that will affect the output, e.g.
situation.
nutrient concentrations, COD concentrations, etc. Omex
Once a full nutritional analysis of the plant has been
offer full technical support and provide facilities to assess
undertaken, Omex will review the test results and
the performance of the bacteria in the plant. The fully
technical expert will advise on the best course of action to
accredited labs are able to offer an in-depth analysis
improve and optimise the process.
and treatment of all the possible problems related to the
The technical team are able to assess the plant via lab
biology in a treatment plant, processing brewing industry
analysis and in-depth discussion with the site operator/
wastewaters biologically. The technical staff also collect
manager to gain a thorough understanding of any issues
a set of samples to establish the status of the biological
the plant is experiencing. Once this process is completed,
process.
a tailored product programme is put together along
Brewing facilities can sometimes yield acidic wastewaters. It is important for these wastewaters to
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with recommendations and appropriate dosing rates to achieve the desired outcome. u
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Brown and Boring Bitter For John Keeling, Bitters and Milds have been derided for far too long. These were the styles that played a key role in his formative years in the world of beer. So it’s a good thing then, he says, that they’re coming back into vogue.
because there are many boring versions of various beers. In the 70’s and 80’s lager in this country was particularly boring. In the craft beer scene, there are many boring IPA’s which are so dominated by the flavour of the hop they satiate your palate after only a couple of mouthfuls. Thank goodness for those brewers who want a good malt backbone to their beer to show off the crowd-pleasing flavour of the hop.
by John Keeling
B
So, what are the virtues of a good pint of bitter? Indeed, what are the virtues of a good pint of mild.
itter and Mild, the beers of my youth
They share many virtues, one thing they certainly share is
through to middle age. They seemed to
great drinkability. When you have one you want another.
come in for some criticism during the rise
How do they achieve this? Well, generally, they don’t
of craft beer and “brown, boring bitter” was
possess great alcoholic strength. There was one major
a term that particularly rankled. I never
exception to this in my early drinking days, but I will
found bitter boring. Sure, there were poor versions mainly
return to that particular beer later. They don’t satiate your
brewed by the bigger companies but one of the joys of
palate. In fact, some possess the power to become more
travelling through the country was to try the local version
interesting as you drink them. You discover more about
of bitter.
their flavour all the way through a pint.
In fact, being `a born and bred Mancunian’ meant it
They certainly differ in bitterness and hop character.
was not difficult to find different versions. I grew up on
While bitters are balanced towards the hop, milds are
Boddingtons, Robinsons, Holts, Hyde’s, and Oldham
balanced towards the malt. Both beers are at their
Brewery. They also had their own version of mild, too.
best in cask form which, when served properly, (what
Anybody who thinks that beer in the 70’s was rubbish
a shame it is having to use that caveat) enhances their
simply wasn’t a drinker in the 70’s. CAMRA was formed to
drinkability because of the natural carbonation and cellar
save the great beer that was being brewed and not to get
temperature.
people to brew great beer. CAMRA members knew what great beer was, as most of them were drinking it! I found my first steps into drinking at the age of 18. A
I remember early in my career at Fuller’s being sent to the Bass Brewery in Burton. There I found that they had been “testing” drinkability. They had been giving
wonderful and interesting experience. Those who know
different local sports clubs free keg beers and free cask
me well will know my deep aversion to breaking and
beers then measuring how much was drunk. They found
bending rules, and I will deny all of those stories of my
that more cask beers were drunk and had come up with
underage drinking that appear in print. However, over a
an interesting theory. That was the closer the beer was
pint I might come clean. I might even mention drinking at
drunk to when the yeast was removed then the greater its
Wilson's in my first job in a brewery at the age of 17.
drinkability.
The term boring could be applied to any style of beer
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The one exception to the alcoholic strength that I
Brewers Joural
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mentioned earlier was of course Fuller's ESB. Weighing in at a mighty 5.5% ABV this was certainly a major change from 3.7% ABV Boddingtons. The first time I ever drank this beer was in 1977 when I went to Hammersmith Odeon with a few friends to watch Frank Zappa. I asked the landlord (who I found out later was a certain Eddie McManus) what people drank in London. He said ESB and three pints later we didn’t need any wacky baccy to help us get high on the music. Years later, in January ’81, I joined Fuller’s. On my first day I went into the Mawson Arms for a lunchtime pint of Chiswick and who served me? None other than Eddie McManus. Small world… So, what is the future for these beers I love? Well I am delighted to report that things seem to be turning full circle. There is a growing appreciation of traditional beers like Harveys, Landlord and ESB. I see some milds and bitters now being brewed by craft breweries. I think that craft brewers are now beyond the experimentation stage and are now true masters of the art of brewing. We see this in lagers where it has been said that a good lager is
brewersjournal.info
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d e a r
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Thank goodness for those brewers who want a good malt backbone to their beer to show off the crowd-pleasing flavour of the hop. John Keeling
the hardest beer to perfect. Well, I have tasted some that are darn close.
I would also say that a good cask bitter or mild is
equally difficult to get perfect. All the new milds and bitters I have tried have been very tasty too. I can now look forward to a long old age drinking the beers I love. u
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T r e n d in g
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The problem with things that are trendy is that by definition, they are trendy for a short period of time, and then they come out of fashion. So it's very dangerous to only focus on new trends and then trying to find newer, trendier things. It's a never ending run-around
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Find the balance What is constant with brewing? Is it sticking with four or five core brands and only occasionally dipping your toe into something new, or is change the constant and the more brews the better? And, if you’re going with ‘more is better’, is it because this is what paying customers want or a small, loud minority on social media? Velo Mitrovich reports. by Velo Mitrovich
I
one brand because that was pretty much all what was on offer. And, tying into this mental confusion are the terms themselves, for core brands sounds like you’re talking about a brewery’s core values. But, if your core values stress innovation, change, and daring, what most of see as core brands won’t apply to your brewery since they’ll be in constant change. For sake of argument and clarity then, in this article core beers will be defined as those beers which make up the majority of what you brew year around and what pays the bills.
Creating confidence
t’s a funny old business we’re in as craft brewers. While Hollywood might sing that there is no business like show business, the realty is there are few business like that of craft beer. You look at the other beverage companies out
M
ark Tranter of Burning Sky said recently to the audience at the recent Brewers Congress: “For me, core brands create confidence in the
there – soft drink, big breweries, distilleries, etc – and one
consumer. If you just do something new all the time,
thing that they all have in common is a lack of change.
you’re playing to a very small marketplace.
Over the last 168-years, beer giant Anheuser-Bush has
“Breweries like New Belgium Brewing got to be big
introduced new beers at a speed that makes a three-
through their core beer, such as their Fat Tire. You get
toed-sloth appear to move at the speed of light. Indeed,
people in their college years drinking Fat Tire and those
it seems easier for Anheuser-Bush to just buy up another
people are fans for life because that’s what they grew up
brewery than to create something on their own.
drinking. That’s how New Belgium has got so big, not by
Jack Daniels distillery waited 150-years before trying a new recipe. We’re reckoning things just ain’t done fast in the hills of Tennessee. But craft brewers and their fans are most definitely a
doing like 100 beers a year.” Like a band or an author, if you’ve liked what they’ve done before, chances are you’re going to try their latest venture. By building trust and recognition in your core
different breed. If a winemaker retires at a normal age,
beers, customers are going to feel comfortable in
they have had 25 attempts to make wine and make it
choosing your others.
well – that’s 25 vintages for a lifetime of work. Some craft
While some brewers balk at the idea of brewing over
brewers and their customers want 25 different beers a
and over again, the same beer, Tranter would say that
month.
they are missing out in the opportunity to excel in all of
The Veil Brewing Company of Virginia – which has been mention before in TBJ for its zero IBU beer – has
what they do. “By bringing out the same thing over and over again,
brewed over 450 different beers since opening its doors
you increase your learning. If you can create some cool
in 2016. A lot closer to home is Cloudwater which has
brands that stay relative in a changing marketplace,
brewed hundreds of different types of beers since
you’re keeping your core beers relevant.”
February 2015. It starts to boggle the brain, especially for those of us who remember our fathers drinking one type of beer from
brewersjournal.info
And in an age of countless beer releases, Tranter believes that it’s imperative that breweries forge their own path rather than chase trends.
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get excited about vintages in wine, so why can’t we have that in beer?”
Ignoring pressure
(L): Mark Tranter, Burning Sky & Yvan de Baets, Brasserie de la Senne
Y
van De Baets is a social worker, a beer historian and a brewer, one of the founding members of Brasserie De La Senne brewery in Brussels,
which specializes in cask-aged Belgium sours and other traditional beers. De Baets explains how he believes that the liquid in the glass is a representation of the values of the brewer who produced it. “Beer should represent your values in the liquid form. It's very, very important. And first, you have to know yourself. So it's all a journey you have you have to take to know who, who you are and what, what are your values.” If you know De Baets, you realise that he has an opinion – usually strong – about most things regarding beer. As the audience at the Brewers Congress found out, ‘beer geeks’ are in his bulls eye for the pressure they put on craft brewers to release too many new beers. “The geeks are never satisfied. They want something new all the time. They also like extreme things – the crazier the better for them – and the things they like the most are those that will create the most buzz. ‘I think ‘forgetting to bring a purse’ is the worst thing that they do; they have zero loyalty. If you organise your brewery around these kinds of guys, you will sooner or later be totally disappointed. “The problem with things that are trendy is that by definition, they are trendy for a short period of time, and then they come out of fashion. So it's very dangerous to only focus about new trends and then trying to find newer, trendier things. It's a never ending run-around. “The problem is that they have a very strong presence because they spend their day on social media. So we brewers tend to believe that they are everywhere and that they dominate the market and that if we don't please them, we will go bankrupt.”
“New is not a style. One-off beers are not a true reflection of a brewery’s capabilities. As much as we like doing new recipes, because we do them ourselves, they should only be a starting point for something bigger. “These always evolve over time, otherwise what’s the point? I don’t see the value, or enjoyment, in having a
This isn’t the case, says De Baets, it’s the regulars who are a brewery’s most important customers. “The most important thing is pleasing these guys and gals have a glass of your beer, they socialize and they smile. We need to spend our entire days trying to make a product that will put a smile on our customer’s face.
beer only once. It’s a disposable culture and reminiscent
Where you fit in
of the infamous beer festival tickers that want every beer, even if it’s the slops. That said, it will exist as long as it’s pandered to. “Personally, I prefer to see development and achievement in the ways you can introduce variation and nuance in beer. Especially your annual releases. People
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February 2020
T
o rely on core or new brands is a question that can only be answered by yourself. Most breweries do a combination of both, with the hope always being
Brewers Journal
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that something new might turn into something permanent and then enter into their core range or a returning annual. The questions you need to be asking yourself are: Is innovation what sets your beer apart from others or is it your core brews? What is your customers’ desired experience? Do they want something familiar or are they searching for a constant new palette challenge? Can you afford to have experimental ‘misses’ with only occasional ‘hits’? Do you have a loyal following that will accept your new offerings or are you in stiff competition from other breweries? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers, but the best one has to be: Remain flexible and keep your eye on the market. While Cloudwater is still doing the one-offs which made it famous, it now has a core range as well. Hard for most of you to believe but when Starbucks first hit the scene in Seattle with about 10 shops, it was famous for its sale of whole bean coffee, not its drinks. On any given day there would be two types of Ethiopian coffee, something from Yemen, Honduras, Guatemala, Sumatra, Java, Papua New Guinea, aged coffee from Kenya, and five different blends. Today, its core is coffee drinks, not whole bean. Starbucks changed its flagship products to fit into its new business plan. As a brewer once told TBJ: “Always brew with your heart, but always know where your wallet fits into this dream.” u
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Small yet perfectly formed These days, you’d be hard-pushed to find a brewery that hasn’t dipped their toes, or shown an interest, in the production of low and no-alcohol beers. Few, however, have made it their raison d’être in the way London’s Small Beer Brew Co have. And all signs are pointing to 2020 well-andtruly being the Bermondsey firm's year.
what would become Small Beer Brew Co, the brainchild of Felix James and James Grundy. They wanted good beer, just with less alcohol than a 'regular' brew. “We love pubs. They give you that space to escape the pressure of working life and an opportunity to decompress,” explains Felix James. “When everything is whirring around you outside, they provide that means to drop everything and take things at your own pace.” But for James and Grundy, who were both starting young families several years ago, such establishments
by TIM SHEAHAN
L
provided the environment, but not always the means, to enjoy themselves.
ow and no alcohol beers. An overnight success….years in the making. It doesn’t seem that long ago that Gin was
He says: “After a long day at work, I would be heading home to the family. Occasionally I would stop for a beer or two, but two quick fire 5.5% Pale Ales wasn’t always
the talk of the town. Widely tipped as the
the best idea. You’d go in wanting a Lager, Pale or maybe
next big thing. And now? An embarrassment
a Stout but often out of necessity, you’d go for a 3.2%
of riches greets you the moment you set foot into pubs
number on cask because of the ABV. You knew that beer
and bars of all shapes and sizes. There is, evidently, a Gin
wasn’t going to boast the flavours you were after but you
(and accompanying tonic) for all tastes.
also knew the compromise you had to make.”
And thankfully for beer drinkers, the landscape of low
Meeting of minds
and no-alcohol malty, hoppy beverages is changing in a similar fashion. The days of Becks Blue being the sole option for consumers wanting a beer sans alcohol look to be soon behind us and things are all the better for it. Recent research from CGA showed that one in three (32%) adults has tried a no or low-alcohol beer, wine or spirit in the last six months. This equates to circa 15.5 million consumers—and another 8.9 million said they found the category appealing.
J
ames and Grundy were colleagues at London’s Sipsmith Gin. James was head of operations while Grundy had spent eight years helping grow the
business into a household name, one that would be acquired by Beam Suntory at the end of 2016. “On more than one occasion, we agreed that what we
What’s as pertinent is the figures revealed that of
really wanted was a low ABV beer that had the flavour of
those surveyed, only 9% of those who drink no and low
regular strength one. Something with a bit of alcohol,” he
options classifying themselves as teetotal. Therefore, it is
explains. “Let’s face it, we’re idiots as human beings and
clear that these drinks are an alternative for people who
we’re often very bad at finding the right balance when it
want to moderate their intake, rather than a permanent
comes to drinking. So to have a beer that has a sensible
substitute.
ABV without compromise was our goal."
And it was this attitude that helped sow the seeds of
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Before his time at Sipsmith, James was an avid
Brewers Journal
small
beer
home brewer. An interest, and education, in biology and
brew
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James is particularly proud of the approach he and the
fermentation led him to join the bottling operations of AB
team at Small Beer Brew Co has taken to producing their
InBev’s Stag Brewery in Mortlake, London.
beers, which fall into the bracket of 1.0-2.7%.
“It was an incredible foundation for me, seeing
“Beer is this amazing thing and sometimes if you fall
everything tick,” he says. “Working in such an operation
short of that fully-fermented flavour, that last 0.5% makes
gave me a great understanding of quality control
all the difference,” he says. “There are a lot of good beers
procedures which are fundamental as a brewer.”
out there, but then there are others that are highly-
He adds: “People often think of brewing as wort production. But as you know, 80% of brewing is cleaning. Packaging is crucial, as is fermentation and then
hopped to make up for the lack of malt character. We pride ourselves in offering both without compromise.” Achieving this has been something of a five year
there’s that tiny remaining bit of the process that is wort
process. The company is now producing laboratory size
production.”
mashes, often 16 of them each day, something that gives
In 2009 James would leave AB InBev and make the short two mile journey east up the River Thames to join Fuller’s. Starting out with their ISO and Quality systems, he
the team vast amounts of primary data that informs their approach to brewing on the main 30bbl kit. “Each time we brew, we create more data. We see it as
would move into production and packaging, something
research. It’s production in its own right but also research
that would further increase his knowledge of bottling and
to help us do better. The recipe remains the same, and
canning lines.
the process is as consistent as we can achieve. But we
“Packaging lines are beasts to understand,” he says. “If you can do that, you’re doing well.” During this time James would be working alongside brewing luminaries such as John Keeling and Derek Prentice. His stint there came to an end in 2015 when
always want to do better, looking for constant evolution and chipping away at the four products to make sure we’re 100% happy,” says James. These four products are the 2.1% Lager, a 1.0% Dark Lager, the 2.7% Steam and a 2.5% Session Pale.
James moved away from the world of beer and into the
Attention to detail
burgeoning Gin sector with Sipsmith. When it opened, Sipsmith was the first copper pot distillery in London for nearly two hundred years. Upon joining, the business was “small but growing rapidly” and the operations side comprised solely of James and head distiller Oliver Kitson. “Everything was built from scratch, so it allowed me to
F
or James, the biggest difference between these beers and a 5% beer is in the process. He explains: “If a brewer walked in off the street
and with no prior knowledge of Small Beer, they would
see how an entire business worked, from purchasing to
look at the malt bill and expect the Lager to come in at
production and everything in-between,” he explains.
around the 4.5% mark. The recipe and fermentation are
It was here that James would meet James Grundy, Sipsmith’s head of sales for an impressive eight years. “He had single-handedly created the sales arm of the
identical to a normal Pilsner-style lager but the process differs ever so slightly. “Most brewers are, understandably, hardwired
business, running around peddling Gin in the early days.
for brewing efficiency. They want to extract as much
His energy comes from winning people over. I’m a touch
fermentable as possible. They’re looking for flavour, but
more reserved, but there was a good bond there,” James
this often comes second to fermentables,” he says. “We
recalls.
use a lot of malt, the same as you would for a 5% beer, so
And it was that bond, so often strengthened by visits to the great British pub, that would end up creating Small Beer Brew Co, which was founded in 2017. Grundy says: “We knew there was demand, because
at first you might think we’re not very efficient!” James adds: “For us, it’s all about flavour efficiency, more body and better mouthfeel. That’s what moves the needle for us. Alcohol isn’t the limiting factor anymore,
we ourselves were looking for it. We knew what we
so we have the opportunity to get more flavour from the
wanted to do, but the question was how to do it, we’d not
beers we make.
come across beer like this before. "Pilot brews, market research and the courage of our
“Our process revolves around a broad spectrum of fermentables and unfermentables. The type of
conviction, it was time to take the leap. We were after all
unfermentable varies considerably, so we end up with
looking at an entirely new way of thinking and drinking,
a range of different molecules doing slightly different
but with the support and open minded nature of the
things.”
trade and consumer, our thirst for innovation, and a commitment to brew only the very best tasting beer, we set to work.”
brewersjournal.info
“What we’re looking for is a perfect spectrum and playing around with those variables is an intricate task.” We use Saaz hops but also some new world Galena
February 2020
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small
beer
brew
co
and Mosaic. We also use Maris Otter malt for the body
redundant piece of kit! I built in a lot of flexibility, for
and to add character into the beer.
instance the ability to whirlpool and strain in the copper
“I’m a huge believer in our nation’s malting ability.
so if I wanted to use full or pellet hops, I could. Then you
British maltsters are a phenomenon and should be
have the underback, which is all singing and dancing,” he
heralded. They make our lives as brewers easier far than
explains.
it can be otherwise. We are lucky to have Maris Otter as a
James adds: “There ended up being lots of add-ons
variety and are hell-bent on using the best ingredients in
but we have an amazing kitchen to play with. I got some
anything we make.”
strange looks from the supplier and it was a big risk in
Informing all of this is a strict checklist of what
going all-in. But if we had compromised at that stage, we
they don’t do. This comprises no vacuum distilling, no
wouldn’t have the setup we do now and we’d be kicking
reverse osmosis, no filtration, no processing. Also off the
ourselves.”
menu is sterile filtering, added stabilisers and arrested
When it comes to fermentation, James is strict on avoiding arrested fermentation, or modified yeasts
fermentation.
for high attenuation sweetness. Natural CO2 from
Naturally gluten-free
fermentation is captured and James avoids force carbonating his beers. “Doing so you strip out a lot of the aroma and head
S
mall Beer’s Lager, for example, is unique in that it
retention by blowing off those proteins. A lot of the
is naturally gluten free. It spends a minimum of six
character of the beer is lost,” he says. “Some tricks used
weeks lagering in tank. James has seen breweries
in low alcohol beers result in this cloying sweetness. We
add enzymes to break down gluten which, in turn, can
want the yeast to do as much of the work as possible in
break head proteins so head agents are added to counter
full fermentation.” This meticulous approach results in beers as the
this. “You are constantly tampering with the beer to make
brewer intended. Low in ABV but full in flavour and a
up for the mistakes caused by the previous stage. It’s not
product that very much fits the brief for those pub visits
a territory anyone should want to end up in,” he adds.
several years ago when the want for moderation required
In creating these four beers, James feels as though they’ve developed a process rather than simply recipes.
a compromise on flavour. “We don’t want to be alone in this,” says James. Seeing
And the Gravity Systems brewhouse he designed
more and more breweries play their part in the sector is
specifically for the purpose, was key to enabling this.
only a good thing and it will help raise the bar of quality
“When specifying what we wanted, I had this overriding thought that if I mess this up I’ll have a
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February 2020
further. We’ve passed the point where the desire for low ABV is stigmatised, things can only get better from here.” u
Brewers Journal
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D i str i but i on
Brewers Journal
R eta i l
and
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Keeping things real The beer landscape has, unsurprisingly, changed beyond recognition in the 15 years since Nick Dolan founded Real Ale, a bottle shop in South West London. Breweries have come and gone and, to an extent, so have certain beer styles. But what has remained constant is Dolan’s desire to promote excellent beer from the UK and beyond. He’s just doing it on a bigger scale now. We sat down with Nick and Real Ale’s managing director Zeph King to discuss where things go next.
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by Tim Sheahan
converting people to this amazing thing called craft beer,”
I
he says.
of the day when Nick Dolan opened his first shop in
ahead,” he believes. “That’s changed, though, and we’ve
Twickenham 15 years ago.
definitely caught right up. I actually think we can now go
n 2005, you would have got some pretty confused
For Dolan, who went to college in Portland, Oregon,
looks if you asked after the latest Imperial Pastry
in the 1990s, the UK was very much behind the curve in
Sour. There would have been no Instagram to
terms of hop-forward beer production for some time. But
capture the ‘Iceman pour’ of your beverage and no
no longer.
Untappd to rate said beer on.
“You could just see that we were behind the states
But things change.
by 10 years or so. Even though beer is our national drink,
Instead, bottle-conditioned real ale was the order
we were lagging when we should have been a long way
“You can imagine, the idea of craft beer didn’t really exist back then. If I knew how things would change I
toe to toe with the US when it comes to many beer styles.” Which is just as well because Dolan is clear on
would have simply called the shop ‘Craft’ and get a head
one thing. And that’s the modern consumer is more
start on everyone!” he smiles.
discerning.
A dual British and Canadian citizen, Dolan had moved
“We’ve expanded to sell wine and spirits across
back to the UK to help his friend’s dad set up a bottle
our three stores but for the first four or five years, we
shop on a farm he owned. That went swimmingly and
exclusively sold beer. It was probably a brave move to do
gave him the inspiration to do something similar in
that as nobody else was really doing anything similar,” he
Twickenham, South West London. The area where he had
recalls. “But we had an ethos of wanting to educate the
grown up.
consumer and provide them with information regarding
Real Ale would open in 2005 stocking beers from eight outfits such as Hepworth, Vale and Fox Brewery. He says: “We’d stock your beer if it was up to the high standards we demanded. I’d make the calls and drive
who produced the beer, what’s unique about the beer they’re drinking and why we believe in it. That’s not changed." He adds: “What has changed is that back in 2005,
around the country to pick up the beer, fill up the van and
everything was sold on the quality message. A brewer
come back to stock up the shop.
would boast about using the best barley and the best
“But there wasn’t a lot of it about so things were much
hops. Now that's a kind of a given. You should always
simpler then. Now though with more than 2000 breweries
be using the best ingredients possible. People are now
out there, it’s all changed. For me, that figure is too high.
demanding an experience.
There’s not enough demand out there to keep all of these
“I remember back in the day we’d host tastings and
breweries going at the right speed and the trajectory they
the store would be packed with people happy to try the
want.”
beer. Fast-forward and the consumer now wants to know
Zeph King joined Real Ale 10 years ago. He recalls sitting in a huge warehouse, which would hold the stock that would make up the CAMRA beer club, something the business fulfilled and organised. “We would find ourselves ringing around these breweries we found online to enquire about their bottleconditioned beers. I think about that, and then I look at
where the beer is from, how fresh it is, and why it’s unique. They’ll sit here and discuss the beer for hours on end.” For King, if you can inform and educate on issues such as provenance, while providing a quality product, then you’ve got a good chance of achieving customer loyalty in a crowded marketplace. “There’s a balancing act breweries need to
the shelves and fridges we have now,” he explains. “The
overcome. You need to offer the reliability, confidence
change is unrecognisable.”
and reassurance a solid core range gives you. But you also need something new and exciting to entice new
Changing landscape
customers and further attract existing ones,” he says. “It’s getting that balance. Smaller breweries need to release more beers to generate interest but at the same time, you
T
he business itself has changed, growing from a
need to benefit from the economies of scale ordering in
team of five a decade ago to closer to 30. But
bulk gives you. Producing too many beers and too many
it’s the type of beers Real Ale is selling, and how
styles won’t give you that.”
they’re distributed, that also enthuses King. “I look back to the early days of The Kernel, when Evin (O’Riordan, founder) would personally deliver those beers, and when BrewDog first moved into selling their beers in 330ml cans. I feel that was a huge selling point in
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February 2020
“And don’t get me started on consistency,” he adds. Consistency was evidently something of dark art in those early days of Real Ale’s hunt for good beer. “We sampled a lot of bad beer early on. People would start out brewing without the know-how of QC or brewery
Brewers Journal
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that was very, very frustrating.” He adds: “Therefore it makes a lot more sense to support local breweries. As long as the quality is there, freshness isn’t going to be an issue. It means we can make a promise to the consumer that they’re getting the best beer, in the best condition, possible.” “We are blessed in this country. Unlike the US and similar, it’s quite easy to get product around in 24-48 hours. Though while I’m not convinced there’s a fullychilled fulfilment avenue in the UK at present, things are improving all of the time.”
Retail relationship
S
elling beer direct to the consumer is not the only string in the company’s bow, far from it. A major part of Real Ale’s business for the last decade has
been its role as official supplier agent to Marks & Spencer. The company works with the multi-national retailer to source a range of beer from craft and regional brewers hygiene. There simply wasn’t a basic understanding on the micro side. And it showed,” explains Dolan. “Now,
nationally. Real Ale’s technical team works closely with breweries
we’re visited by breweries wanting us to stock their beers
on the beer brands to present to M&S. The team also
on an almost daily-basis. We welcome it and we’re always
ensures, through audits, that all breweries are operating
excited to try something new, of course.”
to M&S standards for food safety, hygiene and quality.
He adds: “But if I can give one bit of advice to the salespeople among us and that’s please try the beer you’re promoting. You’ll be surprised how many times
It has been a fruitful relationship for both parties, and one that stemmed from common sense and initiative. “The opportunity to own the ‘www.realale.com' domain
they haven’t tried the beer they’re pushing and you feel
was one I couldn’t pass up. I was surprised nobody had it!
bad for putting them on the spot. Especially if they can’t
says Dolan. “Early on it as used to showcase the breweries
tell you about the beer or even worse, if the beer they’ve
we worked with and the beers we stocked.”
offered you has obvious faults and flaws.”
He adds: “As luck would have it, we were the only people in the country who had a website that featured
Fresh is best
regional businesses. M&S were looking for someone to work with so I had a meeting with a lovely chap called James Fisher from M&S.
A
s consumers, we’ve all been there at some point.
“After our meeting at the Twickenham shop, he told
Paying over the odds for an imported IPA that
me we’re the ones they’d like to work with and if I’d be
still tastes ok but the frustration of how good that
interested. 'Sure, I said’. Without a clue of what I was
beer could have been fresh dominates your thoughts.
getting myself into!”
Nowadays, freshness is key. Cold-chain distribution,
What started with four beers has grown to a major
born-on and drink-by dates are more commonplace in
operation. These are in the form of the retailer’s “craft
beer parlance. Some of those, granted, more than others.
cans” range of beers brewed exclusively for M&S as well
Dolan observes that the beers businesses such as Real Ale sell has evolved over the years owing to the ability to procure a wider range of locally-produced great beer that’s easier to stock days or weeks, rather than months, after it was packaged. “The appetite for fresh beer, and ability to supply it, has really transformed this industry,” he says. “Years ago we’d
as more than 200 branded and own label products. Many arduous train journeys have been salvaged thanks to this relationship and long may it continue… Going forward, Dolan is confident on the future of UK beer but fully expects further consolidation, not just in the brewery sector but the retail arm of beer, too. That doesn’t change his approach, though.
do everything in our control to bring over American beers
“We’re open for business,” he says. "We love talking
in the best condition possible. But despite that, you’d end
beer and meeting breweries old and new. That’s what
up with stock that was a month away from its sell-by and
we’re about.” u
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February 2020
Brewers Journal
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B lack
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The Art of brewing The beers produced by the Rothaus Brewery in Grafenhausen, Germany, are considered to be among the best in their field. Imported into the UK by Sandip Patidar and his Black Forest Beers business, he’s seen the industry develop a fair bit in the last decade. And with the increasing appetite for low and no-alcohol beers, he’s confident that the quality of what Rothaus produce shines through, alcohol or not.
Very few people though, if any, know this part of the industry better than Sandip Patidar, the owner of Black Forest Beers. Patidar founded Black Forest Beers for one reason. He loved the beers produced by the Rothaus Baden State Brewery, located in Germany’s Black Forest. He loved the beers and knew drinkers in the UK would, too. And as the famous quote goes: "If you want something done, do it yourself”. So he did. And what started with nine cases of the beer has become an operation that distributes a fleet of more than 3,500 kegs in the UK alone. “Rothaus is the number one brewery in Germany,”
by TIM SHEAHAN
C
beams Patidar. “There are more than 2,000 breweries in the country but how many are listed on the German Retail Price Index (RPI)? Only one, and that’s Rothaus.”
ast your eyes across the low and no-
He adds: “It’s the beer that others are measured
alcohol landscape and there’s surely never
against. Other beers might end up in a price war but if
been a better time to be a beer drinker.
you’re buying a case of Rothaus then you know what
There’s more choice than ever before,
not just in terms of ABV but the styles
being produced, too.
brewersjournal.info
you’re expected to pay. There’s no compromise on quality.” Patidar, in his own words, has been “banging the drum”
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of Rothaus beers for years now. Beers such as its Tannenzäpfle, a 5.1% Pils and 5.4% Hefenweizen have long-established themselves as popular, quality beers
Flagship Rothaus Beers
easily recognisable thanks to the vibrant bottle labelling or grand keg fount. According to Patidar, beers such as Tannenzäpfle have grown in quality for a number of reasons. “Consumers have changed,” he explains. “Gone are the days where people don’t travel abroad. The advent of low-cost airlines have enabled people to travel more and experience new sights, sounds and tastes.” He says: “Palates have developed and people want more from the food they eat and beverages they drink. It’s hard to believe but only a few decades ago the idea of going out for a curry was alien to most. Now look where we are. “In beer, people want more than the selections the supermarket can offer them. Consumers are seeking new experiences, informed by travel and the ability to sample more of what the world has to offer.”
Pils (Tannenzäpfle) An elegant, strong, clean and tangy beer with a finely balanced hop aroma, which has been lightly filtered to produce a golden amber hue. An Pilsner with a cult following in Germany. Alcohol by vol: 5.1 % Original gravity (GG): 12.4 % Actual extract (Es): 2.5 % Apparent fermentation: 80.0 % Colour (EBC): 6.0 CO2 content (g/l): 5.4 pH: 4.4 Bitterness (BE): 32 Turbidity (EBC): <1 Yeast in Mio/ml: Nutritional value: 170 kJ / 100 ml
And just as Patidar has helped increase the visibility and availability of beers such as Rothaus Tannenzäpfle and Hefenweizen in the UK, he’s a long-standing advocate for their no-alcohol counterparts, too. While ‘Low and No’ can rightfully be considered a drinks trend for 2020, the founder of Black Forest Beers has been bringing these beers into the UK market for nearly seven years. “The landscape has changed, of course. There are many consumers that want a beer without the alcohol. There’s a lot of choice out there and some are, of course, better than others,” he explains.
Hefeweizen A bio cultured top-fermented yeast wheat beer which, contrary to our other beers is not filtered, producing an orange-yellow cloudy beer. The result is a refreshing, sparkling beer which has a typical wheat bouquet with hoppy scented tones and a light and fruity aroma. Alcohol by vol: 5.4 % Original gravity (GG): 12.6 % Actual extract (Es): 2.4 % Apparent fermentation: 80.0 % Colour (EBC): 16.0 CO2 content (g/l): 6.8 pH: 4.2 Bitterness (BE): 14 Turbidity (EBC): 250 Yeast in Mio/ml: 1-2 Nutritional value: 175 kJ / 100 ml Märzen Export (Eiszäpfle) A beer of outstanding depth, subtle undertones of malt and a deep golden hue. Lightly brewed and mildly hopped with a full bodied clean taste. Originating from the days when the last snow in March lay on the mountains and brewed at -2° C. Alcohol by vol: 5.6 % Original gravity (GG): 13.4 % Actual extract (Es): 2.8 %
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He adds: “I’m not surprised that people’s approach to drinking has changed. There’s far more information out there than there was 20 years ago and consumer lifestyles are changing with that.”
Apparent fermentation: 79.0 % Colour (EBC): 10.0 CO2 content (g/l): 5.0 pH: 4.4 Bitterness (BE): 25 Turbidity (EBC): <1 Yeast in Mio/ml: Nutritional value: 187 kJ / 100 ml
Patidar recalls early sales calls of being told “where to go” when regaling accounts with the no-alcohol Rothuas beers he had available to order. But he’s also validated by the increased year-on-year demand he’s witnessed since. “Simply removing the alcohol does not make for a palatable brew. Nor does excessive filtration,” he says. “Rothaus is in the position where it can do things in a comprehensive manner that results in excellent beers, without the alcohol.”
Radler Comprised of Rothaus Märzen and genuine lemon extract, the Radler is low in both alcohol and calories (66 calories). This is an ideal light beverage and a perfect thirst quencher, it's citrus and apple undertones making it wonderfully refreshing. Alcohol by vol: 2.4 % Original gravity (GG): 1.89 % Actual extract (Es): 1.34 % Apparent fermentation: Colour (EBC): 3.2 CO2 content (g/l): 5.3 pH: 3.5 Bitterness (BE): 14 Turbidity (EBC): Yeast in Mio/ml: Nutritional value: 85 kJ / 100 ml
The non-alcoholic Tannezäpfle successfully retains the well-balanced characteristics of a Rothaus Pils owing to its dealcoholization process. The beer is actually brewed with a higher original gravity (14.5 %) and lower IBU’s (25). Likewise, the non-alcoholic Hefeweizen is brewed with wheat malt and brewer’s yeast, which is typical of the variety. Aside from the light bitter hop flavours of 14 IBU’s, it also has an original gravity of 14.5%. As with its alcoholic counterpart, a hand-selected top-fermented yeast is used as op-posed to one that’s bottom-fermented. Both the non-alcoholic Tannenzäpfle, and nonalcoholic Hefeweizen goes unfiltered to the bottling process. “There is a great history behind Rothaus. I’m enamoured by the way the beers are made with pure mountain spring water, organic malt, hops and yeast,” says Patidar. “But what’s more important is looking to the future. And I’m fully confident that these beers are the
Alcohol-Free Rothaus alcohol-free beers are unlike most alcohol-free beers which are filtered. Instead they’re brewed to leave a real beer. At a temperature of 40°C the alcohol is removed, allowing the fine hop aroma to remain. The beers are also imbued with a very high hop content, so a full, rounded taste is achieved. Alcohol by vol: 0.45 % Original gravity (GG): 0.35 % Actual extract (Es): 5.05 % Apparent fermentation: Colour (EBC): 6.6 5.1 CO2 content (g/l): pH: 4.35 Bitterness (BE): 25 Turbidity (EBC): Yeast in Mio/ml: Nutritional value: 86 kJ / 100 ml
brewersjournal.info
finest around whether you want alcohol or not!” u
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S ocial
F O C US
M edia
A nalytics
Trend or Fad - Know where you stand Throughout the world, big changes are under way in alcoholic beverages. With consumers embracing healthier lifestyles and a more mindful approach to drinking, brands will need to reevaluate their product mix and messaging to stay relevant.
B
reweries are still opening left, right and
This same problem strongly affects the magazine
centre. Revenue is still there and hasn’t
industry in magazines such as Playboy, Rolling Stone,
fallen yet, but off on the horizon, something
Glamour, Brides, FHM, PC Format, and almost all
is beginning to happen.
specialised motoring magazines such as Low Rider.
In looking at social media traffic as a
Often times when a publication is started, the age of the
leading indicator of large-scale market trends, decreasing
editor/publisher matches that of the key reader. But,
consumer interest could spell trouble for brewers,
with nothing done to attract new, younger readers, the
according to a California-based research company.
publications ultimately fold or become a shadow of their
Social Standards is a consumer analytics platform
former selves.
that is powered by social data. This makes them different
Missed opportunity?
from the majority of market research companies that use Boolean queries, panels, and in too many cases a suspected dartboard to come up with figures. It instead looks at what people are talking about on social media – the company uses it platform to capture 75 million public Instagram posts – which it then analyses and organizes. As much as there is a slight uncomfortable feeling in regards to this data and lack of perceived privacy in social media, the depths of detail that Social Standards is able to obtain is staggering, such as the sex, age groups, race, and income of craft beer drinkers. The demographic makeup of craft beer drinkers has
T
his issue has been discussed in the UK and North America craft beer industry where too little seems to be done in attracting new, younger drinkers. In
the States, these categories are where hard seltzers are shining, taking advantage of beer missing the opportunity. If consumer interest in beer is down, what is being discussed? Health and wellness is a major topic with consumers increasingly concerned about what they’re putting in their bodies. According to Social Standards, this macro trend
held fairly steady for the last two years, suggesting that
is spilling over to alcohol beverages with some serious
craft beer has a stable fan base of white males in the 30-
consequences.
44 age bracket – followed by those 55-64, and trailing far behind are those in the 21-24 age bracket. In the States during this past summer, which is
In a BevAl context, health and wellness conversations are largely focused on mental health, abstinence from alcohol, and diet. While many predicted the demise
traditionally when beer sales peak, craft beer sales were
of carb consciousness, this trend refuses to die. “By
up 5 percent from 2017, with regular beer sales up 4
examining the relationship between carb consciousness
percent – all good news. Sales were also up in the UK and
and drinks and product categories, we can get a sense
Canada, thanks in part to a warm summer.
of how this trend is likely to impact alcohol beverage
But, the bad news is, during this same two-year period, consumer interest – based on Social Standards platform –
brands,” says Social Standards. And, indeed, some of BevAl’s fastest-growing
shows interest in all alcohol beverages (BevAl) down by 6
categories are strongly associated with carb
percent, mainstream beer by 9 percent, and craft beer by
consciousness. If that trend continues, hard seltzer will
16 percent. On top of this, the industry hasn’t successfully
be a clear winner due to its strong relationship with carbs.
converted new consumer segments, so it’s relying on one
This in part explains hard seltzer leader White Claw’s
main demographic group to keep sales moving forward.
dramatic rise in market shares during the last two years.
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distillation is enhancing the quality of the beverage. Moreover, rising demand for low alcohol content in various alcoholic beverages regarding suitability for occasional and health concerned consumers will foster the product portfolio expansion. According to Food & Beverage, developing economies such as Mexico, India, China, Brazil, and Indonesia will substantially impact the product development owing to a larger customer base coupled with increasing preferences for low and no alcohol beverages. Northern Monk and Cloudwater, when it comes to low ABV, are showing a major drop in social media discussions – although this hasn’t seem to affected their overall sales. On the other hand, Seedlip is generating considerable noise with its non-alcohol mock gin. However, high social noise doesn’t necessarily lead to high financial growth, a producer still needs a decent product. And in this regard, Seedlip’s high cost and negative taste reviews seems to have hampered the company. “The takeaway? Investing in low ABV options isn’t a sure thing,” says Social Standards. Conversations about non-alcoholic beverages is on the rise, but not at the same rate of low ABV, suggesting that consumers prefer moderation to complete abstinence. It seems that consumers are not yet demanding non-alcoholic from brands, even though they’re embracing non-alcohol products. Along with changes in what consumers are drinking, Social Standards’ data shows that consumers are also shifting when, where, and how they drink. This includes Data collected by Social Standards also suggests strongly that alcohol moderation isn’t just a fad, it’s a trend that is likely to have major repercussions for the BevAl industry, well-beyond Dry January. According to a recent report in Food & Beverage Industry News, the global non-alcoholic wine and
day drinking, pub crawls, and team-based drinking games like flip-cup. On the whole, occasions and activities connected with drinking to excess have been on the decline for the past two years, even taking seasonal gains into account. However, since 2017, consumers have increasingly
beer industry is growing at a rate never seen before,
incorporated games – but not drinking games – into
being driven by rapid technological development and
their alcohol consumption. The good news for pub and
innovations across the beverage sector. This market is
bar owners is that many of these activities such as board
expected to be worth a staggering $43,000,000,000
games, bingo, and pinball, are relatively low cost, making
within five years.
them potential wins for enticing patrons on-premise.
Along with North American and Europe,
While not an issue yet in the UK, in North America
industrialization and changing consumer lifestyle in the
where cannabis is becoming more legal, consumers
emerging economies of China, India, Thailand, Indonesia,
consider cannabis a substitute for alcohol – not a
Malaysia, and Brazil has stimulated the demand for the
complement. This could prove to be a problem for IPA
product.
and whisky producers, drink categories that cannabis consumers have a strong affinity for.
Changing lifestyles
Throughout the world, big changes are under way in alcoholic beverages. With consumers embracing healthier lifestyles and a more mindful approach to
R 50
apid improvisations in the brewery industry for
drinking, brands will need to reevaluate their product
alcohol content reduction including improved
mix and messaging to stay relevant, says Social
membrane-based technologies and vacuum
Standards. u
February 2020
Brewers Journal
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B al i
Meeting Market Demand An ever-increasing market for its beer led Bali Hai Brewery Indonesia to install a new canning line. A move that would accommodate a higher production capacity while also securing the quality of its beers. To enable this, the business turned to Sidel, which designed and supplied the line that runs at up to 33,000 cans per hour in the 330 ml format. The move doubled its output capabilities and features a very compact layout, overcoming the Indonesian brewer’s allimportant space constraints. by TIM SHEAHAN
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February 2020
B
ali Hai Brewery Indonesia is the country’s leading independent brewery, developing and distributing a distinctive range of beer brands for the national and international markets since 1975.
“Our products are sold in more than twenty countries,
including Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Korea and New Zealand, as well as different regions of Africa. While capturing the opportunities offered by a consumer demand that is continuously increasing, we are committed to maintaining the consistent taste and quality of our beers,” explains Daniel To, technical director at Bali Hai. The business, which recorded a domestic market share of 3.2% in 2018, is a family-owned company and the fourth largest domestic brewery, offering a portfolio that speaks to the consumers’ increasing preference for local
Brewers Journal
B al i
C r o s s in g
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Future proofing technology
as well as premium beer brands. These include Bali Hai Premium, Draft Beer, El Diablo Original and Panther Black. Despite strong Indonesian regulations to control alcoholic drink consumption, the beer segment in the country is showing a very positive trajectory. It’s set to register a 7% total volume CAGR to reach 324 million litres by 2023. To keep up with this growth, Bali Hai decided to invest in a large-scale project and – in doing so – opted to partner with Sidel for the very first time. This particular journey started when Bali Hai undertook a major renovation and automation of their brewhouse
T
he leading Indonesian player was offered a layout and equipment choice perfectly accommodating their needs for secured quality, while opening
doors to additional capacities and being prepared for future challenges. “The floor space available at our plant is limited; therefore, we needed a very compact solution that did not compromise on efficiency and flexibility,” says To. The project started with the search for the right
and cellar area in 2013, when many processes were still
location within the site, always considering the need for
performed by manual labour.
additional capacity.
As part of their investments in the past few years, they
“Despite the fact that we were initially planning a line
also decided to upgrade their canning line, managing
delivering 24,000 cans per hour (cph) for the 500 ml
330 ml and 500 ml formats, to fit their needs for higher
format, we eventually trusted Sidel’s engineers and went
efficiency.
for a complete line that is able to reach up to 29,000 cph,
This is where Sidel stepped in with their expertise in line design and engineering, deriving from their longstanding heritage in complete solutions for beer.
brewersjournal.info
thus securing high capacity production for the coming years,” he adds. There were a number of important reasons for the
February 2020
53
Indonesian brewer to put their confidence for such a large-scale revamping in Sidel. “First and foremost we appreciated the local service
electronic filler for cans and the proven PAMA pasteuriser. When explaining the rationale behind the choice of the filler, Blegog Sugiono, packaging manager at Bali Hai said
support as well as the time that the team took to
they opted for the Sidel filling technology largely because
understand and analyse our requirements. Thanks to
of the very low total oxygen pick-up it ensures, which
their highly competent and responsive engineers, the
ultimately leads to high product quality.
installation of the line was completed in a short period of
“Plus, we now use a volumetric technology, so as to
time,” says To. At the moment, Bali Hai has the possibility
guarantee that our cans all have the intended quantity of
to run the new canning line in three shifts, while the old
product when reaching the shelf,” he says.
one only allowed for a maximum of two. The Sidel complete canning line includes 13 different
The installed PAMA pasteuriser, which features Sidel’s unique PRINCE Plus software, for ideal control of the
machines, laid out in six larger production modules: the
Pasteurisation Unit (PU), was specifically tailored around
de-palletiser, the filler and seamer, the pasteuriser, the
Bali Hai’s requirements.
dryers, the shrink-wrapper and the tray shrink-wrapper, plus conveying systems.
Sugiono adds: “We decided to install this system to have a constant level of quality and consistent taste across our beers. Specifically, we have been able to
Maintaining quality
further cool down the can temperature at the outfeed of the pasteuriser, therefore eliminating the risk of unstable quality we have experienced in the past.
B
ali Hai’s goal of protecting beer quality was mainly
54
“With the latest technology from Sidel, we can now
achieved through the integration of two specific
narrowly adjust and control the PU in accordance with the
solutions in the line: the latest Sidel volumetric
specified settings for a fully controlled beer taste.”
February 2020
Brewers Journal
B al i
The new canning line actually runs twice as fast as the
C r o s s in g
C ontin e nt s
“We added some tailor-made options to fit Bali Hai’s
brewer’s old line. As a result, the output became three
needs,” says Stéphane Séné, key account manager at
times bigger, growing from 500 to 1,450 trays per hour.
Sidel. “First, a ‘Design to Cost’ approach has been applied
With two different can formats (330 ml and 500 ml),
to deliver the best quality-price-performance ratio
nine different recipes and various secondary packaging
available on the market for shrink-wrapping at speeds of
options, the number of SKUs handled by Bali Hai’s
up to 60 cycles per minute.” Séné adds: “Secondly, we implemented a simple
canning line lies at 18. This required a high level of flexibility at the secondary packaging stage, yet with no
conveying solution to feed the shrink-wrapper: this way,
compromises on an optimised footprint.
the customer was able to save some factory floor space,
In addition, the leading Indonesian brewery decided to shift from RSC cases to film for economic benefits
now dedicated to warehouse purposes. “In addition, we removed the need for a divider by
and installed Sidel EvoFilm Access, a seamless shrink-
orienting the lanes of cans differently. The customer is
wrapping solution for low to medium speed applications.
therefore able to manage eight pack configurations more
They also wanted to be able to widen the secondary packaging solutions offered to their customers, including
easily and efficiently. For greater versatility, the system can manage both packs and lose cans." The ease of operations brought by Sidel’s End-of-Line
multipacks. Sugiono comments: “With the new line, we have a
solution became instantly clear when, after its integration,
sophisticated tray and film solution that we can apply to
no specific training of the customers’ operators was
produce various packing alternatives; for example, four-
required.
or six-packs wrapped on one tray containing a total of 24
“By operating Sidel solutions in our brewery, we
cans, run on one solution. If multipacks are not requested,
expect to fulfill the market demands whilst providing
products can bypass the tray and film packer directly to
excellent quality products. We are very satisfied with
the shrink-wrapping system.”
the performance of the recently installed complete line.
With a modular design concept allowing for a broad
Overall, we believe the best beer is produced by the most
array of configurations and options, EvoFilm Access offers
qualified people and packaged with the best machinery –
expanded flexibility.
and for that Sidel is the solution,” To concludes. u
Gravity Systems was formed to meet the growing demand in the craft beer market for a single source for all brewhouse, fermentation, services generation and distribution. It is our aim to be the most complete partner in the brewery industry by building long term partnerships with our customers.
+44 (0) 1733 834264 | www.gravity-systems.co.uk
brewersjournal.info
February 2020
55
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B eer
T asting
T erminology
Sci e nc e
Raise your game It’s fair to say that he more you discover about beer and brewing the more, it seems, there is to learn. In the second part of this series, Dr Keith Thomas, founder of Brewlab, the UKbased provider of brewing training and analysis, lifts the lid on brewing tastes, flavours and terms used. Explaining what they mean and how they come about.
L
et’s start with Isinglass. Contrary to common preconceptions
Isinglass is positively charged and so attracts negatively charged yeast into a complex which settles at
traditional ale is not a vegetarian product. It is
the bottom of the cask. Only a small amount is required
true that beer’s ingredients are vegetal –
– half a pint or so per 9-gallon cask.
barley and hops fermented with yeast.
Isinglass is by far the most effective fining agent for
However, once the beer is fermented brewers use
clearing yeast in beer. Clearing a full cask within 24 – 48
Isinglass a finings agent that is derived from fish. Finings
hours ensuring a publican’s beer is ready to serve soon
agents remove residual yeast and protein from the beer
after delivery.
and ensure a clear pint. Rather surprisingly Isinglass is taken from the swim
Alternatives are less effective. Carrageenan seaweed extract is often added as well as Isinglass and will work on
bladder of the sturgeon or perch. Perhaps not what a
its own but not as well. Plant extracts are also an option
drinker would expect to be mixed with their pint of cask
but so far these have not proved reliable. It is possible to
ale.
produce clear beer for bottles, kegs and cans without
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using Isinglass by using centrifugation in the brewing process, for example.
In a beer with bitter and hop character these flavours are viewed as contaminants with brewers of pale ales and
Clear cask ale, however, requires fining. The rise of
lagers becoming paranoid over their presence. Real ales
craft brewing means more and more beers are now being
prove more resilient as Ketone levels decrease when they
served with a yeast haziness. Some years ago this would
are metabolised by yeast. And in darker beers, they are
have been viewed negatively by drinkers with many
hidden in a raft of other flavours and even contribute
wrongly assuming there was something wrong with the
positively to a rounded mouthfeel.
beer. The fact is a hazy bee is just unfined and as such is more natural and less processed.
Ketones can also be produced in high levels by bacteria so giving you advance notice of a bad beer before you take a sip. Yeast strains differ in the levels they
Juniper
produce with classic British yeasts generating higher levels than yeasts for other beer styles. There is even an argument that international brewers target low levels to
J
uniper is normally associated with gin production
distinguish their beers as clean – or perhaps part of their
providing the familiar strong spicy taste we mix with
unflavoured character.
a tonic. But Juniper is also bee used in brewing. Its
Ketones are regarded as unpleasant by many drinkers.
distinctive taste can be found in some traditional
Even though a quarter of the UK population are not
Scandinavian beers such as Sahti. It is also used as an
sensitive to diacetyl and may even enjoy its presence.
ingredient in beverages and medicinal treatments in
Look out for butterscotch flavours when you next taste a
North America where it known for its health benefits and
real ale a few yeast strains will have left a trace for your
antiseptic properties.
palette to detect.
When brewing beer juniper can contribute to the
Late hopping
fermentable extract and also be used to separate the wort at the end of mashing. Where a layer of juniper branches, sometimes mixed with straw, provide a dense filter allowing the wort to separate from the residual malt grains – as contributing flavour as the beer seeps through. Juniper berries (or cones) can also provide fermentable
Any serious drinker will be aware of the impact hops have on the flavour of their beer. Both in providing bitterness and aroma. In general, we respond positively to
materials to use in a brew but require careful extraction.
both of these enjoying a bitter taste and a complex hop
Berries and branches can both provide flavour when
aroma. Today greater interest in beer flavours has
added to the boil and, being antimicrobial, help limit
encouraged brewers to state their hop varieties on pump
bacterial contamination. The climate in Northern
clips, bottles and web sites. Where before we could judge
Scandanavia does not lend itself to malt and hop
the degree of hop character now we can characterise and
production so it is easy to see how the Juniper tree
document its varieties, its times of addition and how it is
became the basis for local beers.
processed.
Sahti production is still practised in Finland today.
One of these means is the addition of hops towards or
Where brewers produce a beer of 6 – 8% alcohol by
after the end of the boil either in the copper or even later
volume from a grain mix of barley, rye malts and
in cask as dry hopping. Traditional late hopping would
separated by Juniper twigs. The beer is spontaneously
refer to throwing in a charge of hops five or ten minutes
fermented and has a very distinctive resinous and spicy
before the end of the boil with the reasoning that because
flavour. Residual grains are often incorporated into local
many flavours are volatile a late addition will provide
bread too providing the perfect accompaniment for a
some fresh aroma to the beer. This is true but it also alters
glass of beer.
the flavour balance. Hop flavours are as diverse as the styles of beers and
Ketones
differ greatly in their volatility – some are so volatile they dissipate up the brewery chimney within minutes. Myrcene is a good example of a predominant hop aroma
Ketone flavours such as diacetyl may not be a
with a range of flavours from spicy to fruity depending on
common topic for discussion between drinkers in our bars
its concentration but giving a very distinctive signature of
and taprooms. But they’re often front of mind in the
fresh hops. However, with a boiling point of 167ºC its level
brewery – especially when judging the quality of a beer.
rapidly declines during boil allowing other, less volatile
Ketones are produced during yeast growth with their
aromas to become apparent. Some such as geraniol have
levels increase during fermentation. They are noticeable
higher boiling points – 230ºC in geraniol’s case – and are
in fresh beer as honey, butterscotch or caramel flavour.
more persistent at the end of the boil.
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Adding hops later during or after the boil will restore
T erminology
Sci e nc e
packed full of starch so must be malted before they can
the proportion of myrcene giving a more intense and
be used in brewing. Without this process, little starch
recognisable hop character. It will, however, subdue the
would be digested and little sugar or alcohol produced.
flavour of possibly more interesting flavours – geraniol, for
Enzymes present in the cereal grains digest the starch
example, has the floral aroma you smell in geranium and
during the malting process releasing the sugars we
roses which is unusual in a beer but which may make it
brewers need.
stand out in a crowd.
Malt protein also helps generate and stabilize the head
The timing and varieties used in late hopping may
of beer. As well as contributing to a pint’s appearance
dictate a beer’s hop character while early hopping
foam also controls which flavours leave the beer. Poor
provides its bitterness. Trying to identify which variety of
malt or a recipe with too little malt will give a flat beer with
hops has been added and when is not easy but always a
a different aroma. Some malts, particularly wheat malt,
good challenge especially when trying something new.
have high levels of protein and thus produce a large head but also a haze in the beer. Haze can also happen if a
Malt
draught ale is chilled too much as this makes the malt proteins precipitate. Normally these dissolve as the beer
M
alt is known as ‘the body of beer’. It provides the sugars which ferment and turn to alcohol. Different styles of beer use different malts to
warms so if you are pulled a beer with a light unwanted haze it may be worth waiting a while before complaining. While different cereals and different barley varieties provide different flavours to beers it is the roasting of malt
generate the varying flavours and colours which are
that’s the basis of different beer styles. Crystal, black and
immediately apparent on viewing and tasting your beer.
chocolate are the major roasted varieties each enable
A major feature of malt is its complex biochemistry. Not only are we drinking the alcohol from its sugars but
different recipes from mild to stout and everything in between.
also its residual, non-fermented sugars, its proteins and
Nonenal
vitamins, minerals and tannins. Malt can produce a range of complex flavours such as biscuit, flour, grainy, sweet and astringent. Malt is derived from its parent cereal. This is normally barley but could be wheat, rye or oats in the UK and Sorghum or other grains overseas. Cereal grains are
brewersjournal.info
A
beers chemistry is critical to its quality. Nonenal is a particular characteristic rarely discussed outside a brewer’s laboratory. Sometimes known as
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staling nonenal is an unsaturated aldehyde that leaves a
from lactone lipids, vanilla from vanillin and aromatic
musty taste reminiscent of cardboard, papery or wet
phenols providing clove and cinnamon cahracteristics.
clothes. Far from the fresh hoppy and fruitiness, we would
Tannins contribute slowly over time to provide
expect from a freshly brewed beer.
astringency which can make beer too dry if aged for
Nonenal arises when beers age. Or to be more precise (and technical) from the oxidation of lipids present in malt
extended periods. Wood is not inert and often contains microorganisms
a reaction which is accelerated by the presence of
within its porous structure, particularly the increasingly
oxygen. That’s why keeping beer in sealed vessels ensure
acclaimed yeast Brettanomyces and lactic acid bacteria.
it has a longer shelf life when compared to open
Sourness and a variety of metabolic flavours including
fermenters for example. Small scale production and
diacetyl may arise from these and, in time, produce a sour
home brewing are inevitably more prone to nonenal due
beer.
to their greater exposure to air during handling and
Further sourness may develop from gradual ingress of
bottling. So a rule of thumb is ‘the bigger your brew the
air to the cask allowing acetic acid bacteria to grow and
better’.
provide a slight ‘vinegar’ taint. Different woods have
Production of nonenal is also accelerated by the
different porosity with French oak more so than American
presence of an enzyme in malt – lipoxygenases. Since
so providing different oxygenation. Similarly, large casks
malt varieties have different levels of this enzyme beer
will have less surface area and be less effective than
styles will have different potential for staling. Light beers
smaller casks.
are generally more susceptible than darker styles. Dark
Finally, it is common to reuse spirit casks for beer
beers will also have stronger flavours to mask nonenal
ageing and so pick up some of the residual characteristics
but also benefit from compounds which absorb oxygen
of the spirit. Whisky, sherry and wine casks are popular
preferentially so limiting the impact.
but brandy and port also provide interesting alternatives. u
Other approaches to managing stale flavours include control of the malting process whereby low germination and high kilning temperatures reduce the levels of lipoxygenase. Other options include using barley varieties specifically bred to have low or no enzyme. The most well known of these is PolarStar developed for Sapporo brewery and although not widely available it does suggest that, in future, malts may have less potential for developing off-flavours. Malts are not entirely to blame for staling. Hops also contribute when their bitterness components are oxidised – again to aldehydes but also to isovaleric acid which has more of a ‘cheesy’ flavour. Highly hopped beers have more potential for this with their greater levels of bitterness. Light coloured, very bitter beers are thus doubly disadvantaged. They are maybe beautiful beers when fresh can be a real problem when aged.
Oak
O
ak can provide a subtle extra dimension to a beer’s flavour. Barrel-aged beers are increasingly popular both with drinkers and breweries looking
to add to their brewing portfolio. Barrel ageing is as old as brewing itself and only fell out of use as metal vessels and casks became widespread within the industry. While stainless steel has many hygiene advantages and helps brewers produce more consistent beers. Traditional wood casks and barrels are still widely recognised as a great way to add flavour and microbes to beer. Flavours imparted directly from wood include coconut
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February 2020
Packaging HANDLES
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Brewers Journal
c l a s s ifi e d
quality assurance
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recruitment
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TRAINING
Fermentis is an expert in the art of fermentation. Our active dry yeasts and yeast derivatives cover almost all professional requirements: from safeguarding production to expressing sensory characteristics. Discover our products on www.fermentis.com Contact us at fermentis@lesaffre.com
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Bringing Quality Control to the Brewery Suppliers of analytical testing products and services www.qclscientific.com +44 (0)1342 820820
YEAST Cont'd
vessels yeast
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The CANPRO filling system is a state-of-the-art, high-speed, mechanically controlled can filling system designed around proven European counter-pressure-gravity filling technology and can seaming technology. The CANPRO is designed to fill beer in a variety of can sizes and volumes offering todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s craft brewers a wide range of flexibility. The CANPRO filling systems achieve filling speeds ranging from 80 cans per minute with (330ml cans) up to 600 cans per minute while delivering very precise fill levels, very low O2 pickup and minimal product loss. Please contact us at info@moravekinternational.com for further information. Moravek International Limited Pure Offices, Kestrel Court, Harbour Rd, Portishead, Bristol BS20 7AN
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brewersjournal.info
February 2020
65
date s
&
e v e nt s
events February 26th 2020
brewers lectures, leeds Northern Monk Refectory, Leeds lectures.brewersjournal.info 26 February 2020 - 29 February 2020
Leicester beer Festival Haymarket Theatre, Leicester www.leicester.camra.org.uk 29 February 2020
Beavertown & The Intergalactic 8 Beavertown Brewery, London www.beavertownbrewery.co.uk The Brewers Lectures, organised by team behind The Brewers Journal, comes to Norwich for the first time. Taking
6 March 2020 -7 March 2020
place at the Centre of Writing on 18th March, it promises
North Sussex Beer & Cider Festival
to be a fantastic afternoon packed with engaging talks, networking opportunities and great beer.
Drill Hall, Horsham northsussex.camra.org.uk
4 February 2020 - 8 February 2020
13 March 2020 - 14 March 2020
great british beer festival, birmingham
winchester real ale and cider festival
The new Bingley Hall www.winter.gbbf.org.uk
Northern Monk Refectory, Leeds www.winchesterbeerfestival.org.uk
13 February 2020 - 15 February 2020
18 March 2020
love beer london
brewers lectures, norwich
London www.siba.co.uk
Norwich, Centre of Writing lectures.brewersjournal.info
19 February 2020 - 22 February 2020
3 April 2020 - 4 April 2020
chelmsford winter beer festival
North Leeds Charity Beer Festival
King Edward VI Grammar School www.chelmsfordbeerandciderfestivals.org.uk
North Leeds Cricket Club, Leeds www.northleedscharitybeerfestival.co.uk
21 February 2020 - 22 February 2020
3 April 2020 - 5 April 2020
Alton Winter Beer Festival, Hampshire
CAMRA Members Weekend and AGM
Alton College, Hampshire www.altonbeerfestival.co.uk
Central Hall, University of Yorkshire www.camra.org.uk
21 February 2020 - 22 February 2020
9 April 2020 - 11 April 2020
Cask 2020
isle of man Winter beer festival
Copeland Park, Peckham www.affinitybrewco.com
The Royal Hall, Douglas www.iombeerfestival.com
21 February 2020 - 22 February 2020
17 April 2020 - 18 April 2020
FRIENDS & FAMILY & BEER
Guisborough Beer Festival
Manchester Central, Manchester www.friendsandfamily.beer
Guisborough Parish Hall www.clevelandcamra.org.uk
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February 2020
Brewers Journal
Join us at BeerX Stand 197 11-13 March
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