The magazine for the professional brewing industry
Brewers J o u r n a l
October 2019 | Volume 5, issue 8 ISSN 2059-6669
BLACK IRIS BREWERY
nottingham’s maestros of great branding and even better beer
27 | hard seltzers: time for your brewery to diversify?
32 | the importance of disaster resilience
64 | Kölsch: defining the popular style
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BRAUBEVIALE 2019 Nuremberg, Germany November 12-14, 2019
l e ad e r
take advantage
H
ello! Welcome to the latest edition of The Brewers Journal. I think the saying: "If you're standing still, you're going backwards" is particularly pertinent at this time of year. As the evenings draw in, we hit the final quarter and plans for 2020 come into laser focus. As a brewery owner, release schedules for the upcoming 12 months are being refined and revised, while other avenues to grow sales are no doubt being discussed and debated. In this edition, we've explored the latter with an analysis of the burgeoning US hard seltzer category that continues to deliver incredibly impressive numbers for the breweries and other beverage manufacturers producing these drinks. To throw out yet another phrase, if you will: "When America sneezes, the whole world catches a cold". Looking at the success these drinks are having in the States, I can't help but think that more breweries in the UK and elsewhere will dipping their toes into the sector. Especially if you have a taproom or direct way to sell to the consumer. There can surely be no harm in seeing how drinkers react, so check out page 27 for more. Here at The Brewers Journal, we also believe that standing still does nobody any good. After being asked about the potential of launching our own awards for a good while now, we felt that doing that in our fifth year meant we couldn't be accused of rushing anything. We were proud to launch the inaugural Brewers Choice Awards this summer and we’ve been blown away by the response. Designed to recognise the very best in UK brewing, we want to put the best of the best in the spotlight. The Brewers Choice Awards are split into five categories: Brewery Of The Year, New Brewery of The Year, Young Brewer of The Year, Beer of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award. The quality of entries from breweries across the UK has been incredible and we look forward to discussing
brewersjournal.info
editor's choice We look at the hard seltzer market and why it represents an opportunity for breweries looking to diversify - page 27
and judging the contenders later this month at The Barrel Project, a joint craft beer tap room and conditioning space for the London Beer Factory. The winners will be presented their award at the Brewers Choice Awards dinner, taking place after the Brewers Congress in London on the 28th November. Tickets are available via the Brewers Journal website. They include a drinks reception, a three course dinner with wine and we will be entertained by comedian Alfie Moore. The venue is the illustrious Institution of Civil Engineers at One Great George Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3AA. To get the full lowdown on those shortlisted turn to page 18 of this issue and good luck to all those that entered! Hope to see you there. Tim Sheahan Editor
October 2019
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contact 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
Fermenters
Jon Young Publisher jon@rebymedia.com Reby Media 42 Crouchfield,
Filtration Tanks Brew Kettles Mash Tuns Lager Tanks
STAES.COM Tel.: 0044(0)1427.89.00.99 james@abuk.co.uk www.abuk.co.uk Tel.: 0032.14.259.300 www.staes.com info@staes.com
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October 2019
Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP1 1PA, UK
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Brewers Journal
e
.d braubeviale
Good conversations. Good business. CONNECT WITH THE FUTURE Over 1,000 exhibitors and more than 40,000 trade visitors all have exactly one goal in mind: To drive progress for the beverage production of tomorrow, so that new solutions can be used to market better products. Sound exciting? Find out more: braubeviale.de/next
Nuremberg, Germany | 12 – 14 November
C ont e nt s
contents 68
58
27
64
55
Cover story 47 - How Nottingham's Black Iris Brewery have made their mark with great beer, excellent branding and a can-do approach to collaboration
Brewers choice awards | The contenders 18 - The full lowdown on all of the breweries shortlisted for the Brewers Choice Awards
Focus | Water 55 - Why boreholes offer a cost-effective alternative to mains water supplies but require active management and maintenance to get the best out of them
trending | hard seltzer 27 - We look at the UK's potential for hard seltzer following the US boom
sector | canning 58 - How the rise of canning continues unabated, opening up new revenue streams
COMMENT 32 - The importance of disaster resilience 36 - The story of The Skyline Project 40 - Staying in control of your raw materials 42 - Can tech and training save the pub trade?
Science | Kรถlsch 64 - Andrew Paterson, technical sales manager at Lallemand Brewing looks to define Kรถlsch
focus | brand direction Dear John 44 - The closing months of summer saw John pay a visit to South Africa
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October 2019
68 - Why effective, impactful design is key to help modern consumers navigate the growing number of options available to them
Brewers Journal
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Beer sales drop in second quarter
B
eer sales in the second quarter of 2019 dipped 2.2% compared to the same period in 2018, new figures
have revealed. According to the latest Beer Barometer sales data from
At present, public finances include an inflation-linked increase in beer duty. The BBPA is therefore continuing to support the Long Live The Local campaign, by Britain’s Beer Alliance, which is calling for a cut in beer duty to
the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), the slump
decrease the significant cost pressures pubs face and
was driven by falling beer sales in the on-trade, which fell
help give them a boost.
by 2.8% on the same period in 2018. Beer sales in the off-trade also fell, decreasing by 1.7% on the same quarter in 2018. The BBPA said the decline was against a particularly
BBPA chief executive, Brigid Simmonds OBE, said: “Britain’s beer industry is a world-class manufacturing sector. Together, brewing and pubs support 900,000 jobs in towns and villages across the UK. As the
strong second quarter in 2018, where sales were boosted
nation’s favourite alcoholic drink, it is important that the
by a long period of good weather and the group stages of
Chancellor supports beer and the pubs that serve it in
the World Cup.
their local communities.
Beer sales in the on- trade, however, remain under considerable pressure generally, with pub numbers continuing to decline as a result of high taxes, including beer duty. The BBPA has been clear that measures need to be taken by the Chancellor to, at the very least, cut, or if not,
“We know that cuts and freezes to beer duty make a big difference in helping pubs and boosting beer sales. "There is a very real threat, however, that the Chancellor, Sajid Javid, will increase beer duty at the next Budget in Autumn. “After two back-to-back beer duty freezes in 2017 and
freeze, beer duty in the Budget. Without doubt this will
2018, an increase would be a big step back. What we
help many community pubs to survive, it says.
really need is a beer duty cut to give pubs a big boost.”
New upgrade to yeast counter offers Brettanomyces bruxellensis concentration
O
and it exists naturally, for example on fruit skins. For some of the brewers Brett is a nightmare, others love the unique flavor it can produce. Experimenting with Brett has risks. It spreads
culyze Better Brewing las launched a new feature
easily, and without being cautious, Brett can rapidly
to analyze Brettanomyces bruxellensis (Brett)
contaminate all of the beers in a brewery. The
concentration in the brewing process. After a period of research and development the app now allows the user to determine Brettanomyces bruxellensis concentration. The characteristic elongated shape of these Brett cells is challenging for automated image recognition because of the inconsistency in shape and size, and due to the overlapping cells and clusters. The Oculyze app provides a solution; a microscopic image is scanned and all elongated cells and particles are detected and then selected after a geometric consistency check. Concentration is measured according to the number of
microorganism can be transported by airborne particles, equipment or even fruit flies. Proper cleaning and sanitizing procedures will help to isolate it. Some popular beer styles are produced intentionally with Brett including the famous Flanders red and Belgian lambic styles. Many of the craft brewers, who are using Oculyze BB2.0 yeast counter, have requested an additional feature to the app to accurately count the Brett concentration of the sample. Kilian Moser, CEO at Germany-based Oculyze said: “From conversations with breweries, we recognized the need to analyze Brett concentration in yeast samples
Brett cells while Saccharomyces and other particles are
on top of our existing automatic cell concentration and
automatically ignored from Brett concentration results.
viability analysis.
Brettanomyces is a genus in the class
"We launched the feature as a beta version to learn
Saccharomycetes and it can produce unique aromas
more about the requirements of our customers, since
and flavors, which can be described as a barnyard, horse
there is no generally accepted standard method for
blanket, leather, burnt plastic, wet wool or even sweat.
Brett analysis. After launching this version, we would
Brett is a yeast, though many brewers assume it is a bacterium. Brett can also be considered as a contaminant
brewersjournal.info
love to get feedback how this innovative solution suits their analyzing needs.”
October 2019
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Fuller’s shareholders set for windfall
F
uller’s shareholders are to receive £69m following the brewery’s sale to Asahi earlier this year.
In a statement, the company said: “Following the sale
of the beer business to Asahi Europe, which completed on April 27, and its agreement to make a £24m voluntary
“It is expected, subject to shareholder approval, completion of the return of capital will take place shortly following the general meeting, and settlement will take place in mid-October. “The company has made a good start to the new
offer to its pensions scheme from the proceeds thereof,
financial year with like-for-like sales in managed pubs
the company intends to return a total of approximately
and hotels rising 2.5% and like-for-like profits in tenanted
£69m of cash to ordinary shareholders, representing a
inns down 2%, against exceptionally strong trading for the
return of 125p per A ordinary share and C ordinary share
same period last year.”
in the company, and 12.5p per B ordinary share in the company. “The board expects the return of capital will be
Chief executive, Simon Emeny, added: “It has been a busy start to the year with the sale of the Fuller’s beer business to Asahi, and I am pleased to announce the
implemented by way of a D share scheme requiring
intention to return approximately £69m to shareholders,
the issue and allotment of a new class of shares by
which is at the top end of the range indicated in the
the company to ordinary shareholders in proportion to
original circular to shareholders on the disposal of the
their existing holding of ordinary shares in the company
beer business.
(taking into account the different economic rights of the ordinary shares). “Following the allotment and issue of the D shares, it is expected Numis Securities, or a subsidiary thereof, will make an offer to purchase all the D shares for an
“We are now focused on driving the performance of our premium pubs and hotels business and, with the addition of our new finance director Adam Councell, the full executive team is in place. “I am pleased to see our managed pubs and hotels
amount of 12.5p per D share, free of all expenses and
showing like-for-like growth and, while our like-for-like
commissions.
profits in tenanted inns are down a little on last year, it is
“A circular containing details of the return of capital
important to remember the first half of last year included
and notice of an extraordinary general meeting on the
the halcyon period where sun and sport combined to
company’s shareholders is expected to be posted to
create perfect pub-going conditions. I look forward to
shareholders on Friday (September 6) with the general
updating the City on our plans and progress in more detail
meeting expected to be held on Tuesday, October 1.
at our half-year results presentation in November.”
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Brewers Journal
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Lost and Grounded collabs with Brooklyn Brewery B
rooklyn Brewery has teamed up with Bristol-based Lost and Grounded Brewers to produce Face In The
Crowd, a new collaboration. The 5.2% dry-hopped sour has been brewed exclusively for Tesco and boasts “tangerine and passionfruit character, with a tart, super-hoppy finish” thanks to the addition of El Dorado, Citra and Mosaic hops. Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery, explained: “Believe it or not, Brooklyn Brewery actually invented the now-popular idea of the brewery collaboration back in the 90s! “All of our original collabs were with British breweries. It’s great to be back in the UK and working with Lost & Grounded, who are great brewers and really cool people.” Founders of Lost & Grounded Brewers Alex Troncoso and Annie Clements, added “As long-time admirers of Brooklyn Brewery it was quite something special to be invited to brew a collaboration beer with Garrett. “We threw a few ideas back and forth across the pond
hopped and finally brewed together with Garrett over a mutual love of saison style beers and warm and
and ultimately decided a thirst quenching dry-hopped
humorous stories we hope this beer will be enjoyed as
sour would be a perfect match for both breweries.
intended – with likeminded good folk under the summer
“Soured with our own in-house lactic culture, dry-
Crisp Malt broadens team
sun!”
qualifications and worked his way up to become brewing manager. Flavour-matching was a central part of his job,
C
risp Malt has appointed Mike Benson as its latest
including when Molson Coors bought the business in
technical expert.
2015 – and a number of well-known brands were under
His experience as a brewer and quality controller sets
him in good stead for his new role, the company said. As
the spotlight. More recently, he was head brewer at the Love Lane
craft brewing sales manager for the North West, he will
Brewery in Liverpool, overseeing the installation of plant,
be offering technical support to customers looking for
the development of brewing operations and the creation
help in the region.
of its now well-loved beers.
“Selling is only part of the remit,” explained Benson.
“There’s not much Mike doesn’t know about flavour
“Nowadays, brewers are looking to their suppliers to do
development and flavour-matching”, said Crisp sales
more than just supply goods. They are after any relevant
director Steve LePoidevin. “This - combined with his
expertise on offer.
practical and scientific background – means he can offer
“At Crisp, providing meaningful support to customers
really useful support to brewers. Many of our customers
is a huge part of the focus – and that’s going to be right
in the region may already know him from his time as chair
up my street. Whether it’s offering advice on recipe
of the Institute of Brewing & Distilling (northern section).
development, diving in to analyse and help solve
Others will be meeting him soon.”
problems or providing technical data and the newest scientific insights, it’s all an exciting challenge.” Benson, who is a qualified engineer, started his career as a lab technician in Burtonwood at Thomas Hardy, which specialised in contract brewing and packaging. Over a number of years, he gained his brewing
12
October 2019
Other experts recently to join Crisp include chemical engineer Hannah Beer who has become the company’s technical development lead. She has been intricately involved with the new Speciality Malt Plant and the development of speciality malts.
Brewers Journal
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Northern Monk launches foundation
L
eeds-based Northern Monk has launched its For
Patrons Projects, and they have already created and
the North Foundation, a scheme designed to offer
contributed to a host of community projects. Last year’s
£5,000 grants for growing community projects and
Humans of Holbeck calendar gave the brewery’s local
environmental causes.
community a voice.
Northern Monk was founded after owner Russell Bisset received £5,000 from his grandmother. Now, after five very successful years of trading direct from the brewery and through the Refectory sites in Leeds and Manchester, as well as via a large international
The For the North Foundation will help to fulfil the company’s desire to offer more pro-active support, funding, and guidance, to give those with Northern Monk’s values the chance to get off the ground. Bisset said: “The passion we have for our craft is
following, the ‘Monks’ are looking to give back to the
shared throughout the North. There are hundreds, if not
communities that mean so much to them.
thousands of people waiting for their opportunity to turn
Some 1.2 million more people have died before the age of 75 in the North, compared to the South, since
their talents and passions into something that can have a positive impact on their local area.
1965. Between 2014 and 2016, an average of 1,177 more
“I was lucky to receive financial help from my family,
men aged between 25 and 44 died in the North than in
and thankfully, as well as turning that into a successful
the South each year. Of the ten cities in England with the
business, Northern Monk has allowed us many
lowest employment rates, eight of them are in the North.
opportunities to support our own local area of Holbeck,
The foundation grants will be offered to help initiatives
Leeds. We have now reached a stage in our growth where
and projects “that are created to provide a genuine
we can turn to other projects and initiatives that need
benefit to communities and the people within them”
similar support on a larger scale.
across the North of the UK. Capital for the foundation will be driven solely through limited edition product launches and events — no external finance will be used to fund the scheme. The first
“The heart of the For the North Foundation, the reason why we’re doing this, is to see the North and its people thrive.” To find out more about the For the North Foundation,
round of fundraising is set to take place in November with
or to apply for one of the £5,000 grants, head to www.
a secret, ‘UK first’ product launch.
northernmonk.com/for-the-north-foundation
Northern Monk collaborates closely with artists,
Northern Monk has also been nominated for Brewery
athletes, and creatives across the North through its
of the Year at the Brewers Choice Awards (see p21)
Wadworth Brewery’s Richard Burton gains brewing diploma
based brewery said, “I love beer and I love brewing and
Richard Burton, Burt as he’s known at the Wiltshire getting to this stage is fantastic. I’m going to continue
W
adworth brewery’s assistant brewer Richard
exploring what brewing can create and it’s great to be
Burton has successfully gained the Diploma in
able to do this at a regional family brewer with such a
Brewing with the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD, London) following three years of studying. The IBD is one of the world’s foremost brewing schools and Richard has now formally qualified as a Technical Brewer, recognising his breadth of brewing knowledge from all respective raw materials right the way through to packaged products. He joined Wadworth in 2017 as assistant brewer and has been at the forefront of developing new beers with the brewery team since then. Speaking about his success, head brewer at
heritage”.
Campden BRI appoints Orford
D
erek Orford has joined Campden BRI as head of brewing services.
Derek has 36 years in the industry, during which he
qualified as a master brewer in 1991 while at Whitbread. He then went to work for Heineken in several international postings before joining Lion, in Australia. More recently he has provided consultancy services to
Wadworth, Rob Jacobson said, “Gaining this qualification
craft brewers, including technical leadership for the rapid
is a major milestone in any brewer’s career and something
growth of Toast Ale.
to be very proud of. We are delighted for Richard and his successful qualification”.
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October 2019
At Campden BRI Derek will be the primary contact for brewers, both large and small.
Brewers Journal
BREWER CONGRESS 28 NOVEMBER 2019
Early bird | £95* (ends 31 OCTOBER 2019)
Full price | £125* Tickets include: Access to industry leading talks access to the trade hall hot food and drink thoughout the day extensive choice of beer
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molson coors opens 29th brewery
M
olson Coors Canada has opened its newest
2016 and has been under construction the past three
brewery in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia.
years creating over 1,000 construction related jobs in
100 employees and begins a new chapter in the
Compared to the recently closed Vancouver brewery,
company's 230 plus years of brewing in Canada.
the new modern Fraser Valley Brewery at Chilliwack will
The $300 million facility will be home to approximately
According to the business, it is the newest and most modern brewery in Molson Coors Brewing Company's world-wide network of 29 breweries. Frederic Landtmeters, president and CEO of Molson
the area. It will set a new standard for sustainability.
reduce energy use by 20% and water by 40%. The Chilliwack brewery will be equipped with improved technologies that will deliver on reduced energy consumption, CO2 emissions and carbon
Coors Canada, said: This brewery will primarily serve
footprint, such as optimized equipment layouts to reduce
our western Canadian markets positioned strategically
beer loss and waste, and a state-of-the-art CO2 recovery
in British Columbia to offer an efficient and effective
system.
modern brewery to compete in this important market", The brewery project was announced in August
Other Half Brewing cuts ties with wild ale brewer
Thw new brewery will reduce energy use by 20% and water by 40% compared to the older Vancouver facility.
"So we named it after after Mary Berry because she's the queen of pastries." However, following social media tagged with
O
ther Half Brewing has parted ways with respected
#maryberry — the brewery was on the receiving end of a
wild beer producer Eric Salazar.
cease-and-desist.
Salazar joined New York-based Other Half at the start
of 2019 following 24 years with Colorado’s New Belgium Brewing. He was due to oversee wood and wild programme but, according to Democrat & Chronicle, they have parked the idea for now owing to not having the infrastructure and resources needed for his position. The brewery has opened its second brewery in Ontario County and is also in the process of opening a facility in Washington D.C., but still plans to push ahead with its wild beer plans in the future. Salazaar told Democrat & Chronicle: "They were unable to build the infrastructure here to support my job. They
KeyKeg opens spanish plant
K
eyKeg/UniKeg has opened its newest manufacturing facility in Guadalajara, Spain, enabling it to meet
growing demand for the products in the region. The facility leverages Lanfranchi blow moulding technology and equipment, as well as the latest automation and robotics technology. The site supports the large customer base of KeyKeg and UniKeg in Spain, as well as the other parts of Southern and Central Europe. Anita Veenendaal, chief executive officer, said: “We
are pushing toward the D.C. project and that became
see service as a crucial element of our success. We aim
a heavy focus after I was hired. They're putting a lot of
to provide the best service, keeping stock as close to our
money into that direction. They essentially said they that
customers as possible. The new location and its extra
were unable to support my job here."
capacity will further improve this service and reduce
Mary Berry calls time on US beer release
environmental footprint significantly.” Annemieke Hartman, chief commercial officer, added: “In addition to producing the iconic KeyKeg in Spain, we launch this production facility with the introduction of the
R
ichmond-based Armistice Brewing has been forced to rebrand its upcoming stout release, previously
UniKeg A to the global market. “The UniKeg A [also identified as the German Slider]
known as Mary Berry Stout, after receiving a cease-and-
has been missing from our UniKeg Sankey S & D range of
desist from the UK cooking star.
products.
"It's a massive pastry stout with over 200 pounds of
“Large volume customers are keenly awaiting its
raspberry puree, two kinds of single-source cacao from
arrival in the market. To be able to facilitate this from our
Dandelion Chocolates, vanilla, lactose — it's an absurd
new Spanish home is a great result for producers across
beer," Alex Zobel, co-founder of Armistice told SF Gate..
Europe.”
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October 2019
Brewers Journal
FERMENTATION RANGE 12 to 20°C (54 to 68°F) AROMA & FLAVOR Slightly fruity, more neutral with colder fermentations ALCOHOL TOLERANCE 9% ABV ATTENUATION Medium to high
KÖLN KÖLSCH STYLE ALE YEAST www.lallemandbrewing.com
LalBrew™ Köln is ideal for brewing traditional Kölsch-style beers and other neutral ales. The neutral character of this strain accentuates delicate hop aromas while imparting subtle fruity esters. Through expression of a β-glucosidase enzyme, Köln can promote hop biotransformation and accentuate hop flavor and aroma.
The SHORTLIST
2019 Choice Brewers
Awards
brewers
cho i ce
awards
e v e nt s
So, here we are. Earlier this year we were proud to launch the inaugural Brewers Choice Awards and we’ve been blown away by the response. Designed to recognise the very best in UK brewing, we want to put the best of the best in the spotlight. Here are the fantastic breweries, brewers and beers competing to take the crown.
T
here is a wealth of incredible beer being
of all shapes and sizes, some new and some
produced in the UK. The best beers deliver
older. Some employ an individual and others offer
fantastic flavour and awe-inspiring aroma,
employment to dozens, or more.
they’re consistent and leave a lasting impression whether it’s a one-off brew or
The Brewers Choice Awards are split into five categories: Brewery Of The Year, New Brewery of The
a year-round number that offers up that sought after
Year, Young Brewer of The Year, Beer of the Year and
reliability.
Lifetime Achievement Award.
These beers are being produced by brilliant breweries
Without further ado, here is the shortlist.
NEW BREWERY OF THE YEAR Bohem Brewery
Salt Beer Factory
Moving from kitchen sink home brewing, with a small conditioning tank, to bespoke brewing kit and 60,000 litres of fermenting capacity over only 18 months is a great achievement in terms of scale. But the real success of Bohem Brewery is its dedication to solely producing authentic bohemian lagers. When Czech nationals Petr Skocek and Zdenek Kudr began brewing in North London the objective was to recreate the beers they loved in their home country and this remains the underlying aim of the Bohem brewery they co-founded, which has been steadily building up a following for its uncompromisingly authentic beers.
Launched in November 2018, Salt Beer Factory has won various awards, achieved national distribution and been voted as one of the UK’s top 5 most exciting new breweries. They aim to brew exceptional hop-forward beer, wanting them to be accessible so all beers are vegan-friendly and they also brew a range of gluten-free beers. The aim is to open up the world of hop-forward beer through quality, consistency, and variety.
SUPPORTED BY brewersjournal.info
October 2019
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brewers
cho i ce
awards
YOUNG BREWER OF THE YEAR Ben Addison
Alice Batham
Since joining Purity Brewing Co five years ago, Ben has gone from barrel cleaning to his current role in the brew team. He’s created and released his first beer for Purity in the form of the excellent Session IPA. In addition to running regular collaboration brew-days with customers, he also runs brewery maintenance on our semi automatic BrauKon kit, always looking for ways to increase efficiency and productivity.
After finishing her MSc in Brewing Science & Practice at the University of Nottingham, Alice joined Brewster’s Brewery under the mighty lead of Sara Barton. During her time at Brewster’s as technical brewer, she has developed new recipes, trained two apprentices, hosted a number of collaboration brews and pushed overall quality and consistency by coordinating the first successful SALSA accreditation in February of this year. Now a part of the team at Thornbridge, Alice also became a committee member of the IBD Midlands Section this year.
Reece Hugill Reece started Donzoko aged 23 with no brewing experience. He managed to get a grant for a single FV, brewing elsewhere and transporting wort to his fermentation space. Designing this novel process allowed Reece to make great wort, on a relatively large scale (17hl) without taking up tank space in other breweries. All for under £15k total start up costs. His flagship beer is an Unfiltered German style lager. Notoriously difficult to dial and and achieve balance. It was explored through extensive research and trial brews at home before moving to the larger scale.
Pete Vick Pete has been head brewer at Brick Brewery since September 2017, having worked with Brick in previous years before returning on a permanent basis. Since then, he has overseen a packaging output increase from 35hl per week to 125hl per week as of August 2019 whilst managing a team of five production staff, all brewing and packaging scheduling, ordering of raw materials, new product recipes, developing better production procedures and overseeing quality assurance and control, to name but a few of my responsibilities. The year has seen several achievements including the ongoing success of Brick's Sour Series.
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BREWERY OF THE YEAR Five Points Brewing Company The year 2019 has been a big year for Five Points, one defined by installation, capacity building and expansion. The past 12 months has seen The Five Points Brewing Company continue to expand and post significantly above-average sales growth, as they have done every year since they started in 2013.
Northern Monk The last 12 months have been the strongest yet for Northern Monk. They’ve seen success across every division, from a total core range and website rebrand, to a very significant investment. More importantly, it’s ending the financial year in an incredibly strong position.
North Brewing 2019 has been an incredible year for North Brewing Co. It has been fast paced (to put it mildly) but evidently, a lot of fun. A lot has come together for North. They are proud of the beers that its head brewer Seb and the team have been brewing. This is a real testament to the investments it has made in its team, and the passion that they have for the industry. Many of the brewery’s special releases have been collaborations and they have been humbled to learn from their contemporaries on each occasion.
Verdant Following the success of its Crowdfunding raise of £1.32m earlier this year, Verdant is now in the process of building a new 20000hl site that aims to be at 50% capacity within year one. Verdant’s approach to business is simple: Consistency. The team want Verdant to be the go-to brewery for hoppy beers, creating a brand that is reliable and dependable.
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BEER OF THE YEAR Preferred Pronouns | Brick Brewery Preferred Pronouns is a 4.2% Sour New England Pale Ale released in August 2019. A hazy pale yellow, the balance of tropical fruit hoppiness and refreshing tartness of citrus and tropical fruit, particularly passionfruit and grapefruit which is present on the nose and palate, along with a dank herbal note. Brick Brewery are the first UK brewery to commercially use Strata in a beer.
Fyne Ales | Jarl Ruling proudly over Glen Fyne and beyond, Jarl is Fyne Ales' flagship session blonde ale. A showcase for American hop Citra, Jarl delivers waves of fruity citrus flavours and a clean finish. Packed full of balanced, vibrant grapefruit and delicate lemon flavours with a subtly grassy, refreshing finish. Jarl is the epitome of a modern classic.
Kapow! | Hackney Brewery Pintle | Burnt Mill A pale ale brewed with wheat, oats and flaked barley in the grist to smooth out the body. Whirlpooled and dry hopped with Australian Cascade and Citra.
Northern Helles | Donzoko Brewing Donzoko’s flagship beer, an unfiltered Helles style lager. You get bready German malt, floral fruit from subtle NZ hops. A refreshing acidity from the house lactic acid culture and balanced natural carbonation.
Hackney has canned a record amount this year. Kapow! is also now available locally in the Ace Hotel. They’ve just updated the design of the can to give it a bit more depth to the design using non-print areas.
Lager | Hackney Brewery First canned in May 2018, this lager has been a staple for the brewery since 2015. It has undergone a few refinements over the years, and is something they make a lot of. The can contains a detail on the building of '2011' referencing the year the brewery was started.
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Keller Pils | Lost and Grounded Brewers Lost and Grounded take Pilsner malt and combine with three traditional hop varieties - Magnum, Perle and Mittelfruh - to produce a clean, unfiltered Hop Bitter Lager Beer. It’s fresh, lemony and crisp and is showing lager-cynics that it is a style of beer to be appreciated in its own right.
Dubbel | McColl’s Brewery A Belgian Trappist Style ale, brewed to celebrate their 2nd birthday. A well carbonated, dark ale centred around deep malt flavours of sweetness and liquorice notes and warming alcohol.
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Transmission | North Brewing The first beer North released as a brewery, Transmission is a balanced IPA that combines a broad spectrum of flavours and profiles from two styles of IPA. Starting its life as a West Coast IPA, Transmission maintains its routes with a mild sweetness in its malt profile, piney and resinous flavours and a gentle bitterness, all contrasted with New England IPA qualities.
Faith | Northern Monk Northern Monk’s flagship Faith is a tribute to beloved hops, in particular the unique US variety Citra. It has been their go-to Core range pale ale for over four years and has been with them for the long haul! Faith is all about achievement and positivity.
Petite Belgique | McColl’s Simple, crisp and refreshing Pilsner malt provide a base for new and old world hops. Chinook and Celeia hops bring lemon and piney aromas and flavours before the yeast offers typical Belgian ester aromas.
Lifetime achievement The UK brewing landscape remains in a state of transition. We’ve seen brewing operations spun off, sold or closed. We’ve seen fantastic brewers retire and move on. We’ve seen brewers do what they’ve always done and that’s play their part in producing excellent, reliable beer that forms such an important part in many people’s lives. For this category there is no shortlist, we will invite the winner to collect the award tonight.
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The JUDGES MELISSA COLE Award-winning writer Melissa Cole is widely acknowledged as one of the UK’s leading beer & food experts. Renowned for her insightful and engaging writing style, sense of humour and ability to translate complicated beer jargon into something everyone can understand, she’s already seen success with her debut book Let Me Tell You About Beer. However, it doesn’t stop there, Cole truly immerses herself in the world of beer; from judging beer competitions from Amsterdam to Rio and Denver to Dublin to brewing beers with some of the world’s most respected brewers like Odell, Fuller’s and Goose Island, there’s not much she doesn’t get her hands dirty doing when it comes to the beer game.
JOHN KEELING John Keeling is the former head brewer at legendary London-based Fuller’s. As one of the most respected and trusted voices UK brewing, Keeling is admired the world over.
Following a career at Fuller’s in which he helped the business innovate and experiment with new beer styles, formats and flavours, he now spends his time helping the new wave of brewers, both in the UK and across the globe. Keeling started his journey in brewing in 1974, as a lab technician at Wilson’s Brewery, which was based in Newton Heath, Manchester. A degree in Brewing and Distilling at HeriotWatt University in Edinburgh followed before joining Fuller’s as a junior brewer in 1981. He ended up as brewing director at Fuller’s 18 years later, a period in which more than £60m was invested in the brewery.
Ray Morrissey Ray Morrissey is a sales manager at Close Brothers Brewery Rentals. He's a brewing industry specialist working with companies across the UK, focusing on areas such as equipment finance, short and long-term container rental as well as the fields of repair and maintenance.
Awards DINNER The winners will be presented their award at the Brewers Choice Awards dinner, taking place after the Brewers Congress in London. Tickets can be purchased online, They include a drinks reception, a three course dinner with wine and we will be entertained by comedian Alfie Moore.
When 28 November 2019 (following the Brewers Congress) Arrival at 18.30; Carriages at 23.00
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October 2019
Where One Great George Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3AA
Tickets Individual tickets to the dinner are £110+VAT and can be purchased at: awards.brewersjournal.info Tables of 10 can be purchased by contacting Josh@rebymedia.com
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PHILL PALGRAVE-ELLIOTT Phill Palgrave-Elliott and Stephanie PalgraveBrown used to work in accountancy and film & events respectively before enjoying a trip to the beer meccas of the USA back in 2014. The opening of the excellent Caps & Taps in Kentish Town, London, followed, stocking amazing beers from London, the UK, Europe, USA and further afield. They also offer a diverse range of natural wines.
LOTTE PEPLOW Lotte Peplow is the Brewers Association’s craft beer ambassador in Europe. She initially became involved with the Brewers Association Export Development Program in 2006 on an ad hoc basis, but over the last five years her role has grown to include PR, media, events, talks and tastings, importing, and liaising with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A Certified Cicerone and beer sommelier, Peplow also writes about beer, judges beer, brews beer, and is a keen beer and food pair-ing advocate. Based in London, Peplow’s new role involves greater focus on European markets to educate and inform trade and industry and raise the profile of American craft beer amongst beer drinkers.
TIM SHEAHAN Tim Sheahan is the launch editor of The Brewers Journal. Since founding the bi-monthly publication with colleague Jon Young in September 2015, the magazine has gone from strength-to-strength, increasing to monthly output in September 2017. Along with Young, Sheahan also co-founded Brewers Journal Canada as well as the Brewers Congress and popular Brewers Lectures series of events that take place across the UK and Ireland each year.
JON YOUNG Jon Young has been the publisher of The Brewers Journal since the magazine's launch in September 2015. Young has experience running multimillion pound international businesses as well as launching and growing a start up. Young is experienced in consulting on business strategy.
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Awards host The Brewers Choice Awards dinner will be hosted by comedian Alfie Moore. Moore has written and presented four series of his BBC Radio Four comedy ‘It's A Fair Cop’, which received both public and critical acclaim. The show was a shortlisted finalist in the Best Radio Entertainment category at the UK Comedy Awards 2018. A fifth series has been commis-sioned for Spring 2020. Alfie was one of the stars of ‘Show Me The Funny’ (ITV) and wrote and presented ‘Alfie Moore’s Almanac’ for BBC Radio. He has been featured on Comic Relief, as a pundit on Sky News, BBC Radio 4’s Idiots Guide to Crime and Punishment, Bizarre Crime (BBC 3), Confessions of a Police Officer (Channel 4) and in 2017 joined the presenting team of Criminals Caught on Camera (Channel 5).
AN APP FOR BREWERS, BY BREWERS. FERMENTATION IS OUR JOB. Whatever your production volume, you will find, in our application, tips and tools to optimize your fermentations and get the beer you dream of. Our own engineers, researchers and sensory analysis experts have created this app just for you. Because between brewers, we understand each other.
STÉPHANE MEULEMANS General Manager, Fermentis. Brewer for 25 years.
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hard
seltzer
t r e ndin g
A little bit of bubbly There are few times in life when you can get on the ground floor of something. With beer, we’re all about 4,000 years late. But for hard seltzer, its potential is barely being scratched in the UK and we mean barely. In the States, however, it’s challenging craft beer for market dominance and brewers from the big to the small are jumping on the bandwagon. But, you say, where is the tradition, where is the flavour? But we say, just look at the profits. by velo mitrovich
I
The alcohol is specially created to have zero taste, the water used is the same. It’s just the flavourings added
t’s 10-years ago and you’re visiting a Mexican fish
such as lemon lime, cranberry, and blueberry lemonade
farm. The owner nets from one of the large ponds
that gives a drinker something to taste. But blueberry
a splashing fish and holds it up to you. “This is a
lemonade? Who would drink that?
tilapia,” he says, “and it’s perfect for the US market.
There is no tradition, no looking back to the past for
Tilapia has no taste or flavour of its own; it’s all what
inspiration. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to see how a brewer
you add to the cooked fish.” With contempt, he points with
of ‘water’ could have any passion or love for the product.
his chin towards the north. “Perfect for them.” When you hear about the massive, massive and – dare we say it again – massive hard sparkling water/seltzer
But oh, the money it’s bringing in and that’s the hard fact. In the first six months of this year, Americans spent
market in the States, you probably think the same thing.
$389 million [£316m] on hard seltzer, according to a
What are they thinking?
Nielsen survey of supermarkets and other beverage
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This isn’t actually so far off the mark. Unlike here, in the States the sparkling water market is huge with brands fighting it out for an ever increasing market. While bottle water dates back to the 1700s in the States, it wasn’t seen as being hip until France’s Perrier water came calling in the 1970s. In 1976 Perrier sold 3 million of its little green bottles. Within three-years the company was selling 200 million. Big boys Coca-Cola and Pepsi tried jumping in the water as well, but didn’t make a splash. Nobody could touch Perrier. Coors Brewing Company, in a move odd for them, were actually decades ahead of the hard seltzer curve when they introduced Zima in 1993. Zima was a clear, lightly carbonated, lemon-lime flavoured 5% ABV beverage. In looking back, this was not a decade of pride for the beverage industry. Not only were wine coolers flying off the shelves like gang busters, but Big Soda retailers, an increase of 210 percent from 2018. It’s hard to think of a single reason why the same can’t
created the clear-craze with the industry’s long forgotten Crystal Pepsi and Coke’s Tab Clear. Coors added to the flavour range of Zima, but its
happen here. The thing is, there is no rocket science behind making
market was never as clear as its drink. This was not
hard seltzer. The chances are your brewery is pretty much
helped by comedians calling it a “girly-man” beverage
already equipped to make hard sparkling water without
and talk-show hosts making it the butt of numerous
any outlay of additional expenses.
jokes. Even coming upll with a manly bourbon-flavoured
Can you ferment? Check.
Zima didn’t help. Male buyers in particular did a song and
Can you carbonate? Check.
dance at the bar when ordering Zima, as if the bartender
Can you bottle or can? Check.
was somehow judging them for buying it.
And, most importantly, do you want a new market?
Zima died a long, slow death, with Coors finally pulling the plug in 2008, although it still continues to market Zima
Check. If you start experimenting now – the biggest issue
in Japan. Trying to cash in on the new hard sparkling water
is adjusting to cane sugar instead of grain – there is
craze, Coors brought back Zima with a limited release in
absolutely no reason why you won’t be ready to start
2017 and 2018. It did not take off and was absent from the
selling by late spring next year, or even earlier. While in
shelves this year.
the States it’s perceived as a summer drink, the reality is, people are drinking it year around. And who are these people? According to Anheuser-
While sparkling water sales continued to rise in the States, it wasn’t until 2015 and LaCroix became the inthing that the market erupted and all bottled/canned
Busch, which has just recently launched “Natural Light
flavoured waters were able to ride on LaCroix’s coattail. La
Seltzer”, hard seltzer’s household penetration is the
Croix was far from being a new kid on the block, having
largest among ages 25-34. Two-thirds of male drinkers
started in Wisconsin in 1981 and for a long time was just-
aged 21-30 preferred hard seltzers with a 6% ABV and 135
another-water-brand, “beloved of midwestern soccer
calories, while female drinkers of the same age range,
moms”. Amazing what an effective social marketing
preferred hard seltzer with a 5% ABV and 100 calories.
campaign can do for a product.
“This [hard seltzer] is not a fad,” Ricardo Marques, vice
It wasn’t a big jump to then add alcohol to sparkling
president of core and value brands at Anheuser-Busch,
water. According to Market Watch, today’s hard seltzers
told CNN. “This is here to stay.”
started in 2013 with a brand named SpikedSeltzer. This was created by two men in Boston who, inspired by their
From nowhere
wives’ love of sparkling water, decided to homebrew an alcoholic version. Though the founders told MarketWatch that when
I
n asking numerous people in the States when did hard
they originally tried to sell their product, retailers were in
seltzer become so common place and popular, the
“total confusion” about what to do with it, they eventually
answer is always the same: “I don’t know. It seemed to
sold more than a quarter-million cases in 2015. By 2016, it
have just happened overnight.”
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October 2019
had been acquired by Anheuser-Busch, which rebranded
Brewers Journal
hard
SpikedSeltzer as Bon & Viv. With sparkling water seen as being healthy, so too has
seltzer
t r e ndin g
thousands of others that you would never guess. This has been one of the causes of the obesity and
there been a perception that hard seltzer is a healthier
diabetes crisis in the States, with concerned consumers
alternative to beer and wine, being lower in calories and
creating a backlash against corn syrup. The big beer
naturally gluten free.
companies – never missing a beat – have put this into
From day-one there has been the question as to what to call this drink. Prior to 2019, the terms “hard seltzer” and
major ad campaigns such as Bud Light (no corn syrup) against Coors Light or Miller Lite which uses it.
“spiked seltzer” were pretty much interchangeable, but
Sounds straight forward but it’s not.
with regional divides. According to Google Trends, in the
A federal judge recently ordered Anheuser-Busch
East and parts of the South and Midwest ‘spiked seltzer’
to stop using Bud Light packaging that “implies” rival
was the term of choice for those doing Google searches,
brews made by MillerCoors contain corn syrup. The order
with the rest of the nation going with ‘hard seltzer’.
extends an injunction issued this last May that barred
From 2019 on, the majority of the US has gone with
Anheuser-Busch from making those claims in television, billboard and print advertising.
hard seltzer. Truly, a subsidiary of the Boston Beer Company, called
The cardboard packaging on Bud Light six-packs,
itself in 2016 “Truly Spiked and Sparkling”. Now, it identifies
12-packs and 24-packs says “No Corn Syrup” in bold
as Truly Hard Seltzer.
letters and invites customers to visit a web site where it lists its ingredients. Bud Light is brewed with water, barley,
How is it made?
rice and hops. MillerCoors uses corn syrup in the fermentation
A
process for Miller Lite and Coors Lite, but the final product
ccording to a blogger with inside knowledge,
doesn’t contain corn syrup. It says Anheuser-Busch’s
a major Florida hard seltzer company ferments
campaign is illegal and bad for the industry.
cane sugar with champagne yeast. It brews the
“With this ruling, we are holding Bud Light accountable
mixture to a high ABV of 15% and then dilutes it down
for their actions, and we will keep holding their feet to the
to 5%. The liquid is then fine filtered so it’s clear. Natural
fire every time they intentionally mislead the American
extracts are added for flavour along with a small amount
public,” MillerCoors CEO Gavin Hattersley said in a
of citric acid to balance the flavour and help preserve
statement.
it. Because the champagne yeast converts all the sugar
In the decision, Milwaukee-based US District Judge
to alcohol, there is no residual sweetness. If customers
William Conley said Anheuser-Busch can use the
want it sweet – and most do – sweeteners will have to be
packaging it has until it runs out, or until March 2020,
added at the final stage before bottling or canning.
whichever comes first. The decision says that as of 6
A few brewers use malt or a combination of malt and cane sugar, but they’re the exception. The majority of brewers making hard seltzer use the above technique – including industry leaders White Claw and Truly –
June, Anheuser-Busch had printed 64 million packages worth $27.7 million with the “No Corn Syrup” icon. Sounds like they were serious about the campaign. With lighter beers, ingredients like corn or rice lead
although White Claw uses its own yeast strain that
to a lighter, less “full” beer texture, according to industry
took them a year to develop. The only major difference
experts. Using corn helps keep the beer’s body light and
between brewers is that some use less expensive corn
refreshing, these beers’ entire goal. Bud Light doesn’t use
syrup instead of cane sugar.
corn to achieve this, but instead uses rice. This “rice” isn’t
Should this be a factor for you to consider? At the end of the day, corn syrup’s fructose or sugar’s sucrose is all converted to alcohol so it shouldn’t. But, using
something that would go with a Balti, but instead what most of us would probably call rice slurry or syrup. The US craft beer industry is staying out of the fight,
the USA for an example in the beer brewing industry,
most probably because many IPAs use dextrose – a sugar
it’s a complicated subject with more half-truths and
derived from corn – in the fermentation process. The
exaggerations than facts.
beer considered by many to be the best double IPA in the
In the late 1970s, the price of sugar was at a high in the
world, Russian River’s Pliny the Elder, includes corn. Even
States, while corn prices were low due to government
Belgian brewers have used corn to make up part of the
subsidies – which continue to this day. You have to
fermentable sugars in their beers.
wonder then if this was an attempt by the US processing
Chemists would shake their heads at this fight between
industry to avoid drowning in corn syrup, but high-
cane, corn and rice sugars and say there are only tiny
fructose corn syrup has since found its way into food
differences between HFCS 55 – the most common type
products ranging from the expected cereals and soft
of high-fructose corn syrup – and cane sugar.
drinks to tomato paste, hot dogs, soup, and literally
brewersjournal.info
The major difference is physical, in that high-fructose
October 2019
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corn syrup is liquid, whereas cane sugar is dry and granulated. In terms of chemical structure, the fructose and glucose in high-fructose corn syrup are not bound
What’s What
together like in granulated table sugar’s sucrose. Instead, they float separately alongside each other. All of this has been brought up because in the fight for hard seltzer consumers in the States, kid gloves have come off and it’s become a real knuckle-buster. If you decide to use corn syrup here, you can pretty much bet your competitors will bring this up and remember, almost all corn syrup comes from GMO corn so you’ll be fighting a double fight. Regardless of what you use, figure it will take some time getting use to different non-grain ingredients. This will include your having to alter your or rewrite some of your brewery’s automation programmes.
Taking the plunge
If you’re looking at all the brands of hard seltzer, hard sparkling water, hard club soda, and hard still water in the States for ideas, you’re probably wondering what the difference is all about. Except with hard still water – no bubbles – there isn’t much, although a water fanatic would tell you otherwise. To make it even more of a challenge, some like White Claw put “Hard Seltzer” at the top of the can, but then add “spiked sparkling water” at the bottom. Trust us, it’s all pretty much the same thing. Seltzer water
I
n using the US for an example, this doesn’t seem to require much pondering as to whether or not you should be brewing hard seltzer. In looking at the craft
beer industry as a whole and your own brewery, it would seem that by having another product, not directly tied to beer, would give you more stability and security. This
This came to the States via German and Eastern European Jewish immigrants, which is why it’s not that common here. Seltzer is carbonated water that hasn’t had any minerals added, giving drinkers a more pure taste of added flavourings.
applies to the UK’s largest and smallest brewers. No doubt you’re thinking, beer’s been around for
Carbonated water
thousands of years, will hard seltzer last for even five? The major US brewers are banking that it will, but even if it doesn’t, so what. No doubt you have a drawer at home full of cables that fit long discarded computers and phones. Although these products lasted only for a few years, the companies making them made a very decent profit. Even if you choose to not make your own hard seltzer, TBJ sees numerous other opportunities. In looking at the expanding craft gin industry, hardly anyone makes their own white spirts, buying it from someone else and then adding their own flavourings. Even the USA’s growing craft rye whiskey distilleries operate on the same
This is also known as club soda or soda water and gets its carbonation artificially from the process of adding carbon dioxide gases to produce carbonic acid. In addition to its bubbles, you will also find salts in carbonated water which can come in the form of sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate, potassium salts, plain table salt or a mixture of these elements. Salt that is added to soda water is meant to give it a better, lighter taste, all while neutralizing acidity.
principal. Why couldn’t this same concept be done for hard
Sparkling mineral water
seltzer with your brewery creating the alcohol base and selling it on? It would also seem that this could be a goldmine for breweries that are set up to be contract brewers. Due to limited space, specific companies were not looked into in detail, but it would be well worth reading the New York Times article on White Claw to see how it became number one in a very short time. In the mentioned article is a link to a You Tube video that you should watch to understand its market. Be forewarned,
Unlike club soda or seltzer, sparkling mineral water is naturally carbonated, with some companies then adding more carbon dioxide artificially such as Perrier. Spring water contains a variety of minerals, such as sodium, magnesium and calcium. However, the amounts vary based on the source from which they were bottled.
the language comedian Trevor Wallace uses is offensive. u
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October 2019
Brewers Journal
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31.01.2019 14:27:45
C o m m e nt
D i saster
R es i l i ence
Take no risks Competition in the craft beer sector means that tradition-conscious brewers are increasingly looking for ways to build modern efficiencies into their businesses. In an industry which must strike a difficult balance between mass production and the creation of a high-quality, high value end product, minimising downtime and interruptions to the brewing process is vital if a brand is to achieve consistency and quality. Chris Whitehead, managed platform product manager at SolutionsPT, looks at how drinks manufacturers can ensure their critical data is protected and how they can get production back up and running in the event of disruption.
there has been significant progress made to health and safety procedures in the drinks industry, high temperatures combined with the intensely flammable nature of alcohol, means that accidents and disasters can still happen. In addition, many traditional brewers and distillers are reliant on ageing IT infrastructure, leaving them open to downtime and disruption caused by equipment failure or even a cyber-attack. Do people attack brewers? Yes. Only last year there was a targeted ransomware attack on Arran Brewery in Scotland. Hackers sent a booby-trapped email message featuring a ransomware payload carried within a PDF file. When an Arran Brewery employee opened the email, Arran’s systems were infected. Cybercriminals demanded a significant sum at to hand over the encryption keys needed to recover data. The Scots firm refused to accept the extortion and restored from backups. However, the ransomware had encrypted all attached file shares, including those that
by chris whitehead
T
recent online backups had been saved to, so it was only offsite backups which were available. The most recent was three months old. By anyone’s definition, that is old
he British beer industry can justifiably raise a glass to its biggest annual growth in 45 years during 2018. However, the success illustrated by that
2.6% increase brings its own challenges.
data and less than ideal. It is estimated that 96% of ransomware victims lose access to their data for more than one-day, heavily impacting production. With such a heavy reliance on OT systems to maintain uptime and productivity within the
Growing appetite for craft beers in particular has
brewery and distillation industry, it is essential to have
meant brewers have had to boost production, whilst
disaster resilience and business continuity systems in
endeavouring to retain product quality and individuality. In
place to ensure minimal impact across the plant should a
addition, in recent years brewers have found themselves
ransomware attack strike.
facing volatile exchange rate fluctuations and changing
Disaster recovery relates to the process of restoring the
consumer preferences. The booming craft brewing sector
data and applications your business runs on in the event
is stealing market share and putting pressure on the big
of data centres, servers or other key infrastructure being
producers as consumers look to them to offer the same
severely damaged or destroyed. Conversely, disaster
portfolio of interesting flavours.
resilience refers to the process whereby businesses that
As a result, innovators in the brewing industry are
suffer such issues can continue to operate with little or no
quickly waking up to the fact that, as manufacturers,
downtime or outage, maintaining business continuity. On
they must go back to basics and adapt and improve
a basic level, one is picking yourself up after a fall, taking
their processes in the same way other food and drink
stock and continuing whilst the other is planning to not
businesses have before them. The first task is to embark
fall at all.
on an improvement campaign to increase efficiency and protect themselves from downtime. Brewing is a 24/7 processes, with manufacturing systems required to work reliably at all times. Although
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October 2019
Disaster resilience plans are commonplace in corporate IT, however there is often an assumption that a solution that fits an office environment will also protect a manufacturing environment. A piece of research we
Brewers Journal
C o m m e nt
D i saster
R es i l i ence
consider the experience of a Scottish distillery, which is well-known for its market-leading single malt whisky and commitment to traditional manufacturing processes. It was looking for a proven way to back up and protect the modern industrial control infrastructure underpinning its well-established methods. With limited technical expertise on site, the main objective was to have a disaster recovery system in place capable of recovering the critical elements of the control system infrastructure in as little time as possible, with minimal data loss and downtime and therefore no interruptions to production or impact on the quality of the product. The feeling internally was that the mainstream IT backup solutions available were unsuitable to the distiller’s control system environment. As a result, the distiller enlisted the help of industrial IT solutions provider, SolutionsPT, who assessed the existing infrastructure and suggested the implementation of its Proteus managed service product, specifically designed for OT environments. The Proteus managed service solution is the result of a partnership between SolutionsPT and MSP provider Datto’s Hybrid Cloud Technology, blending best in class
Chris Whitehead, managed platform product manager at SolutionsPT
Business Continuity and Disaster Resilience technology
conducted by SolutionsPT identified that manufacturing
weeks into the trial one of the servers at the distillery
organisations often inherit IT infrastructures specified
which was critical to production suffered a hardware
at corporate level that are not robust enough for the
failure. The Proteus device was deployed, the last back
plant environment. The survey also revealed that 40%
up was taken and locally virtualised directly on the vault.
of manufacturing businesses were less than confident
Within a matter of minutes, the virtualised machine was
in their organisation’s ability to get up and running again
connected back to the network and production could
after a critical IT failure.
continue.
with 24/7 monitoring and support. Initially rolled out as a Proof of Concept, after just five
Traditional backup solutions are often not specifically
This allowed the distiller to keep downtime to an
designed for OT systems and may present issues. For
absolute minimum and afforded its team some time to
example, they often only perform a CRC check on the
repair the original machine and perform a full data restore,
backup data which doesn’t provide assurance that
before easily swapping back to the original machine.
systems could be fully recoverable. In addition, these
Following the successful trial, the distiller has selected
backups are often only tested in a recovery scenario by
Proteus as its disaster resilience solution, safe in the
support teams.
knowledge it is being given with high frequency of
The latest managed disaster resilience services can highlight anomalous file level changes through continual monitoring. Backups are rigorously tested on a defined
backups for low RPO, underpinned by leading technology to deliver a fast RTO. Brewers, like distillers, need to ensure they don’t leave
schedule by recovering the system in a ‘offline state’
disaster resilience too late. It is essential to plan for what
while checking key services, dependencies and where
will happen when the worst happens and to test that plan
applicable, integrity of critical databases and data sets.
out on a regular basis.
With ‘hot standby’ technology, systems can be quickly
Then, when something does go wrong, you’ve been
recovered with minimal of downtime on primary or
through the procedures, you’ve been through a Disaster
backup hardware. Initial infection and lateral movement
Resilience shake-down test and the people and the
can also be tracked and contained, ensuring that critical
teams are all in place, so everyone knows what needs to
processes can continue while support teams investigate
be done to get things back up and running as quickly as
the outbreak and remediate the affects.
possible. If this is something that your operation would
Brewers looking to confirm the benefits to be gained by investing in a disaster resilience solution could
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October 2019
struggle with, considering an externally managed service could be the solution. u
Brewers Journal
ON DEMAND CAN APPLICATORS
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Cultural Collaboration When Jon Swain, co-founder of Hackney Brewery, returned from a visit to New York, he knew he wanted London’s own brewery’s to work more closely with the excellent outfits across the pond. He just needed to work out how. And in an age of countless collaborations he’s helped create The Skyline Project, an initiative that celebrates the beers of London and New York in a fresh, valuable way.
Ben and I know each other from when he was working with us at Hackney Brewery, gaining experience in brewing and trying to understand how the beer industry works. Now he is based in the States and we have been on a few trips visiting most of the breweries in his city. We catch up with all the news that has happened since we last spoke. New beers, the new ingredients they’ve been trying out, and we try a few things in tank. Then Ben suggests we pop around the corner to Interboro and meet Jesse. He’s with some of the brewers from LIC who are based 20 mins away over in Newtown Creek. They’re hanging out for a brew of another collaboration between the pair. While they sat waiting for the wort
by Jon Swain
S
to come to a boil, they went over details of the brew, hop additions, ferment profiles, final pH targets. They were also going over how the artwork will look, sharing
ix o'clock in the morning on the red eye flight
advise and previous experience brewing with the kit and
back from New York City. I’m sat staring out
ingredients.
of the window as we circle around, waiting
We meet up with the KCBC gang again and hit a few
for our slot to land. The skyline of the city’s
bars around Bushwick, chatting about beer, what worked,
skyscrapers emerging out of the ground like
what didn’t, and what came close. We also discussed
crystals. I’m thinking about what I experienced in the last week and how I wanted to bring a part of it home. New York. Lights, signs, advertising, people, cabs,
what we’d change to make it better a second time. Then we get on to the subject that has been a hot topic in the UK over the past few months of big buy
the noise. It’s a busy city, sprawling out, as well as
outs. Over here the consumers are a lot more switched
up. Everything ordered in grids, wide one-way roads
on to the values of independent craft brewing. It’s the
alternating direction after each block. Steam bellowing
community of brewers that hold independence in high
out from the sidewalk from the subway below. Also, the
regard and along with the Brewers Association help
Ghostbusters fire house really exists!
to promote and present its importance. The three-tier
Kings County Brewers Collective (KCBC’s) taproom is located in a warehouse in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Barrels are racked up on each side of the bar that frames a glass wall
system stops the larger breweries monopolising over the outlets, although it also comes with its flaws. It’s this sharing of information about their craft within
where you can see the brewhouse in full swing. One thing
the industry, and the way I saw no hidden agenda,
the US does extremely well is taprooms. It makes visiting
no politics between them, just friends passionate
a brewery much more casual, you can drop in to try some
about creating something that will be enjoyed. The
beers, each with an experience tailored to the brewery’s
community that goes beyond work, it’s the passion for an
own vibe and atmosphere.
independent industry.
I’m greeted by friends Tony, Pete and Zack. We had previously spent time brewing ‘Sleeping Giants’ together a
Back in London… Hackney’s brewery under a railway arch, Hackney,
few months before in the UK. Since we know each other,
East London. Historically, it’s not that we were opposed to
this bar has become a hub for me here. It’s the first port of
collaborating with other breweries, for six of our 8 years,
call and the people here like family, it is also where Ben
it’s just we never had the capacity, the connections or the
Williams is working.
understanding on how they worked.
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October 2019
Brewers Journal
THIS IMPERIAL SOUR IS A COLLABORATION WITH KINGS COUNTY BREWERS COLLECTIVE FOR THE SKYLINE PROJECT, A CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROJECT BETWEEN BREWERIES FROM LONDON & NEW YORK CITY. EXPLODING WITH BOYSENBERRIES, RASPBERRIES & BLACKBERRIES FOR A RICH & JAMMY SWEET EDGE TO BALANCE THE HIGH-OCTANE LIP-PUCKERING SOUR ALE.
BOYSEN WAS THE CURE IMPERIAL SOUR PECKHAM RYE - LONDON MADE WITH: BARLEY, WHEAT, OATS, DEXTROSE, HOPS, WATER, YEAST, BOYSENBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES [ For Allergens see ingredients in BOLD ]
7.1% ABV VOL: 440ml BEST BEFORE END: SEE BASE DESIGN: JON SCHWOCHERT
C o m m e nt
P roject
P lann i ng
Our production was never at the point to have free tanks. We grew with demand of our beers and never had time to build those relationships because of the workload; paperwork,
first collaboration with another London brewery, Gipsy Hill. We had a great time, built better relationships and made a
great
beer. Since then we’ve brewed with Pressure Drop too and have a few more lined up. I emailed Ben in the US with an idea. To bring the
brewing, delivering, cleaning, packaging, ordering, and
culture of the New York’s brewing industry over to
scheduling that usually means spending time building
London, to see if we can build a bit of that feeling into our
inter-brewery relationships can be a challenge.
scene. I suggested we invite some breweries to connect
This is quite a common situation. We’ve seen over the
with some great London brewers here, hook up some
past eight years with new breweries opening, focussing
collaborations and share stories and brewing techniques.
on finding their feet and making sure they stay open. The
Ben was keen to make this happen, and he’s experienced
LBA and SIBA meetings, if you can spare time to get to
the industry on both sides of the ocean. Thanks to Ben,
them, seem to be only time when brewers get to-gether,
we have been lucky enough to brew with Finback, Barrier
even ones that are next door!
and KCBC at various points over 2018, these relationships
We spent all our time brewing 10 times a week, packaging and cleaning. It wasn’t until we installed
seemed like a great place to start. The idea developed into presenting the beers as a set
the bigger brew house, reached a stable capacity and
to help us present the concept of a cultural exchange.
hired some more help, I found I had time to escape the
The Skyline Project: 6 New York breweries, 6 London
“brew-cave” and make connections with other breweries.
breweries, 6 beers. We wanted a range of beers in the set
Making the effort to travel to see what everyone is up to
which allowed us to influence us in how we selected the
and being introduced to the rest of the teams.
breweries involved. Brick’s sours, Pressure Drop’s DIPA’s,
We haven’t reached this point alone, Pressure Drop,
BBNo’s farmhouse styles, Gipsy Hill IPA’s and Wildcard’s
Gipsy Hill, Brew By Numbers, Wild Card, Brick. You can
specials have all been making waves in the London beer
see these breweries reaching this point, where they get
scene for years.
to explore more, build those relationships and reach out
Now we had a plan, we needed a reason to get
to be involved with brewing with their friends. One of
everyone in town at the same time to get all to
the best things about this industry is the people, as the
collaborations happening so they would be ready
majority are open and friendly.
together. One of the best beer experiences I have had
Despite there being more than 100 breweries in London now, it was only in January 2019 we brewed out
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October 2019
in London was on the ‘East London Party Bar’ at London Craft Beer Festival 2018. Set in the beautiful Tobacco
Brewers Journal
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P lann i ng
co m m e nt
Dock, with more than 100 breweries from around the world, I barely got to experience it all. And I was there for three days! Greg Wells, founder of We Are Beer and one of the organisers of LCBF, has always tried to use the festival as a platform for London breweries to stand next to the best in the world. We met and I explained what we were up to and we are grateful for his support. This would be a turning point from turning our pipe dream to a real project. We spent eight months, planning, designing and pinging ideas back and forth over the pond. 7th August 2019, London. I had spent the day with Kevin from Finback, exploring some great spots around Hackney, Broadway Market, East London Liquor Company, Victoria Park, Howling Hops then The Red Hand in Dalston. As we arrive we see a crowd of familiar faces. Chris Cuzme from Fifth Hammer, Jesse Ferguson from Interboro, Jaega Wise from Wild Card, Mike from Barrier,
spreading knowledge, contacts, experiences and share a
Sam McMeekin from Gipsy Hill, Dan Houston from Brew
drink together.
By Numbers, Ben and Tony Bellis from KCBC, Pete Vick
We spent the next day brewing with each other, to
and Ian Stewart from Brick, Sienna O’Rourke and Ben
mark the event, new friends and the start of a change
Freeman from Pressure Drop… The gang is all here!
to the scene, we released all six beers together as a
This is the buzz I experienced in the states, being 3,500 miles away from home with friends. It’s our beer community coming together to make something happen,
boxset on the 27th September. It couldn’t have happened without people getting behind the idea. This is the Skyline Project.
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October 2019
04/07/2019 17:01:13
39
Stay in control Good brewing equipment and robust processes are both important factors in brewing good beer, but control over your raw materials should never be neglected, explains Rob Smith, a brewing consultant and director at Brewing Services which has been providing technical support and training to brewers and breweries of all sizes for three decades.
brewery is vital; the same goes for any other adjuncts used during the mash. Extracts may increase or decrease, so the amount of malt added may need to be adjusted to maintain volumes, while the Homogeneity and Friability of batches may affect the availability of the stated extract. Changes to the Total and Soluble Nitrogen levels may mean adjustments to the level of Copper Finings to avoid overor under-fining the wort. Malt and adjunct colours can vary within a range, with some of those ranges being quite large (e.g. ±100 °EBC for Chocolate Malts and ±300 –
by Rob Smith
A
400 °EBC for roasted products). These variations need to be accounted for to maintain consistency in both colour and flavour of the final beer. If changing malt supplier,
memorable mid-Noughties advert for a
check that similarly named malt types have comparable
large beer brand highlighted that “Only Ever
characteristics.
Four Steps” went into creating it: Barley,
Water
Water, Hops & Yeast. Looking over the array of raw materials used in modern breweries,
from common adjuncts such as wheat and oats to more novel ingredients such as tonka beans or sea buckthorn, strict adherence to the Reinheitsgebot isn’t a hallmark of the current brewing scene. However, those four steps will
R
oughly 95% of any beer is made up of water and identification and investigation of the relative ratios of salts in brewing liquor goes back at least
still form the backbone of the vast majority of beers on
as far as E.R. Southby in the 1850s. No matter where your
the market.
brewery gets its water from for brewing, the particular
Barley (and other adjuncts)
composition (especially Alkalinity, Calcium, Chloride and Sulphate) is important and should be monitored. Some supplies, especially those from wells or boreholes, may
W
from year to year. Others, including mains supplies, may
barley malt makes up the largest proportion
vary on an almost daily basis, particularly in relation to
of most brewing grists and knowing the
alkalinity, so need constant testing and adjustment.
analysis details of each and every batch used in the
40
be fairly consistent, meaning treatment rates barely differ
ith the exception of certain styles of beer,
October 2019
Brewing-specific analyses can be obtained from labs
Brewers Journal
R aw
M aterials
co m m e nt
such as Murphy & Son – having these carried out on a
advantage of (hopefully) preventing running out of a hop.
regular basis (but at least annually) can highlight any
Substitutions will almost always change the character of
seasonal variation in the supply or give early warning of
a particular beer and should be avoided where possible
any longer-term shifts. At the very least, a Water Quality
– this is especially important in beers using either a single
Report from your local water authority can usually be
hop variety or with a large proportion of a certain hop.
downloaded from their website; these give an overview
Yeast
of the water but don’t always measure some of those key parameters we are interested in.
Hops
W
hether using wet or dry yeast, proper handling and monitoring of your yeast is
T
he alpha acid content of any particular variety
important for maintaining the consistency
of your beers. Over-pitching can cause fermentations
of hop varies from harvest to harvest, batch to
which are difficult to control, leading to over-attenuation,
batch. As with other raw materials, this means that
while under-pitching can cause sluggish or incomplete
adjustments often need to be made to the amounts used
fermentations. Infection issues and associated flavour
during the boil to maintain consistency of bitterness levels
faults can stem from poor handling techniques and lack
in the final beer. Shifts in alpha acid values may also be
of hygiene in the storage and preparation of yeast.
indicative of changes in oil composition in the hops, which
Investing in a microscope is a fairly low cost and high
are more difficult to account for and can lead to sudden
value step which, along with a haemocytometer and
changes to the flavour and aroma of beers. These can be
some methylene blue, means yeast counts and viabilities
especially noticeable in those beers with high levels of
can be carried out in-house.
aroma hop or dry hop additions. One method to mitigate
No matter what size your brewery is or what styles of
this is to ensure that there is sufficient overlap between
beer you produce, keeping an eye on your raw materials
deliveries of hops to allow blending across different
and keeping control over the ‘four steps’ is a key part of
batches of the same variety of hop, which has the added
maintaining the quality and consistency of your brewery. u
Untitled-1 1
brewersjournal.info
24/06/2019 15:49:11
October 2019
41
C o m m e nt
T ra i n i ng
The Pub Trade: Can tech and training save the day?
If you want to make a powerful difference to your pub or bar business, and help to attract millennial and generation Z staff members, there are a number of ways to boost your chances, explains Jeff Singer, commercial manager at Beer Piper. by Jeff Singer
both chains and independent, can do to boost their employability and attract staff members to the industry.
T
As commercial manager at Beer Piper, the UK beer
here have been countless articles written
line cleaning company, and during our 30 years in the
about attracting millennial and Generation Z
industry, we have seen some huge changes over the last
customers to the pub, due to the changing
three decades.
consumer landscape and evolving social habits amongst the younger generations,
especially compared to Generation X and baby boomers. But, as well as attracting younger millennials and Gen
Recent figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the number of UK pubs have fallen from 52,500 in 2001 to 38,815 in 2018. But, looking on the brighter side, the number of craft beer taprooms have boosted the
Z customers to the pub to drink and socialise, we also
overall beer market recently, which saw growth of 2.6% in
need to be aware of the hospitality industry’s recruitment
2018 - the biggest increase for 45 years.
struggle and how this will affect the pub and bar trade of the future. The UK pub trade needs to attract and retain enthusiastic, hard working staff if it plans to have a
With all of this is mind, here are four things that pubs and bars can do to attract and retain younger millennial and Gen Z talent: Offer great products The booming craft beer scene
buoyant future, but what can we do to make becoming
shows that younger consumers in the UK can be
a landlord, bar owner or pub manager an attractive
enthusiastic about beer, but they prefer quality over
prospect for the younger generation? And how do we
quantity. Craft beers are brewed with passion, they
attract, retain, inspire and train staff members in the
usually have an interesting back story, and there is a lot of
meantime?
variety,
Fortunately, there are things that pubs and bars,
42
October 2019
By increasing your offering to include craft beers,
Brewers Journal
T ra i n i ng
artisan cocktails and a range of premium spirits choices, you can attract both customers and staff members alike
co m m e nt
will use it. With this in mind, utilising mobile, wireless and cloudbased tech behind the bar can help put younger staff
to your outlet. Younger customers can be incredibly passionate about craft beers, and having a wide range on offer allows them
members at ease. At Beer Piper, our advanced cloud-based technology ensures that beer lines are cleaned at regular intervals
to experiment with new flavours and styles. Because of the newfound passion for craft beers and
with environmentally-friendly chemicals. Our most recent
artisan drinks, millennial and Gen Z staff members like to
BP4 system also logs when and who cleans the lines,
be knowledgeable about the products they are selling so
and features cloud-based tech and a mobile app, which
they can pass on their expertise to customers, regarding
allows bar managers and staff members to access real
flavour profiles, interesting combinations and even food
time data as and when they need to. Adopt ethical and eco-friendly practices A recent
matches. As well as training staff members to be expert baristas
survey by Deloitte of 10,455 millennials (born between
and mixologists, consider sending them to craft beer
1983 and 1994) looked at the company attributes that
breweries and distilleries for brands that you stock so they
keep full-time millennial employees loyal. It found that
can find out more behind the scenes and enhance their
millennials want to work for companies that improve
knowledge.
society. In fact, many other studies and articles have found that
Training staff also proves to them that you are committed and invested in them, and their career
millennials and younger people put ethical practices and
progression - something else that is of huge importance
good corporate social responsibility above money and
to the millennial and Gen Z generations.
earnings.
Innovate with technology Generation Z are a mobile-
With this in mind, adopting eco and environmentally
first generation, and both Gen Z and millennials are
friendly practices, reducing waste, recycling any
completely comfortable with technology and its benefits.
commercial waste responsibly and offering ethical
If technology exists to help with or solve a problem, they
products can help to attract staff as well as custom. 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 367217 | www.gravity-systems.co.uk
brewersjournal.info
October 2019
43
D E A R
J O H N
S O U TH
AFR I CA
Take a walk on the wild side The closing months of summer had John Keeling pay South Africa a visit and with it, direct a brew day, deliver a lecture, experience evenings among much of the country’s wildlife and, of course, sample lots of great beer.
Africa. He had kindly arranged for bottles of Vintage 2016 to be tasted during the week. My principle job was to help run a brew day, which was to make barley wine, something I had a little knowledge of. This was attended by a number of home brewers who were on hand to help and I had great enjoyment directing my new-found workforce. Secondly, I was to deliver a lecture at the conference
by john keeling
on cask beer production. You can imagine the weeks of
I
research and prep I had to go through for that one. Lastly,
editor, told me not to. However, I can tell you about the
Gold Mine, a migrant storytelling evening which
wonderful time I had at Beer Boot Camp in Joburg and
described the many cultures and races that founded
made lots of new friends.
Joburg, and then a visit to Mad Giant Brewery. The most
am just writing this upon my return from South
I was to help with a home brew club competition, which
Africa. I can hear you groaning already and it's only
involved me tasting twenty beers and attend the family
the first sentence. How does he keep travelling,
day to drink some more beer. So, a lot of hard work for me
isn’t he a pensioner? And how much is Tim paying
as you can imagine.
him to write this drivel?
Well I can’t answer those because Tim, your fantastic
This story began over a pint on a cold winter’s day
It was not all work. Wendy had managed to arrange some wonderful trips out too. To name a few, Heritage
memorable was a visit to the lions, the big cats, of a game
at The Rake where I met up with Pete Brown, the beer
reserve just outside of Joburg. We saw several prides of
writer (does anybody reading this not know that Pete is
lions with their cubs. We were going to feed the lions,
a beer writer?). He introduced me to Wendy and Jules
but we had no volunteers in our group! We also saw
Pienaar who manage Just Brewing in Joburg. They then
cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs and hyenas.
explained over a beer or two the ideas and philosophy
Following the Boot Camp came the game reserve. It
behind Beer Boot Camp. They had me hooked as soon
really is difficult to describe what an experience it is to
as they said philosophy which, of course, appeals to my
wake up each day in the African Bush and listening to the
pretentious side.
sound of wild animals. The animals are not the big game
Beer Boot Camp comprised a week culminating in a
type but the non-eating human types! The first morning
weekend conference and family day where craft brewers
we had Nyala (like a deer/buck) outside our window just
and home brewers would mingle, exchange ideas and
grazing with their babies in tow.
make friends. What a great concept, a network of brewers
We had hippos bathing in the water hole, numerous
who then, in theory, help each other with problems and
birds, primates and Giraffe. At sundown it really was a
promote friendship rather than commercial rivalry.
wildlife bonanza. Between our small group, we had drunk
I had a number of things to do and my reward, apart
the bar dry, but fortunately we had stocked up with beer
from the sheer delight of taking part, was that Wendy
& wine in advance, so those sundown evenings became
would arrange a trip to a game reserve after the event.
very mellow as the early evenings turned into night-time
More about that later, oh and just to stop you wondering,
with the sounds of the wild beasts in the background.
Symone volunteered to come with me. I also arranged a
Our group consisted of three Americans, Michael
week in Cape Town afterwards to meet up with my old
Ferguson, Jennifer Talley and Fal Allen, all who bought
friend Bradly Moore who imports Fuller's beers to South
their expertise to the conference. Pete Brown and myself
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Brewers Journal
S O U TH
represented Great Britain manfully and I think we held our own. My Prince Charles joke in particular went down very well with Jules and Wendy at least. Then on to Cape Town where we hoped to do some sight-seeing, well who wouldn’t want to go up Table Mountain as well as doing some beery things. First and foremost amongst them was to brew a beer at Frasers Folly brewery. Our friend Brad had arranged this and what a great trip it turned out to be. Frasers Folly is based at the most southern tip of South Africa, a two hour drive out of Cape Town and is in Bredasdorp, in the Nuwejaars Wetlands. It's an area of extreme beauty & wildlife and is protecting its biodiversity. Brewer Fraser Crighton is very talented and like his beers, full of character. We brewed a light golden ale using all African hops and I am really looking forward to eventually tasting the beer. I might have to pay him another visit in the near future. Finally, back to Cape Town and a tour of Newlands Brewery. I was not disappointed. Newlands was built in 1820 so there were many similarities between them and Fuller's. Both give excellent tours and are steeped in history. Newlands Brewers have the stunning view of
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AFR I CA
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D E A R
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I was to deliver a lecture at the conference on cask beer production. You can imagine the weeks of research and prep I had to go through for that one John Keeling
Table Mountain from the brewhouse. If any reader plans on visiting Cape Town, I would really recommend taking a tour there.
Newlands became famous for brewing Lion Beer,
so my trip started with me looking at lions and fittingly finished with me drinking a beer brewed by Lions. Until next time.
October 2019
45
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Treading your own path Nottingham's Black Iris markets on a shoestring but they do it well. They tells us what to do if you don’t have your own Kev, and all about doing things your own way. Velo Mitrovich reports.
m e e t
th e
b r e w e r
black
i r i s
by velo mitrovich
Y
brew i ng
Champion wrote recently: “Last week I had the chance to walk a few stores with an industry friend who is trying
ou might remember hearing about this
to expand the distribution of his brand. We stood in the
book. Written back in the late 70s, it was a
middle of an aisle that had cliff-like shelves running down
massive bestseller for about five of years
both sides of an expansive span of polished concrete. It
on both sides of the Atlantic and then faded
felt like the grocery version of the Grand Canyon. It was
into obscurity except for marketing and
overwhelming.
psych professors who like to keep the idea alive for days when they forget a lesson plan. What idea is this? It’s the notion that advertisers pull
I paused and asked him, ‘Tell me, if I was unfamiliar with your brand or its products, how would I discover them here in this aisle?’ I’ve written about the fact that
out all stops in creating ads, brands and labels, and this
getting on the shelf is the battle, but getting off it the war.
includes embedding images of death, sex, and bestiality.
Distribution without discovery is deadly.”
Let’s have a quick guess here, your interest just suddenly
He describes all the competition means somebody trying to find – or discover – your product is like trying to
peaked. Bryan Key, author of Subliminal Seduction, reasoned if you were a big, big company, spending millions on an
find Waldo. Rumours here say that UK beer industry will be in for a
ad campaign, why not go with every trick you can think of
bit of a shake-up next year. You might be making the best
and subliminal images were one of them.
tasting beer on the planet, but in a crowded market, how
Different images appealed to different buyers. The darkest of the dark were used on whisky and bourbon drinkers who, Key claimed, the industry saw as 50-year-
are you going to get somebody to make that discovery? You have to think of marketing. While it is easy to be astonished by the efforts of some
old bitter male losers with a death wish. So, in bourbon
of the big breweries, what TBJ admires the most is the
ads there were images of death and horrible ghosts and
work of those craft brewers who with the budget of a
demons hidden away.
McDonald’s cheese burger, still pull off the amazing. Black
However, if you find a long out-of-print paperback copy of Subliminal, good luck seeing any of these images
Iris in Basford, Nottingham, springs immediately to mind. Co-founder Alex Wilson says that Black Iris started in
in the poor quality of photos and print used, and that was
2011 when they rented out a mothballed brewery in the
one of the problems. It’s difficult to prove your point if
back of The Flowerpot pub in Derby. Three years later,
nobody else can see it.
they moved to Nottingham where Black Iris in a 10 barrel
Bryan Key died young and without him being there
plant has around three brews a week.
to defend his work, psychologists and others said the
It's in a name
whole idea was a sham and none of it was true. Saying these images were in the ads, was like saying you could see a unicorn in the clouds. Once the image was planted, everyone could see it – even though it wasn’t there. Was Key right or just a very successful author? It’s a hard call. Is it a big leap to jump from subliminal ads to product placement in movies and TV shows? Within the beer industry, few except for Guinness and Carlsberg have the big advertising budget to pull off something like
A
ccording to Wilson, the name came from back in his university days when hanging out with a bunch of lefties who wanted to create a housing
co-op, which never happened. One of the names thrown around for the housing was Black Iris. “I like the name and the idea,” says Wilson. “The iris
this. Key would have had no doubt a great time going
sends its rhizomes [roots] out horizontally, instead of
over scene by scene Guinness’ 2013 ‘Surge’ and the 1998
vertically. If I ever created a business, that’s how I wanted
‘Surfers and Horses’ commercials.
to run it without the traditional vertical hierarchy.”
But, be it unicorns, demons, or just cleaver art work on
If you are not familiar with Black Iris, what makes their
a beer can, at the end of the day, marketing – from the
cans jump out from a crowded shelf is their black and
big to the small – is what makes people buy what they
white cartoon drawings, which have a passing nod to
buy and that’s what it is all about.
underground cartoonist Robert Crumb.
Right now in the States, craft beer sales are flat and
“Kev Grey comes up with our designs, he’s a very
in a recent report, it stated that companies which are
famous graffiti artist who is based in Liverpool and has
looking at a three to five percent growth are seen as
been doing his style for a long time,” says Wilson. “He
doing good. In the meantime, the number of breweries
does gig posters, guitars, skateboard and shoe designs.”
and products like hard seltzer continues to rise, making
Described as “the king of black, white and bold”,
competition for drinkers even tighter. Marketing expert and blogger Elliot Begoun of Brand
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Grey’s designs are heavily influenced by comic book and tattoo imagery. He’s created and exhibited his work
Brewers Journal
“We didn’t always have Kev. When we first started
around the world. “We’ve always done black and white designs since day
out, we worked with a Derby tattoo artist who did some
one, when we moved to Nottingham we decided to do a
amazing black and white designs that looked like a
rebrand. I knew Kev from way back but was not sure he’d
sleeve tattoo,” says Wilson. “The best thing you can do
be interested in doing a project as small as ours. He said
is to follow your local art scene and contact people you
he’d love to get involved. We’ve never looked back.”
like. As cliché as it might sound, Instagram is a great
Regardless of the level of detail, with even the most
tool in finding local artists and designs. When you find
complex of designs which you can only truly appreciate
somebody you like, just ask them. If they say no, then
if you have seen it blown up, you can instantly tell it’s a
move on and find someone else.”
Black Iris beer and what type of beer. Sounding like a Zen koan, which each one is different; each one is similar.
In looking at Black Iris labels and others such as New Belgium Brewing’s Voodoo Ranger, you have to wonder if the nature and design of the label will put off some
Design to fit
drinkers. Would someone from the real ale gang feel comfortable drinking from a can, such as a Black Iris,
T
here has been times that I’ve gone to Liverpool to see Kev and he starts showing me designs for beers we haven’t even thought of yet,” says Wilson.
“We end up retrofitting our recipes to fit his designs.” If you’re a small brewery just starting out and you look at the designs of Grey or of Nick Dwyer of Beavertown, you have to be thinking: How do I find a Kev?
brewersjournal.info
which has elements of Death Metal, skateboard and tattoo? “No, I’d hope we’d even turn-on people who have no interest into this culture. We’re not trying to put off prim and proper middle aged people who aren’t into the tattoo scene, we want to be open to all.” Paul Halsey at Purity told TBJ that he saw a lack of a clear marketing plan was spelling doom for a lot of small
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webpage.
brewers. “I agree with Paul,” says Wilson. The standard
Black Iris doesn’t have a good webpage; they don’t
of marketing and branding is so high these days, if
have a piss-poor webpage; they don’t have a webpage
you come into the market without one, while it’s not
period. Is this by choice or laziness?
paramount to failure, it can lead you there. “You go into a bottle shop with 200 or more different
“Yeah…like I’ve said, we tend to do everything organically. When we started, we only sold cask beer and
bottle and cans, which one are you going to pick up?
we knew exactly who our market was, there was no need
Which one stands out in the crowd?”
for a webpage, we weren’t interacting with customers.
According to Wilson, this does not mean you have to
“Now we use other social media to interact but the
spend a fortune on your label. “Liquid Light creates all
webpage…there’s a bit of laziness and lack of time why we
their labels themselves using a light box technique. They
don’t have one,” says Wilson.
did it all on a budget smaller than ours.” While some breweries use a think-tank and produce
A problem Black Iris has is shared by many craft brewers TBJ has seen around the world. What would
beers to market to specific markets, Wilson says that
help Black Iris interact with customers – a thousand times
Black Iris has never done this.
better than a website – would be a taproom and space
“We created our marketing plan organically, it happened at our own pace. We brew the beers we want to brew; we grow as we want to grow,” says Wilson. “We
to hold events, which Wilson says will make Black Iris a lifestyle brand. However, brewers have the choice of being
don’t spend time thinking about creating a beer for a
somewhere, such as an industrial estate that has space
specific sex or age range, we just want to produce beers
and cheap rent, or in an area with foot traffic and potential
that we’re proud of. You have to understand you own
customers, but rents that are unaffordable. Tied into this, do you see yourself as a hyper-local
context.”
brewer supporting your local community – while hoping
Fool me once
the support goes both ways – or do you think for survival do you need to go regional and beyond. If you think you need to go regional, while your
I
n the early 1970s, Lucky Lager in the States came
distribution might be in place, what about your discovery?
out with King Snedley’s beer in an attempt to capture
How will new customers find your brand and what will
the youth market. Up to that point, Lucky Lager was
make them give up the brand they’re used to?
a beer of the post-world war two generation, not the Woodstock, thus King Snedley was created. Clever can, clever marketing, even a clever jingle in their commercial
How does and will your marketing play into either of these scenarios? Somewhere along the line, brewers seem to forget
King Snedley's
that beer is food and humans have a unique relationship
It's a real beer!
with it. Elliot Begoun says: “Food is more than its function,
And a real beer
it’s us, it’s who we are. As we bring change to the market,
Is a Snedley's beer
as we introduce the next great brand or product, we need
He's in our hearts, you know
to be mindful of the uniqueness of food.
We really love him so
"We can’t just treat it like a tech innovation. We need
The king, you know, is Snedley!
to think about the relationship we are trying to establish
Most believe, however, it was just a repacking of Lucky
with the consumer and the product we are asking them to
Lager and King Snedley had a short life span. Like a book or album cover, you can fool people once with poor beer inside a cool looking can, but not twice. “Absolutely!,” says Wilson. “The beer is the most important aspect, not the can. Marketing, however, is the vehicle that gets people to the beer.”
break up with.” At the beginning of this feature, we talked about Bryan Key’s Subliminal Seduction and whether there is any truth in it. Maybe? Maybe not? Still, it remains in the back of your mind. One day you find yourself on a trip to New York City and while waiting for the subway train at South Ferry, you start looking
What's a webpage?
closely at a bourbon poster, one that you might have noticed in a magazine on the plane. With the ad now blown up about a zillion times, the
I
n every book on today’s marketing, these is a stress
images are there, peering out from the ice cubes – just
on the importance of a webpage and presence. While
like Key said they would be – looking like the Nazi-killing
some companies appear to have no idea what this
spirits in the first Indiana Jones movie.
presence is all about, none-the-less, they still have a
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Marketing; it’s a crazy, crazy world. u
Brewers Journal
black iris branding: Alex's picks
Nottingham Pride Pale | 4.5% Back in July this year we were asked if we'd like to part of a project creating a beer for Nottingham Pride with several members of the Nottingham LGBTQ+ community and we jumped at the chance. The most obvious difference to this design is that it is the only
Black Iris design to feature colour on the label, which was a conscious decision to really celebrate diversity. The concept behind this beer is it will become an annual brew and the design will change each year, always to feature colour an various landmarks and people from Nottingham. The 2019 features Leftlion, a local meeting point outside the Council House.
Very Dangerous Asps | 8.0% With the name coming from an Indiana Jones themed in-joke, you'd think the brief for this design would be pretty thin. However, the font has a great dynamic, action film-esque feel, the Cobra looks like its actually moving and I still can't quite believe how much content fits into a 82mm round space!
brewersjournal.info
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Drink Beer, Hail Satan | 6.66% One of the best things about being self employed is the ability to wake up and say "Today we are going to make satanic beer" and actually do it! This project was a collaborative affair
between Craft and Draft bottleshop and Crypt of the Wizard vinyl store, both based in Hackney. In this design we see a rocking Baphomet spinning his favourite vinyl and drinking some beers. I'm fascinated by religious and occult iconography and this was a great excuse to showcase that.
Snake Eyes | 3.8% This was the first beer we brewed at Black Iris after moving to Nottingham. We took the opportunity of moving to totally re-brand the business and approached Kev Grey, a designer I knew from growing up in Sheffield, to head up all our design work going forward. We loved his bold, clear designs, especially the monochrome element which we wanted to keep going, plus he was clearly inspired by similar punk/tattoo/skater aesthetics. This design is till one of my favourite designs we've ever done. I love the balance of the design and the classic overall look. Plus the snake is pretty cute.
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October 2019
Brewers Journal
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WATER
FO CU S
Brewing with Borehole Water In the right hands, boreholes offer a very cost-effective alternative to mains water supplies. But if all you want is an on/off switch, and none of the responsibility and regulation associated with obtaining your key raw ingredient from a natural water system, then think twice. Like any other engineering asset, boreholes require active management and maintenance to get the best out of them, explains Dr Phil Ham at Enviraeu Water. by dr phil ham
A
reliable water supply is vital for many
engineering quality of your source to ensure it will provide
brewers who require large volumes
many years of service and how much water it can reliably
of water for brewing, and associated
provide so abstraction can be effectively managed.
processes, including boiler feed, cooling towers, process water for cleaning
including bottle-washing and large pack cleaning.
It is vital to make sure sources are well maintained, not only to maximise performance but also to mitigate against unexpected failures and delays. Borehole
The big advantage that boreholes offer over other
maintenance is key to making sure a supply is sustainable
water sources, including ‘towns’ or mains water supplies,
in the long term and water can be abstracted and treated
is that they provide a consistent quality of water even
as efficiently as possible.
if that water requires treatment to provide the right
The impact of drought conditions on groundwater
specification for brewing. While mains water will always
levels in some areas of the UK in 2018 exposed the
give potable quality water, that does not guarantee a
vulnerability of a number of supplies, with aquifers not
consistent composition of water and the ionic content
recharging sufficiently to meet demand. Monitoring of
might sometimes change significantly without warning,
abstraction rates and water levels, and reviewing the data
depending where the water company sources its water
collected on a routine basis will provide the information
at any one time. This provides a challenge for treating
required to monitor the performance of boreholes and
the incoming mains liquor to meet the required brewing
seasonal trends.
water specification. Safeguarding the quality and quantity of water
The data can be used to inform water management plans, ensure they are fit for purpose and, where
is essential to anyone operating or considering the
necessary, improved to ease the pressures on water
development of a borehole supply. In this article, we
supply and reduce business risk.
explore a few of the key areas that simply can’t afford to be overlooked.
Are you compliant? The abstraction of water is heavily regulated. In England and Wales, abstractions greater than 20m3/
Understand what you've got
day require an abstraction licence from the Environment Agency or Natural Resources Wales. Groundwater
T
abstraction in Scotland is regulated by SEPA through
he geology in the UK is exceptionally variable.
the Controlled Activities Regulations and the threshold
Whether you use (or are planning to use) a spring
for licensing is slightly higher at 50m3/day. If you are
or a borehole, it’s important to know how the
abstracting water at quantities greater than these, you
source works and where the groundwater comes from. Different springs and aquifers will provide water with varying mineral and pH profiles. It is important to know the
brewersjournal.info
need a licence! All licensed abstractions come with conditions. There is a standard requirement to submit annually the amounts
October 2019
55
FO CU S
WATER
of water you have actually abstracted. Some licences
brewers the potential to get part of the way there without
may have special conditions designed to safeguard the
any form of treatment.
water environment and other abstractors. In all cases you
It is worth remembering for example that Burtonisation,
must be aware of the conditions associated with your
whereby sulphate is added to water used for brewing,
licence and make sure you collect an evidence base to
stems from the naturally high sulphate concentrations
demonstrate compliance. Failure to comply may result in
present in groundwater sourced from the Triassic
fines or difficulties for renewing or varying a licence in the
sandstone aquifers that underly Burton-Upon-Trent.
future.
Selecting brewing styles that complement the natural chemistry of a groundwater source could reduce the
Is it all about the money?
requirements for treatment and (in theory!) provide additional cost savings.
Y
Beware of Unicorns
es, but it’s also about quality too! Boreholes need to be carefully designed and constructed to maximise yield, water quality and long-term
performance. Industrial-scale abstractions require significant capital investment but will provide water at a fraction of the cost of a mains water provider. Typically, water from a borehole source can be
L
et’s face it, I probably would say all of this, wouldn’t I. But let me leave you with a few final thoughts... In the right hands, boreholes offer a very cost-
effective alternative to mains water supplies. But if all you
pumped for approximately £0.10 – £0.20/m3 whereas
want is an on/off switch, and none of the responsibility
water sourced from a water company could be between
and regulation associated with obtaining your key raw
£1 – £1.50/m3 depending on provider. For a one million
ingredient from a natural water system, then think twice.
hl/year brewery on a 4:1 water:beer ratio, the difference
Like any other engineering asset, boreholes require active
could be in the region of £350,000 per year! Most returns
management and maintenance to get the best out of
on investment fall in the 2 – 3 year range.
them.
Treatment costs will depend on the raw water quality
They will break otherwise and cause you all sorts
and the required brewing liquor. Whilst most modern
of headaches. But if you treat them with the respect
brewing methods involve stripping and rebuilding
you treat any other part of the brewing process, they
of water to meet an exact specification, the natural
will provide you with many years of happy service in
chemistry of some groundwater sources could offer
producing the perfect pint.
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October 2019
Brewers Journal
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s e cto r
cann i ng
Canning: If not now, when? The rise of canning continues unabated, opening up new revenue streams at every turn. Here, we speak to some of the key businesses making this possible.
“Packaging beer is becoming a lot more accessible in small pack form,” explains Matt Day, managing director at Innovus Engineering. “It’s widely accepted that breweries can charge more in small pack, especially cans, and so the returns are improved and running a brewery has become a much more viable business model.”
by TIM SHEAHAN
Day also echoes the often-held view that consumers
T
are also more demanding of quality over quantity.
small-pack beer, but there can surely be little argument
demand placed upon the business is to make the fill level
on how important cans have been for the growth of
as accurate and repeatable as possible.
he tide, had turned. The misconception of
“The average beer drinker is now willing to spend the
beer in a can being a commodity product,
same amount of money on a can of 440ml craft beer,
or the preserve of those that don’t take their
that they could otherwise spend on a 4-pack of lager,
packaged liquid seriously, is long gone.
knowing that they are going to have a more enjoyable
Granted, this whole edition and more could
experience,” he says.
be dedicated to debating what the best vessel is for your
modern beer. Whether you’ve invested in your own line or employ
Working with breweries across the UK, one key
He tells us: “It was accepted previously that some breweries would overfill the can, both to remove the
the services of mobile canning businesses, getting
possibility of underfills and also to reduce the DO through
your beer in cans has opened up wealth of avenues for
lack of headspace in the can.
breweries that simply didn’t exist before. There is a growing trend for breweries dipping their
“We’ve been striving to perfect our filling accuracy, so that breweries don’t have to overfill their cans, saving
toes into canning. It tends to start with several small runs
huge quantities of beer, but also still maintaining a low
with a mobile canning firm or a contract business. This is
dissolved oxygen level. We are now able to package
often followed with a growth in the popularity and reach
a whole run of beer on our semi-auto 10FBEV with
afforded to their beers.
every can repeatable to +/- 1 gram, using our load cell
The demand for the brewery’s canned product catalyses the need for more one-ff runs until an in-house
technology, which has been a huge success. “Customers also want their machinery delivered in
line can be procured. At many breweries, the percentage
record time! They are often holding out until they have
of its small-pack output grows and sometimes goes on
the justification for an asset purchase, but by that time
to exceed what it packages into keg or cask. If that’s what
the machinery has become a necessity to manage their
your local bottle shop or distributor is asking of you who
own demand. We’ve worked extremely hard to reduce
are you to argue, right?
our lead time and in some cases, we have delivered a
So with an increasing number of breweries moving into canning, either exclusively or to complement their other output, it’s perhaps unsurprising that sales of single
10FBEV semi-auto filler and seamer in just six weeks, down from our quoted lead time of ten weeks.” More broadly, Day sees the industry moving towards
use cans were up 62% in 2018 alone. Everyone, rightfully, wants a piece of the canned beer pie, so we spoke to some of the manufacturers that produces the kit to enable this part of your business.
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Right: Innovus Engineering canning technology in the field
Brewers Journal
cann i ng
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full automation in packaging cans. Whether it’s down to
reputation, by continuing to update our systems with the
unit cost or the packaging time, he says most customers
best technology in the trade in a compact and affordable
want the process to be as automated as possible, striving
canning system.
for the lower unit cost. This is also proven in that nearly all
"Our canning systems help brewers live their dreams
purchasers of automatic canning lines are installing an in-
-- that’s a big highlight of every year for us, to be able to
line labeller, giving them flexibility with different products
do that for a living.”
and not being restricted by MOQ of labelled/printed cans from distributors. At Innovus, the company is continuing to build around its core range of machinery by also offering ancillary equipment, such as depal, labeller, conveyors and a
The company recently revealed that it is taking the partnership it has with Ball Corporation in North America and bringing it to Europe. Cask will be the exclusive supplier of Ball cans to brewers. Love tells us: “For the first time in Europe, we can
checkweigher to ensure it can offer a complete turnkey
provide our customers with top-shelf canning gear and
solution.
a safe and reliable supply of printed cans. With flexible
Day explains: “The integrity of the seam quality
payment/credit terms for buying cans, six months of free
has been further increased through the upgrading of
can storage through Ball, and good minimum-order sizes.
parts within the seaming head. We are the only UK
“We brought Ball into the craft beer market when we
manufacturer offering cam driven seamers, which is
invented our first canning system for small brewers about
crucial to obtaining a double seam that meets can makers
20 years ago. Since then our North American partnership
specifications.
with Ball has grown immensely, right along with the
“All of our canning machinery is fully manufactured
canned craft beer segment we pioneered. We expect to
from marine grade 316 stainless steel, meaning it can be
have similar success and adventure with Ball in Europe.
fully washed down, using caustic acid, peracetic acid and
Looking at the brewing sector, Love says canning has
other cleaning agents without fear of degradation of parts.
become “a life-enhancing revelation” for consumers that
“Even our pneumatic cylinders are stainless steel as we couldn’t compromise on quality using aluminium.
had never had “flavourful, inventive, small-batch beer”. “Craft beer is another world compared to the mass-
In fact, there is no aluminium on any of our machinery
market beer culture, on many levels. The amount of
whatsoever. You may be able to get a nice colourful finish
creativity, flavour, fun and irreverence in craft beer and
with anodised aluminium, but it doesn’t stand up to the
the ability to meet the people making it is immensely
cleaning acids like 316 stainless steel does.”
appealing. Much like cans are in a world of bottled beer,
And for those not wanting to make the investment in their own line, the company is launching its machinery rental service this month, with a couple of semi-automatic units initially becoming available in the South. “We will monitor the demand into the new year, before deciding whether to roll out the service across the UK. It is going to be a fantastic low cost opportunity for breweries
craft beer is an exciting alternative to mass-market beer and a delicious defying of the status quo.” he says. On the technology front, Love outlines that Cask has improved on the already easy ability to change from one beverage type or can size to another on its mACS system and ACS V5. He says: “It is as short as 20 minutes for height
to get cans to market with rental on a weekly basis and no
adjustments and 45 min to adjust diameter. The fill heads
fixed commitment,” he adds.
on all of our systems are also easier to dial in, precisely and individually, so that brewers can properly cap cans
Cask Brewing Systems
on foam (for extra low dissolved oxygen pickup) and get accurately filled cans every time. “The inline weigh scale and auto reject feature on
C
ask Brewing Systems has been supplying
our ACS V5 is very popular and it comes built in to the
breweries its canning lines for longer than many
machine. That’s a big money saver at purchase time and
of the industry’s brewers have been in business,
it saves even more money with use. By avoiding overfills,
and 2019 has proved to be the biggest year in the history of the fourth-generation family business. “We placed a record number of canning systems in countries around the world, including several nations
the system can pay for itself in the course of a year. Going forward, it expects growth in cans to continue and increase. “Next year we will also be debuting a new machine --
new to our roster (Estonia, Serbia, France, Zambia,
the FleX2 -- for brewers that have outgrown their current
Samoa and Saudi Arabia to name a few),” says Peter
systems,” he says. “The FleX2 is essentially two of our ACS
Love, president at Cask Brewing Systems. “Many of these
V5 systems paired together. It will really boost production
countries are experiencing the power of canned craft
power and it features all of the best technology we have
beer for the first time. We’ve also upheld our innovative
packed in one system."
60
October 2019
Brewers Journal
Truly stellar craft brewing requires spotless sanitation. Our specialists are readily available to serve you with in-plant service visits, training, education on cleaning procedures, and maintenance services. You pay attention to every detail. Don’t neglect this crucial one.
uksales@afco.net 0161 796 6333
s e cto r
cann i ng
Life in the fast lane When The Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corporation needed to upgrade the packaging facilities at its Shanhua Brewery, it turned to Krones for technology capable of handling up to 90,000 cans per hour.
competitiveness. By 2018, two glass and canning lines each, and one kegging line, had already been replaced. Moreover, only the best brands available worldwide for brewery equipment are being considered for new investments. Here, TTL is using machines from Krones in four of its bottling and canning lines, and was thus able to increase production efficiency and the quality of packaging yet
by tim sheahan
T
again.
High-speed line
he Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corporation (TTL) is one hundred years old, and its business lines cover the fields of tobacco, spirits, beer, and biotechnology. It operates a total of four breweries:
besides the Taipei Brewery, which was founded in 1919 and has in recent years been targeting the craft beer market, there are the Jhunan, Wurih and Shanhua Breweries. The latter three serve the markets in Taiwan’s north, centre and south, and supply the many beer-drinkers there with a highly diversified choice of top-quality,
A
mong all the newly erected lines, it is the canning line only just installed, for which Krones acted as the general contractor, that attracts a lot of
attention. It handles 90,000 cans per hour in the 0.33 and 0.5-litre sizes. The empty containers are first of all depalletised by a Pressant Universal 1A, and transported to the Volumetic VODM-C filler, which is accommodated in a cleanroom. Via a lengthy buffering section, the cans are passed to
sustainably produced beers. This strategy has made sure
a LinaFlex double-deck pasteuriser. After filling, heating
that TTL’s Taiwan Beers are still the market leaders.
and cool-down, a Checkmat inspector verifies that the fill
Back in 1973, TTL invested in the construction of a brewery, which was dimensioned for an annual capacity
level is correct. In addition, the cans pass through another three of
of 500,000 hectolitres and built in Shanhua, a municipality
these systems, in which shape, coding and leakproof
near Tainan in the south of Taiwan. The goal: to serve
integrity are checked, to fulfil the company’s stringent
demand in the rural districts of Yunlin, Jiayi and Nantou,
quality requirements. The next station is the packer.
and in the east of Taiwan as well. Then when beer consumption levels rose steadily, the
The Variopac Pro WTS-7 places the individual cans either in cartons or in four- or six-packs in over-top-open
company expanded the brewery twice, thus gradually
packs. The final stop is the Modulpal Pro 1AD. Its two
upping its production capacities to two million hectolitres.
columns ensure that the machine can keep pace with the
The Shanhua Plant likewise translated the group’s
line’s high output during palletising as well: while one of
diversification strategy into tangible reality, erecting a
them places the finished layers on the pallet, the other
factory for producing its EasyClean cleaning agents, for
inserts the cardboard layer pads.
which the antibacterial effect of hops derived from beer production is primarily used. Taiwan’s beer market has been opening up for some
“The new line is extremely efficient – it’s where our staff prefer working,” said brewery director Hsieh Chin Fu. They’re tasked primarily with monitoring the
years now, and since then numerous beer brands, both
production operation and topping up with cans, lids and
domestic and from abroad, have been competing with
cartons. The new line is currently TTL’s fastest and most
each other.
efficient – which means the company is well equipped for
Those responsible at the Shanhua Brewery decided to invest in a state-of-the-art automatic packaging line,
a future of maximised efficiency. “We are confident that we can stay market leader in
and to successively replace inefficient production lines
Taiwan with Taiwan Beer in the future as well,” added
requiring high staffing levels, so as to upgrade their
Hsieh Chin Fu.
62
October 2019
Brewers Journal
cann i ng
brewersjournal.info
s e cto r
October 2019
63
s ci e nc e
K รถ lsch
Defining Kรถlsch Kรถlsch, a type of pale golden German ale, shares some of the processing characteristics normally associated with brewing lager beers but due to the yeast strain employed, technically it is an ale. Its strength lies both in its well-balanced and easy drinking nature as well as the drinking culture and location which it, and the law, defines, explains Andrew Paterson, technical sales manager at Lallemand Brewing.
64
October 2019
Brewers Journal
K ö lsch
s ci e nc e
by Andrew Paterson
F
or the average Brit, Kölsch is not a beer that is easy to understand. It looks like a lager, it’s cold like a lager, it tastes quite similar to a lager, it’s served like a lager; albeit in tiny glasses, and it comes from Germany. Surely
then, this beer must be a lager!!? But, Kölsch is not a lager. Why, you ask. Why is this
beer so reminiscent of lager then not a lager? The answer is simple, Kölsch is not a lager because it is not produced using lager yeast. The generally accepted, but slightly flawed, definition of a lager beer is one which is produced using a lager yeast. That is, yeast of the species Saccharomyces pastorianus and not Saccharomyces cerevisiae. So if Kölsch is not a Lager, what is it? In its broadest sense Kölsch is a rare breed, a type of top fermented German Ale which is not a Weisse bier, a category that also includes Altbier. There is propensity of German brewers to cold store their beers for long periods following fermentation in a manner quite unlike that of traditional English ale brewing; a practice from which Kölsch is not exempt. So it is probably most accurate to describe Kölsch simply as Kölsch. A beer which walks the fine line between the production of lager and ale. In addition to its microbiological distinction, the brewing of Kölsch is defined by a series of laws agreed by the brewers of Cologne governing the methods of its production, as well as the geographical area in which Kölsch can be produced. A move more likely originally intended to curb competition from larger national breweries producing bottom fermented beers than to preserve regional tradition. Local protectionism at its finest! The 1986 Kölsch Konvention set this limit to within 30 miles of the town of Cologne. Since the original conception of the law, Kölsch has also achieved a protected geographical indication (PGI) extending the reach of the original law to the entire European Union.
Flavour
K
ölsch as we know it today is a relatively young style of beer and probably bears little resemblance to the beers produced in Cologne
in centuries prior. In the same way that the invention of indirect fired kilns for malting barley caused a step change in the production of English Pale ales and Pilsners, so too the beers of Cologne would have embraced the new technologies available to produce
Cologne: Home of Kölsch
brewersjournal.info
October 2019
65
s ci e nc e
K ö lsch
Differences between two groups of lager yeast Yeast
Low temperature
High alcohols
Ester
Utilises maltotriose
Fermentation performance
Dimond Frohberg, II
More sensitive
+
+
+
++
Saaz Calsberg, I
Less sensitive
+++
+++
-
+
pale, rather than darker and smoky flavoured beers. Today’s Kölsch beer is pale gold in colour, generally
Summary of the differences between the two groups of lager yeast
resides within the vollbier category of between 3.5 and 5.3% ABV and is moderately hopped. The fermentation
The consequences of this hybridisation event
characteristics resemble that of a well-balanced pale ale
explains the changes seen in terms of sulphite and sugar
with soft fruity esters and an absence of any sulphur. See
metabolism as well as cryotolerance, which are the
end of article for recipe
main practical differences between lager and ale strains (José Paulo Sampaio et al, 2011). The result of the more
Genetics
recent genetic history of lager yeasts is that there is less diversity within the species, with two groups generally
W
being recognised. The type two, or Frohberg group
e have already established that Kölsch
yeasts which include Lalbrew Diamond, generally have
conforms more to the definition of ale than
greater fermentative ability than the type one or Carlsberg
that of lager and that the critical difference
yeasts. These differences relate to the relative proportion
between the two is the species of yeast employed for
of S.cerevisiae to S.eubayanus genome present within
fermentation. But what is the real difference between
DNA of the yeast cell. See above for a summary of the
these two yeast strains?
differences between the two groups of lager yeast.
On the face of it both strains are very similar. Both are
Kölsch Culture
single celled yeast strains, of the same genera which reproduce asexually by unilateral budding. It is at the genetic and metabolic level where the key differences arise.
K
ölsch defines the city of Cologne in terms of beer.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ale yeast), is an ancient strain which has been domesticated for its ability to both leaven bread and produce alcohol. Reuse and
Served by traditionally dressed waiters called Köbes, Kölsch is drunk in bars and brewpubs
around the city from 0.2L glasses called Stange. The
selection by humans has led to these strains becoming
theory goes that these were introduced to stop the beer
well adapted for life in the brewery environment, while
from getting warm or flat before it could be consumed.
geographical isolation has led to the development of specific traits within the sub species.
The number of Stange one has drunk on a given evening is calculated by counting up the number of
Recent work done by Kevin J. Verstrepen et al has
marks made on the clients beer mat, one for every beer
allowed the classification of industrial Sacchromyces
drunk. At the end of an evening of imbibing these marks
yeasts into five distinct lineages. It is this genetic
are added up to work out the final bill.
diversity that leads to the differences in fermentation
To conclude, Kölsch is a type of pale golden German
characteristics between ale strains, for instance a Kölsch
ale. While Kölsch shares some of the processing
strain of yeast like Lalbrew Köln and a Belgian yeast such
characteristics normally associated with brewing lager
as Lalbrew Abbaye.
beers, due to the yeast strain employed, technically it
Lager yeasts have a more recent, and arguably
is an ale. Its strength lies both in its well-balanced and
more interesting genetic history, resulting from an
easy drinking nature as well as the drinking culture and
interspecific hybridisation event between Saccharomyces
location which it, and the law, defines.
cerevisiae and a wild ancestor yeast. It is only in the
With the newly released Lalbrew Köln yeast, brewers
last ten years that this wild species has been identified
can create their own (Kölsch style) beers safe in the
as Saccharomyces eubayanus. Found residing in the
knowledge that they are using an authentic Kölsch yeast
Patagonian beech forests of southern Argentina (José
strain. This strain was specially selected for its ability to
Paulo Sampaio et al, 2011). How this yeast made it to
create moderate levels of soft fruity esters while keeping
European shores, at this stage is anybody’s guess!
sulphur production to a minimum. u
66
October 2019
Brewers Journal
K ö lsch
s ci e nc e
Recipes
Kölsch with lalbrew® Köln 10hl Step 2
Step 1
malt
Liquor Final Kettle Vol
900
Evaporation Rate
Beg Kettle Vol
1000
0.10
L:G
3.1
Mashing in Liquor
506
evaporation amount
0
100
Sparge Liquor Total Liquor
113.22 Weight of Malt (kg)
Litres
Lauter
Extract (kg):
Original Gravity/Plato
1,0484
BME (premised)
0.880
Colour (Lovibond)
5 to 8
Type of malt
794 1300
% of Grist
Pilsner Flaked Wheat TOTAL
12.0
Extract (as-is)
Yield
0.900
0.800
0.704
2.8
2.6
Flaked Wheat
0.100
0.780
0.686
3.5
0.4
TOTAL
3.0
Font Legend
°C
Conversion Temp
149
65.0
Strike Temp
161
71.5
Sparge acid
Sparge Temp
174
78.9
none
Colour contribution
Pilsner
temperature °F
Colour (L)
144.75 16.50 161.24
Temp Gravity/Brewing parameters Water Malts Hops Yeast
Step 3
hops Type
Kettle Boil Time: 90 Min
IBUs: 25
Hop Additions: 3
Irish Moss @ 30 min before knock-out: 50 G (1g per 20 l kettle full volume)
alpha-acid
boil time (min)
utilisation %
IBU (%)
IBU contribution
weight of hops (g)
Magnum
0,110
60
0.200
0.800
20.00
818
Hallertau Mittelfruh
0,035
30
0.015
0.150
3.75
6429
Callista
0,030
5
0.010
0.050
1.25
3750
TOTAL
10997
Step 4
yeast
notes
Yeast Type/Number
Lalbrew® Köln
Fermentation Temp
20°C
For more information. you can reach us via email at brewing@lallemand.com
brewersjournal.info
• Non-filtered
www.lallemandbrewing.com
October 2019
67
FO CU S
B rand
D I R ECTI O N
Develop your design Effective, impactful design is the key to help modern consumers navigate the growing number of bottleshop shelves and taproom lineups. Here, David Freer (words) and Jonny Mowat (illustrations) from O Street, explain how strong design can help your brewery overcome the challenges faced in an increasingly competitive landscape.
has been a revolution in the beer scene since those days. Walk in to any bar or bottleshop today and the choice is overwhelming, from the vast number of breweries now making beers, to the wide range of styles available. Good design is key to helping the modern consumer navigate those said bottleshop shelves and taproom lineups. New challenges are cropping up for breweries that were once able to guarantee sales on beer quality alone. Here are a few basic lessons we have learned over the years. Build trust and recognition in your core brand.
by dAVID fREER
I
record label or publisher. Once you realise that a certain
n years gone by, when our eldest colleagues were
brewery makes tasty beer, you’re obviously going to be
still students at art school, the choice of beer in
comfortable choosing one of their other beers. Help the
the student union bar was poor: Lager, Heavy or
consumer recognise your brewery by reflecting your
Guinness. Or, if you were a fancy pants, you might
overall brand in every can.
be lucky enough to get a can of Red Stripe. There
68
Consumers trust a brewery like they used to trust a
October 2019
Stand out from the rest. Look at what all the other
Brewers Journal
B rand
D I R ECTI O N
focu s
beers on the shelf look like and do the opposite! There
designed to fit one beer style needed to be stretched to
are only so many ways you can copy Beavertown before
fit a larger selection. In Scotland, we saw Innis & Gunn’s
everyone looks the same. It’s common sense; by making
original red label, being used in blue to differentiate their
your design different you will make it easier for the
Rum Cask variation. Breweries with a wider range of core
consumer to notice you.
beers, like Brewdog, required an expanded colour palette
Be authentic. The days of brands hoodwinking
to accommodate all their beers. But, how many colours
consumers with made up back-stories was over in the
can you add to your palette before customers confuse
1950’s. Today’s consumers want a brand they can trust
the ochre of your lager with the burnt orange of your
and believe in.
pilsner?
Don’t underestimate the visual sophistication of your
A cherished brand in the design industry is Brooklyn
audience. Everything is looking more sophisticated year
Brewery. The brand and basis of the labels was
on year; movies, video games, fashion, kebab shops.
designed by the legendary Milton Glaser, the famous
When your target audience see how cool things can look,
designer behind the ‘I heart NY’ logo. The labels employ
they are no longer going to be seduced by a design your
combinations of colours that allow them to visually define
best friend’s flatmate’s nephew has knocked up on his
a much wider range of beers than single colours could.
laptop with a hooky copy of Photoshop.
However, even these guys are struggling to come up with
Basic lessons however only equip you to deal with basic challenges. The recent explosion in the beer scene
new combos to differentiate their beers. We’ve recently noted that in addition to flipping
requires breweries to develop designs that move and
the colours on the label for each beer, they have also
grow as fast as the choice of beers does. In the early days
introduced different textures. The orange and green of
of craft beer, producing a single ‘craft beer’ was enough.
their East IPA is used again on their Orange IPA variation,
As consumers demanded more variety, a wider selection of core beers was required. A label system
brewersjournal.info
but it's in tandem with an orange peel illustration to keep the label distinguishable.
October 2019
69
focu s
B rand
D I R ECTI O N
We might assume at this point we have a handle on
delicious harmony (think Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan
how to develop a label system that can grow and develop
singing together on Nashville Skyline - David) (think
as you do: A strong core brand; bold headline type
Linkin Park & Jay-Z combining forces on Numb/Encore
defining beer style; a colour palette (of single colours or
- Jonny). To tackle this new nightmare for designers we
combos); and texture or illustrations to help distinguish
still recommend a template approach, like the seasonals,
the beers even further.
but this time it includes the added complexity of a second
Problem solved? Naw, nae really.
brewery brand (whose logo and personality often need to
We’ve found new curveballs entering label strategies.
be incorporated).
Suddenly one-off, seasonal beers are becoming more
It’s not easy, and we also realise that trying to
of a priority for brewers than their core range. This offers
rationalise a design approach for each new industry fad
a huge amount of variety to consumers, but a real
is not the only solution. Keeping things clean is important
headache to designers. We can handle a slowly growing
both in the design process and the brewing process,
core range, as you have time to optimise work on each
but allowing space for creativity, allowing the wild yeast
label design. But with seasonals, new labels are required
to add some funk, is also a door we must leave open.
with much more frequency, and beers can be dropped
Some of our favourite label designs break all the rules:
just as quickly. We have the same challenges of stand-
the candle stub design for Ominipollo’s Maz pale ale is
out and individuality for a label that might only be on the
a modern classic, where colour, brewery and even beer
shelves for a few weeks before we need to be ready to
name are all thrown out the window (or round the back).
develop a new one. To be honest, when I say it’s the designers’ problem,
However, you can’t fight all battles, on all fronts, at the same time. Helping breweries define their priorities at the
what I really mean is it is the breweries problem. Most
outset of a project is key. What is your brief? Do you want
breweries can’t afford to hire external design studios to
to develop a label that will make your beers appealing on
design every one of their experimental seasonal beers.
a supermarket shelf; develop a label that will build loyalty
Instead, we have begun developing label template
with a local community of superfans; develop a beer label
systems for our clients that, alongside a little training,
that optimises e-commerce opportunities; make a splash
allow the breweries to design their own labels.
on Instagram; gets rival brewers jealous; make your ex
These very often have areas where variables can be
notice you again…
introduced to differentiate the new beers. We don’t rely
Whatever your priorities are, a good designer can
wholly on colour but allow multiple ways to personalise
help you get there. We’d recommend your best friend’s
a beer whilst still remaining ‘on brand’. We can’t forget
flatmate’s nephew, we heard he has Photoshop!
that first golden rule of building trust in your core brand.
About the authors: We’re O Street, a design studio
Making labels that look different for the wrong reasons
based in Glasgow, London and Denver, CO. Over the
often dilutes your core brand, eroding this trust.
last 12 years we’ve designed a lot of different things,
The next curveball (and I am sure not the last) is the
from apps to the new Scottish polymer banknotes, and
recent trend for collaboration brews. Again, brilliant for
everything in between. Our real passion however is beer,
the consumer, it’s bringing amazing new beers and
and using design to help share the joy of beer with others.
the best features of our favourite breweries together in
Article by David Freer, illustrations by Jonny Mowat. u
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October 2019
Brewers Journal
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brewersjournal.info
October 2019
73
dat e s
&
e v e nt s
events 18 October 2019 - 20 October 2019
Spa Valley Railway Beer Festival Spa Valley Railway, West Station www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk 21 October 2019 - 26 October 2019
norwich beer festival St Andrews and Blackfriars halls www.norwichcamra.org.uk 31 October 2019 - 2 November 2019
carlisle beer festival The Venue Carlisle, 7 Portland Pl, Carlisle www.solway.camra.org.uk The Brewers Congress, organised by team behind The Brewers Journal, returns to The Insititution of Civil Engineers
2 November 2019
in London on 28th November and with it, a day packed with
saddle back annual launch
talks, networking opportunities, a tradeshow and great beer.
Purity Brewing, Spernal Lane, Great Alne www.puritybrewing.com
2 October 2019 - 5 October 2019
11 November 2019 - 15 November 2019
Bedford Beer & Cider Festival
pBC Brewing course
Corn Exchange, St Pauls Sq, Bedford www.northbeds.camra.org.uk
Foundary Business Park, Salford www.pbcbreweryinstallations.com
3 October 2019 - 6 October 2019
22 November 2019 - 23 November 2019
indy man beer con
dark & wild city
Victoria Baths, Manchester www.indymanbeercon.co.uk
Northern Monk Refectory, Leeds www.northernmonk.com
4 October 2019 - 5 October 2019
22 November 2019 - 23 November 2019
Ascot Racecourse Beer Festival
otley beer festival
Ascot Racecourse, High St, www.ascotbeerfest.org.uk
Otley Rugby Club, Cross Green, Otley, West Yorkshire www.otleybeerfestival.co.uk
10 October 2019
28 November 2019
Brewers Lectures Bristol
brewers congress
Watershed, Bristol lectures.brewersjournal.info
One Great George Street, Westminster, London congress.brewersjournal.info
16 October 2019 - 19 October 2019
28 November 2019 - 30 November 2019
Sheffield Beer & Cider Festival
rotherham beer festival
Kelham Island Museum, Alma Street, Sheffield www.sheffieldcamra.org.uk
The Trades, Greasbrough Rd, Rotherham www.rotherhamcamra.org.uk
17 October 2019 - 19 October 2019
30 November 2019
Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival
celtic beer festival
National Cricket Training Centre, Cardiff www, gwbcf.info
St Austell Brewery, Cornwall www.staustellbrewery.co.uk
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October 2019
Brewers Journal
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