The Brewers Journal November 2019, iss 9 vol 5

The magazine for the professional brewing industry

Brewers J o u r n a l

November 2019 | Volume 5, issue 9 ISSN 2059-6669

tiny rebel

the newport duo on a mission to make beer accessible for all 26 | seasonal beer: time to take the pumpkin plunge?

36 | diastaticus yeasts: avoiding contaminations

45 | nova scotia: creating communities in canada

le ad e r

find a balance

W

hat a month...

Hello and welcome to the November edition of The Brewers Journal.

Firstly, I want to say a big thank you to everyone that came to our Brewers Lectures event in Bristol. My utmost respect to David Freer and Jonny Mowat from design studio O Street, Josh Lunn of Unleashed Software, John Keeling, Five Points’ Claudia Mayne, Sam McMeekin of Gipsy Hill, Lost and Grounded Brewers’ Alex Troncoso and Duration Brewing’s Miranda Hudson for speaking over the course of the day.

I appreciate their time, especially when it comes to taking time out away from the small matter of new tanks being installed or opening your first brewery, as you do. So thanks again!

It was also a pleasure to be involved in the judging of the inaugural Brewers Choice Awards. It should come as no surprise that the level of quality on offer was astounding and with it, recognising a winner in each category a predictably tough task. So congratulations to everyone shortlisted and to the winners in each of their fields.

And thanks to Ed Cotton and the team at their excellent bar, The Barrel Project, on Druid Street in Bermondsey for being the perfect hosts!

The full rundown will be announced at a reception following this year’s Brewers Congress in London, and also in the next issue of this magazine.

For more information on the Brewers Congress, close this magazine, flip it around and check out our in-depth preview of the 28th November event! It is, as they say, not to be missed.

One brewery that is hard to miss in 2019 is Tiny Rebel. The Newport-based business founded by Bradley Cummings and Gareth Williams has quietly and effectively grown to a £10m+ turnover operation employing more than 130 member of staff.

And next year they’ll be growing into a new

brewersjournal.info

editor's choice Nova Scotia, Canada: How its growing brewing industry is not only generating jobs, but creating communities- page 45

30,000sqft distribution hub.

They have fun with beer, but they’re incredibly serious about it, too. There’s fun to be had with branding and naming but for them, the buck rightfully stops with the quality of their output.

“Accessibility is so important. What’s the point of making a beer if nobody is going to be able to drink it.

The same applies to drinkability. Making accessible, drinkable beers is at the centre of everything we do,” says Cummings.

Elsewhere in this issue we have features on diastaticus yeasts, the latest column from John Keeling and also an in-depth look at the burgeoning beer scene in Nova Scotia, Canada.

I hope you enjoy it.

Tim Sheahan Editor

November 2019

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co ntac t s

contacts Tim Sheahan Editor tim@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 592 Velo Mitrovich Deputy editor velo@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 591 Josh Henderson Sales executive josh@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 594

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November 2019

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Brewers Journal

HSD Safety half-page ARTWORK.pdf

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Co nte nt s

contents 45

24

26

61

40

Cover story 31 - How Brad Cummings and Gazz Williams have grown Tiny Rebel to a ÂŁ10m+ turnover business employing more than 130 staff

COMMENT 20 - The benefits brewery management software can bring your business 22 - A look at the brewery funding landscape

Case Study | London fields 40 - How London Fields Brewery worked with Kaspar Schulz on its new brewhouse install

Science | yeast pitching Dear John 24 - John has developed a fondness for the letter 'B'. So that means visits to Bristol, Belfast and Bath

42 - Aber on how automatic yeast pitching rate control can improve your beer quality

crossing continents | nova scotia 45 - Brewing beer and creating communities

trending | seasonal beers 26 - Pumpkin beers are the beer equivalent of marmite but could 2020 be the year your brewery finally takes the plunge?

Focus | Diastaticus 36 - An in-depth look at Diastaticus contaminations and a possible solution

8

November 2019

Science | tasting terminology 56 - Brewlab lifts the lid on brewing tastes, flavours and terminology

focus | filtration 61 - How The Great Yorkshire Brewery has revolutionised its filtration processes

Brewers Journal

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Gipsy Hill refreshes brand identity

S

outh London’s Gipsy Hill has revealed a new core range lineup and refreshed brand identity centred

around the key message of “Brewing a better life”.

The brewery, which recently completed an ambitious

Founder Sam McMeekin.

He added: “Gipsy Hill was born out of family. It was cobbled together by a few guys who needed something meaningful in our day to day, because time away from our

expansion project to double its production capacity to

new, young families had to mean something. That’s the

25,000hl per year, has taken the opportunity to increase

blood that flows through our veins. Family, our team, our

its number of permanently available beers to six, while

passion for making the best beer we can and our desire

also undertaking a refresh of its core brand values and

for what we do to stand for something.

visual identity.

“That means treating people right. It means investing

According to the team, the refresh seeks to “reflect the

in quality equipment. It means getting better at what we

brewery’s commitment to inspiring people to make better

do everyday. It means holding our suppliers to the same

choices, and to encourage aspirational living both inside

standards and treating our customers with respect.”

and out of the beer bubble” while four previously limited

The new core range, all of which will be available in

releases are to become permanent fixtures in the Gipsy

keg and 330ml can format, features a mixture of old Gipsy

Hill core range line up.

Hill stalwarts and new and improved recipes for previous

“Five years, and 700 brews, down the road and we

specials. As part of the refresh, the brewery’s flagship

figured it was time to take a moment, look back and

‘Beatnik’ Pale Ale has been reincarnated as ‘Bandit’ and is

reflect for a second on where we’ve come from, then

now certified as gluten free according to EU regulations

think about where we’re going,” said Gipsy Hill Co-

(the finished beer contains less than 10mg/kg of gluten).

Packaging systems meeting increased demand for recycled carton packs

A

UK-based manufacturer has enjoyed increased growing demand for its carton packing machinery,

us to receive the machine in the timescale we required.

“Installation was a breeze as the machine had been fully factory tested before it was shipped, we were using it in full production on installation day."

The range offfered includes simple semi-automatic machinery through to fully automatic equipment

driven by a growing number of breweries using fully

specifically designed for the canning and bottling

recyclable packs for their beer.

applications.

T. Freemantle has recently worked with the likes of

Semi-automatic machinery can pack a range of

Beavertown Brewery, Meantime Brewery and Vocation

different pack counts and can/bottle sizes on the same

Brewery, helping these breweries to deliver multipacks

kit with minimal adjustment, typically suiting speeds of up

carton board retail packs that offer high impact on shelf

to 10,000 can/bottle per hour.

and also meet the increasing demand for fully recyclable packs.

Dan Sutcliffe, Vocation’s head of packaging said: “T

For faster speeds of up to 20,000 per hour, they offer fully automated machinery featuring automatic marshalling of the product straight from the canning

Freemantle helped us from start to finish with this project.

or bottling machinery, fallen can/bottle detection, and

They shaved weeks off their stated lead times to enable

multipoint gluing to ensure pack strength.

brewersjournal.info

November 2019

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East London Brewing Company completes major expansion and hires new head brewer

E

ast London Brewing Company has completed the installation of a new 25BBL plant, which is housed in

Both East End Lager and the Company’s new session IPA, Beyond the Tower, will be available in 30lt keg and

expanded and refurbed premises on its existing site in

in 440ml can and both will sport the Company’s new

London’s E10.

branding, which will eventually be rolled out across the

The new plant more than doubles the company’s brewing capacity and allows for further expansion of its keg and can ranges.

Coinciding with the completion of the new brewery, East London Brewing Company has hired a new head

whole range, including the existing bottles and casks.

"Our new branding celebrates all that is East London’’ said Claire Ashbridge-Thomlinson, the company’s other founding director.

She added: ‘’We worked with the incredible London

brewer in the form of Adrián Morales Maillo, who comes

Centre for Book Arts, based in Fish Island in Hackney

from leading Spanish microbrewery, Naparbier.

Wick, to create a letterpress print of our logo, which you

With a background in brewing stunning hoppy beers

can see on our new can and bottle labels, along with

like NEIPAs and West Coast IPAs, Morales Maillo brings

photographs showing the wonderful texture of this part of

specific expertise in keg beers, particularly lagers.

London.

‘’We’re delighted that Adrián has chosen to join the

“We’re looking forward to rolling out the new branding

team’’, said Stuart Lascelles, founder and director of

in London and beyond. East London has a real reputation

the Company, ‘’We’re already working with him on the

abroad for creativity and quality and we believe that our

development of some really great new recipes and

new cans and bottles will capture the imagination of our

we’ve just launched our new East End Lager, which is a

existing and potential export partners’’.

Pilsner-style lager, medium bodied and brewed with a

Following the upgrade and re-branding exercise, the

Weihenstephan yeast strain, Tettnanger and Magnum

next step for the brewery is to open a taproom with a view

hops – so far, we’ve had great feedback!’’

to opening in Spring 2020.

Keeping an open mind to new markets imperative, says supplier

S

taying on top of global trends, and keeping an open mind when it comes to new sales channels, is

imperative for breweries of all sizes.

It's taken the US by storm and is now making its mark in the UK, so Ryebeck is preparing to supply the best equipment for companies looking to get involved in this

This is the argument of Ryebeck, a British company

area too. Another issue that Prime regularly encounters is

that sources, supplies and fits high quality new or used

expectations over equipment lead times, either when the

brewing and distillation equipment to domestic and

equipment is built from scratch or is second-hand.

international clients.

And according to managing director Tim Prime,

He said: "People often don’t realise that factories are very busy and once we've worked out the technical

keeping up-to-date with global developments and

details and placed an order, the lead time can be eight to

current trends is key to ensuring that Ryebeck can fulfil

twelve months. Most factories now are running flat-out, so

the needs of its current and future customers.

if people want to order something, they have to include

"I don't think there's any area of the drinks industry you can avoid and you have to keep an open mind", he said.

the manufacturing time into their production timetable."

Prime is clear that the UK drinks trade has created

"There are various different products and ideas emerging.

new openings for British firms and that the future is bright

It's a case of keeping an eye on what is happening

despite political uncertainties.

worldwide and trying to bring that through into the UK

"Over the last five years", he added, "the market has

brewing and distilling scene. In fact, much of what we do

grown with companies coming through in all sectors and

is researching markets and trends in the food and drink

this has resulted in many export opportunities. Whatever

sector around the world.”

you think about Brexit, 'Brand UK' positives are massive

One product, for example, that's trending at the

and the quality is shining through. The craft wave is still

moment is 'hard seltzer', a refreshing, low calorie, low

going forward whether in beer, distilling or soft drinks and

sugar drink made from carbonated water with alcohol and

our drinks industry has risen to the occasion."

fruit flavouring.

14

November 2019

Brewers Journal

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Exale Brewing crowdfunding to open brewery, taproom and distillery

A

team of former brewers at a Tottenham nightclub are to found a new brewery, taproom and also fund an

environmental approach by offering crowdfunders double their money in the form of a bar tab.

Exale Brewing has partnered with Victory London Distillery to open a brewery, taproom and distillery in the heart of Walthamstow—and is offering the public the chance to double their money.

Founders Mark Hislop and Daniel Vane were brewing in a shipping container outside a nightclub until recently, but have outgrown the space and want a permanent, more sustainable space to expand.

The duo have found a site and secured funding for the brewery itself. They are now raising money for the taproom with a non-equity campaign on Crowdfunder.

Everyone who donates will receive double their

“There are so many great places to go out and drink amazing beer in Walthamstow now, so we want to make

investment back in the form of a bar tab to spend at the

sure we add something new,” said Hislop. “As well as

brewery, and Exale hope to raise at least £40,000 before

offering a really comfortable space, we wanted to make

opening in December.

sure we were minimising our effect on the environment,

Hislop and Vane are putting a strong emphasis on sustainability with their new operation.

The taproom walls will “come alive” with plants grown

and a sustainable taproom is a great way to do that.”

Head brewer Vane will brew beers including their house pale, infamous Iron Brew Sour and experimental

on an aquaponics system, fed with waste water from

but approachable beers.He hopes to start including more

brewing and growing produce for local food banks,

local and foraged ingredients in his recipes too, using the

brewery snacks and botanicals for brewing and distilling.

amazing green spaces around Walthamstow.

Spent grain will be tuned into biofuel, while waste beer

“We love to experiment with new styles, recipes and

will be made into soap and shampoo bars to help the

ingredients, added Vane. “But we want everything we

business and locals cut down on plastic.

make to be accessible to all kinds of drinkers."

Top Out doubles sales

Personal CO2 alarm launched

T

lightweight personal CO2 alarm

increase its turnover by £40,000 during the last two years,

efficient, low power, sensing technology with Analox

reports BQ. Business Quarter is an online publication

engineering and manufacturing expertise.

he launch of a new range of limited edition beers along with ongoing support from Business Gateway

Midlothian has helped Scotland’s Top Out brewery

which reports on business success in Scotland.

Top Out’s brewers, Michael Hopert and Andi Scheib,

Gas detection specialists Analax have develop new super The personal CO2 Alarm, CO2Buddy, combines highly

It is an extremely lightweight personal CO2 alarm intended for use by beverage delivery drivers, laboratory

combine Scottish and German brewing influences to

personnel, health and safety inspectors, or anyone who will

create original, craft beers including pale ales, wheat

be entering a small or confined space where CO2 is being

beer and a smoked porter. The brewery, located just

used or stored. The personal safety device, which fits into

south of Edinburgh, was co-founded by Michael, a keen

the palm of your hand, weighs less than 70g making it easy

mountaineer from Frankfurt, in 2013.

to wear on a belt, pocket or lanyard.

The ongoing support from Business Gateway

The CO2Buddy can be set to alarm at several different

Midlothian, which has helped the business to

pre-configured alarm set points, ensuring those wearing the

successfully grow, has included 121 growth

unit are compliant with regulatory guidelines and legislations

consultancy, marketing, branding and digital support.

currently in place.

16

November 2019

Brewers Journal

Quality Control in the Brewery Beer Chemistry Multiple beer and water chemistry tests with the BeerLab including ABV, bitterness, colour and VDK’s.

Rapid Micro Rapid detection of beer spoilage bacteria and wild yeasts including Pediococcus, Lactobacillus and Diastaticus with Invisible Sentinel PCR. AlcoTest-RI Accurate ABV in less than 3 minutes with no reagents or distillation.

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W orld

Evil Twin opens first permanent brewery and taproom

E

the taproom and retail store only.

Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø – along with his wife and business

Beer is offered in 12oz and 16oz pours (9oz for higher

partner, Maria.

ABVs), or can be taken to-go in a crowler.

vil Twin has opened its first ever permanent brewery and taproom in Ridgewood, Queens.

Evil Twin Brewing New York City has been founded by

Jarnit-Bjergsø will also invite brewers near and far to create special collaboration brews out of this location.

Jarnit-Bjergsø founded Evil Twin Brewing in 2010 as a “nomadic” brewery. Over the past nine years, his gypsy-brewed beers have received wide acclaim both domestically and internationally.

The brand will continue to operate its large-scale production and distribution, which currently exports to over 35 countries around the globe, and 35 states across the country.

Evil Twin Brewing New York City features a 15-barrel system brewery, a 1,450 square foot urban greenhouse encompassing a 76-seat taproom, as well as a 2,200 square foot outdoor courtyard and beer garden.

“There are no rules in beer – we create our recipes with the intention of changing them,” said Jarnit-Bjergsø. “Our close relationships with chefs and restaurants serve as a daily inspiration to us. Building a composed dish is much like a brewing a new beer – you taste and you tweak, you experiment with flavors and balance. This is the evolution of brewing and this will be exemplified at Evil Twin Brewing New York City.”

At Evil Twin Brewing New York City, guests are able to imbibe Evil Twin beers fresh from the source, as the beers will be small-batch production and brewed in-house for

AB InBev suffers third quarter hangover

M

ore than $13bn was wiped off the market value of

est 1984 Equipping the Nation’s Drink Producers

AB InBev at the end of October following weak

sales in China and South America.

A drop in sales in South Korea and Brazil played a key part in contributing to a 0.5% decline in year-on-year volumes for the three months to the end of September.

Brewhouses

Kegging

Bottling

Canning

Support

This was against expected growth of around 0.8%.

According to Reuters, such figures followed Heineken cutting its 2019 guidance after an unexpected dip in sales in the Americas.

This forecast, it adds, highlight the number of challenges that face global brewers in large developing markets in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

These markets were due to promise higher growth, expected to compensate for reduced beer consumption in Europe and the United States.

18

November 2019

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Brewers Journal

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Co m m e nt

software

Admin Blues A great deal of the admin pain can be removed from the brewer's life by the use of a good, brewery specific, brewery management software program. And if that can be integrated with automatic monitoring equipment then that’s all the better, explains Edward Forwood, director of Dotmatix Technologies Limited.

be possible to trace by batch each ingredient which went into any finished product. The two way part means that it should be possible to identify all finished products which share a particular batch of an ingredient.

This can be onerous, but from a food quality and safety point of view it makes a lot of sense. If a particular can of beer has is found to contain a contaminated ingredient, it is extremely important to be able immediately identify every other can (or bottle or keg) which was made with that batch of that ingredient.

by edward forwood

A

Again this can be done by spreadsheet, but this discipline is very well suited to a well-designed software

s the owners of a business, we sometimes

package. There a number of general packages which

despair at the amount of time we spend

can manage the traceability, but we consider that one

on admin; VAT, payroll, accounts, chasing

designed for the brewing industry to be much preferable.

invoices and much else. However, as someone entering the brewing industry,

With regard to recording the brewing process, most brewers use brew sheets to record both the inputs

you will face added layers of admin which are critical to

(ingredients), aspects of the processing, like mash

your business.

times and temperatures, fermentation records (gravity,

In addition to managing purchases and ingredients you will have to create monthly Beer Duty returns and many

temperature and pH) and various checklist items.

Again these can be manual, or they can form part of

of you will soon have to have certification from SALSA or

a brewery management software package. If breweries

SIBA which involves, amongst other things, the need for

have automatic monitoring of, for example, fermentation

accurate traceability records.

temperature and gravity, these regular readings can

We have visited many breweries over the last couple of years and time spent on this admin is often mentioned.

Brewers use a wide range of accounting packages, some

be included in an online brew sheet and form part of a sophisticated quality control system.

Over above these very brewery specific concerns,

brewery management software and a lot of spreadsheets

there are many other activities that can be driven by a

like Excel and Google Sheets.

good brewery management package. These include

Starting with Beer Duty, brewers need to record not

purchasing, goods inwards, stock monitoring and control,

just beer sold, but beer lost, sampled and wasted. If you

packaging with bar codes, sales activities, sales invoicing

contract brew, store beer on third party premises or get

and delivery management.

beer made for you, you need to record all the relevant transfers.

Once a month, this information needs to be

A good brewery management system should also be able to sync with, or export to popular accounting packages. This has become increasingly straightforward

summarised and the totals entered on the Beer duty

by the use of API’s (Application Program Interfaces) which

return along with the appropriate calculation. And of

allow software packages to communicate with each other

course the brewer must keep all the records which go to

automatically.

make up the summaries. Many brewers use spreadsheets

Most importantly, the software should enable you

for this, but we would recommend that a suitable

to determine the profitability, at least at the gross profit

software package is used for this, even for start-up

level, of all the beer you sell, by gyle, by beer type and by

breweries.

month, quarter or year. Only with this information readily

Moving on to ingredient traceability, if you sell to most retailers, they will require some form of certification

at hand will you make the best planning decisions.

The conclusion is, in our opinion, that a great deal

as noted above. Certification requires that various

of the admin pain can be removed from the brewer's

procedures are adopted and generally that checklists are

life by the use of a good, brewery specific, brewery

kept covering, in particular, cleaning activities.

management software program. If that can be integrated

However, more importantly, they will also require full ingredient “two way” traceability. This means that it should

20

November 2019

with automatic monitoring equipment, then so much the better.

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f i nance

Funding your business total 42,450 pubs in existence in the UK at the beginning of 2018, 914 shut their doors last year, at an alarming rate of 76 net closures a month.

The blame cannot entirely be put at the feet of the economy, although rising business rate are an issue.

Other contributing factors include the smoking ban and changing social habits. While many are now drinking less, there is a noticeable shift towards consuming less volume but higher quality products which has seen the explosion in craft beers. The ‘British Craft Beer Report’ from the Society of Independent Brewers, for example, reveals that 45% of consumers are happy to pay more for genuine craft beer than an ‘ordinary’ pint from the taps.

Yet in the face of such difficult trading circumstances, pubs are a fundamental element of local communities and British culture. The number of traditional pubs reopening is, in fact, expected to increase in coming years, which should see the recent boom in new breweries continue and even rise still further.

Boosted market Rob Straathof, CEO at Liberis Finance looks at the funding landscape that exists in the brewing industry, with particular reference to independent craft beer producers and sellers, the challenges they face, and what funding options are available to them.

by Rob Straathof

T

he British Craft Beer Report states that it expects 890 jobs to be created by small independent brewers in 2019. British independent brewers are

brewing more beer than they were a year ago, a slight 0.8% increase continuing the growth experienced in previous years. The growth in craft beer in the UK has boosted the overall market which saw growth of 2.6% in 2018, the biggest increase for 45 years.

However, the traditional pub market is becoming

T

increasingly difficult to access, so brewers are seeking

are selling alcohol in bulk at significantly lower prices.

but also extremely demanding and stressful. As more

he alcohol industry is one of the largest

new markets, new customers and opening their own

in the UK with over 48,000 pubs, 1,000

routes to market in taprooms and craft beer bars. Some

breweries and 900,000 employees. But it

24% of consumers would visit a pub or restaurant if it had

is not without its challenges: over the last

a good selection of craft beer, and 16% of consumers

10 years pub chains have expanded and

would consider changing where they shop based on the

independent breweries and pubs not only compete with these larger corporates, but also the supermarkets that The general economic downturn has further

craft beer selection – The British Craft Beer Report adds.

Running your own brewery can be incredibly rewarding quality craft ales and beers are launched to meet growing

compounded the situation, dramatically impacting the

demand, the increase in competition from bigger players

amount of money people have to spend on leisure,

in the market trying to gain some market share can have a

including drinking and eating out.

real impact on sales and cashflow.

This in turn has had a direct impact on the number

The initial set up costs can be prohibitive – there is a

of pubs closing their doors. According to government

significant amount of equipment that is needed to get

statistics, between 2001 and 2018 around 13,000 pubs

started: mash tuns, steam boilers, centrifuges, fermenting

were forced to hang up their beer towels, and out of a

vessels, conditioning tanks, brewing pumps – the list is

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November 2019

Brewers Journal

f i nance

co m m e nt

innovative funding platforms to serve sectors such as the

seemingly endless.

brewing industry in new and exciting ways.

Once the brewery has been established and the beer has been brewed and bottles are coming off the line,

Liberis Finance can help fund a bar or bottle shop

how do you finance the next stage of your business’

through its Business Cash Advance, which is quick and

development? And how do you cope if you have a

easy to apply for. Liberis fund hundreds of pubs and bars

seasonal downturn?

each year for a wide range of purposes such as:

The value of overdraft facilities available through banks

u New cellar equipment

has halved since 2011. Overall, banks have tightened

u Soft furnishings and furniture

their lending, preferring to go down a route of structured

u Refurbishment and repairs

loans. Where overdraft facilities are offered, they can be

u Garden landscaping and smoking shelters

extremely expensive, and this has naturally driven a need

u Staff training

for extra cash.

u Promoting new events, offers and menus u Website design

Traditional finance providers can be slow to embrace new technologies, and their forms of finance are not

u Stock – drinks, food, glasses and crockery

always agile enough to accommodate the rhythm and

u Immediate cash flow Often many small businesses looking for funding are

needs of small businesses. This has given rise to the Alternative Lending community, who can be quicker to

turned down for a loan by their bank. But the Business

respond and more imaginative in their proposition.

Cash Advance is designed especially for small businesses as it’s paid back via customer card transactions, meaning

Alternative finance

payments are in line with your income, making it the ideal solution for anyone working in such a seasonal industry.

Small businesses can access advances from £2,500

S

o, for a brewery or bottle shop with the appetite

and up to £300,000 Application is quick, easy and 75% of

to grow, what can the Alternative Finance sector

customers are approved for funding. What’s more, unlike

provide?

many other forms of funding, your personal assets are safe.

For a business struggling with late payments, Invoice

Finance (typically factoring or invoice discounting) is often a cost-efficient and straight-forward way to mitigate these challenges.

With factoring, the Factor agrees to pay an agreed percentage of approved debts. The balance is paid when the customer pays, minus a fee, and the Factor takes responsibility for the credit management and collections activity of the business. Similarly, invoice discounting provides immediate cash for the approved invoice, but

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Businesses with high-value assets in their property or brewery equipment may be suited to asset-based lending, where funding is provided and secured against the value of the asset. Peer to Peer lending platforms have also been developed to match lenders (these could be private individuals, businesses etc) to borrowers; and lenders will often provide lower cost funding than ‘traditional’ financial institutions.

Crowdfunding as a means for funding has seen a notable surge in popularity over the last 10 years, with technology and social media driving awareness and ease of use of its platforms. Each has its own rules and regulations to consider, and they also differ in fees, commissions and the sorts of businesses they specialise in.

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D e a r

J o h n

B is for Beer, Bath, Bristol and Belfast

Whether it’s imbibing at Bushmills in Belfast or speaking at the Brewers Lectures in Bristol, John Keeling and his partner Symone have been on something of a ‘B’ binge. So look out Barnsley… by john keeling

I

Bath and Bristol, are you fixated with the letter B?’ Well, I blamed Symone my long-suffering partner, who picked a letter at random and said let’s use it as a guide to our travels around Britain. So look out Barnsley!

The first city we decided to go to was Bath, which was rather fortuitous as I knew somebody there and what’s more, she owed me a beer. So, I contacted Georgina Young and told her I wanted to see her new brewery, Bath Ales. She said that was useful because she needed some

was in the Parcel Yard to discuss a new book about

tips on how to handle Roger Ryman her new boss. So, the

the London Brewing scene, to be written by Des de

wheels were set in motion.

Moor with CAMRA representatives Toby Langdon

After taking the tour of Bath Ales, a fine modern

and Katie Button. Representing the London

brewery all ship shape and Bristol fashion, we went for

Brewing Alliance alongside me was John Cryne.

dinner and a few beers with George and her husband

Needless to say the book looks very exciting and we will

James in Graze, a bar/grill with a microbrewery pub

be giving them all the help they need.

owned by Bath Ales. Whilst enjoying our meal, George

Also sat in the corner was Tim Webb, author of several

was constantly checking the gravity of the beer on brew.

great beer books and Tom Stainer, chief executive

She is so conscientious. Either that or the conversation

of CAMRA. So all in all, it looked like St Albans was

was boring.

decamping to North London. Well it must be because of the superior London beer.

After the meeting, John and I settled down for a quiet

Well you can’t go to Bath without visiting Bristol. I phoned up Tim, your hard-working editor, and told him I would speak at his conference in Bristol and before

chat with Tim. I told them I was going to Belfast shortly

he could say no I put the phone down. I opened the

and John replied ‘You have only just come back from

conference, made up some gubbins and drank some

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Brewers Journal

d e a r

beer. I am fast becoming the Boris of the beer world.

j o h n

We bravely decided to walk across the Carrick-a

Of course, Bristol has some really great beer, none

Rede rope bridge, quite a mean feat as we are both a bit

more so than Moor. Justin Hawke and I have been friends

wobbly with heights. The bridge was first built in 1755 by

for ages and Moor were one of the breweries in the first

fisherman, and thankfully has been repaired and secured

Fuller’s and Friends box of collaboration beers. I therefore

a few times since. The drop is a mere 100ft into the

had to pop in to see him and look at his brewery. He very

Atlantic Ocean.

kindly took us out for a drink and dinner too. The pub he

Next we went to The Giants Causeway in Bushmills

chose was the Seven Stars, which turned out to have a

Co Antrim. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was

great selection of cask beers, so right up my street then.

stunning. Cold but stunning.

Tim managed to drag himself away from the preparation work for the conference and joined us too.

We then went to eat at Pasture, a steak house

As we had conquered the bridge and causeway, we decided to reward ourselves with a pub lunch so found a quaint local called The Fullerton Arms in Ballintoy. A good

which uses all local ingredients and has passionate and

range of beers were on tap, which went down well with

knowledgeable staff. I had a beef suet pie, which was one

my pie & chips.

of the best pies I had ever eaten. The meal was washed down with a pint of Nor ’Hop Moor beer.

Symone and I also decided that we should visit Belfast,

Our last touristy visit of the day was to Old Bushmills Distillery, built in 1784 and well worth a visit. Single malt tasting was very welcoming after the long day.

a place both of us had never been to. I know, a massive

Unfortunately, this meant I fell asleep on the coach ride

oversight on our behalf. This was supposed to be a

back to Belfast.

holiday with no beery connections, but I still managed to get in a couple of pub lunches.

Belfast tourism scene is fast growing. It seems Game

So, now I must plan a trip to Barnsley. Why, I hear you asking? Well, have you not read Pete Brown’s book, Pie Fidelity? Barnsley has the best pork pies in the world plus

of Thrones has a massive following and people want to

Barnsley Bitter. Seems a good place for a lunch. I love a

hang out in places where a lot of the scenes were shot. To

beer and a pie.

be fair, I can see why as the landscape is beautiful.

brewersjournal.info

Besides, it begins with B.

November 2019

25

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seasonal

beers

Time to check out the seedy part of brewing Seasonal pumpkin beer in the States is like Marmite, you either love it or hate it with little middle ground. Every Autumn beer aficionados have a field day making fun of it and its fans; and every September, the cash register jingles a bit more as sales go up. Could the same happen here, and should you dabble in 2020? Velo Mitrovich reports.

has probably been around since the 1600s. But, putting a date on it, however, is a challenge because it’s never mentioned by Colonial brewers. This could be because it was very local, or because all brewing books came from the UK and with pumpkin being native to America, British brewers would not have known about it. Still, pumpkin beer does get mentioned in what is believed to be America’s first folk song, written in 1643: ‘Instead of pottage and puddings and custards and pies, Our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies; We have pumpkin at morning and pumpkin at noon; If

by velo mitrovich

E

it was not for pumpkins, we should be undone ... Hey down, down, hey down derry down.... If barley be wanting

ach year it seems like we’re willing to accept

to make into malt, We must be contented and think it

a bit more eccentricity with our beer and

no fault, For we can make liquor, to sweeten our lips, Of

not even bat an eye while drinking the latest

pumpkins and parsnips and walnut-tree chips.’

blueberry IPA or milkshake-flavoured stout.

But mention pumpkin beer and the eyes roll

In an interview with Craft Beer & Brewing, Frank Clark, brewer and master of foodways at historical Colonial

back, hands clasp the stomach, and 999 calls are made

Williamsburg, Virginia, says that the likely reason they

for a medic.

used pumpkin was that they did not have access to

How, we ask, could any brewer put pumpkin in a beer and still sleep at night?

But, head west across the ocean and you’ll come to a

malt. “So the pumpkin would be to provide fermentable sugars to take the place of malt. Even though there are no recipes for pumpkin, there are lots of other plants that are

strange land where not only do they drink pumpkin beer,

used this way for beer at the time. I do have recipes for

it makes the news when the seasonal brew is released,

making beer from green corn stalks and pea hulls.”

just like here with Starbucks Pumpkin Lattes.

26

Those today trying to duplicate exactly what these

How did this insanity come about?

early American brewers would have done with pumpkin

Pumpkin beer is believed to be older than the USA and

have found that the finished product tastes more like

November 2019

Brewers Journal

seasonal

beers

Tr e n d i n g

cider than it did beer.

By the early 19th century, pumpkin was going out of favour and outside of a using it a flavouring agent in the

Thumbs up

1840s, that was it for pumpkin in beer.

Then in the late 1980s, California’s Buffalo Bill Brewery which claims to be the USA’s first brewpub and where the modern craft beer movement started, came out with a pumpkin beer. Although the brewery says they were inspired by recipe from George Washington, it is more likely their real inspiration came from Libby’s Famous Pumpkin Pie Recipe. Buffalo Bill’s first recipes used real pumpkin, but then they realized that the flavour people wanted was from pumpkin pie spice and real pumpkin got dropped (although today they also make an Imperial Pumpkin Ale with the real thing in it).

You can get an idea of this flavour by having a Starbucks Pumpkin Latte or by going to Waitrose – one of the few stores in the UK which stocks canned pumpkin year around – and then following Libby’s Pumpkin Pie recipe found on the web. If you feel brave enough to have something with raw eggs, taste the pie batter. This is about as close as you get to the flavour of most creamy, sweet pumpkin beers without drinking one.

If you don’t feel brave, make the pumpkin pie and you’ll get close to the basic flavour of pumpkin beer which is cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and vanilla.

Some brewers make a pumpkin beer that tastes sweet, like you’re drinking a desert, but this is selling the pumpkin flavour short, which can be used in an imperial stout, porter amber ale, or even sours. Some of the better pumpkin beers instead of relying on sweetness, make a very decent dry version.

Actual pumpkin can be left out altogether – which seems to defeat the purpose of having a pumpkin on your label – or used raw, roasted, juice, puree, etc. The pumpkin can either be added to the mash with the grains, where more sugars will be extracted; to the kettle, where the gourd will boil as part of the wort; or during fermentation, akin to dry-hopping, according to VinePair.

Despite few in the UK recognizing a pumpkin pie – even if it bit them on their behind – thanks to Starbucks and its seasonal Pumpkin Latte, many are familiar with its flavour.

This latte is a combination of Starbucks Espresso Roast coffee, pumpkin pie flavoured sauce and steamed milk, topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spices – cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

To get Starbuck fans to make the leap to a pumpkin beer, with identical flavours – except for the espresso – would take zero effort. Women will find Pumpkin Beer to be familiar; manly masculine men who secretly crave the flavour of a Starbucks Pumpkin Latte – now also available at Greggs – but who are too embarrassed to buy one, can get their craving satisfied in a beer.

Twenty-years ago, how many in the UK celebrated Hallowe’en, let alone carved up a hollow pumpkin and crammed a lit candle inside its cavity. Now, Hallowe’en is celebrated big time and pumpkins are being associated more and more with autumn and the lead-up to Christmas.

The same doomsayers who said American-style fried chicken, ketchup, and cheese burgers would never catch on here, are the same one’s saying the exact same thing with pumpkin beer.

Trust TBJ on this, you will make a killing with pumpkin beer.

Grains can include a combination of pale, pilsner, Munich, and caramel malts. Hops typically take a back seat, with English or American varietals used for bittering.

Most brewers add the spices to the kettle in a mesh bag

Downtown Brewery makes a 4.2% pumpkin ale, which

or cheesecloth and steeped like tea; otherwise, they’re

uses locally grown organic pumpkins and is available in

added to the fermenter, says VinePair.

October. There are a few more breweries as well making a

The future

pumpkin beer including Keith Brewery’s Pump’d Keith and Leeds Brewery’s American Pumpkin Ale. Should more breweries be trying a pumpkin ale?

H

If you’re contemplating this, when you think of your

ere, pumpkin ale for the most part is being made

perspective market, don’t think of traditional beer drinkers

only by small brewers. Perhaps the largest to

but instead, Starbuck Pumpkin Latte lovers. This group

try the orange was Beavertown, which made

will have the easiest time jumping to a pumpkin beer.

Stingy Jack Spiced Pumpkin Ale last year. At 7.2% ABV, its pumpkin packed a punch. But this year? It’s not on offer.

brewersjournal.info

One problem that US producers have is that due to demand, what used to come out towards the end of

November 2019

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seasonal

beers

Thumbs down

October has been pushed back to the end of August – almost like Christmas. Pumpkins are still growing in August. If you’re going to use fresh pumpkin or squash for the most flavour, the UK crop is harvested in September, which will require a mad scramble on your part to get your beer out in October which will be target month.

Hallowe’en pumpkins are not grown for flavour or ‘meat’ but instead for ease of cutting, size, and hollow cavity. You’ll need to spend some time on figuring out where your supply will come from.

Some commercial brewers used tinned pumpkin and there are rumours of concentrated pumpkin juice used as well. An advantage with both of these is pumpkin has a lot of fibre, starch, and water, all of which can give you trouble when brewing.

While TBJ would hate to admit this, just as important as the pumpkin or even more so are the spices used. Use the Holy Five – cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and clove, along with vanilla. Expect to use double or triple the amount of cinnamon and allspice a recipe calls for.

Because pumpkin beer is still a new concept here, this is not the time to experiment with adding cucumber, cumin, coriander, or chilli. Keep it simple and you can’t go wrong.

There are some things better left on the other side of the Atlantic such as DoubleStuffed Oreos, Velveeta processed cheese and pumpkin ale.

Sure, while Britain’s craft beer industry has a lot to thank from the Yanks, thankfully our brewers have had enough sense not to make donut or cold cerealflavoured beers.

Pumpkin and pumpkin spice has had years to catch on here, but outside of lattes, it hasn’t. If you have had pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, or pretty much anything else pumpkin, chances are you have an American friend making these for you. No doubt, you’ll hear an earful from them on how hard it is to find canned pumpkin or the other ingredients here. No doubt, you’ll nod, tell them how great it tastes, and then give to their dog when no one is looking.

When you do taste these items, what do you taste? Is it the pumpkin or squash? No, it’s the spices and do you really want to make cinnamon-flavoured beer?

In the States, one of the strong appeals of pumpkin beer is the feeling of nostalgic it gives to the drinker, bringing back fond memories of Trick-or-Treating on Hallowe’en, Thanksgiving and good old American pride –memories we don’t share here.

Trust TBJ on this, your pumpkin beer will end up going to a farmer’s pigs. It will never catch on here.

What is a pumpkin? included corn and beans with the pumpkin. When

T

hanks to the growing popularity of Hallowe’en, we

grown together, the corn stalk provided the beans

all know what a pumpkin looks like, but what are

with something to grow on, the beans put nitrogen into

they exactly?

the soil (which they didn’t know about, but only that

TBJ won’t even enter the fruit or vegetable

controversy, but just say it’s a member of the gourd family which includes squash, cucumbers, honeydew melons,

beans seemed to help the soil), and the shade from the pumpkin leaves kept the soil moist.

Because the US Department of Agriculture has a

watermelon, cantaloupe and courgettis. To be even more

looser than loose definition of what a pumpkin is, there is

specific, a pumpkin is a type of squash.

an excellent chance inside that tin of pumpkin or bottles

Native Americans developed a way of growing pumpkins using a method called ‘Three Sisters’. This

28

November 2019

of pumpkin ale are other types of winter squash. You cannot tell the difference. u

Brewers Journal

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t i ny

rebel

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b r e w e r

Rebels with a cause

Making the beer you want to drink, and not forgetting your roots, can sometimes be enough to get by. For Bradley Cummings and Gareth Williams, the co-founders of Tiny Rebel, that’s most definitely the case. And as the Newport brewery enters its latest chapter, they’re in no mood to compromise their principles. That means making beer people enjoy and above all else, keeping it accessible.

brewersjournal.info

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by tim sheahan

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rebel

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more choice when it came to beer, so they needed to change that.

t’s coming along, isn’t it?” asks Bradley Cummings, looking to his side.

“Yeah….after Christmas we’ll be flying!” replies

Gareth Williams with a smile on his face.

Brad and Gazz are best mates and brother-in-

laws. They’re also the co-founders of Newport, Walesbased brewery Tiny Rebel.

It’s a Wednesday afternoon in October and Wales have just defeated Fiji 29-17 in the group stage of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

“I like making beer, and I love everything around it,” Gazz says. “The problem with South Wales was that the beer was good but the variety was shocking. We knew we wanted to change things up and maybe open a bar that would serve our beer and bring in beers from breweries we enjoyed like Thornbridge and Magic Rock.”

“We just wanted to show people that there is more beer out there, and hopefully help grow the market as well,” adds Brad.

By 2011, the brewery known as Tiny Rebel came into

As dozens of content Welsh fans pour out of the

being and on 16th February the year after, they launched

brewery’s impressive taproom and restaurant, probably

their first two beers in the form of FUBAR and Urban IPA

with the swift realisation that it’s, in fact, not the weekend,

at The Commercial in Pontyminster.

Cummings and Williams’ minds are on other matters.

They’re looking at the land that will, in 2020, house their new 30,000 sqft distribution hub. A build that will give the brewery much-needed space for packaged beer, freeing up significant room for capacity expansion in the

A successful debut at the Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival followed at the duo ended 2012 brewing some 800HL. Much has changed in the years since.

2013 would see Tiny Rebel grow to a 20 staff operation

building behind them. It’ll also house a four-storey office

producing 3,500HL of beer with its beers reaching eight

complex for the team, too.

countries across the globe. By the end of 2015, 6,500HL

It’s often easy to forget that Tiny Rebel has been

was brewed and more importantly, Tiny Rebel became

going for the best part of eight years, until you look at the

the first brewery from Wales, and the youngest brewery

figures. They’re on course to produce close to 30,000HL

ever, to win Champion Beer of Britain at GBBF, with

in 2019, up a massive 12,000HL on 2018’s output. A £10m+

Cwtch, their 4.6% Welsh Red Ale, taking the top prize.

turnover business, they also employ more than 130

Despite capacity constraints, 30 new beers were

members of staff. Despite the team’s impressive main

brewed in 2016 and the team grew to 72. The following

facility, the new distribution build is a necessity and not a

year, with support and guidance from Lloyds bank,

luxury.

Tiny Rebel would move into its new home and officially

“We grew up in this area,” Brad says proudly. “I went to school just down there and this whole plot where the brewery is used to house a large-scale bakery. They’d make all types of cakes here.”

He adds: “The most positive feedback we get is from people we knew growing up. They visit the brewery for food and drink, for the experience. It’s something different for many people, something new.”

Brad and Gazz met while working for the same Building Services Company in 2008. Commuting to Bristol from Newport, Brad’s expertise was on the mechanical side and Gazz’s in electrical.

They realised they shared the same taste in music and a mutual love of good beer soon became apparent.

“We were just beer drinkers and beer fans,” recalls

opened the doors that July. They’ve not let up in the years since, mind.

“We now brew 15 times a week on average. So that’s 15 x 50HL batches,” explains Brad. “If you were to break it down, three or four of those end up in cask, and the remainder is packaged between keg and can.”

Canning continues to grow for the brewery. So much so that the arrival of a £1m canning line from KHS is imminent, giving Tiny Rebel the ability to output 15,000 cans an hour.

Another growth area, and one they carefully manage is, is the brewery’s cask production.

“When we started we were 100% cask, and that informed the types of beer we brewed,” recalls Gazz. “If you want the customer to be shift that in three-to-four

Gazz. “I remember seeing beers like Punk IPA in the

days, you need to give them an accessible beer. There’s

supermarkets and thinking ‘wow, this is different’. It kicked

no point in making it too in your face, it just doesn’t make

things off and gave you a taste for something new. So

sense for anyone.”

we’d jump on the train to Bristol, London, wherever. Just

He adds: “I love Bitters, ESBs and Milds, we all do. You

like many others, you’d go further afield looking for new

just need a careful balance in the beers you produce and

beers and new flavours.”

ask what works for the drinker. If I had it my way I’d be

Experiencing those broader horizons gave Gazz a taste for homebrewing and the infectious nature enthused Brad, too. It soon became apparent that the duo wanted

brewersjournal.info

making lots of smoked beers!”

“And I keep knocking them back!” laughs Brad. “Around 70% of our volume revolves around the core beers. So we

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need to carefully plan how, and where, we dedicate that remaining capacity.”

In 2019, Tiny Rebel’s core range comprises Welsh Red Ale Cwtch, Clwb Tropicana, Cali Pale, Dutty, Stay Puft, Peaches & Cream IPA, Pump Up The Jam, Easy Livin’ and Lazy Boy Lager.

These complement a diverse seasonal, limited and collaboration portfolio of releases. Regardless of the fit, Gazz says one things stays constant.

“We like to laugh and poke fun at ourselves,” he says.

“We don’t take ourselves too seriously but we take our

overanalysed.”

One area the duo pay particular attention to, however, is the audience for the beer Tiny Rebel produces. Central to this is notion of accessibility.

“The price of some beers out there concerns me. The last thing I ever want to see is the industry pricing the consumer out of the ‘craft’ experience,” he argues.

Brad says: “A lot of the people that drink our beer are not craft beer fans. They’re not nerds, even though we’re all nerds here! They just want great and consistent beer.”

“Accessibility is so important. What’s the point of making

beer seriously. If you don't enjoy what you’re doing then

a beer if nobody is going to be able to drink it. The same

what's the point?”

applies to drinkability. Making accessible, drinkable beers

He adds: “I feel that some people maybe take things

is at the centre of everything we do,” adds Gazz. “Ultimately

too seriously but at the end of the day, it’s just beer and

we always have made, and always will make, beers we like

should be enjoyed for what it is. It doesn’t need to be

to drink. We’re just lucky others do as well.” u

34

November 2019

Brewers Journal

D i astat i cus

fo cu s

C ontam i nat i on

Bad yeast! Bad! All it takes is one single cell of the wrong yeast to cause a can of beer to explode, to give it an off-flavour, and to drive down your reputation and kill your cash-flow.

But, an easy, fast solution might be at hand to this long-time problem. Velo Mitrovich reports

diastatic yeasts, they tend to mostly affect craft breweries hardest for reasons we’ll go into.

The diastatic yeast, traditionally referred to as Saccharomyces diastaticus – but actually the same species as the ale yeast, S. cerevisiae – causes problems in breweries due to its ability to produce an enzyme that converts dextrins in beer to sugars, which are then fermented into alcohol and carbon dioxide. While there are times when this is actually desired, such as when

by velo mitrovich

brewing a sour or dry saison, the majority of the time it’s

A

not since this fermentation stage can take place after the

disposable aluminium pan filled with popcorn kernels, oil

or additional nutrients for survival, according to Dr Brian

and salt, you put it over a flame or heat, keep shaking it,

Gibson, principal scientist at VTT.

company that seems to stick-around over the years, like it’s been Superglued to store

beer is bottled or canned.

While the number of wild yeasts is near-legion, what

shelves, is Jiffy Pop Popcorn. Although

makes diastatic S. cerevisiae such a problem is that

it should have gone out of business

unlike other contaminants, it can utilize the complex

years ago, superseded by microwave

carbohydrates left in beer after fermentation – in other

and packaged popcorn, it’s still here. Consisting of a

words, continue to ferment – without the need for oxygen

and pretty soon you’re rewarded with the sound of pop-

Both regular brewing yeast and problematic diastatic yeast belong to the S. cerevisiae species which makes

pop-pop.

Jiffy Pop is being brought up in this article, not

detection difficult. Luckily, the diastatic variant carries

because of its popcorn, but because of its collapsed foil

the extra gene STA1, which is what tests try to zero in

cover which expands as the corn pops, ultimately looking

on. However, this can be easier said than done and, just

like a pasha’s turban. During the last two hot summers in

because the gene is present, it is not always an indication

particular, something similar has been happening with

you will have problems.

How much is the S. diastaticus yeast costing the

beer cans.

In what seems like on too many occasions, further secondary fermentation in cans is leading to the tops expanding like a Jiffy Pop lid, and either causing the

industry is a question without answer anywhere in the world, except when it comes up in specific lawsuits.

Most probably, many small craft breweries aren’t

opened can to shoot out a stream of beer like foam from

aware their beer is contaminated unless a pub owner,

a fire extinguisher, or actually exploding – as in KABOOM!

supermarket or customer directly complains to them

And, although it hasn’t happened here – yet – in the States, exploding beer bottles have led to injuries and the ever-bloodhound-following lawsuits.

about exploding cans or off flavours.

In most of the contamination cases, the end result with diastatic yeast is just the beer tasting pretty horrible.

With this, customers just chalk it up to an inexperienced

What is going on?

brewer and move on to another’s, never to return to yours.

A course, you’re then left wondering why your sales have suddenly dropped.

D

iastatic yeasts – also lumped together in the ‘wild

Other causes

yeast’ category – can infect your beer. While the damage these yeasts cause doesn’t always

lead to bottles or cans exploding, according to Kristoffer Krogerus of VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, what they can consistently cause is off-flavours, increased alcohol levels, a drier mouthfeel, and over-carbonation and gushing.

Although major breweries can have problems with

36

November 2019

W

hile diastatic yeasts are the leading cause of refermentation in cans and bottles, there can be other factors as well such as ingredients

used in the beer, exceptionally warm weather conditions and/or the beer not being cold-stored. Being able to find

Brewers Journal

D i astat i cus

C ontam i nat i on

fo cu s

the exact cause can be a real challenge.

It should be noted here that there are more than 8,000 strains of yeast and that any of these can be considered

Left vs Labs

‘wild’, except for the commercial pitching yeast that you are intentionally adding into your wort.

If you have ever created your own sourdough starter, you are aware that there are wild yeasts in every room of your house, outdoors in your garden, in your car, on those strawberries in your lunch, and floating around in your brewery.

Last year a very fruity American beer called ‘That’s What Happens When You Let Dad Outta the House’ led to a summer of exploding cans. The beer, a collaboration between Evil Twin and Hoof Hearted Brewing, was a sour IPA made with pineapple, guanabana, vanilla and milk sugar. If this mixture is added early in the fermentation process, there will be little to no chance of refermentation in the later canning stage.

So, why add the fruit later?

By adding fruit in the very last stage, it means a much fruitier flavour beer and it is easy to taste the difference.

Unfortunately, you’ve also increased considerably the chance of yeast contamination.

Because craft brewers like to push the envelope in creating new beers by adding ingredients the big players wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot stick, it’s why most times yeast contamination is a craft brewer’s problem.

Some brewers have taken a lesson from the wine industry and are using potassium sorbate and sulphites to stop further fermentation from taking place and to help preserve flavours and colours. But this is not a 100 percent guarantee.

Potassium sorbate does not stop or inhibit the fermenting in any way, according to wine and beer making supplier Ed Kraus, but what it does do is to stop the yeast from reproducing themselves. “During a typical fermentation, the wine yeast will go through several re-generations. By adding potassium sorbate to a wine, you’re making sure that the current generation is the last generation of yeast.”

But Kraus warns that some yeasts will live longer than others, which always leaves the possibility of refermentation occurring, even months down the road.

While adding sulphites will destroy some of the yeast cells, it won’t destroy all of them.

Another problem in using sulphites is that they need to be listed in your ingredients panel. Many consumers try to avoid wine with sulphites and you could lose beer customers if they see it on your can or bottle.

In theory, if fruity beer left the brewery cold, stayed

US Colorado-based Left Hand Brewing Company filed a $4 million lawsuit against yeast supplier White Labs, alleging that the San Diego yeastspecialist supplied Left Hand with S. diastaticus-contaminated brewers yeast in 2016.

Left Hand used exclusively White Lab yeast in its popular Milk Stout Nitro, Extrovert IPA, and Warrior Fresh Hop IPA. In early July 2016 it started to receive complaints of very high pressure in bottles of its Milk Stout Nitro and off-flavours in its Extrovert IPA. This led to the company recalling beer from 37 States, destroying $2 million in product, as well as thousands more barrels of unpackaged beer. This was followed by significant decreased sales, which lead to major financial loses and damages, that, nearly two years later, seem to still be troubling the company.

Left Hand tests showed the cause of their problems to be diastatic yeast from White Labs. They changed suppliers and the problem disappeared.

No surprise, White Labs has denied Left Hand’s claims that their yeast was infected.

“There is no specific proof on where the contamination originated from, as each White Labs culture undergoes a rigorous testing process from start to finish, which includes 61 quality checkpoints throughout the propagation cycle,” the yeast supplier said. “Additionally, every batch of yeast is tested to confirm it is contamination free prior to shipping. We cannot provide further comment due to the ongoing litigation.”

Not being privy to all the information and material of the court case, it’s hard to get a feel for who will come out on top. However, you have to wonder, it the source was White Labs, then you’d think a lot more of their customers would also be affected and also joining in the lawsuit. But, this hasn’t been the case. The litigation continues on.

cold during shipment, was warehoused cold and kept cold in the supermarket, and then consumers didn’t allow the beer to become warm, there would be no problems even if there was wild yeast contamination. With small

brewersjournal.info

November 2019

37

fo cu s

D i astat i cus

C ontam i nat i on

The big questions with these exploding fruit beers are: Is the commercial yeast used contaminated; is the natural

Exploding Corona

sugar in the fruit feeding live brewers yeast that still exists in the cans; are there diastatic yeasts already in the can

In July 2017, Gonzalo Luis-Morales, was working at the New York City restaurant, The Frying Pan, when an unopened bottle of Corona spontaneously exploded as he placed it into an ice bucket, according to the New York Post. A piece of glass lodged into Luis-Morales’ eye causing him total vision loss in the affected eye, among other damages.

Shortly after the accident, the restaurant stopped carrying the beer brand all together in support of the injured employee. Brewing giant Constellation Brands Inc., bottle manufacturer OwensIllinois Inc., and distributor Manhattan Beer now all face negligence lawsuits for Luis-Morales’ injury.

The lawsuit alleges that Corona manufacturers skimp on safety precautions during the production process and lack adequate quality controls to ensure product safety.

Attorney John Danzi claimed that other employees of The Frying Pan were also injured from exploding Corona bottles before Luis-Morales and that the incident represents an ongoing trend.

and the addition of fruit is like throwing petrol on a fire; or are there wild yeasts in the fruit that is being added?

To this list can be added: Is there yeast contamination coming from your workers’ clothing, hair, etc; is your brewery less than 100% clean; did the problem come through dry hopping or wort ingredients; is there yeast in your environmental air; or, is the problem coming from the bottling side of your operation?

In a review of contamination events throughout Europe over a 10-year period published in the MBAA Technical Quarterly, it stated that 71% of S. diastaticus contamination events were traced to the bottling hall.

While the gut reaction is to make the first port of call for an investigation with your yeast provider, your contamination could have come from literally out of the air.

Burning Brothers Brewing in St Paul, Minnesota, issued an apology after its cans started exploding. It brought in two different external testing labs and contracted a thirdparty quality control specialist to try to figure out exactly what the problem was. Although Burning was able to attribute the cause to a strain of wild yeast, none of the brought-in team was able to pinpoint where the strain was coming from.

A test solution

B

reweries have told TBJ that current tests take time – anywhere from several days to a week –

craft brewers who only sell by the keg, this is actually the

are complicated, and do not always give a true

world they’re living in, with their kegs staying constantly

assessment as to whether or not the presence of gene

cold. But, they start bottling and suddenly they have a

STA1 will cause problems. This can lead to beer being

yeast problem that they might have had all along.

dumped that would have been fine being sold.

Some breweries say that consumers don’t allow milk

Brian Gibson of VTT Technical Research Centre of

to become warm for days on end, so why should they

Finland tells TBJ that the research centre specialises in

treat beer any differently? However, many consumers are

real world problems – including yeast – and that they saw

used to pasteurised beer which can take the heat and see

diastaticus contamination as a major problem in the beer

no issue in letting it get warm.

industry.

Should breweries then have a big label on their cans:

“Why is this a specific problem with craft breweries

“Warning: this can may explode if allowed to become

and becoming more common? It’s because craft brewers

warm!”, have their beer in cans that look like dynamite; or

are more reluctant to pasteurise and filter their beer,”

should they just make beer that won’t explode?

says Gibson. “Along with this, craft brewers are more

An industry guide for brewers published by Craft

experimental in the yeast and other ingredients they use.”

Beer & Brewing notes that “the recent trend of adding

"At VTT we have discovered why some strains with

unfermented fruits and extracts to unfiltered beer

the gene are active, and therefore problematic, while

just before packaging represents an extreme risk for

others are not. The difference was due to a deletion in the

refermentation.” Flash-pasteurizing the finished beer

promoter of the STA1 gene – in other words, the genetic

or adding the fruit before fermentation decreases the

sequence in front of the gene controlling how much the

viability of the yeast and lessens the risk of explosion.

gene is expressed", explains Research Scientist Kristoffer

38

November 2019

Brewers Journal

D i astat i cus

Krogerus from VTT The team then developed a new genetic test, which can be used in exactly the same way as the current industry standard, but which can differentiate the

C ontam i nat i on

fo cu s

your brewery, and the money lost in missing production deadlines and disappointing your customers – but it could be a lot worse.

How did you detect it? Do you have an excellent

problematic strains with the active STA1 gene from those

system of checks in place to catch things like this, or

with the inactive form of the gene.

was it down to just luck? Do you know how it entered

According to Krogerus, traditional genetic test can only detect whether the strain contains the STA1 gene or not.

It cannot differentiate spoilage yeasts from non-spoilage

your brewing chain? And, are you sure the problem was diastatic yeast?

If it did make it out the door, how did you find out?

yeasts. Previously, one would have to combine the

While talking about exploding beer bottles and cans is

genetic test with a microbiological test, where the yeast

more interesting, in most cases the yeast just creates over

is grown on special agar plates – a process that takes

carbonation and a bad flavour. Nine times out of 10, when

several days.

most of us experience a bad product, we don’t contact

“The new method offers breweries savings in time because results can be achieved in hours instead of weeks, and also cost savings and a more reliable quality

the company, we just chalk it up to experience and never buy it again.

Months could go by before you start connecting the

control. It also decreases the times beer batches are

dots between sudden poor sales and the chance of S.

unnecessarily recalled from shops or discarded,” says

diastaticus affecting your beer.

Krogerus.

Gibson says that the test is suited for the largest down

Without actually seeing it in operation to base our opinion, but going solely on reports, TBJ thinks that the

to the smallest brewery. VTT is now looking to license the

tester created by VTT Technical Research Centre of

test through a third-party vendor.

Finland can become your brewery’s best friend. We only

If your brewery has a batch that has S. diastaticus

hope that a commercial company sees the potential in

contamination and you’re lucky enough to catch it early

it and helps to get it out the door and into your hands as

on before it goes out the door, good for you. You’ll be

soon as possible.

out the time and money that had gone into producing the beer, the time and money spent thoroughly cleaning

TBJ will continue to follow the developments in Finland. u

Engineered to enjoy.

Since 1677!

www.kaspar-schulz.com KASPAR SCHULZ Brauereimaschinenfabrik & Apparatebauanstalt GmbH Bamberg / Germany

brewersjournal.info

November 2019

39

c a s e

s tu dy

london

f i elds

A new beginning

London Fields Brewery has been reborn since it was acquired in a joint venture between Carlsberg and Brooklyn Brewery in 2017. Reopening in September 2019, under the guidance of head brewer Talfryn Provis-Evans, the centrepiece of the new brewery and taproom is its new brewhouse from German manufacturer Kaspar Schulz.

demanding and limited site. Along with a fully automated brewery consisting of a mash/wort kettle and a lauter tun with a whirlpool mounted underneath, there is a malt handling station integrated into the automation.

This allows for mashing to start without a brewer present. What makes the brewery distinct is its possibility to produce specialty sour beers through a tailor- made solution. This consists of a customized kettle especially constructed for sour beer production built on a frame along with a plate cooler, aeration unit and hot caustic tank for optimal space utilization.

by tim sheahan

L

In the adjoining arch, there are eight cylindro-conical fermentation and lager tanks in two sizes for both

ondon Fields Brewery was the first brewery

single and double brews. The tanks are laser welded

to open in Hackney in a century, when it

with template cooling jackets for a more efficient

began brewing back in 2011. Come 2017, it

energy transfer. Along with the tanks in the arch, there

was acquired by a joint venture between

is equipment for yeast storage and propagation, two

Carlsberg and Brooklyn Brewery.

packaging lines, a centrifuge and various utilities

Work was started on getting planning permission and

equipment.

designing the new brewery soon after the acquisition

Creative CIP

was completed, as it had always been the plan to bring brewing back to London Fields with an adjoining taproom.

In the absence of their own brewery, the beer was contract brewed elsewhere in Hackney.

This vision was finally realized with the recently installed state of the art 15 hl two-vessel brewhouse from

D

ue to the limited space within the arches, it was not possible to install a stationary CIP-Station for the cellar and packaging area. In order to provide

Kaspar Schulz next to the original taproom underneath

an alternative to ensure that cleaning can take place

the arches at London Fields.

automatically and in a timely manner, the Schulz CIP-

The biggest challenge for this project was to install a fully equipped, ideally flexible brewery in a spatially

40

November 2019

Mobil was the best solution.

Assembled on a movable frame consisting of a pre-

Brewers Journal

london

f i elds

c a s e

s tu dy

run tank, three chemical dosing pumps, a conductivity

own method. Due to the flexible design of the vessel, it

sensor, a flow meter and, if preferred, a heating option,

can also be used to produce other fermented beverages

the cleaning station is ideal for use on tanks or other

such as kombucha, sake or alcohol free drinks. This way,

machinery. After attaching hoses to the desired item and

the customer has the opportunity to position themselves

starting its specific CIP recipe, there are no further manual

in a saturated market with multiple unique products.

interventions required.

The system can be operated not only through the

To expand the variety of the brewery ́s already hoppy product portfolio, the creation of new beers focused on

integrated touch screen, but also through a mobile app

the possibility of adding hops during various stages of

or tablet.

production.

The amount of chemicals or water used is archived

Along with two hop dosing units for additions during

as well as the cleaning protocols for subsequent review.

the boil of pellets or whole flower hops, there is the

The newly installed brewery truly shows how state of

possibility of adding hops to the whirlpool.

the art technology and a full range of equipment can

In addition, the brewery is equipped with a Schulz

be implemented and operated in the most confined of

Rocket S-50, which is designed as well for the addition of

spaces.

pellets or whole flower hops.

The brewmaster, Talfryn Provis-Evans, is known for

To ensure that the entire brewery is just as flexible as

his creativity when developing new beers as well as

the brewhouse, the Rocket is constructed to be used

his affinity towards sour beers. For this reason, it was

either on the hot side, before the plate cooler as the

important to construct the brewhouse to be as versatile

aroma hop addition, or on the cold side for dry hopping.

as possible in order to have the opportunity to brew every

The Rocket is not limited to hop additions though, it can

imaginable style of beer without any limitations.

also be used to refine beers with spices or fruit.

As with every Kaspar Schulz brewhouse, the

This, in combination with the meticulously designed

foundation for every beer is built into its design, being

Kaspar Schulz plant and redesigned taproom, provides an

able to produce both decoction and infusion mashed

unparalleled experience in London ́s popular beer district.

brews.

"Here one cannot only enjoy extraordinary beers in a chic

The vessel used for sour beer production was designed specifically in accordance with the customer'́s

brewersjournal.info

atmosphere, but marvel at modern brewing technology in an unrivalled design," the manufacturer adds.

November 2019

41

s c i e n c e

yeast

p i tch i ng

automatic yeast pitching rate control Over- and under-pitching can be a costly excercise for your brewery. Here, Eifion Loosley from Aber Instruments explains how utilising automatic yeast pitching rate control can improve your beer quality.

by Eifion Loosley

chamber staining containing yeast cells stained with

B

methylene blue.

(degrees Plato of the wort)

been compared, suggested that in absolute terms the

efore we kick our feet up, let’s review the

“This correction is not always carried out. Both of the

basics and the impact yeast and pitch rate

methods of yeast slurry analysis are subject to significant

have on beer. For the basics, we turn to the

errors because of the inherent difficulty of counting large

great book “Yeast — The practical guide to

numbers of cells and because of the presence of variable

beer fermentation” by Chris White and Jamil

amounts of non-yeast solids.

Zainasheff. They recommend:

u For ales, cells to pitch = (0.75 million) x (ml of wort) x u For lagers, cells to pitch = (1.5 million) x (ml of wort) x

(degrees Plato of the wort)

u British style ales and German style Weizen might require 0.5-0.75 million in the formula above.

“It is important to emphasise the importance of

“Previous work, in which the performance of a number of analysts working with replicate samples of slurries has precision of manual counting methods is no better than +/- 20 percent.”

Boulton adds that the presence of variable amounts of trub in pitching yeast slurries means that under-pitching is the most likely error. This is a cause for concern but is

pitching rate to overall fermentation performance and

probably out-weighed by the poor repeatability of manual

beer analysis,” says Chris Boulton, a professor with the

analyses. The errors are not related to recipe.

University of Nottingham and author of Brewing Yeast

The PerfectPitch skid is comprised of the Aber

and Fermentation. “Precise regulation of this parameter

Compact probe, a flow meter and a V350 monitor that

is key to ensuring consistent performance both in terms

serves as a mini PLC. The PLC on the skid calculates the

of fermentation cycle times but also with regard to yeast

total number of live yeast cells being transferred over.

growth extent and the related efficiency of conversion of

This figure is calculated from the combination of

extract into ethanol and the formation of yeast-derived

the live cell concentration (cells/ml) and the flow rate

beer flavour components.”

of the yeast slurry. The compact and the flow meter communicate with the V350 to ensure the correct

Automation has an answer

concentration of live yeast has been pitched. A beacon on the PerfectPitch comes on when the pre-set target concentration is reached, which can be used as an

K

nowing the science and executing it within the brewing process are two different things, and even the most diligent craft brewer might over

indicator to switch off the pump.

Breweries that employ cone-to-cone pitching will really benefit from this approach as taking a

or underestimate their yeast cell count because of the

representative sample from the bottom of the yeast cone

unpredictability of things at the micro levels. Not all yeast

is impossible due the heterogeneous nature of the yeast

cells are viable, so specing out how much yeast should

slurry at the bottom of the cone.

be added, based solely on know-how and formula tables,

Benefits beyond beer

will not produce a consistently accurate outcome.

This is where online yeast monitors come into play. As the professional brewer you simply just cannot predict how much of the yeast is viable, or inspect it at a micro level, but with the right technology to hand you can make this far more accurate and repeatable

protect brews from all potential off-flavors and issues mentioned earlier, which allows a better

“The key here is repeatability,” Boulton confirms.

product to hit the market, satisfying old customers and

He adds: “Conventional control of pitching rate is

winning over news ones. But wait, there is more.

based on analysis of pitching yeast slurries. This can be via measurement of spun solids or based on cell counts.

Preferably there will also be a correction for viability, typically based on the use of a haemocytometer counting

42

S

o, accurately analyzing cells in real time helps

November 2019

Consistently producing quality beer, while reducing waste, is a no-brainer for cost-savings.

“Quantitative cost-savings can be couched in terms of poor vessel utilization such that variable cycle times result

Brewers Journal

yeast

p i tch i ng

s c i e n c e

Over- and Under-Pitching According to Wyeast Laboratories Inc., here are the specific issues tied to overor under-pitching. A low pitch rate can lead to: u Excess levels of diacetyl u Increase in higher/fusel alcohol formation u Increase in ester formation u Increase in volatile sulfur compounds u High terminal gravities u Stuck fermentations u Increased risk of infection

Brewery Vessels Quality Vessels for Quality Beer

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High pitch rates can lead to: u Very low ester production u Very fast fermentations u Thin or lacking body/mouthfeel u Autolysis (Yeasty flavours due to lysing of cells) Both scenarios can lead to high wastage, poor yeast management and increased batch-to-batch variation. We note that larger brewers tend to set very tight tolerances on yeast pitching rates and these have to be +/- 10 percent of the target rate. So, if the pitching rate was 20 million cells/ml it has to be 18 to 22 million cells/ml to be within target.

in an inability to forward plan with accuracy and therefore

#Britishmade for #Britishbeer

more vessels are required to meet production demands,” Boulton said. “The additional vessels attract both capex and opex costs.”

A U.S-based craft brewer reported in 2012 and 2013 that it was throwing away approximately up to 1,700 bbl of beer per year due to underpitching. So, estimate how much money one barrel of your production costs you, and then consider that loss. This brewer calculated that it was losing potentially $30,000 per year. The costs for beer production with smaller breweries is likely to be higher.

When we launched the Perfectpitch, we anticipated selling units to breweries of about 20,000 Hls and above, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of smaller innovative breweries seeing the great value and cost savings for their yeast pitching, and this isn’t just in the US. We’re selling increasing numbers of units globally

Fabdec Ltd, Grange Road, Ellesmere, SY12 9DG Tel: 01691 627 200 • Mobile: 07885 666 308 Web: www.fabdec.com/brewery Email: info@fabdec.com

with recent sales and interest from Australia to the Nordics and also back here in the UK.

brewersjournal.info

November 2019

43

Great Beers

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03.05.2019 00:49:59

N OVA

S COTIA

C ro s s i n g

co nti n e nt s

A Sense of Belonging by tim sheahan settled by Dutch United Empire Loyalists from

A brewing revolution is taking place across Nova Scotia, Canada. More than 50 breweries operate across this beautiful province, though they do not solely produce excellent beer.

They are generating employment, establishing destinations and, in many cases, creating communities.

New York and New Jersey in 1785, following the Great Expulsion of the Acadians. Much, clearly, has changed in the decades and centuries since.

In 2019, Tusket is home to the Tusket Township Courthouse and Gaol, the oldest extant in Canada.

In the present day, there are many places that use the word Tusket such as the village itself, which is at the head of the Tusket River estuary, where high tide salt water meets the fresh water flow of the Tusket River.

You also have the stunning Tusket Falls. In years

O

gone by, especially in the month of May, there’s

n Route 208 in Yarmouth County,

a strong chance you’d find Jeff Raynard (overleaf),

Nova Scotia, is a small fishing

his friends and a couple of dip nets on the hunt for

community called Tusket. However,

Kiack.

it was not always known as thus.

The name Tusket evolved from

"Neketaouksit", which is the Mi'kmaq word for the "Great Forked Tidal River".

It was a village originally settled in by the

Kiack is a French Acadian Mi‘kmaq word for gaspereau, a herring that runs the rivers and streams in spring.

“It was a way to make money growing up,” he recalls. “We would get these fish so we could sell

Acadians before the British launched the Cape

them to lobster fishermen. The water was fresh, so it

Sable Campaign. The community was also

was a great place to fish.”

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But not always

H

e laughs: “Others would get in on the act, too.

We’d have our own stands where we’d catch the fish. This was great, until the other kids would

build their own rock walls and try and wreck ours. I was fist-fighting at these falls at the age of 8!”

Growing up in the area Jeff, now a little older and wiser, is the co-founder of Tusket Falls Brewing with his wife Melanie Sweeney. He speaks about those days as if they were yesterday, recounting who lived, or lives, in each house along this stretch of the falls.

As adulthood beckoned, so did a move to the west of Canada in Saskatchewan. He’d gone on to start a ‘Fire and Flight’ business, dealing with people’s burnt-out houses, or flooded basements and the like.

“We would dry, rip and rebuild, then deal with the insurance companies,” he says. “It was one of those jobs that was good money-wise but one that drains your soul, especially when it got to the management side of things.”

So like so many others, Raynard would turn to the world of homebrewing as a means of creative release away from the rigmarole of working life. And a visit to the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, one of the city’s most popular attractions, back in 2012, would prove to be a

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I’ll never commit to one style except our Blonde, I’d be killed if we got rid of that!

Jeff Raynard, Tusket Falls Brewing

consumer if that's your approach to brewing. Sometimes you’d nail it and it’s a case of repeating that. You're always learning in this industry.

"Brewing beer people enjoy gives you a meaning in

life. And that’s an incredibly cool feeling.

Although Jeff and Melanie fulfilled personal goals

opening Tusket Falls, the brewery has also had an incredibly positive impact on the local community it is part of. It’s a bar, brewery, restaurant and venue.

It’s a destination.

And though it’s only two years young, it’s now hard to

catalyst.

“I didn’t think I liked dark beer, God knows why. But I know for sure that I really enjoyed Guinness that day and when I came back to Canada, I was always on the hunt for new beer," he says.

A passion for Homebrewing developed and Raynard would go on to create many of his own beers. Just don’t mention the accidental Gruit.

“I knew something was wrong at the time, but wasn’t sure what,” he laughs. “That’s best forgotten”

envisage the community without the brewery in it. And they’re not alone.

Breweries are proving themselves as the beating hearts of cities, towns and villages across Nova Scotia.

And whether you’re a visitor or a lifelong resident, life is all the better for it.

The brewing sector is diverse, but as one. One outfit will be making its name producing kettle sours with fruit additions. A 20 minute drive from there will afford you the

Moving back to the East Coast of Canada, Raynard

opportunity to sample beers steeped in English tradition

knew he wanted to make professional brewing a reality.

underpinned by a different form of subtlety, balance and

Inspired by breweries such as Trillium, he’d go on to work

nuance.

with brewers and friends he respects such as Adil Ahmad.

One of Nova Scotia’s first breweries that can produce

The duo brewed together for 18 months, chasing ideas

all of these styles with aplomb is Propeller Brewing in

and working on recipes.

Halifax. 22 years young in 2019, Propeller is the brainchild

Tusket Falls Brewing was founded in 2017, enabling Jeff and Melanie to realise their dreams, moving back home and starting their own business.

Operating a 20bbl brewhouse, Raynard has a fondness for brewing Hazy IPAs and does them very well, too.

But he’s a fan of all beer styles, also.

“I’ll never commit to one style except our Blonde, I’d be killed if we got rid of that!,” he says. “I brew the beers I want to drink and hope others will want to drink, too.”

of John Allen.

In the early 90s, Allen was busy working in the film industry as a prop master and down times between TV and film productions gave him nice, long stretches to experiment with making good beer at home.

Honing his craft for the sheer pleasure, his modesty meant he was taken by surprise when he began to receive warm praise from visiting tipplers on his brews.

Come 1997, with help from a real-life supporting

He adds: “I’ve dumped a lot of beer, insane amounts.

system that included family and friends, Allen opened

I’ve been discouraged in the past because I won’t put out

the Propeller Brewing Company on Gottingen Street in

beer I’m not happy with. That shows a disrespect for the

Halifax. Ongoing success enabled the business to expand

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to a second location, in Dartmouth, in 2013.

The company’s ethos revolves around the belied that

Raynard (bottom left) and the team at Tusket Falls (bottom right): September 2019.

brewing good beer takes two important elements—the highest quality, all-natural ingredients and a talented brew

brewery that has long been a byword for quality in the

master.

province.

“I think we’ve stood the test of the time because of

Trendsetters

the quality of beer we make above all else,” she says.

“Propeller has long been known for the popularity of

I

so-called traditional styles, but we’ve shown in recent

n 2019, Propeller’s Gottingen Street location is a

years that we are just as capable of brewing many diverse

thriving location for drinkers to pick up a wide varieties

beers, too.”

of brews for takeout, or to imbibe a beer on site in its

popular tasting room.

“Everyone thought John was crazy when he opened

The brewery’s ESB or IPA would have been many consumer’s gateway into the world of craft beer but in 2019, drinkers are just as likely to opt for one of its

a brewery in this area but now look at it, it’s a very trendy

many sours or the incredibly popular Galaxy IPA. A hazy

spot. Things change a lot,” explains Evelyn Hornbeck,

expression of a Vermont-style IPA, the 6.5% number

marketing manager at Propeller Brewing. “You just have to

showcases Australian Galaxy hops alongside Citra and

look back five or six years and how the brewing scene in

Mosaic. There’s an insatiable appetite for this beer and

Nova Scotia really exploded.”

this very writer is a fully paid-up member of that fan club.

Hornbeck takes particular pride being part of a

Regardless of the type of beer the brewery is making,

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Hornbeck says two things never change.

“We pride ourselves on attention to detail and attention to quality. We’ve got that level of experience, which informs each decision we make. We’re not interested in rushing a release for the sake of it. Everything needs to be 100% right before we even consider putting that beer on the bar,” she says.

Hornbeck adds: “We just need to continue what we doing and to do it well. That means making the beers that people have enjoyed since day one, but also acknowledge and welcome the increasing number of drinkers in this category.

“There is an appetite for the new, and that keeps things fresh. If you make good beer, and you make people happy, then we’re doing something right,” she adds.

Breweries such as Propeller forged the way for others to follow and in modern day Halifax, there is no shortage of choice for the consumer.

2 Crows Brewing was founded by husband and wife duo Mark and Kelly Huizink alongside brewer Jeremy Taylor. Brewing modern beers, the team set out with the aim of getting people to think more on the craftsmanship behind beer, its characteristics, and where that beverage is coming from.

Their facility welcomes you with a clean airy space, generous views of their brewing operation and a barrel ageing programme that has no doubt turned many a brewer green with envy.

Thankfully, the fruits of these vessels are available to drink and they are mighty fine. Hoopla, a Tequila barrel aged sour with the addition of Agro coffee is enchanting while Persica, a Peach brandy barrel aged sour with dried

“

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I think we’ve stood the test of the time because of the quality of beer we make above all else Evelyn Hornbeck, Propeller Brewing Company

“Year-round, we host oddball events, brew with

the community, sponsor festivals, facilitate charitable incentives, and make questionable marketing decisions.

Want to sit your bum somewhere and let your freak flag fly? Well, matey, set sail for Halifax's Most Questionable Brewing Experience.”

Building a community

S

ome 70km north east of Good Robot is the town of Windsor. Located in Hants County, Windsor is something of a service centre for the western part

of the county and is situated on Highway 101.

In Windsor, at 40 Water Street, you’ll find Schoolhouse

peach offers a subtlety that could convert even the most

Brewery. Rewind a couple of years, to 1860, to be exact,

ardent detractor of the aforementioned stone fruit.

and the fertile land of Upper Falmouth brought forth not

Another brewery producing an eclectic, and excellent, range of beers is Good Robot. The excellent Good Robot is a brewery, bar, restaurant and beer garden in the heart of Halifax’s historic North End. Good Robot began with three longtime “friends and

only apples and corn, but also the need for a school, explains Schoolhouse Brewery founded Cameron Hartley.

The thriving community on both sides of Sangster Bridge was bustling, and in the spirit of community that still abides there today, a local farmer donated a small

misfits” who quit engineering, they explain, to pursue their

parcel of land on the corner of Castle Frederick Road, to

dream of quitting engineering....

be used for a school for the local children.

Brewing since 2015, Good Robot’s output does

For nearly eighty years that school remained in

not conform to style, instead in their words “eclectic,

its original condition, until in 1944, when the growing

eccentric, and untrue to style, fraught with foraged

community simply needed more space in its school. At

materials, impulse decisions, and whimsy”.

that point in time, community members changed the

“We don’t make ‘craft beer’; we make beer (kinda). And

school from a one room to a two room schoolhouse, not

we enjoy sharing our beer, our building, and our childish

by adding a piece at one end, but rather by pulling the

minds with our communities,” they explain, “Our GastroTurf

building apart from the middle, and adding a section in

(beer garden featuring AstroTurf) brings all the flavours of

be-tween the two existing ends.

summer ales to the familiar comfort of a putting green.

The seams in the floor are visible to this day. With two classrooms now, one for grades primary through four,

Halifax boasts a thriving, diverse community of breweries, bars and restaurants. Excellent cider, too.

and one for grade five through eight, a single teacher was responsible for the success of many children.

Eventually, the flourishing community outgrew its

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beloved schoolhouse, and Windsor Forks Elementary School was built just a short bicycle ride away, replacing Falmouth School #9. It was later used as a meeting place for several organizations, including 4H, the Anglican church it neighboured, and as a community hall. It was permanently closed as a public building in the 1980s, more than a hundred years after it was built.

Time passed, and the old school sat with a crumbling foundation and an antiquated electrical system. The community decided that it was time to sell the threequarter acre lot along with the dilapidated building.

Enter Cameron Hartley (right), a young man fresh out of paramedic school, who wanted to call the Valley his home. As chance would have it, he spotted an advertisement in a real estate flyer for the property in Upper Falmouth. Interested in a fixer upper he visited the land, and although it was much more of a fixer upper than he had in mind, he still put an offer on the land. It was accepted. Falmouth School #9 would have a new owner.

The restoration of the schoolhouse, done largely by Cameron himself, became something of a local attraction.

Most neighbours assumed any buyer would simply knock down the school and build from scratch. Students of the school, now grown, did not expect to have the initials they carved in their school wall be a conversation starter in someones future living room.

After two years of long hours working at the new Halifax Infirmary, and then coming home to work even longer hours on the house, things were finally coming

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When it comes to the craft beer business in rural areas, you're really building a culture that wasn't there before.

Cameron Hartley, Schoolhouse Brewery

Brewery’s philosophy.

Cameron now resides in his old schoolhouse with his

wife and daughter. He and his wife are both, ironically, teachers. They can sit in their living room and read the carved initials of students who once sat in desks where their sofa is, and they can still see the burn mark of the pot-bellied stove keeping the kids fingers warm on winter days. And while there are no longer any desks or chalk-boards or rulers at the Falmouth School #9, you will certainly find the old school bell ringing at the Schoolhouse Brewery.

“2019 has been good, very good,” he smiles. “You have

together. Unfortunately, hard work alone cannot build a

to realise that when it comes to the craft beer business

house, and Camerons personal debt mounted. In financial

in rural areas, you're really building a culture that wasn't

difficulty, Cameron made the decision to rent out the

there before. You're not coming in where there's already a

house in its current state, and move to Japan to teach

lot of established businesses.”

Hartley is rightfully proud of building just that in

English.

Four years later, the paramedic-now English teacheralways beer lover, returned home to his schoolhouse

Windsor.

In his own words, Hartley set out wanting to make

with money in the bank. With the lion’s share of the house

beers that are accessible to the Schoolhouse audience.

renovation behind him, Cameron had time to spend on

It just so happens that the drinkers at his brewery like the

hobbies, one of which was all-grain brewing. He spent

same types of beer he produces.

time working on house projects, going back to Acadia to get his Education degree, and brewing beer.

Cameron’s interest in brewing was accentuated after inheriting some brewing equipment from a friend.

This love may have come to him naturally; his

“We are a bit no nonsense, if you will,” he explains.

“We're not selling super sexy trendy styles, but without these types of classic beers, the Pilsners and Pale Ales, the newer types wouldn’t exist.”

Hartley admits that he can be entertained brewing the

mother’s grandfather owned and operated a brew-pub

same beer over and over, albeit with minor adjustments,

in Lamberherst, England in the late 1800s, called the

in a bid to dial them in and make each beer the best it has

Chequers Inn. Cameron, a perpetual builder, now spends

ever been. His Pilsner is a case in point.

his time building and designing new and more efficient ways to brew beer.

A true lover of beer, he spends equal amounts of time

“I'd love to see more Pilsners in Nova Scotia. Maybe we're still behind the curve of the appreciation of those understated beers,” he laments. “I can understand why so

tweaking recipes and ingredients as he does tinkering

many people are brewing IPAs though, because they sell

with hoses and dials. Building a brewery that honours

really well. It's where the market is.”

the spirit of community and that respects the land from whence it grew is an important part of the Schoolhouse

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Schoolhouse Brewery is a valuable asset to the people of Windsor. They might not have realised it before but

Brewers Journal

it’s clear, even on an early weekday afternoon, that it has become a go-to spot for consumers. Even if beer isn’t at

Above: Schoolhouse Brewery, a focal point in the Windsor community

the top of their agenda, either.

“I'm originally from Ontario but I've been here longer than anywhere else,” says Hartley. “What I do feel though,

and Landmark East School, the town is a popular tourist

is that Nova Scotians sometimes have a hard time

destination offering amazing views of Cape Blomidon, the

appreciating what they have here, and that doesn’t click

Bay of Fundy and Gaspereau Valley.

until they come back.”

He adds: “Look at the brewing scene here. It’s probably fair to say that we may have lagged behind in the last decade or two, but that has changed. It has accelerated

Wolfville, and the valley at large, is also home to some fantastic breweries. One of which is Church Brewing Company.

The Location of The Church Brewing Company is

quite quickly. Sure, we’re not leading in Canada, but we’re

rich in history and has been a place for the people of

not that far from the front, either.”

Wolfville– formerly known as Mud Creek–to congregate.

“I’m of the belief that we're about 7% of the beer market

The Church was originally built prior to 1840, as a

in Nova Scotia. And if that was to double, then we'll all be

Presbyterian Church, and located on Prospect Street. The

doing well. That said, everyone has to have their A-Game

structure was wooden and relocated in 1885 to its current

on and to be making really good beer if we’re to stand a

location on Main Street. Unfortunately it succumbed to

fighting chance.

fire in 1913.

“You simply can’t get away with sending out batches of

The Church was rebuilt with stones from White

substandard beer. What was was new and exciting at one

Rock; red stones were used on the outer walls while

time is no more. The consumer that was more forgiving,

Wallace stone was used to shape the windows and door

simply because they didn't know any better, has become

arches. With help from Nova Scotia’s beloved architect,

more educated. As a brewer, you have no excuse.”

Andrew Cobb, and contractor, Charles Wright, the stone church was re-built. The cornerstone of the St Andrew’s

The journey continues

Presbyterian church was laid on July 8th, 1914.

The beautiful stained glass memorial window, located

C

in the east wall of the sanctuary, holds sig-nificant

rossing the Avon River and heading North East

meaning. The window was built in 1975 to honour the

you’ll soon find Wolfville, a town in the Annapolis

memory of former congregations, spanning over two

Valley of Kings County. Home to Acadia University

hundred years.

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Many natural colours used in the stained glass window represent the good that is a part of every person regardless of how their characteristics make them appear to others–hence the kaleido-scopic design chosen.

Change of purpose

T

he congregation saw considerable growth in 1923 when the Presbyterian churches of Wolfville and Grand Pre, the Methodist Churches of Wolfville

and Greenwich united to form one congregation; the United Church of St. Andrews. Today the church is known predominantly as ‘the stone church’ in Wolfville or St. Andrew’s United.

The Church was purchased by the Church Brewing Company in September 2017. The owners and cofounders began working with local project managers, designers, architects, and contractors, with great support from the Town of Wolfville.

The restoration project included re-designing the church into a year-round restaurant and retail store, and the new construction of the attached microbrewery.

The brewery, now completed, includes a 4-vessel 35 hectolitre brewing system and a separate 2-vessel 5 hectolitre pilot system.

The restaurant opened its doors on January 30th, 2019 and initiated the first brew on July 4th, 2019.

Along with founders Steve Haysom, Matt Haysom, the co-founders of Church Brewing are Brendan Nichol, Erin Hayson, Andrew Bartle and Marissa Begin.

Bartle, in his role as brewmaster and brewery

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This was an opportunity that we couldn’t turn down

Marissa Begin, Church Brewing Company

Witbier Silver Lining is a a cloudy straw coloured beer

with a tight white head. The aroma has lovely notes of bright orange zest and a spicy peppery note from the yeast and coriander. The flavours are full of that lemony wheat character, slightly acidic with a nice bitter spicy backing. This is a very effervescent and dry beer that is very soft on the palate.

Elsewhere you have Mayflower, which pours a hazy

pale yellow with a billowy white foam. The aroma is full of passionfruit, papaya, mango, pineapple, and fresh orange zest. The flavour is full of tropical fruits, light bubblegum, balanced with an assertive yet delicate bitterness. A creamy mouth-feel that finishes very dry.

Bartle is modest in his approach to beer, and the positive reception they have received, just as Begin is in her excellent work on the branding Church Brewing boasts.

“I think of myself as a glorified janitor that makes a happy home for yeast. It is hard work, but it is fun, too,” he

operations, alongside marketing manager Begin, took

says, “Be as complex as you like in the beer you make but

the decision to move from Toronto to take on the fresh,

regardless, the beer needs to be consistent and of high

new challenge at Church. Like Cameron Hartley at

quality.

Schoolhouse and Tusket Falls’ Jeff Raynard and Melissa

There’s a drizzle and delightful malt aromas in the air

Sweeney, the desire to forge a new beginning in beer

during a visit to Lawrencetown, home of Lunn’s Mill Beer

overruled geographical boundaries. Be that returning

Company.

home, or starting afresh.

“This was an opportunity that we couldn’t turn down,”

Opening its doors in March of 2017 filling growlers and selling out beer with ease, today the brewery boasts a full

explains Begin. “People seem very, very happy with what

tap room that seats 100 people and patio overlooking a

we are doing, they are receptive, and that is a great thing.”

pond and neighboring cranberry bogs.

Church Brewing Company is impressive in both scale and execution. The main church area houses the bar and restaurant while brewing takes places on a four vessel 35HL brewhouse from DME. “We saw how saturated the market was with certain beer styles, and I have a passion for German and Belgian beers, so it made sense to find this niche,” says Bartle.

This has manifested itself in such beers as Eight

The brewery offers a strong core range of beers and great food to complement those brews.

The business has its name steeped in history. In 1760, this beautiful part of the Annapolis Valley was known as Lunn's Mill, named after the major industry in the area: a bustling sawmill owned by John Lunn.

Around this time, the Charming Molly set sail from New England carrying the first New England Planters. These

Bells, a golden ale the exudes aromas of lychee and

intrepid people helped to expand the community working

gooseberry with light pine and white pepper. Flavour

alongside the Mi'Kmaq to grow the community with

offers a firm but balanced bitterness with an estery

farms, shops and in 1822 it was renamed Lawrencetown

sweetness.

after Governor Lawrence.

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“It was fortuitous finding this spot,” co-founder Chantelle Webb tells us. “Sean [Ebert] and Mark [Reid]

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FOCUS

Above: Church Brewing Company and its brewmaster Andrew Bartle

had a history of homebrewing, I was friends with them and things came together to form what is Lunn's Mill Brewing Company.

Webb is the culinary brain behind Lunn’s Mill, expertly curating a kitchen offering that complements the brewery’s beer output comprising beers such as Purple

“We’ve learned a lot, and we feel as though we’re better than ever,” says Webb. “To provide a home to people wanting to eat, drink and have a good time is an incredibly validating feeling.”

There is an ethereal quality to much of Nova Scotia.

Grain, an IPA featuring Citra, Cascade, and Centennial for

It might be the power of its presence on the big screen,

a tangy and slightly spicy hop profile, gold in colour with a

or the fact that the area is genuinely beguiling, but Cape

balanced malt body featuring notes of honey.

Forchu in Yarmouth County is a sight not to be missed.

First Cut IPA, one of the original Lunn’s Mill brews is

Cape Forchu Lightstation is the first “applecore”

hop-forward, bright and citrusy. A very pale, and slightly

style lighthouse, located 11 km (7 mi) from the town

hazy beer that collected the 2018 Down East Brewing

of Yarmouth on the Cape Forchu Scenic Drive in the

Awards American IPA Gold Medal Winner.

Yarmouth & Acadian Shores region.

There is also Anvil Porter, a smooth, dark, porter with

Along the route to the Lightstation you pass the

hints of roast, chocolate and dark fruit. Closer to the

Fisherman’s Monument, working fishing villages and

American-style porter than the British style, bitterness is

beautiful sandy beaches. Though somewhat brisk on this

moderate and balances nicely with the full malt body.

particular visit, the ability to procure a can of Freezing

With these beers, a welcoming environment and a comprehensive food offering, Lunn’s Mill has long

Spray IPA needed no second thought.

This IPA is the produce of Heritage Brewing Co,

established itself in Lawrencetown, though they take

founded by four friends, Jason Murphy, Albert Whittaker,

nothing for granted.

Drew Jackson and Jeff Bain, in 2017. You can call it a cliché

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Lunn's Mill Beer Company: Great people, great beer Bottom left: Annapolis Valley Brewing Company

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Hell Bay is an owner-operated brewery started as a passion, grew through perseverance, and is maintained through dedication. Co-founder and owner Mark Baille

but this brewery is truly a labour of love. Each member of

began brewing as one of many hobbies. Working full time

the team holds down a day job, with Jackson doing dock

as an electrician at Michelin and living on a hobby farm

work while the remaining trio are teachers.

with his partner Melanie and their growing family in Cherry

“We pride ourselves on locally produced beer that can be enjoyed in a nice environment, says Bain. “What we

Hill, Nova Scotia, Mark devoted himself to brewing.

Through experimentation, self-education, and long

hear a lot is ‘Yarmouth really needed this’ which is great to

hours, he worked on perfecting his recipes, building

know. To be doing something that people from the town

his own equipment, and growing his home-brewery.

say they wanted and needed is incredibly rewarding.”

Melanie finally convinced Mark they could take brewing

The aforementioned Freezing Spray IPA is a hopforward beer with plenty of bitterness and fresh hop aroma. At 6.5% ABV there’s enough malt to support the

to the next level, and together, they applied for a small business loan.

The craft beer frenzy had not yet come to Nova Scotia

ample additions of Chinook, Ekuanot and Citra, resulting

in 2011, however. The only craft breweries outside of

in a beer with plenty of citrus and fruit aroma with some

the Halifax Regional Municipality were brewpubs, and

pine and spice over the palate.

nobody believed that a brewery run from a barn in Cherry

Follow the coast south, and then east, for some

Hill could be successful. "Just because your friends and

150km and you reach Hell Bay in Liverpool. Though some

family like your beer, doesn't mean that other people will,"

distance apart from Heritage, its role remains the same.

Melanie was told, despite providing a list of pubs and

An invaluable asset for the community it is part of.

restaurants willing to carry their beer. Rather than cave,

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Mark and Melanie funded their start-up themselves.

Things were not ideal. Mark continued to work full

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Hell Bay: Melanie Baille pouring for loyal regular Gerry Heritage Brewing Co: Drew Jackson (Above centre)

time, brewing after work and on weekends. Melanie worked the shop and delivered beer. They took their name from the bay next to the brewery - Hell Bay. Despite setbacks and struggles, business was

here, and that's just part of our lives,” they explain.

On this particular visit, they’re playing an integral part

successful, and keeping up with demand turned out to be

in others people’s lives, too. Gerry followed his family and

the biggest difficulty. The brewery expanded in the barn,

moved from Scotland to the town of Liverpool back in the

employees were hired, and soon it was too big for their

70s. In 2019, he comes into Hell Bay Brewing each day

own property. After less than two years in business, Hell

for a pint of the brewery’s Pilsner. Although that popular

Bay found its new location on 38 Legion Street, in nearby

beer had run out on this visit, he settled for a Porter and

Liverpool, and Mark was eventually able to switch to

enjoyed it just as much.

brewing full time.

“Coming here is part of my day, it’s what I do,” he says.

Eight years after its founding, Hell Bay is a successful

Hell Bay is an integral part of Gerry’s life. And it’s

business employing local people and selling beer all over

the role in people’s lives, in the wider community, that

Nova Scotia. We continue to use home-made equipment,

rings loud from taking in the broad, diverse spectrum of

and we're still owner-operated. There's a grunge-

breweries that make up the patchwork that is Nova Scotia.

appeal in our brewery that customers find authentic and attractive.

“You won't find us waxing romantic about the rugged coastlines or quaint fishing villages around us - we live

brewersjournal.info

Be it a concert venue, dinner destination, exhibition space or just the place for a great beer, breweries are leaving an indelible mark on the province’s landscape, and life is all the better for it. u

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beer

tast i ng

term i nology

Know the score The more you discover about beer and brewing the more, it seems, there is to learn. In this new article, Dr Keith Thomas, founder of Brewlab, provider of brewing training and analysis, lifts the lid on brewing tastes, flavours and terms used. Explaining what they mean and how they come about.

by Keith Thomas

I

boil. These stimulate particular taste receptors at the back of the tongue and in the throat and provide that

t’s true to say that many beer drinkers enjoy a dry

recognisable lingering bitterness experienced after

and bitter tasting beer, but what is it that causes

swallowing.

dryness and bitterness and what’s the difference between these two taste characteristics?

Astringency is a dryness of the mouth,

A successful brew achieves the right balance of dryness and bitterness. The right amount of astringency will ensure your beer will have a good mouthfeel with

particularly the cheeks, upper palate, and tongue. It is

residual sugars providing a smooth body (viscosity) and

primarily caused by tannins in beer that make the surface

the correct balance of graininess, dryness and bitterness

of the mouth contract and leave a ‘puckering’ mouthfeel.

will deliver a memorable drink.

Tannins are a form of polyphenol, they are what give

Balance

tea its distinct characteristics and they occur naturally in malted grains. If grains are over-crushed or the mash over-sparged tannins will increase. That’s why breweries attempting to squeeze the last drop of wort from their malt are more likely to end up with a dryer, harsher beer than those who are more generous with their raw materials.

Wood can also release tannins into beer with some

W

hat is a well-balanced beer? You often hear the term ‘balance’ when describing wine but can a beer be well balanced or is the term a

misnomer in brewing? The concept of balance refers to the mix of sensory characteristics that make up a beers

brewers deliberately using wooden fermenters or casks

flavour profile. It’s fair to say that the taste of a beer will

to create dryer beer. However, it’s important to remember

depend on a drinkers personal preferences and sensitivity

microbial contamination is more likely in wood than

but, in general terms, a poorly balanced beer will be less

in stainless steel or aluminium cask. So poor quality

well received than a well-balanced one.

control or a lack of cleaning can lead to unpleasant

While a primary flavour gives a beer its character it’s

flavours caused by Lactic and Acetic acids from resulting

also important to have additional secondary flavours to

infections.

back up the primary flavour and it’s this subtlety which

Not to be confused with dryness (astringency),

differentiates one brand from another. Not all secondary

bitterness is a different characteristic of flavour. Bitterness

flavours will be detectable to everyone however as each

is caused by iso-alpha acids from hops during the wort

of us has limits to our sensitivity and these vary according to our heredity and experience. So you may notice a flavour characteristic that a drinking partner does not or vice versa.

A particular beer will have one primary flavour profile

But in general beers with high levels of primary flavour are perceived as being too bland. Brewers should aim for a fine balance of primary and secondary flavours as it’s this that makes a great beer. For example, a bitter IPA

u Crisp and Clean (eg. Pale Ale) u Hoppy and Bitter (eg. IPA) u Malty and Sweet (eg. Lager) u Dark and Roasty (eg. Stout) u Smokey (eg. Porter) u Fruity and Spicy (eg. Saison) u Sour and Tarty (eg. Sour)

may also have a fruitiness, caramel, spiciness secondary flavour achieved by complex grist mixtures, imaginative hop additions and careful maturation.

How a beer feels in the mouth is also important. A good body benefits the overall richness of a brew. It should be low in thin, drinking beers, like lager and pale ales, but high in complex beers like porters, stouts and milds. It will encourage a beer to be savoured with relish

56

November 2019

Brewers Journal

beer

tast i ng

rather than drunk with abandon that’s why it is often excluded from mass-produced brands. However, today’s’

term i nology

s c i e n c e

regularly replenished at the front.

Brewers can reduce the chance of chill haze by their

craft brewers have the opportunity to concentrate on the

choice of malts and processing times but also by adding

all-round character of their beer and not leave a drinker

in an adsorbent such as PVPP (polyvinylpolypyrrolidone)

disappointed wondering why the flavour of their pint

to remove polyphenol tannins or an enzyme to digest the

vanished so quickly.

protein. These additions are often standard in large scale production but may be undesirable in small scale craft

Chill haze

beers. Polyphenols and proteins do contribute to flavour and physical features of beers and their extensive removal

E

ver pulled a beer from the fridge to find it less

may change its character. Perhaps a little temporary haze is a small price to pay for a more natural beer.

bright than when it went in? If so you are likely to

Dimethyl sulphide

have experienced the effect of chill haze – the

precipitation of the beer’s proteins and tannins induced by low temperatures.

Naturally, this affects the overall impression of the beer and in a bar may lead to a serious discussion over the beer’s quality or even rejection. The Chill Haze effect is reversed when the beer warms up – although this may only add to any disagreement!

Brewers, bar staff and beer drinkers seeking clarity (get it?) can trace the origins of Chill Haze to the proteins and

W

hat does warm lager smell of? A question an ale drinker may rarely consider important or worth investigating. Dimethyl sulphide or

DMS is, however, a pungent flavour in many beers giving a range of unusual vegetable smells to lighter beers, including at times, bitters and pale ales To experience the full character of DMS agitate a

tannins from the malts used in the brew. Malts typically

warmish half pint of lager in a pint glass and breathe

release about a gram of protein into a litre of beer much

deeply. A variety of vegetables are likely to dominate the

of which remains to produce its mouthfeel and the foam

aroma. Identification of these may be easier for some

forming the head. Some, however, can interact with itself

people than others but onions, sweet corn, cooked

to form large complex molecular structures.

cabbage and occasionally parsnip or celery are typical

Much of this happens during maturation but high protein malts or short maturation times can also lead to

associations.

A certain low level of these is natural in lagers and

residual levels of proteins which can make a beer more

should blend with other flavours, particularly hop

susceptible to haze. Low temperatures then induce this

character to provide a rich and pungent character to

although this will have no discernible effect on flavour.

the beer. In ales, even lower levels would acceptable

Temporary chill haze can become permanent with time

and should never dominate the typical malt and hop

so bottles at the back of the fridge may differ from one

characteristics of standard bitters and pale ales and dark

brewersjournal.info

November 2019

57

beer

tast i ng

term i nology

Foam

ales typically have a strong roast or caramel flavours that easily overpower any DMS which may develop.

DMS comes from the malt but occurs at much lower levels in ale malt due to its higher roasting temperature (lager malt is dried at lower temperatures). Excessive levels of DMS in real ale could occur if lager malt is used

F

oam is an important characteristic of beer.

Flat beer is can be undesirable and make for poor presentation – except, perhaps, in certain

by mistake but is more likely be from a bacterial infection.

parts of the UK. Foam provides visual impact. It easily

Such bacteria are typically killed by alcohol but can

distinguishes beer from other beverages and drinkers will

produce enough DMS to carry through to your pint before

expect a good head on their beer. Think of all those cool

they die.

beer ads with close-ups of foam running down the side of a cooled, can, bottle or glass. That’s why it’s important

Esters

for brewers to ensure that their beer retains its foam when poured.

M

Good beer foam is the result of two things: high-quality

ore and more breweries are experimenting with

ingredients (particularly malt); and processing. Malt

fruit flavouring that’s why we are seeing a large

provides the proteins required to achieve foam. While

range of fruity beers coming onto the market.

wheat increases foam proteins significantly. That’s why

Fruity flavours are produced by esters. It may be easy to identify many of these on tasting– iso amyl acetate, for

most wheat beers have thick foam.

Too much agitation during fermentation or packaging

example, produces a banana flavour and ethyl hexonate

will reduce foam on serving. As will excessive lipids from

red apples. But brewers who’ve tried to produce fruit

unusual ingredients such as sorghum or nuts. Make sure

beers will know how hard it can be to control flavour

your glasses are clean too as dirty glasses where grease

levels.

and oil residue remains (from lipstick for example) will

This could be because of differing ester synthesis

collapse foam bubbles on contact.

conditions during the brewing process, the dispensing

Is foam essential to a beer’s enjoyment? It comes

system used or, believe it or not, fruit flavours can even

down to personal taste as drinkers in certain parts of the

be influenced by different shaped glasses!

UK prefer a pint with a small head. Excessive foaming

Like in all brewing it’s important to establish general

by an agitated pour reduces carbonation so there is a

controls during production but even a small change in

marked taste difference between the same beer with and

ingredients or processing can alter a beer’s fruitiness

without a head. There is also some anecdotal evidence

considerably. Making it one of the hardest factors to

that foam also changes the aroma of a beer by limiting

control.

some flavours but this needs more detailed investigation.

So what are esters and how can we learn to better

Try it for yourself.

control them?

Gluten

Basically, esters are produced by yeast metabolism, specifically by a reaction between alcohol (plenty of this in a beer) and an acid (also present at lower levels). In very high concentration esters can create a solvent-like flavour. so the key is to get the concentration just right.

The type of yeast used is a major factor in ester levels with some yeasts giving very neutral ester profiles and others a strongly identified fruit flavours. Wheat beer

I

s gluten-free the next big thing or a passing fad? It is certainly a high profile concern for many foods, not least beer. However, are we magnifying what is only

an issue for a few into a problem for many?

Gluten intolerance is commonly associated with Celiac

yeasts in particular release high ester levels. Fermentation

disease which now has some fairly clear diagnostic

temperature also has a strong effect with more esters

symptoms. Less clear is possible associations with other

produced in warm fermentations and resulting in more

conditions and it is these which are causing increased

esters in ales than in lagers. Stronger beers tend to have

interest in the gluten in our diet.

higher levels of esters as, interestingly, do beers brewed in shallow fermenters.

Estery beers tend to receive a more positive response

Beer is no stranger to gluten. As it is made with barley which contains high levels of the gluten proteins associated with gluten intolerance. These hordein

from drinkers. So as a rule of thumb if you are looking to

proteins have some similar structures to the gliadin

brew a beer with a better fruity flavour go for a stronger

proteins in cheese and bread so if you are sensitive a

ale, fermented at a higher temperature by a high ester

ploughman’s lunch would be a bad choice.

producing yeast, and use shallow fermenters.

Gliadin and hordein are not fully digested and remain in the digestive system causing irritation and

58

November 2019

Brewers Journal

beer

tast i ng

term i nology

s c i e n c e

you achieve a consistent brew?

immunological responses to the intolerant.

It is, of course, possible to brew gluten-free beer is,

There is no magic formula however, each hop variety

using non-barley grains such as sorghum, buckwheat

will have a profile of components and with experience,

or millet. Protein digesting enzymes can also be used to

brewers will be able to select and blend their choice to a

reduce the gluten in the final beer – although this may

target hoppiness. Differences will occur with each yearly

only produce low gluten beer (below a certain specified

crop so a good nose to test the character of the raw hops

level than zero).

is essential along with an ability to predict how this will develop in the brew.

There are even gluten-free beers produced by fermenting mixtures of sugar and hop extracts. Naturally,

This is important as when hops are boiled flavours

these treatments will change the features of a beer and it

react in different ways according to their boiling point.

requires good control to achieve standard beer flavours.

Some, such as the general hoppy aroma myrcene, boil

One major challenge is to determine whether other

away quickly as they are very volatile. Others, such as

conditions than Celiac are stimulated by residual gluten

geraniol and linalool, remain until the end of the boil

proteins. The standard test for gluten only targets one

meaning hoppiness remains at higher levels within in

protein sequence out of a possible twenty so more needs

finished beer.

Hops also differ according to their preparation and

to be done to identify these and develop alternative

storage. Many UK hops are used as cones which have

brewing procedures.

been dried and compressed for storage. International

Hoppy

breweries often use hop pellets which are produced from crushed hop powder. It is argued that hop cones have the freshest aroma which is probably true soon after harvest.

B

ig hoppy flavours can be found in a range of

As time goes on, however, cones lose some of their

beers, particularly bitters and IPAs. They inevitably

aromas and can be less fresh than pellets.

Hop aroma can also alter on oxidation particularly if

arise from the oils in hops and deliver that

characteristic beer aroma. Hoppy aroma can contain a

stored at high temperatures developing the ‘catty aroma’

multitude of components, some floral, some citrus, some

of valeric acid. Not a desirable flavour in beer! u

spicy or even woody. But with so many variables how can

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brewersjournal.info

November 2019

59

ON DEMAND CAN APPLICATORS

f i ltrat i on

fo cu s

Fantastic Filtration and where to find it The Great Yorkshire Brewery, originally Crompton Brewery was a craft brewer before the name existed. A pioneer in microbrewery produced cask ale and still brewing their own beers, they have gained a reputation as a trusted contract brewer and packer for many UK craft brewers. They have a new toy, the Romfil Crossflow filter.

by Kieran aYLAND

B

ack in 1984, five years before the now revoked Beer Orders, which was designed to break the monopoly of the big breweries and landlords, Phil Lee of Crompton Brewery started to brew cask beer in the

cellar of the New Inn in North Yorkshire.

The original brewhouse was 5BBL, and its first beer

was a cask ale christened “Two Pints”. Before long they upgraded to a 10BBL system, and eventually to a two vessel, infusion-type 30 BBL brewhouse. The building that housed the 10 BBL Brewhouse now houses kegging and bottling equipment and the 30 BBL brewing and fermentation equipment has a purpose made building to call home.

Head brewer Alex Noblett has been with the business

difficult to train new operatives to use.

The Plate filter served GYB well for five years, its output was good, and it was easy to train new staff to use, but the cost of consumables and labour, especially with the

for four years and takes responsibility for brewing Great

brewery’s burgeoning output, meant that an investment in

Yorkshires core beers, as well as scheduling in and

a Crossflow Filter became inevitable.

producing contract brews for UK craft brewers who are

That lead to Great Yorkshire investing in a Romfil X

either at capacity, or cuckoo brewing without kit of their

Flow in 2019 from V-Brew, which has since revolutionised

own.

filtration at the business.

Alex has a good vantage point and has seen the

Noblett says: “The auto discharge on the x flow

changing trends take place in the UK craft brewing

allows us to match the performance of the plate filter

industry, particularly towards low and no alcohol beers,

in HL/hr but with the semi automation (so we can run

which has been taking up more and more of their

over night and during the day) massively decreases the

contract brewing capacity, and accounts for a majority of

labour intensity of the filtering and means there are no

new enquiries.

consumables such as filter sheets. Set up and clean down

Nathan, the packaging manager is responsible for processing beer into bottle, cask and keg and more

times are improved also.”

Crossflow filtration works like a bypass – with beer

recently can, through variable filtration parameters. He

gently recirculated through the porous membranes and

used to do so with an 80 plate sheet filter from V-Brew.

back to the pump inlet. The “clean” filtrate passes the

The Plate filter replaced an earth filter which was sold to

membrane, due to a pressure difference, and the beer in

a Vineyard in Devon in 2014 following a decision by the

the system gets more and more turbid.

brewing team that said kit was messy, expensive and

brewersjournal.info

In the wine industry, its common to program a

November 2019

61

Fo cu s

f i ltrat i on

“discharge” cycle. This empties the system of the wine

Great Yorkshire Brewery: A busy, working operation

with accumulating turbidity and starts filtration with fresh wine - the discharged wine is sent to a small process tank for filtration later. This greatly increases the performance of the filter.

With beer filtration, to perform a “discharge”, a

also available to cope with very heavily hopped beers.

It’s an odd quirk of cross flow filtration that the smaller the pore (typically .2 Micron), the more efficient the filtration.

complicated gas management system is usually needed

This is because the product moves tangentially, and

to process beer under pressure. But in the UK it’s more

the larger pores present a rougher surface and become

common to process beer under atmospheric pressure

blocked more quickly than the smooth surface of smaller

and the Romfil was able to run with discharge and without

pores. The beer crossflow has been developed to work

the gas management system. A cheaper endeavour.

with larger pores (0.6 Micron Nominal) and this is to

Golden Ales and Lagers run at 30HL per hour plus, and

maintain the levels of foam positive proteins in the beer.

around 20HL for heavily dry-hopped beers.

Great Yorkshire’s busy contract brewing and packing

0.6 Micron is not regarded as sterile, and if a sterile product is required, an absolute “police” filter cartridge

business means that a spare tank for racking is rarely

should be fitted prior to the packing line. This police filter

available, so the crossflow was expected to cope with

will have a very long life and possibly will be smaller that

beer taken from the partial take of an unracked tank. This

usually used because when tested under the microscope

did mean some extra settling time was required for the

it was not possible to detect any yeast cells in beer post

heavily dry-hopped beers.

crossflow.

Romfil’s lees filter, designed to recover expensive wine

Great Yorkshire always welcome visitors, whether its to

from yeast slurry, is currently being tested in the recovery

speak about contract brewing or packing, or just to take a

of IPA from hop slurry. An automated sieve manifold is

look at their new toy.

62

November 2019

Brewers Journal

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65

date s

&

e v e nt s

events 5 December 2019 - 8 December 2019

Falcon beer festival The Falcon, Huntingdon www,falconhuntingdon.co.uk 16 January 2020 - 18 January 2020

Elysian Winter beer festival The Maltings, Ely www.elycamrabeerfest.com/ The Brewers Congress takes place later this month

23 January 2020 - 25 January 2020

(November 28th) in Westminster, London. Returning to The

Manchester beer & cider festival

Insititution of Civil Engineers, it's a day packed with talks,

Manchester Central www.mancbeerfest.uk

networking opportunities, a tradeshow and great beer.

February 2020 11 November 2019 - 15 November 2019

Brewers Lectures, Leeds

pBC Brewing course

Leeds, TBC lectures.brewersjournal.info

Foundary Business Park, Salford www.pbcbreweryinstallations.com

4 February 2020 - 8 February 2020 22 November 2019 - 23 November 2019

Great British Beer Festival, Birmingham

dark & wild city

The New Bingley Hall www.winter.gbbf.org.uk

Northern Monk Refectory, Leeds www.northernmonk.com

13 February 2020 - 15 February 2020 22 November 2019 - 23 November 2019

love beer london

otley beer festival

London, TBC www.siba.co.uk

Otley Rugby Club, Cross Green, Otley, West Yorkshire www.otleybeerfestival.co.uk

19 February 2020 - 22 February 2020 28 November 2019

Chelmsford Winter Beer Festival

brewers congress

King Edward VI Grammar School www.chelmsfordbeerandciderfestivals.org.uk

One Great George Street, Westminster, London congress.brewersjournal.info

March 2020 28 November 2019 - 30 November 2019

Brewers Lectures, Norwich

rotherham beer festival

Norwich, TBC lectures.brewersjournal.info

The Trades, Greasbrough Rd, Rotherham www.rotherhamcamra.org.uk

9 April 2020 - 11 April 2020

celtic beer festival

Isle of Man Beer Festival, Winter Beer Festival

St Austell Brewery, Cornwall www.staustellbrewery.co.uk

The Royal Hall, Douglas http://www.iombeerfestival.com/

30 November 2019

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November 2019

Brewers Journal