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SHOWCASE Production Equipment
Hard Seltzer has a ‘Ride’ at Allendale Brewery
A former lead smelting mill located on the banks of the river Allen in the North Pennines is the home of pioneering Allendale Brewery, which has start producing and canning its new brand ‘RIDE’ Hard Seltzers in house, using equipment supplied by Enterprise Tondelli.
The hard seltzer success story is a masterclass in savvy branding. Having burst onto the scene in 2016, in just three years hard seltzers have become the fastest-growing alcoholic drinks category in the US, with the sector predicted to be worth US$2.5 billion by 2021 and due to triple in size by 2023.
After hearing from some friends in the United States about an amazing new drink that was taking the country by storm, Tom and Lucy Hick of Allendale Brewery thought ‘we have to try this’. The drink in questions was Hard Seltzer: a refreshing, natural fruit flavoured, alcoholic sparkling water which is low in calories, gluten free and vegan friendly, and not sweet and sugary! At the time there was none available in the UK, so they had some sent over from Miami and as soon as they tasted it, they were sold!
That first box did not last long! In fact, they thought it was so good they should have a go at making their own. And so, Ride Drinks was born. Alcoholic sparkling water with a hint of natural fruit flavours, no artificial flavourings or sweeteners, just refreshing and delicious and with only 86 calories! Black cherry, Persian lime, Mango and Passion fruit and Blood Orange are now-available in eye-catching 330 ml sleek cans.
The natural package for the hard seltzer is a can, which has many environmental benefits. To have control of the entire process in terms of quality control and production flexibility and to allow both the new Hard Seltzer and Allendale’s existing range of craft beers to be canned in-house, a new canning line was purchased from Enterprise Tondelli.
The new can line includes a rotary counter pressure can filler from Cimec, Italy. The six filling head and single head seamer are monobloced on a stainless steel base frame. On the worm screw of the can filler CO2 is used to pre-purge the cans of air followed by purging as the cans are sealed against the filing valve on the carousel. The purging CO2 is from a separate manifold to ensure the CO2 is always fresh – a feature normally only found on the very large can fillers. Using a counter pressure filling valve evolved from a long established bottle valve ensures dissolved oxygen control and allows high carbonation products to be filled. The seaming chucks are made by a specialist company and are mounted on a turret what is controlled by an inverter controlled motor with a mechanical cam to ensure repeatable seaming. A controlled area for liquid Nitrogen injection for still products was also incorporated. To complete the Enterprise supply, a conveyor system and ink jet coder were also supplied.
Tom said, “I first met Craig Wilson from Enterprise in 2009 and he has followed our project for us. As we are a smaller brewery the attention to detail, long experience of Enterprise and flexibility has been very helpful. The new canning line is also very simple to use and when things go wrong it’s not rocket science to fix. The level of support from the manufacturer has also been excellent.“
filler/seamers only or as part of a complete can line supply.
For further information: www.enterprisetondelli.co.uk
Mill orders for Alan Ruddock
It’s business as usual for Alan Ruddock Engineering Ltd, which has recently secured an order for a full malt intake installation, which is due to be undertaken before the end of 2020.
Prior to the Coronavirus Lockdown in the UK, the company exported two mills, one to Tasmania in Australia, and the other going to Japan. These both arrived in excellent condition and the company is currently awaiting feedback following installation. As lockdown began to ease the company has also been able to continue with the annual Service Rota throughout the UK, allowing equipment which has previously been supplied to be maintained in first class order.
Alan Ruddock Engineering offers a full range of precision mills, complimented by a bespoke malt intake system designed to individual requirements.
The brewery is now able to fill both Hard Seltzers in 330 ml sleek cans as well as beers in 330ml and 440ml standard cans, and even 250ml slim for the flexibility to can ready to drink cocktails in the future, using charge parts.
Established over 40 years ago, Enterprise Tondelli supplies craft can fillers at 1,500 and 3,000 cans per hour including depalletiser, can rinser, labeller etc, to make a complete line. There is also a range of high-speed flow meter can fillers from 12,000-80,000 cph as
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For further information: www.brewing-equipment.co.uk
BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn/Winter 2020/21
