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ISSN 2398-2489
Autumn 2021 Issue 21 September • October November The Products & Services Magazine for the UK’s Drinks Production Industry
In this issue.... SHOWCASE
Bottling & Canning Equipment
Pages 22-29
SHOWCASE
Bar & Cellar
Pages 12-21
FOCUS
UK Distilling
Pages 30-37
Plus all the latest products & services news from the UK drinks industry’s supply chain
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WELCOME TO
The Products & Services Magazine for the UK Drinks Production Industry ISSN 2398-2489
Autumn 2021 Issue 21
ALWAYS IN PRINT & ONLINE
September •October • November
Special Features In This Issue...
Published by freerbutler limited PO Box 9666 • Nottingham NG10 9BY United Kingdom Tel: 0115 8 549 349 brewingbusiness.co.uk
SHOWCASES In this issue.... Bar & Cellar
Pages 12-21
Cover Picture: Courtesy of ENTERPRISE TONDELLI
l Drinks fonts, taps, beer engines, pump clips & lens, and also bar runners, anything on the bar! l Promotional branded glassware for the retail market. l Back-bar equipment and services.l Cellar equipment and services, including stillaging and cooling.
Bottling & Canning Equipment
Pages 22-29
l New and pre-owned bottling & canning equipment available in the UK. l Companies that will install your equipment and work with you in commissioning and initial production, in addition to providing tuition.
FOCUS
UK Distilling
Pages 30-37
l A look at the UK spirits market.
...and our regular columnists BFBi C.E.O. Ruth Evans MBE, former SIBA C.E.O. Julian Grocock, Alan Powell, founder of the British Distillers Alliance, plus award-winning beer writers Adrian Tierney-Jones and Stephen Beaumont
Brewing & Beverage Industries Business is a quarterly ‘Supply Chain’ magazine targeting the UK drinks production industry. If your company supplies products and services to brewers, distillers, cider makers, etc, then this is the platform for you.
Magazine Editor Chris Freer Digital Editor Simon Butler
For editorial or advertising enquiries, call the Editor on the office number or e-mail:
chris@brewingbusiness.co.uk
Our print circulation is audited and certified
Brewing & Beverage Industries Business magazine is an independent publication delighted to be a MEDIA PARTNER to
Representing the entire value chain supplying the Brewing, Food & Beverage Industry
Subscription is free and printed copies are mailed out throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland. If you are one of the very few UK brewers, distillers, or cider manufacturers, not receiving a regular copy, then please contact us today.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any other means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of freerbutler limited. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information in this publication is accurate and up-to-date, freerbutler limited does not take any responsibility for errors or omissions. Opinions expressed in editorial contributions to this publication are those of their respective authors and not necessarily shared by freerbutler limited.
© freerbutler limited 2021
freerbutler limited is a Supplier Associate member of
BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn 2021
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WORD FROM THE BFBi
Looking forward to seeing you Ruth Evans MBE
Photo by Gerardo Jaconelli
Will things ever return to some form of normal? Will we ever have an idea of what is happening beyond a week from today? As a membership and eventsbased organisation, the past 18 months have been beyond challenging and it is only due to the loyalty of our members and industry that we are still here.
How long can we all hold on? We have all pivoted so much we are dizzy; those who have been on furlough are frustrated at not being able to contribute and hoping that their jobs are still there; those who have worked throughout the pandemic are mentally exhausted.
With Government financial support coming to an end, how long will it be before industry is expected to repay the hole in the Chancellor’s coffers? Will we be able to tap into the new Government agenda of “Build Back Better” or the 10 point plan for a “Green Industrial Revolution”? I don’t know the answer to those questions and assume that Government will be wanting its money back sooner rather than later. One thing I do know is that
our industry has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic but also has proven itself to be one of the most resilient. Another thing I know is that, in general, our industry is the most supportive, collaborative and engaged.
I truly believe that sharing experiences and knowledge makes us stronger and I cannot wait to meet up face-to-face at the events we and other industry bodies are looking forward to organising. It is at these events, whether they be social or professional, that we meet new people, exchange thoughts, cement ideas, build long-lasting relationships.
It is tempting to remain in a Zoom/Teams world. It saves time and money BUT virtual meetings do not replace the trust and loyalty developed via face-to-face meetings. Body language, eye contact and tone of voice can be misunderstood in a virtual meeting. And, at the end of the day, you cannot truly share a beer/G&T/whatever your
BFBi annual Trade Directory 2021/2 issue soon! The most authoritative directory of the UK food & drinks market available
The directory is free-of-charge to all drinks manufacturers and BFBi members
For details of how to obtain a copy, please contact
admin@bfbi.org.uk
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favourite tipple is, across the internet.
So – I hope to see you at our National Lunch in September or our Western Seminar & Lunch in October or our Midland Lunch in November or SIBA’s BeerX in March 2022 or our BevExpo event in June 2022…… In short, I look forward to the normal that is our industry meeting up at one of the many face-to-face events that enable us to share our experiences and knowledge, whilst making new contacts and strengthening existing relationships
Ruth Evans MBE, BFBi C.E.O.
Established in 1907, BFBi’s membership represents the entire value chain supplying the brewing and beverage industry – from seed geneticists through raw materials, brewhouse and process equipment to dispense, point-of-sale and brewers/distillers. The Association’s objective is to be the foremost trade association providing opportunities for its Members to develop within the brewing, food & beverage industry. As well as offering many benefits and services to suppliers of raw materials, process and packaging machinery, dispense and point of sale products, BFBi is a Trade Challenge Partner for various overseas exhibitions and owner and organiser of the oldest international brewing and cider Awards in the world.
SEE PAGE 66 FOR MORE INFO
BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn 2021
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CALLED TO THE BAR
A ‘foreign country’ we should visit more often
Adrian Tierney-Jones
I got a press release the other day. Here is a paragraph from it.
‘Jamie Allsopp, seven times great grandson of pioneering brewer Samuel Allsopp, isn’t just picking up where his ancestors left off. He’s fulfilling a lifelong dream of restoring the ales that made his family’s name, to their former glory. A dream of brewing beer that actually tastes like beer, for a generation thirsty for the real thing.’
The release goes onto say that how with the use of a surviving ledger of his family’s original recipes and the help of a Burton-style brewing expert, Allsopp has had a Pale Ale and IPA brewed. I was also sent a bottle of each. Apart from the wincing bit about beer tasting like beer used to taste, I was very interested in trying the beers. However, the first thought that came to me was did I ever drink Allsopp’s IPA? Initially I thought not as it seemed to be a beer that belonged to a long ago era, but flicking through Ian Webster’s very entertaining The Story of the Hand, a history of Ind Coope & Samuel Allsopp’s, I realised I might have at least tasted its ghost. According to Webster, the IPA was last brewed under that name in the 1930s. Then it became Double Diamond, which in my early teens was one of the first beers that I ever tasted, though I presume the recipe would have gone through many changes by then. Naturally I wasn’t taking tasting notes but I do vaguely recall a sweet maltiness similar to the malt extract my mother used to give me when I was young. Reading on, I discovered further changes. The company merged with Ind Coope in the 1930s, with its name being dropped at the end of the 1950s. Finally, Ind Coope was enveloped by Allied Breweries during the great brewing ram raids of the 1970s.
Before reading Webster’s book, I had heard the name of course. It was one of Burton’s most famous breweries, and its offices and brewery, standing like a solid fortress, can still be seen close to the railway station. However, for all intents and purposes it was just another name from Burton’s illustrious past such as William Bass, Thomas Salt and William Worthington. However, we live in exciting times for beer and the name has been brought back to life by Jamie Allsopp.
This is the latest revival/recreation in British beer, in which brands of the past have been brought back and in some cases polished up for the craft beer generation, part of which does seem to have a thirst for the past (according to Wikipedia, in 2018 Brewdog’s James Watt declared that the brewery were hoping to recreate the original Allsopp’s IPA, which obviously seems to have not happened). The great folk devil of the 1970s, Watneys’, has also been resurrected (at least its name, that is, as Red Barrel isn’t anywhere to be seen), while Truman’s in London is making excellent beers as is Lacon’s in Great Yarmouth (try their magnificent Audit Ale).
In the past I have pondered on the point of these beer revivals, wondering if they are a sign of the return of beer culture’s once dominant and wilful nostalgia. When I first started writing on the subject in the late 1990s, there were still a few breweries that turned to the past to sell their beers. Wye Valley, for instance, had the retro pin-up Dorothy Goodbody (hard to imagine it these days), while I recall a couple of beers from Caledonian being branded with an old style drawing of the brewery and a horse drawing a cart loaded with barrels. As the nowforgotten writer LP Hartley once wrote, ‘The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there’. It certainly has been a seductive place when it comes to selling beer.
However, I think there is something different about the return of Allsopp’s. For a start the original recipes have been used, a practice that a few still extant family breweries have been digging up, Burke and Hare style, in the past few years. Fuller’s had Past Masters, while Hook Norton, Shepherd Neame and Greene King have rooted around in their archives. The results have been excellent, so it was with great anticipation I turned to
Beer Writer Of The Year 2017 • Best Beer Writer, National Media 2019
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tasting the Allsopp beers. I was not disappointed.
The Pale Ale was a clean and clear copper colour, with citrusy and spicy hop bursts on the nose and light fruity esters, alongside hints of green apple. It was light in its body, refreshing, crisp, with some biscuity malt alongside a tangy bitterness in the finish. The malt came forward more as the beer warmed up. It was not particularly complex but easy to drink.
However, when it came to the IPA, this was a masterpiece. Copper-mahogany in colour (or looking like an Alt according to the brewer friend I was tasting it with), it had aromatics of spiciness, a suggestion of tobacco, a plum crumble fruitiness and hints of light toffee. On the palate there was caramel, toffee, citrus, an eloquent mid palate bittersweetness followed by a sharp, lingering almost peppery bitterness in the finish. It was vivid in its appeal to my palate. The past might be a foreign country but maybe it is somewhere we should visit more often.
Adrian Tierney-Jones
Voted ‘Beer Writer of the Year 2017’ by the British Guild of Beer Writers, Adrian Tierney-Jones is a freelance journalist whose work also appears in the Daily Telegraph, Original Gravity, Daily Star and Beer Magazine amongst many others. He’s been writing books since 2002 and they include West Country Ales, Great British Pubs, Britain’s Beer Revolution (co-written with Roger Protz) London Local Pubs and his latest The Seven Moods of Craft Beer; general editor of 1001 Beers To Try Before You Die and contributor to The Oxford Companion to Beer, World Beer and 1001 Restaurants You Must Experience Before You Die. Chair of Judges at the World Beer Awards and also on the jury for several other competitions, Occasionally blogs at
http://maltworms.blogspot.co.uk
BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn 2021
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LETTER FROM NORTH AMERICA
A Word About Beer Styles Stephen Beaumont
Sometime in mid-1989, I conjured up an ingenious if, at the time, somewhat unlikely means of earning a living: I was going to write about beer! It was, I figured, a reasonable enough idea, since others, well, one other, the late and inestimable Michael Jackson, was already so doing, and what we then called microbreweries seemed to be popping up all over Canada at the time.
Two years and many, many tasting notes later, I wrote the first instalment of what went on to become a three year, bi-weekly column in Canada’s largest circulation newspaper, The Toronto Star. In prepping for my literary debut, I studied beer like a doctoral candidate readying for their dissertation, reading books, sampling beers critically rather than for enjoyment, and crucially, learning everything I could about beer styles.
Beer styles were important because they were quite literally the only way to get early 1990s readers to understand what I was writing about. People then knew what ‘beer’ meant, which was primarily mainstream brands that had spent the last couple of decades devolving towards a less flavourful and more marketing driven norm, and might, just might get that such beers were of a class called ‘lager.’ Try explaining anything else without first establishing a style and what it meant and you were charging headlong into confusion — and, importantly for this young writer, the almost certain cancellation of one’s column!
Beer styles were, as Tim Webb and I put in bold type many years later in the third and latest edition of our World Atlas of Beer, “an informal agreement between a brewer and a consumer, expressed through a term on a label, by which the former tells the latter roughly what sort of beer they have tried to make.” Except, back then, it was a bit more formal than informal.
I’ve no idea how I might approach the same issue were I just starting to write about beer today.
If that agreement was semi-formal in the 1990s and informal in the 2010s,
it’s nigh on casual these days. I mean, bathing suit and flip-flops casual. So casual as to be almost entirely useless, in fact.
Take the craft beer world’s number one style, for example. In the 1980s and ‘90s, long before it became the go-to for a generation of brewers, an IPA was fairly easy to define, regardless of whether it was crafted in its traditional English form or more modern and then still developing American iteration: Somewhat to significantly stronger and hoppier than its pale ale kin, and often lighter in colour.
Put in terms the average imbiber could then understand, if you liked pale ale or best bitter but craved more of what made those beers distinctive, IPA was for you! Today, we see IPA assume all sorts of diverse and frequently discordant guises. There is the Session IPA, of course, which swaps out strength but maintains an often abrasive bitterness, the hoppy porter-IPA hybrid known as Black IPA, and the Fruit IPA, which softens the bitterness with sweet fruitiness or agitates it with citrusy acidity. Then there is the New England IPA, or as I like to term it, the Neepa, with dense, sometimes turbid cloudiness, big olfactory impact from the hops, and quite often little to negligible bitterness. And don’t get me started on Sour or Milkshake IPAs, respectively adding sourness or sweetness to a style that is supposed to be defined by its bitterness. IPA is the worst offender in style dilution, but by no means is it alone. Over the months and years recently
BEST BEER & TRAVEL WRITER 2017
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passed, I have sampled Berliner Weisses so infused with fruit that they reminded me of the descriptively named childhood candy, Sweet Tarts, confectionary Stouts that resembled more a syrup-filled Starbucks creation than anything beer-like, and Pilsners barely a hop cone removed from Budweiser or Carling.
None of this is to decry creativity in brewing, which is, after all, the whole reason microbrewing/craft brewing took off in the first place. But while some might suggest that ‘style creep’ such as that noted above is essential to the further growth of the craft beer market, I believe it is equally valid to propose that when a consumer repeatedly buys beer expecting one thing and receives another, they might the next time be more inclined to opt for a tried-and-true international brand than anything from a craft brewery. ‘Once bitten, twice shy’ is how the saying goes, and when, say, an IPA of indeterminant character is doing the biting, that resulting shyness could ultimately prove detrimental to not only the future of the brewery that made the beer, but also to that of the craft segment as a whole.
Stephen Beaumont
A professional beer writer for 30 years, Stephen Beaumont is an award-winning author or co-author of fourteen books on beer, including his latest solo work, Will Travel for Beer: 101 Remarkable Journeys Every Beer Lover Should Experience, and the fully revised, rewritten and updated third edition of The World Atlas of Beer, co-authored with Tim Webb and available now. Stephen can be found online at beaumontdrinks.com and on both Instagram and Twitter @BeaumontDrinks
BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn 2021
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SHOWCASE Bar & Cellar
We asked companies supplying the following products and services to let us know something about themselves.... l Drinks fonts, taps, beer engines, pump clips & lens, and also bar runners, anything on the bar! l Back-bar equipment and services. l Promotional branded glassware for the retail market. l Cellar equipment and services, including stillaging and cooling.
LemonTop challenged to a game of Four Quarters!
Four Quarters is a chain of bars dotted around London who cater for those who love retro arcade machines and good beer. As soon as the brief came in to LemonTop Creative, memories of being utterly rubbish at the likes of OutRun, Chase HQ, Streetfighter, Sega Rally and thousands of other games which swallowed money like PacMan noms pills, came flooding back.
Four Quarters required a tap badge for its own-label Pale Ale that was being brewed in collaboration with Sharps Brewery from Cornwall, so the challenge was to create a badge that would fit in perfectly with the bar and, hopefully, be a talking point in itself.
We heavily researched the visual style of the games of that era – late 70s through to late 80s – especially the typography and the pixelated graphical style – a style that recently come back into fashion. Four Quarters own logo – which nods so furiously to Super Mario it’s almost headbanging – plus mind-maps and furious scribbling led to a few design options that elicited great responses. The final design took the theme and style elements from Space Invaders but with
an extruded twist and a hint of negative space.
With this tap badge we had to consider the theme of the bars, the type of arcade machines therein, the awareness of the patrons regarding the stylings of the ages of games. It had to be done in a way that referenced something broad and well known, generic and not Lvl 20 Geek, while being innovative and intelligent. The clients were also keen to utilise parts of their primary and
secondary palettes.
The finished pump clip fits the theme of Four Quarters perfectly uniting the retro arcade stylings with the contemporary surroundings. It was easy, also, to install the colour palettes of Four Quarters into the design as it added to, rather than take away from the visuals.
For further information: www.lemontopcreative.com hello@lemontopcreative.com
Draught beer post-Lockdown trend report issued Micro Matic, global leader in the supply of keg spears, couplers and dispensing solutions to the brewing industry, recently commissioned research into the draught beer market as the industry navigates its way out of the pandemic.
As the light at the end of the tunnel for the brewery industry becomes brighter and vaccination programs progress, restaurants and bars are looking forward to an increase in thirsty patrons.
However, we should not forget that breweries have suffered greatly during the pandemic, most especially in draft beer sales.
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As a result of easing of restrictions and changes to the market, Micro Matic has already seen a significant increase in demand for alternative solutions in a number of areas. Repeated enquiries from patrons and publicans alike call for more reliable, yet simplified dispensing technology, an expanded selection of draft beers in addition to other beverages served on tap, including nonalcoholic beers and other non-alcoholic beverages.
Another trend highlighted in the report is a move towards smaller kegs in many countries because they are lighter and easier to handle with ergonomic benefits for all who work along the supply chain.
They are also perfect for pouring beer on tap in pop up venues or even at home. Moreover, the latest dispensing innovations enable bars and restaurants to offer a greater variety of craft draft beers to adapt to the new post-pandemic world that we can now see ahead. The study, prepared by Dr. Johannes Tippmann, examines these trends in more detail alongside changes in consumer lifestyles and expectations as we emerge through the pandemic. If you are interested in reading the full report, please contact thu@micro-matic.lu
For further information: www.micro-matic.co.uk
BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn 2021
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SHOWCASE Bar & Cellar
Rankin for the forest Rankin is delighted to announce that it has gained FSC® certification.
What does this mean? In brief, the certification is given to brands that not only ‘talk the talk’ but also ‘walk the walk’ when it comes to environmentally sustainable working practices. Since the 1800’s the Rankin family has cared for
some 4,500 acres of forestry in Portugal and we are committed to managing the forests in a manner which is ecologically, economically and socially sustainable.
“This certification marks another major milestone in our Project NOVA pathway toward a more sustainable future. We now aim to go even further in supporting sustainable forestry, and the climate benefits they bring, as we partner to create a net-positive supply system that puts more into society and the environment than it takes out,” said Jim
Rankin (pictured). “Well done to everyone at team RANKIN who had a hand in making all this possible!”
For further information: www.rankincork.co.uk
Is your pub paying attention to dispense By Curtis Paxman, MD of Brewfitt Ltd
When it comes to running a pub there’s a fine line between success and failure. Everything needs to be considered and scrutinised; from the pub location, size, the age and state of repair, to the style and feel and everything else in between.
Striking the right balance between what is economically viable for the operator, what is attractive to the customer and creating your identity is challenging at the best of times but what if one of the key opportunities has been staring us in the face all along?
In 2019, according to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), there were 47,200 public houses in the UK. 23,400 of these pubs were independent, 13,900 are owned by Pub Companies, and 9,900 were owned by breweries. The statistics don’t tell the full story however, with many of the independents utilising the services of major brewers for their dispense equipment, often agreeing to earmark a significant proportion, if not all, of the tap allocation to dispense the brewers product. Initially the dispense system installed seems to be mutually beneficial. The operator can enjoy a perceived lower initial outlay, coupled with the reassurance of a major brewer backed system. Whilst the brewer has capitalised on tap points of their products.
THE CHALLENGE The modern pub and bar has evolved tremendously over recent years but it hasn’t always reacted quickly enough to capitalise on changing consumer habits.
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With the explosion of the craft beer, draught cocktails and creative soft drinks markets over the last 10 years and a demand for more variety, it highlights how consumer trends have shifted and how pubs are failing to react to capture these audiences. In most cases this is through no fault of their own but rather a consequence of circumstance. With many venues being tied to a major brewers system, they are unable to adapt and change their product offering, including product and brands outside the brewers remit. This can leave venues struggling to attract new customers and differentiate from other venues.
THE CHOICES So what does this all mean for pubs, and what they can do? A venue has to look at their own circumstances and consider how they will achieve their goals. Do they want a system that is controlled by a major brewer or should they consider an independent system installed by a company who can tailor requirements to exactly what the bar needs and where they can source their own beer, draught cocktails and soft drinks? The benefit of stamping their own identity on what they serve whilst considering sustainability, environmental and energy consumption are major influences too, as well as serving a first glass drink.
There are strong cases for each system and thought needs to be put into the purpose of the venue and the type of customers it wishes to attract. Often publicans are quick to consider cost to be a deciding factor and although the
initial outlay can seem cheaper with a brewery system, applying further thought to the long term costs can often return figures that are similar, if not more, than an independent system without the benefits. Thought must be put into new and innovative revenue streams whilst guaranteeing quality dispense and great profit margins all of which can be gained by not only beer and some great brands but the development of draught cocktails and creative soft brands with increased customer variety can bring a new dimension to the bar & pub, all of which should be in the mix as a consideration. The universal rule for any business is to go back to basics. Consider the market, how it is behaving, and how it is projected to look in the future and build your business around that to maximise the chances of success. The future of dispense is in your hands For advice on all areas of dispense, speak to the experts at Brewfitt. A family run business we are pioneers of the original beer cooler and Future of Dispense system. Our dispense systems cover beer, cocktails and all other scenarios. We can advise you from anything from full installations to branded fonts and more.
Curtis Paxman is Managing Director of Brewfitt Ltd. Established for over 60 years, this family-owned business specialises in pub and bar dispense equipment and were pioneers of the original beer cooler.
For further information: www.brewfitt.com
BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn 2021
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SHOWCASE Bar & Cellar
New warehousing and direct despatch services from The Cotton Textile Company The Cotton Textile Company has had an exciting 2021 thus far, doubling warehouse capacity and increasing decoration facilities, and the company is showing no sign of slowing down.
The latest embroidery and printing equipment created a new division, The Garment Company. As a result, new additions Graham Green and Caroline Fryd lead and increase our UK decorating and direct despatch facilities.
Kirsty Small, the new Marketing Manager, has refreshed the company’s marketing and digital profile. The team has also benefitted from its first apprentice, Freddie Foster, learning vital trade skills for the future.
Sales Director, Richard King, says, "It’s amazing to see how our team has stood up to the challenges of the last year, diversifying and creating solutions for our clients to help them through their challenges and seizing opportunities at the same time".
Head of Production and Operations, Sam Webb, says, "Our team is spread across many locations: Essex, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Turkey and, so the need for remote working over the last year or so was not a new challenge for us. There are several reasons we have continued to operate over this period, and the strength of our team was primary. Now we are planning for a
long overdue get-together".
The Cotton Textile Company is on the rise. Look out for planned Autumn developments.
Members of the team are pictured above
For further information: www.thecottontextilecompany.co.uk
Bar products service tailored to your requirements Established in 1965, Booth Dispensers offers a full range of cooling solutions. At our UK facility we design and manufacture in-house, using state-of-the-art technology to exceed the highest standards.
Globally, the company provides innovative cooling solutions for the brewing, soft drinks, water and vending industries. As a leading independent UK manufacturer in our field, we pride ourselves on our friendly and flexible approach. Through solid market research and teamwork, we keep an eye out for future trends and develop new ideas. We take great pride in getting to know our customers and fully understanding their needs.
We offer a variety of custom repairs as part of our remanufacturing service that is entirely tailored to your specifications. As
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a business advisor for restaurant owners, landlords of pubs, and many others, we have worked with clients throughout the industry. In addition to an exceptional service built around your needs, we will work within your budget.
We provide a reliable delivery service throughout the UK using our very own fleet of vans.
With an exhaustive inventory of essential bar products and accessories at our fingertips and the backing of renowned refrigeration and vending experts, Booth has the expertise and the resources to deliver reliable, cost-effective solutions right to your door.
If you are looking for a one-stop shop
for all your dispense requirements, why not give us a quick call, we have a fully trained and dedicated support team available to help with your enquiries as well as a brand new ecommerce website with industry beating features to make placing your orders as easy as possible.
For further information: www.booth-dispensers.co.uk
BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn 2021
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SHOWCASE Bar & Cellar
Can installing beer line cleaning systems really save craft brewers money? As the hospitality industry slowly regains its status quo after a tumultuous time, spending money and investing in equipment for the taproom and bar may be the last thing on a craft brewers’ mind especially given the ongoing challenges around staff shortages, deliveries and other covid-related issues
Occasionally though, investing in gamechanging equipment or tech can lead to cost savings as well as other benefits.
At Beer Piper, we pride ourselves on being a true partner to landlords, bar managers and craft brewers, because as well as providing substantial cost savings - our systems can also ensure clean lines that guarantee perfect pints and free up time for busy staff members who would usually clean beer lines manually - something that is often time consuming and laborious.
Our latest beer line cleaning system - the BP4 - is the first of its kind in the UK. It ensures that beer lines are cleaned to extremely high standards at regular intervals with environmentally-friendly chemicals, something that is of utmost importance during the current Covidconcerned climate. It also utilises the latest app-based technology.
Pre-pandemic, a large, busy seaside bar called The Marine Boathouse in Skegness, Lincs, installed the BP4 system and trialled the new mobile app. Landlady Jessica Gillison noted huge savings in both time and money. She said: “Before we started using the Beer Piper systems, we used to start work at around 5am most mornings to perform ‘traditional’ line cleans. Our main bar has 24 lines in total, and the other bars have another 40 lines between them, and they all needed cleaning on a weekly basis to ensure that we served quality beer to our customers at all times.
“The main bar alone took two hours to clean, as we used to have to pull each individual line through, leave for 45 minutes and then pull it all off to water. After we pulled it off to water we would have to rehook the barrels and then pull
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the beer through. This system was very time consuming for our bar managers.
“Within the first quarter after installing the system, we noticed that the waste had dropped from our main bar by 75% which was very pleasing. We estimate this to have saved us over £5,000.”
The mobile app controls, tracks and reports line cleans in real time - making beer line cleaning easy, accurate and fast. The BP4 system’s cloud-based technology logs when and who cleans the lines, and allows bar managers access to real time data as and when they need it, via the web-based portal and the handy app which can be quickly downloaded onto a phone or tablet. The interactive tech helps to improve accountability, which in turn makes running the bar more efficient - something that is increasingly important for the hospitality industry as a whole, especially at this time.
As well as saving time and money, installing Beer Piper systems can also critically - help craft brewers to preserve the taste of their beers and ales. The quality of beer can be hugely affected if lines are not cleaned properly, or if they are cleaned with second rate systems or products. With the craft beer boom instilling a renewed passion in the nation’s beer drinking community, and with consumers having to be very selective about where they spend their money given the recent circumstances, pulling the perfect pint, every time, has never been more important.
A recent study of landlords and bar owners by Beer Piper has found that almost 67% are reviewing their beer range as a result of premiumisation, with just under 60% adding and investing in new ales, and 59% doing the same for craft beers. Despite Brits being kept away from their
favourite pubs and bars for the best part of the last 18 months,, they are still looking for quality serves now that they can enjoy their favourite establishments again. According to the research, almost seven in 10 landlords and bar owners say their beer offering is of critical importance to their venue, and almost 80% said that the beer quality is critical to their punters.
It’s clear from the results that Brits are looking for absolute perfection when it comes to beer, and landlords and bar owners are looking for ways to provide it. To pull the perfect pint, we always advise landlords to ensure that their beer lines are cleaned regularly using the proper cleaning solutions to ensure that serve quality is the best it can be. This will make sure that drinkers return for more as they can enjoy the beers of their choice served at the right temperature, in the correct glassware and from spotlessly clean beer lines at all times. The passion poured out by craft and artisan ale brewers is insurmountable, so the quality needs to be kept up from barrel to glass. To find out more about how Beer Piper and the new BP4 system and mobile app can save you money, save waste and make life easier behind the bar, visit our website or call the team for a chat about your requirements.
For further information: www.beerpiper.co.uk
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SHOWCASE Bar & Cellar
Eco-friendly promotional flooring solutions that last! First impressions are so important, especially in the leisure and hospitality industry and that’s one of the reasons that so many venues have utilised the recent lockdowns as an opportunity to refresh their premises for when they could welcome clients back and re-open their doors.
In addition to attractive signage, branded welcome mats are an effective way to keep venues clean and safe, whilst also providing an on-brand welcome for visitors.
Purple Mustard Ltd. offers a large range of customisable floor mats in a choice of custom or standard size options which are available from just 1 unit; making them accessible to venues of all sizes.
Interestingly, the European-made flooring range now also includes several environmentally friendly solutions that contain up to 100% recycled content in
their surface material, making them both stain resistant and a great choice for boosting your green credentials too.
Julie Jones, Head of Sales at Purple Mustard adds, “We produce a host of promotional and message floor mats suited to both interior and exterior use at any venue.
“We often work with clients to match the right flooring solutions to meet their individual needs and as we can produce custom mats from just one unit, we often mix and match items in the range to create a unique flooring package, tailored to their individual premises.
“Many of our clients also love that two of our bestselling entrance mats, the ColorStar and our newly launched
Berber Impressions, have such strong eco credentials too. This allows brands to purchase promotional solutions that also align with their own environmental objectives too.
“For more information on any of our range, our helpful Team are always on hand to assist brands with advice and free samples to help deliver the perfect flooring solutions for your business.”
For further information: www.purplemustard.com
Chemisphere teams up with Holchem to offer UK craft brewers a one-stop shop for hygiene Chemisphere UK has teamed up with Holchem Laboratories to supply a range of cleaning and hygiene products targeted at craft brewers.
A range of Holchem lines - including disinfectants for CIP cleaning, descaling and keg washing - is now available from Chemisphere UK’s website - which is already widely used by the UK On Trade.
Although Chemisphere UK already supplies cleaning detergents to breweries of all sizes throughout the UK, the Holchem collaboration enables UK brewers and smaller producers access to a broader portfolio of industry-leading detergents covering all aspects of hygiene from "Grain to Glass".
Glyn McCracken, Head of Brewery and Distributor Sales for Chemisphere UK, said: “The Holchem partnership means that smaller brewers and craft breweries with brewery taps can access a one-stop
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shop of great value, high quality products that look after all of their cleaning and hygiene requirements throughout the brewing process.
“With Chemisphere UK and Holchem both based in Greater Manchester, we are in a great position to supply and distribute Holchem products alongside our own dispense cleaning and warewashing ranges.
“We can react quickly to customer requirements and, as all the products are manufactured in the UK, we have minimised the risk of interruption to the supply chain for UK craft brewers and brewery taps.”
Glyn (pictured) continues: “Established in 1986, Chemisphere UK has built a reputation for manufacturing innovative and high quality cleaning products and this opportunity enables us to continue to grow our business providing unrivalled technical expertise and exceptional customer service.”
For further information: https://chemisphereuk.com/cip-range
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SHOWCASE Bottling & Canning Equipment We asked companies supplying the following products and services to let us know something about themselves.... l New and pre-owned bottling & canning equipment available in the UK. l Contract bottling & canning services l Companies that will install your equipment and work with you in commissioning and initial production, in addition to providing tuition.
Cask cans counter-pressure misconceptions As they expand into beverages other than beer, many craft brewers believe that a counterpressure canning system is required to meet the carbonation levels of seltzers and other higher carbonation beverages. But new market research from Cask Global Canning Solutions (the inventor of micro-canning for craft brewers) reveals that’s actually not the case.
According to Cask’s new Data Labs research, atmospheric canning systems from Cask are more than sufficient to reach the carbonation levels of hard seltzers, RTD cocktails and other canned products.
“The commercially available products analyzed,” Cask’s research found, “never exceeded 2.8 vol CO2 in-can, while craft beverages from Cask customers packaged on our in-line atmospheric filler ranged from 1.9-3.3 vol in-can.”
The mass-market products Cask tested for CO2 volumes (with an Anton Paar CboxQC) stretched from the popular White Claw and Truly hard seltzers to Perrier and RTD cocktails from Jack Daniels.
“Our research,” says Cask’s B.h. Jamison, “showed surprising results for the actual carbonation levels of some of the top-selling products now leading the canned beverage segment.”
and high-quality fills of a Cask system.”
“We’re making it easier,” Jamison says, “for beverage makers to create new products and revenue streams. They can package any beverage type, at any scale, while getting the small footprint
See the complete Cask Data labs carbonation research paper at : www.cask.com/2021/07/ data-labs-carbonation/
The findings mean craft beverage makers can achieve the needed carbonation volumes for a range of new products on a more affordable and compact in-line, non-counter-pressure canning system.
And as the Cask report concludes, for beverage makers wondering if they need a counter-pressure filler to can highcarbonation beverages, there’s an emphatic and clear answer: “No.”
BevTech supplies new GAI rotary canning line in UK Following the hugely successful launch of the linear MLE CAN 4441 and 6661 in 2019, Italian machinery manufacturer GAI has launched a 10 head rotary canning line. Using the same counterpressure filling system as the MLE line, the 3621FE-CAN minimises O2 pickup and preserves product quality while allowing users to process large volumes of product in a relatively compact area.
GAI prides itself on creating machines that are easy to use and adjust, giving optimum control to the operator. Its machines are simple and easy to use and clean. The gas purging system and counter pressure filling results in minimal O2 pick up, below 20ppb. The modular design and wide range of options allows machines to be customised according to the specific needs of the customer.
Machines are made of stainless steel and are robust and long lasting. Fair prices
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for spare parts and professional service ensure risk-free use over time and good value over the lifetime of the machine, are other benefits.
The strengths of the 3621FE-CAN include filling valves with electropneumatic volumetric operation, which not only ensures the lowest possible oxygen pick up, but makes effective sanitisation easy and thorough. All working parameters, such as pre-flow and can flushing, working pressure etc can be stored as “recipes” for different product types, making change-over quick and reducing losses. The presence of a flow meter allows the operator to easily adjust the volume of product going into the can. Similarly, the parameter for different can types can be stored on PLC enabling change over to take under 15 minutes.
In addition, online support from GAI and BevTech technicians means minimal
downtime if issues are encountered.
GAI has a longstanding working relationship with BevTech as its UK agents. BevTech works with a number of European manufacturers to supply a full installation service, including infeed solutions, gentle product flow, labelling solutions and ongoing servicing and technical support.
For further information: bevtech.co.uk
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SHOWCASE Bottling & Canning Equipment
Production pinch-points (or gaping holes) and how to approach We have been hearing, here at Vigo Ltd, from quite a few craft producers providing product in the small pack format (bottle, can or pouch) who can’t package product fast enough to fulfil orders, despite the economic and logistical challenges brought about by the pandemics.
The producers are from many drink sectors, including beer, cider, spirits, wine, kombucha, water kefir, sodas and RTD cocktails. ‘Shop local’ and consumer demand for ‘speciality’ seem to be key drivers. This is confirmed by research from Barclaycard Payments which identified a 63% increase in spend at specialist food and drink stores when comparing like for like data before the pandemic and during the Spring (2021) lockdown. Barclaycard define this as ‘a sustained shift in buying behaviours’ - a ‘lockdown legacy’ - and this behaviour is set to continue long after the restrictions lift; 91% of shop respondents who have been shopping closer to home said they will keep supporting smaller and independent (speciality) businesses even after all the restrictions end.
While these drivers have brought a huge boost to craft drink producers who already sell online and in retail in a small pack formats, it brings them face-to-face with a set of stressful production challenges, which can lead to them regularly packaging well into the night and at weekends to try and keep up. When packaging, whether via bottle, can or pouch, these pinch points can include:
Labour intensive processes - e.g., manual multi-stage packaging with separate stations for every part of the process, i.e., rinsing, filling, capping, [pasteurising], labelling & packing Disjointed processes - i.e., double handling of product during packaging, e.g., pasteurising then labelling after cooling Mismatched pieces of equipment - e.g., labelling or capping speeds mis-matched to the filling speed Equipment which is not/no longer up to the job - e.g., equipment with un-serviceable and worn spares that can’t be replaced; equipment which is unfit for purpose and requires servicing Equipment which is not fast enough, e.g. manual labelling holding up the process, pasteurisation causing a bottle neck in production.
Some producers face the barrier of being unable to package their product in other in-demand formats, whether can, pouch or bottle, exposing a gaping hole in the production process. They may rely heavily on contract packaging services and face long waiting lists due to the current demand for these services, or they may just want the flexibility and control of packaging in-house.
Any one of the above challenges can bring the producer to a pivotal stage where their current methods become major constraint to product sales and, in turn, the growth of their business.
If you face any of these problems, no matter what stage you are at, we invite you to give us a call to chat through your
current methods of production and where you need to be. Even if you haven’t decided what your next step will be, we’d really like to hear from you. If we are new to you, you won’t be aware that for 37 years we’ve been equipping drink producers with processing and packaging equipment. Here’s a summary of how we can help: • Help and advice to enable you to reduce labour, increase efficiency and improve capacity • Help & advice to enable you to package in new formats • Carefully chosen equipment from trusted manufacturers, including CIMEC, ABE, Technibag and Malek Brautech • Semi-automatic standalone equipment through to fully automatic bottling, canning, pouch/bag-in-box, kegging lines • Installation, commissioning & training by our engineering team (6 engineers & 2 apprentice engineers) • Service, maintenance & repair by our engineering team • Advice and aftercare for the lifetime of your line • Stock of key spare parts See our Case Studies online for some examples of the ways in which we’ve been helping drink producers with their processing and packaging equipment. We look forward to hearing about your aim to improve your packaging processes.
For further information: sales@vigoltd.com www.vigoltd.com
Harbour installs new can and bottle multi packer Harbour Brewing Co., the Cornwallbased brewery established in 2012, has grown from strength to strength and now exports beer all over the world.
Whilst the core focus for Harbour Brewing is supplying their Cornish beer to restaurants, they now supply to well-known supermarkets such as Marks & Spencer, Asda and Morrisons. After turning to Thornbridge Brewery for recommendation, Harbour contacted T. Freemantle Ltd to help the company meet the demand.
Eddie Lofthouse, chief at Harbour explained, “One of my main goals for the business is to become a B Corporation and
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we want to be as ethical as possible by reducing plastic and replacing it with fully recyclable alternatives such as cardboard as a result we opted for the T. Freemantle Ltd machine to help us achieve this.”
The new machine supplied by T. Freemantle Ltd, UK manufacturer of beverage multipack machines, is all geared around cardboard packaging.
The range on offer is designed specifically for the small to medium-sized beverage producer so suit the needs of a craft brewer perfectly. The highly-flexible machine can pack cans and bottles in a variety of counts and sizes, within a huge range of different cardboard pack designs.
Continued Eddie, “The service was great from buying right through to commissioning and although the machine hasn’t been in place for long, I am confident that it will do the job I bought it to do.”
For further information: www.tfreemantle.com
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SHOWCASE Bottling & Canning Equipment
Ska solution for Magic Rock Over the course of the last 10 years, UK brewery Magic Rock has gone from humble beginnings to being a true industry darling.
Co-founders Rich Burhouse and Stuart Ross found the inspiration for their dream brewery in both local tradition and the spirited craft beer scene in America combining their traditional Yorkshire cask brewing methods with the distinctive branding and personality made popular by the USA’s craft beer movement. “With the support of the beer community, in eight years Magic Rock has become one of the UK’s leading craft brewers, distributing across the UK, as well as internationally,” said Burhouse on the brewery’s success. “The best way for us to build on this legacy over the long term is to introduce Magic Rock beers to a much wider audience.”
Their original space didn’t have the capacity required for a burgeoning brand.
Hand bottling wasn’t going to serve the rising demand for Magic Rock’s product in the UK, or the more than 25 countries that it distributed to. Ross spoke of these growing pains, explaining that “prior to buying our canning line, we used to do a few small runs of hand bottling, which wasn’t the way we wanted to go - we wanted to go into cans. So we needed to get a solution for depalletising cans smoothly and efficiently.” So, in 2018, when Australian industry giant Lion expressed interest in acquiring Magic Rock, Burhouse and Ross knew it was their chance to not only build out a proper canning line and brewhouse, but to maintain and expand their status as a key player in the UK craft beer market. The acquisition would be their stepping stone to purchasing better equipment in order to produce better beer, and in larger quantities. With the support they needed, they expanded to a 4,000 sq ft facility and set out to find the best automated packaging equipment on the market.
“When we made the decision to move our business to a bigger site and start filling cans, the Ska depal we bought integrated perfectly with the can filler and we’ve been able to grow the business substantially,” said Ross about their state-of-the-art 300 CPM line. “Placing the order was very
easy with great communication from Ska Fab. Shipping and all of the arrangements were easy and efficient. It was one of those things where we just liked them right from the get-go, right from the start.”
Today, the 50hl brewhouse is the heart of Magic Rock Brewing, producing 15,500hl (that's 2.7 million pints!) of unfiltered (centrifuged) beer per year. When asked about future plans for expansion, Ross explained “We aren’t planning on changing too much with the packaging line we’ve got at the moment because it’s future-proofed. We can grow substantially with the equipment we have now.”
With a state-of-the-art canning line that was built to accommodate its current and future needs as well as protect from unpredictable events (like a worldwide pandemic closing its taprooms), breweries like Magic Rock that are investing in their own growth won't slow down anytime soon.
For further information: skafabricating.com sales@skafabricating.com
Innovus inspired success story for Bestens Brewery The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the craft beer industry, but with Innovus’ help, one local brewer has been able to thrive in these challenging times.
West Sussex start-up Bestens Brewery moved to a new HQ in Lower Beeding back in the summer of 2018, enabling it to base a brewery, shop and taproom on the same site. From the start, Founder and Head Brewer Paul Swaffield had opted for cans rather than bottles for the Bestens range. Cans are lighter, take up less space and are easier for brewery workers to handle.
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From a quality perspective, cans can deliver zero UV light penetration, keeping the beer fresher for longer than would be the case with bottles, while the fully hermetic seal between can and lid keeps oxygenation to a minimum, protecting the unique flavour of the beer.
At the time of the move, Bestens had a one barrel brewhouse, and a simple, manual canning system, but as Paul explains, this was proving inadequate for his growing company. “We had been having problems with inconsistent seals and oxygenation of beer on the very basic manual system that we had at the time. We were also able to only can approximately sixty units per hour, which was far too slow. Fortunately, Innovus was able to help!”
In 2019, Bestens invested in a major canning equipment upgrade, taking delivery of a new Innovus Engineering CF10 Can Filling and Closing Machine.
The CF10 is a fully stainless steel semiautomatic mobile canner, with a capacity of up to 600 cans per hour. According to Paul, Innovus’ attention to detail and understanding of the needs of the artisanal brewery sector, as well as their post-installation aftercare, were crucial in his choice.
And like Bestens, Innovus Engineering is not resting on its laurels. This August sees the launch of the new model CF15 Can Filling and Closing Machine.
Boasting a capacity of 15 cans per minute, this automatic canning machine features two filling heads and one seaming head, along with an optional rotary infeed table, and is the ideal solution for helping businesses like Bestens reach their potential.
For further information: www.innovusengineering.com
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SHOWCASE Bottling & Canning Equipment
“The line of numbers..............” Having invested in excess of £30m in the last five years and a further commitment that is likely to exceed £50m over the term of the long-term contracts agreed with farmers to supply apples from new orchards planted in Herefordshire, Aston Manor has just invested a further £6m in recent months to reconfigure its production site at Aston in Birmingham and add a state-of-theart new packaging line.
Aston Manor has never been one to rest on its laurels and it was back in 2018 that the ultimate in flexible contract canning facility was floated. The brief ultimately developed into a flexible canning line for a wide range of liquid types (including both carbonated and still beverages, ciders, beers, RTDs, fruit juices, and nitrogen dosed beverages), 3 product stabilisation modes (tunnel pasteurisation, velcorin and future hot filling), can sizes from 150ml slim to 568ml standard, 2 different can ends, multiple secondary packaging formats including cardboard multi-pack, 2 empty can pallet sizes, printed and unprinted cans, standard and euro palletisation, and the option to make as many layer patterns in house as your imagination allows – all on a new mezzanine floor at up to 24,000 cans per hour. The result – one of the most flexible new contract canning lines in the UK. It was at an early stage that Aston Manor contacted Enterprise Tondelli, who have been working with Aston since 1991, to be one of those invited to tender. Due to the long association with Enterprise at the Birmingham site they assisted in the early conceptual designs for the line especially with regards to the layout. This was particularly important due to the limited space, focus on operator ease of access and operation plus the flexibility required. All materials access is from one end and all operators enter the area from the same end. This allows an optimisation of operators on the line so there can be dual purposing of operators rather than one man per machine.
The empty can depalletiser is located at ground level and was supplied to be able to cope with the variety of empty can pallets available. Empty cans are delivered into Aston Manor on 1120mm x 1300 mm or 1120mm x 1420 mm configurations and the machine from Enterprise was specified to
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cope with these. The depalletiser, manufactured in Italy by Fipal, also removes both the top frame and also the interlayer boards for a fully automatic machine. As there are three diameters of cans a triple lane can rinser from Enterprise was selected that uses ionised air for can cleaning. Quick change parts and automatic guide rails at the inlet mean a quick changeover from one format to another. A 32/6 rotary volumetric can filler/seamer supplied by KHS / Ferrum was engineered into the process by Enterprise to give a more turnkey project.
A triple purpose tunnel pasteuriser allowing tunnel pasteurisation or can warming or can cooling post pasteuriser was supplied by Enterprise along with the cooling system. The unit features a fully insulated hot side for energy savings along with a water saving system that ensures the machine is always balanced – something not enjoyed using traditional triple regeneration systems. The rapid heat up time, due to the use of stainless steel heat exchangers rather than less efficient tubular heat exchangers, contributes to the machine’s smaller energy footprint. Rather than heating up vast quantities of water the pasteuriser works on a reduced water storage instead. All water overflows are collected and recirculated and reused within the machine system with only one drain point for a “dry“ floor rather than the sometimes swimming pool that can occur near the pasteuriser. Cooling water is through and adiabatic to reduce water consumption and negate the concerns around legionella and reduce chemical consumption. Fans at the discharge ensure that water is moved from the punt of the cans and returned to the circuit rather than being wasted. The simplicity of the tunnel design, quality of components used and also easy operator interface make for very easy operation.
Although much of the production will be pre-printed cans, Aston also incorporated a self-adhesive rotary labeller for full cans as part of the contract with Enterprise. The high speed labeller from BRB Globus also has the facility for retrofitting a second reel station for non-stop operation in the future. Space has also been allowed for future can decoration such as sleeving etc to ensure ‘future proofing’.
Flow through accumulation tables and pressureless combining from Eurosistemi Srl ensure good accumulation between the various machine for higher line efficiencies. Two Euroistemi can driers with high volume integrated fans ensure no moisture on the cans before labelling. The stainless steel conveyor control has a remote operator station near the filler/pasteuriser /labelling area for one operator. Secondary packaging is by a Baumer combined tray erector loader shrink wrapper that also has
wraparound cartoning capability. The compact machine also has the latest generation tunnel from Baumer, that features movable side walls of the shrink tunnel along with separation of air flows between the sides and base of the packs. This allows regulation of air pressure, volume and temperature to give better shrink wrapping. The patented short film path also allows for narrower shrink film as the film does not wander. The packer has a quick change-over system that allows the very wide variety of cans sizes, multipack size and fin pack configuration to be handled.
The pack palletiser from Enterprise is located on the lower level so that no fork trucks are in the production area and is reached by a spiral elevator again. The Fipal palletiser has non-contact soft pack turning coupled with indexing row formation so there are no pop-up plates impacting the packs. The servo motor control means that new patterns can be easily added by the customer who does not need to worry about roller pitch of the row former (they have added several at the time of writing). Opening basket roller head ensures that the pallet has a tight and uniform shape so it does not get rejected at the automatic warehousing. Paul Clifford, Manufacturing and Engineering Director at Aston Manor, who managed the entire project including the mezzanine floor to accommodate the new can line, said: “We have a long standing relationship with Enterprise and fully trust their product quality and service support. We will always go to tender on projects of this nature but the quality of the solutions for this line stood out to us from the rest and made the decision one of complete confidence.”
Enterprise Tondelli has been working in the industry since 1977 and supplying equipment in over 40 countries. The Aston Manor project is the latest of many installations that have ranged in scope from canning 72,000 cans per hour in 1982 to a 25,000 bottles per hour complete PET line in Africa, three turnkey soft drinks factories in Russia, and a 1,200 bottles per hour spirit line for Scotland.
For further information: www.enterprisetondelli.co.uk
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FOCUS UK Distilling
We asked companies supplying the UK Distilling market to let us know something about their products and services.
An ‘outstanding’ spirit supply service from Ethimex says Bert Albrecht, Head of UK Sales The landscape of spirits supply in the UK is changing fast. As a result, many UK distillers have come to us for help with sourcing and importing products such as rum, brandy and bourbon.
This trend didn’t come as a surprise though: new import rules have been introduced, the world of freight is in turmoil and several other supply challenges have emerged very recently. Companies like Ethimex that take care of the supply chain, must react quickly to these changes and keep on learning about new legislation to stay in control.
Ethimex is an importer and distributor of a large range of bulk neutral alcohols and bulk spirits. This includes ethanol made from wheat, potatoes, grapes, sugar cane, sugar beet, rye and even whey when available. High strength spirits include rum, bourbon, Scotch, brandy, cognac, tequila etc. Some of these are available in organic. Besides this, with over 20 years of experience in the industry, we don’t shy away from niche projects such as sochu and fairtrade rums, just to name a couple.
Some of the alcohols can be sourced locally although only in large quantities, typically per 26,000L and this might be too much to chew for a medium-sized distillery. That is where Ethimex comes in handy as we break bulk at our Liverpool warehouse and offer in more
manageable quantities from 25L jerry cans and 200L drums to 1000L IBCs (Intermediate Bulk Container).
Other spirits like rum need importing and often these arrive in the UK via the ARA region in Europe. Since Brexit, this works best per tanker or per container, again pretty large volumes to deal with. Ethimex has regular imports from the EU, the US and further afield. This allows us to fill up a container with various products and since there is only one importer (Ethimex) and one destination (Ethimex warehouse), consolidating excised goods becomes much more manageable and commercially viable. This takes away a lot of the worry from the distillers and drinks creators. Ethimex takes care of both export and import customs clearance, permits, certificates, import license, movement guarantees, while our customers can fully focus on their recipe, marketing and selling their bottled, bagged or canned beverages.
Over the years, products and customer preferences have been changing and along with these so have the ingredients. We have seen the introduction of seltzer, the explosion of pre-mixed cocktails during the lockdown, the steady growth of organic products and the increasing focus on drinks made with the environment and sustainability in mind. Ethimex aims to take the lead in these new and initially niche projects and with
Bert Albrecht, Head of UK Sales.
a combined customer interest we can make this work quite well and spur on innovation at the same time.
We know that there is a lot of information to process for newcomers to our industry and distillers today are not merely looking for the lowest price but also for support, guidance, and fast response times. They want an outstanding supplier service that they can pass on to their customers. As active members of the drinks community, we offer training videos and participate in live seminars and education online via our website blog posts. Being an up-to-date spirit supplier is so much more than selling barrels of spirit. Through it all, you become a part-time employee at all your customers.
For further information: www.ethimex.com
Bespoke equipment for distillers, large and small Vitikit, (and its brewing arm V-Brew) is based in the south-west of England and provides small and large distilleries with equipment, automation and product development. Projects so far this year for Vitikit include a 300L Cachaca
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still from its manufacturing partners in Brazil, a 1000L steam-powered Whiskey still and a 300L universal system with a 28 plate column for producing vodka and gin.
Each system has a bespoke automated control system with fine control of steam valves and chilling water as well as the ability to trend production data in real time, as well as retrospectively for quality management and recipe replication.
Vitikit also works closely with its long term manufacturing partner NDL craft to produce brewhouses specifically designed for distillers - sometimes
incorporating cereal cookers for Bourbon producers or enzyme reaction vessels for degrading starch in potatoes. NDL is famous in the UK for its high quality kegs and casks, but has also invested heavily in robotic fabrication equipment and a purpose-built factory to produce vessels and brewhouses to ‘German’ standards. Vitikit also offers consultancy for design and recipe development.Working with Whiskey and rum consultants in Scotland and the USA, we can help a new entrant leapfrog the normal hurdles to entry.
For further information: www.vitikit.com
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FOCUS UK Distilling
UK flavoured gin sales show no sign of slowing Flavoured gin sales in the UK continue to go from strength to strength, increasing by 37% over the 12 months to the end of March 2021 – that’s equivalent to an impressive 30 million bottles! What’s more, flavoured gin now accounts for around 40% of the total UK gin market, both in terms of volume and value – a percentage tipped to increase further in the future (WSTA).
Why is flavoured gin so popular?
There are several reasons behind the success of flavoured gin. It is the perfect introduction for previously non-gin drinkers, new to the category, who are keen to join the fashionable ‘ginaissance’. This is clearly reflected in the demographic with 55% of consumers under the age of 35 (Kantar 2019). Flavoured gin has also brought new occasions and serves to the category. Gin is incredibly versatile with the ability to mix with almost any flavour giving an almost limitless choice of flavour combinations, enabling it to tap into key consumer trends, appealing to a large audience.
Continued innovation in the flavoured gin category is key.
Simpsons Beverages are experts in
developing flavours for gin and gin liqueurs. Jason Simpson, Sales Director, said, “Consumers are increasingly looking for new experiences, exciting flavours and a wide choice from the flavoured gin category. Innovation has never been more vital in order to maintain consumer excitement and stand out in what has become a very crowded marketplace.”
Trends boosting sales across the flavoured gin category.
International flavours The flavoured gin category has welcomed a variety of exotic flavours from around the world, as food and drink has offered one of the few ways consumers have been able to explore new experiences of late. The build up to the Tokyo Olympics combined with the growing popularity of Japan as a tourist destination has increased the prevalence of Asian inspired flavours such as lychee and guava. A flavoured gin for every occasion There is a growing trend towards the launch of gins to suit almost every season and celebration. With an almost endless list of opportunities for gin brands to get creative from Halloween to
Bulk alcohol supplies from Kimia UK Kimia UK is a bulk alcohol supplier. We supply high strength alcohol – Neutral Grain Spirit 96% primarily – to distilleries all over the UK.
We also supply other spirits, such as Gin, Rum & Vodka in packaging ranging from 25lt cans, 205lt drums to 1,000lt IBCs. Our Product range includes: Neutral Spirits Neutral Spirit 96% Our Neutral Spirit is used as a pure rectified alcohol in the beverage industry where high quality Ethanol is required. Derived from sugar beet. Neutral Grain Spirit 96% Our NGS is the perfect premium potable alcohol to use in the production of Gin. Derived from wheat grain.
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Organic Grain Alcohol 96% High quality organic alcohol in line with the Soil Association standards that can be used as a base to make beverage alcohol. Derived from organic wheat grain.
Other Spirits Vodka 96% Our Vodka is derived from sugar beet and distilled using a 4-column continuous process leading to a truly refined Vodka. Vodka 37.5% Same as above in bottling strength ready to be used. Vodka Grain 96% Our Vodka Grain has been distilled at least 5 times in the UK from wheat grain. Vodka Grain 37.5% Same as above in bottling strength ready to be used.
Valentine’s Day, or even Wimbledon, the flavour options are almost limitless. Dessert-inspired flavoured gin Gin liqueurs (ABV 20%) dominate this trend. Whilst many flavoured gins have taken their inspiration from the sweet trolley for a number of years, the continued launch of new and creative variations on this theme means consumers really are spoilt for choice. From Eton Mess and Banoffee Pie to Chocolate Orange or Gingerbread!
Read more ways you could differentiate your gin brand in the Simpsons Beverages Flavoured Gin Trend Report 2021, available to download: http://simpsonsbeverages3438705.hs-sites.com/https/simpsons beverages.com/1235-2/-2-2-1-0
For further information: simpsonsbeverages.com/liquidinnovation/flavoured-gins-liqueurs/
Burlington Gin 95% Our high strength full-flavoured gin with fresh, crisp citrus, juniper and floral accents from a distinctive but classic mixture of 10 key botanicals. Burlington Gin 37.5% Same as above in bottling strength ready to be used. White Rum 95% Our White Rum comes from the Caribbean and is made from natural fermentation of sugar cane. White Rum 37.5% Same as above in bottling strength ready to be used. Dark Rum 37.5% Our Dark Rum is derived from our White Rum with added Caramel.
For further information: www.kimiauk.co.uk
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FOCUS UK Distilling
AVT Reliability® makes Machine Sentry® Android™ app free to single users AVT Reliability®, with many clients in the distilling and brewing industries, has made its Machine Sentry® Android™ application available at no cost with the launch of a free single user licence for the condition monitoring system.
The move is designed to help companies wishing to adopt a digital approach to condition monitoring.
Amongst users of the system is a popular branded UK rum producer and another London-based firm, one the world’s largest distiller of spirits. However, the Machine Sentry system is suitable for any scale of business.
The free single user licence allows the operative to download the Machine Sentry® app on any Android™ phone or tablet via the Google Play Store and use it to collect data from any sensors with Bluetooth® capability.
Users will have at their fingertips a condition monitoring system which
accepts measurement data including vibration, temperature, visual inspections, process parameters, lubrication management and basic oil analysis.
The system’s automated diagnostic assistant (ADA™), which can predict stage 2, 3 and four bearing failure and detect a wide range of other fault conditions, issues alerts and suggested actions for impending problems which can then be addressed during planned maintenance activity.
Antony Gales, Managing Director for AVT Reliability®, which is part of the AES Engineering Reliability Group, said: “It is now widely accepted across all industries that a digital approach to a condition monitoring will reduce unscheduled downtime, improve productivity and reduce costs. “However, making the move towards digitalisation can be daunting, particu-
larly when profit margins are already tightly stretched for many companies.
“We’re offering the free single user licence for the Machine Sentry® app to give companies a risk-free opportunity to discover the benefits that digital monitoring can bring.”
For further information: www.avtreliability.com
Cockayne Systems appoints Managing Director following significant new client wins Cockayne Systems, a joint venture between Edwards Engineering and DPS Group, has announced the appointment of Donald Ross as Managing Director following a number of significant new client wins with independent distilleries, larger spirits groups and bottlers.
With over 50 years’ experience, the Perth-based company is a leading manufacturer of cask filling and disgorging solutions, controls and meter calibrations for the whisky industry.
Ben Carter, Director, Cockayne, said: “We’re thrilled to have someone with Donald’s industry insight and management skills as part of our team. His background in the whisky industry with Grants and Diageo, and his wider management roles enhances Cockayne’s ability to respond to customer demand, providing a broad range of cask
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handling, filling and disgorging solutions.”
A graduate of Heriot Watt’s Brewing and Distilling faculty, Donald (pictured) started his career with Bairds Malt before moving into operational roles as bottling operations leader with William Grant and then subsequently managing two distilleries for Diageo.
He has also held senior management roles in the offshore oil industry, most recently as General Manager of Destini Marine Safety Solutions where he successfully delivered projects for clients including BP and Chrysaor.
Donald said: “This is really exciting time to join Cockayne as their growth continues on an upward trajectory. Joining as Managing Director is the ideal
opportunity to apply my wider management skills and brings a welcome reunion with the whisky sector. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with the whisky supply chain while building on the firm’s reputation for customer focus and innovative solutions that truly benefit our clients.”
For further information: https://cockayne.co.uk
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Showcasing the British spirit
Approval of new distillers Part II – Chickens, Eggs and Rum Tale Alan Powell
I pick up where I left off from the Summer article (ref) and after several exhausting months dealing with HMRC. I wrote that if you want to apply to HMRC to be a distiller and warehousekeeper but you don’t want to spend money to acquire premises or convert property or buy equipment until HMRC is prepared to licence and approve your application, you can apply instead to HMRC for an approval in principle (or what HMRC calls a “Letter of Indication”).
This means that if an application meets the criteria for approval and is, in principle, “sound”, HMRC will issue substantive approval when the distillery is kitted out to be formally approved and the premises inspected and secure. This prevents the “chicken and egg” scenario of HMRC advising applicants not to acquire land or premises before seeking approval but will not approve the application until the premises and plant are satisfactory for such approval.
I noted that some HMRC officers appear to be requiring “letters of intention” or “expressions of interest” from applicants for approval as commitment from prospective customers to consider listing a product that does not exist and cannot legally exist unless and until a distiller’s licence and approval is issued by HMRC. In one case, an officer of HMRC requiring that some samples of the product (rum) be made by a third party licensed distiller just to hawk around these prospective customers and even though the actual product may not be the same thing as the sample product (which would not be “authentic” anyway, thus confounding the entire point of the project).
On behalf of the applicant distiller (“X”), I pointed out that such a requirement was irrational and excessive but the officer maintained her position and rejected the application. On behalf of X, I requested a formal review of the decision, which was upheld by HMRC’s
Reviewing Officer. The decisions implied “third party” samples could be produced as part of the “business plan” which was ludicrous. Moreover, it was clear that the officers had either not understood, or had disregarded, X’s business plan, which was thorough and set out a correct description of the plant and process for spirits production (a legal requirement for distillery approval), which included the materials and process of production of various types of rum. This was, in effect, the legally described “recipe” yet HMRC’s officers stated the applicant had not provided a “recipe”.
On behalf of X, I immediately lodged a Notice of Appeal to the First Tier Tax Tribunal, which includes the Grounds of Appeal. Normally, I would just summarize the grounds but in this case I decided to set out the full case against HMRC’s wholly unreasonable decision, banking on legally-qualified persons within HMRC to recognize their case was utterly without merit. And lo! On the last day that HMRC had to submit their Statement of Case to the Tribunal, HMRC’s litigation team requested a stay of the appeal to try to reach a settlement. We agreed to this course but it was obvious the case had been sent back to the Policy and operational staff because the offer to settle indicated a letter of approval in principle would be granted but that there was still an expectation that some sort of spirits sample might be required to make the business case satisfactory to HMRC. This was unbelievable.
We wrote back to say such an offer must be rejected and pointed out if a prospective distiller wished to make whisky or whiskey, such a product could not be sold as whisky/whiskey without it being matured in excise warehouse for 3 years + 1 day. Each distillery production is unique and HMRC could not realistically expect the product of an existing distillery to be allowed to pass off or make claims for its own product to be anything like a distillery which could not offer spirits as whisky for 3 years minimum. In the unlikely event another whisky distiller were to set aside some of
The British Distillers Alliance (BDA) is a non-profit making body which provides a professional service for independent and craft businesses in the spirits production industry and supply chain. The BDA represents distillers, rectifiers and compounders and those in related sectors.
New members always welcome.
their matured stock as possibly being like the applicant distiller’s product might be 3 years’ hence, any prospective customer would find such a situation totally bizarre and lacking credibility. The reality is that new distillers often offer product that is yet to be made as “founder’s reserve” ie the customers buy without any taste or ability to taste as whisky for 3 years’ minimum maturation. This is akin to X’s situation (albeit the rum need not be matured for a specified period). I referred HMRC to communication with Mr Jamie Baxter, doyen of the artisan spirits industry and master distiller and a member of the British Distillers Alliance. Mr Baxter said: “For a full distillery making rum from molasses or whisky from grain, then there are just too many variables in mashing, fermentation, distilling and maturation for a contract distiller to make an identical product to that intended.” One might otherwise buy a bottle of rum at the offie and take it around potential customers and say to them “My rum will be made something like this and might taste like this, so, how about it? Would you give me a written expression of interest in my product when I make it?” Eventually, HMRC relented and offered a settlement that does not require any sample being hawked around and which has been accepted. This experience, carried out on a pro bono basis to protect the entire future industry from HMRC’s policies going wholly off the rails, has been exhausting and taken over 10 man days’ of my time when I have already been overloaded with work. I would like to think HMRC has learned something from this that will be of mutual benefit.
Alan Powell
Alan Powell is a specialist excise duties consultant, formerly a Policy official within HMCE’s HQ teams. He is excise duties advisor to the Chartered Institute of Taxation, honorary advisor to the UK Warehousing Association and founded the British Distillers Alliance as a conduit for consultation with, and representation to, Government bodies and to assist and advise on technical matters.
For further information: www.britishdistillersalliance.com
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FOCUS UK Distilling
New spirit line at Eden Mill from Enterprise Tondelli Based on the site of a historic distillery on the banks of the River Eden, the Eden Mill story started with a mission to revive the lost art of distilling and brewing in St Andrews. The industry was once integral to the town of St Andrews, the renowned home of golf, but Eden Mill were the first to make spirits in the region for 150 years.
As Scotland's first single-site distillery and brewery, making gin, whisky and beer, Eden Mill spirit is created in Portuguese 'Hoga' copper pot-stills and exhibits a wide range of flavours from botanicals sourced from the local area, as well as from around the world. As creators of craft gin, whisky and beers, its team of distillers has the opportunity to marry the best practices from all these disciplines.
Few distilleries are as fortunate as them, with the paradise of the Eden Estuary on their doorstep they source botanicals from the local fields, forests and coasts to represent the best of Scotland. In 2015, the team launched its Golf Gin in homage to a taste of St Andrews. Eden Mill’s Original Gin is a twist on the classic London Dry using Fife’s sea buckthorn berries, a superfood which grows within walking distance of the St Andrews distillery. A pioneering spirit is evident in the constant range of innovative new products from the master distillers. From the famous Love Gin, one of the first ever pink gins to their quality RTD gin cocktails, single malt scotch whisky, flavoured gins and seasonal expressions, their goal is to capture the spirit and provenance of St Andrews in every bottle. Eden Mill already had a craft bottling line for their range of beers supplied by Enterprise Tondelli a few years ago.
When the decision was made to increase capacity of its spirit bottling operation the company turned to Enterprise for a flexible craft spirit filling and packaging s line
At the heart of the line supplied is a fully automatic monobloc rinser/filler/capper unit with rotary rinsing and filling operations that ensures continuous movement and greater line efficiency. Again it is from the same manufacturer of the beer filler monobloc. Bottle cleaning on the rotary rinser carousel uses neutral spirit in recirculation with filters for due diligence. The capping turret can handle both “T” shaped corks along with GPI screw caps for maximum flexibility on the different product lines. The unit can also fill miniatures in the future making for a very versatile and flexible unit.
The new bespoke crystal cut Love Gin bottle has a very distinctive finish with a precise label panel that required accurate orientation for application. Enterprise Tondelli supplied a rotary selfadhesive labeller capable of accurate base notch spotting using servo motors for more flexibility. The labeller supplied from BRB in Italy is just one of the wide range of labellers that Enterprise supplies from BRB Globus based in Mantova. This was the same supplied for the original beer bottling line.
To further dress the bottles and as a tamper evidence heat shrink capsules are automatically applied as part of the project. The bottle conveyor system was manufactured by Eurosistemi, a specialist in this field and which has been working with Enterprise Tondelli since the early 1980s. Extra stations were included for hand finish of premium products for short batch runs.
Jason Hill, the Project Manager at Eden Mill, said, “We have used Enterprise before and appreciated their support in the past. This project had some additional challenges due to the flexibility required and bottle decoration but
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Enterprise has worked tirelessly to follow our needs.” Enterprise Tondelli supplies from single machines to complete turnkey factories for the beverage industry whether it be spirits, beer, carbonated soft drinks, water or dairy from 20 container per minute to 1200 containers per minute – and all sizes in between.
For further information: www.enterprisetondelli.co.uk
Label specialists
Labelnet is a label manufacturer which supplies quality labels to businesses across the UK. We specialise in drinks labels, working with many companies so understands the trends and needs within this industry sector.
Our printing capabilities run from digital to flexographic printing, to high end label embellishments and unique finishes. A popular trend within the drinks industry is to add a tactile varnish which creates a matt sandpaper texture to the labels. Our friendly team spend time building relationships with our customers and helping with their orders from start to finish.
For further information: www.labelnet.co.uk
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NEWS Equipment
New EASYFILL KeyKeg Filler from Vigo Ltd Vigo has introduced Malek Brautech’s new EASYFILL semiautomatic KeyKeg Filler to its range, and says that KeyKegs are a great way of taking advantage of the keg concept without the hassles of collecting the empties (your assets); without the need for keg cleaning equipment (for their reuse); and without the product coming into contact with dispensing gas.
If you’re new to the KeyKeg here are some key advantages, as asserted by Vigo: • Single use - one-way keg, disposable • Ideal for beer, wine (still & sparkling, e.g., Charmat method), cider, RTDs, premixed cocktails, kombucha & coffee • Ideal for dispensing drinks on tap • Used by 1,440 drink producers world-wide • Bag-in-keg™ principle with Double Wall™ technology for a long shelf-life,
e.g., beer stays as fresh for as long as it will in a steel keg • Double Wall™ technology - safer and more robust compared to other one-way kegs • Good range of capacities - 10, 20 & 30 litres • Tested by the Research & Teaching Institute for Brewing in Berlin VLB (using beer) & Hochschule Geisenheim University (using wine) • Higher loading capacity than steel kegs (25-35%) • Lightweight (empty KeyKeg just over 1kg; empty steel keg 6-10kg), stackable & easy to handle • Complete branding options • Maximum dispense pressure 4.1 bar • The only plastic keg with a ‘circular design’ sustainability model - can be recycled (once deflated with a small tool).
Malek Brautech designed and manufacture the new EASYFILL KeyKeg filler and are official suppliers of filling machines for KeyKegs. The EASYFILL filler provides an optimised filling process and typically fills 50 to 60 KeyKegs per hour, depending on the product pressure and the operator. It is user-friendly and designed to be operated
A CFB boiler for Seven Bro7thers Seven Bro7hers Brewing is one of the UK’s largest family-run breweries. With 7 brothers who own the brewery, there are also 4 sisters who run a gin company, so they have vast experience in all aspects of the brewing industry.
When the decision came to invest in a new steam boiler, they came across CFB Boilers Ltd, who much like Seven Bro7hers are also a family-run business.
This appealed to the brothers along-side the fact that CFB Boilers has 125 years’ experience in the steam boiler industry and that its boilers are manufactured at its purpose-built facility based in Clacton on Sea, Essex. After a competitive quote had been sent within a fast timeframe, as well as being on budget, this resulted in Seven Bro7hers purchasing a 20HP 4VT Steam Boiler which not only had 20% steam more capacity compared to the existing steam boiler on site, but also is more efficient and energy-saving than any like-for-like boiler on the market to date.
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With the purchase of the products completed, the next step was the timescale. The project was on a tight timescale, as the boiler installation needed to take place within days of the brewing vessels arriving and being installed. This wasn’t a problem for CFB Boilers’ installation team, who installed the boiler and equipment within the allotted time frame, all as per the customer’s request. As can happen with installations, a couple of unexpected hurdles presented themselves, however with years of experience, engineering ingenuity, and the dedication of the CFB team, the problems were quickly resolved, and this resulted in a happy customer and excellent overall review.
An email was received by CFB Boilers from Seven Bro7hers which read, “We just wanted to send this message to say thank you to the whole team over at CFB. It was a pleasure to deal with all of you; from yourself Ian, to Donna, Tricia, Steven Cox and Connor, plus, the expert advice we received from Robin as well; all were superb! We had a few issues with the
by only one operator. Features include: • Single filling station • Integrated touch-screen control panel • Program steps configured as per the recommendation of OneCircle, founders of the KeyKeg • Fill process controlled by inductive flow meter and all pressures monitored with sensors • Small footprint • Excellent price-performance ratio
If you are looking to expand your packaging format to include an easy oneway dispense option, contact Vigo to discuss your requirements and for more information on Key-Keg fillers. Higher capacity keg (steel) filling machines and filling lines are available with the extra flexibility of being able to fill KeyKegs via additional change parts.
As with all equipment supplied by Vigo, installation is carried out by its team of engineers, who also offer a full technical support including maintenance and repair for the lifetime of the machine.
For further information: www.vigoltd.com
commissioning, but I have got to say that Steven Cox was very professional about things and came back yesterday to finish off the service after we had to increase the gas pipe. Whilst it was something that we hadn’t envisaged, Steven did exactly the right thing getting the pipework increased to meet Gas Safe regulations. So again, thanks from everyone here at Seven Bro7hers, you have a customer for life now.”
For further information: www.steamboilers.co.uk
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NEWS Equipment
Freedom Brewery expands its kegging operation with a Lambrechts Monobloc 50 Staffordshire-based, Freedom Brewery, well known for its lager brands, has chosen Lambrechts to supply its new fully-automated keg washer /filler, the Monobloc 50 (pictured), which will be commissioned later this year. This is the first Monobloc 50 sold in the
UK and is an addition to the Monobloc range of Slim Line and Monobloc 80 machines. According to a Lambrechts spokesperson the machine will prove popular with UK craft brewers looking to upgrade from semi-automatic plant but facing restrictions on space.
For further information: www.lambrechts-group.com
Considerations when choosing a new kegging plant By Mike Hickman, UK spokesman for Lambrechts Deciding on the output of your new line and ‘’future proofing’’ your business are vital parts of defining the exact scope of each project. Prior to Covid, growth rates of 50 % per year were common for craft brewers’ keg sales. Hopefully these times will return.
Economically speaking, the most appropriate machine for a brewer washing and filling 800 to 1,000 kegs per week, would be a two head semiautomatic washer/ filler capable of producing thirty-five sterile kegs per hour, filled with the precise contents measured by magflow meter. Lambrecht’s two head machine (Compact 235) would use hot water and caustic for its washing cycle, with acid as an additional option, with a minute’s steam sterilization at 130°c. This guarantees surgical sterility inside the keg. With the craft brewers’ diverse range of products being nonpasteurised, achieving a sterile container every time must be the single most important consideration in choosing your plant.
Most craft brewers have steam already available. When this is not the case, it is important to budget for a steam boiler or steam generator to reach peak load to achieve the 130 degrees needed. You need to appoint an experienced install company, paying adequate attention to having all the services (CO2, steam as an example) in place ready for the machine’s commissioning. With global Covid restrictions, remote commissionings have successfully implemented.
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Space and ergonomic layout are another consideration; particularly in city centre breweries where every square meter saved is vital. The Lambrechts Compact 235 (pictured) is known for its small footprint. Both after-sales service and availability of spares should also influence the brewer’s decision. With Lambrechts the major spares items are common to our range of machines and are non-proprietary so easily available with sensible pricing.
The use of an internet link to remotely monitor the kegline performance as a diagnostic tool is a huge step forward in planned maintenance. With our in-house training facility, we can help the brewery engineer to be as independent as they wish in the future, whilst as the supplier we can be ‘’hands on’’ when required. The kegger is a piece of equipment you will fire up thousands of times during its working life so cutting corners on specification can be expensive in the long term. As the craft brewer expands, so does the need to increase kegline production and at the same time reduce the staffing levels on the line. In short, there will be a necessity to move towards more automatic options.
To meet this market Lambrechts designed our Monobloc range of keg washer /fillers, again maximizing throughput from a minimum footprint. The only labour requirement is the loading and unloading of kegs on to the conveyors. Mechanical assistance for turning full kegs is available and can be part of the specification. The empty kegs are transferred onto each process station via a walking beam, with the media tanks and drains built into the frame to reduce the footprint. Options such as
external keg washer and check weighing within the original footprint are also available. Like all Lambrechts machines they are fully tested at the facility near Antwerp, so only require connections to the services taking on average 3 days including training.
The Monobloc design allows the brewer to decide on a rate of between fifty, to a maximum eighty kegs per hour through the machine, achieved by the number of process heads specified. Operating with any keg size from narrow diameter 10 / 20 litre to standard 30/ 50 litre, the Monobloc machines can run virtually 24/7 so even the smallest version (the MB50) will produce five hundred kegs on each 10-hour shift. With quality labour increasingly in short supply and rising in cost, fully automated machines like the Monobloc 50 represent a cost-effective solution for the craft brewer. Robot technology for the handling of kegs on to and off the line, decapping and capping, ink jet printing are common throughout Europe.
At one UK brewer the kegging robot waves goodbye to the brewery visitors in the gantry on their departure!
For further information: sales@lambrechts-group.be
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NEWS Equipment
Long life and long-term accuracy for continuous control valves While accuracy is the key requirement for a continuous control valve, it’s crucial that precision is maintained over time. To reduce downtime and overall cost, the valve also has to maximise service life.
Delivering these criteria, Bürkert’s Element continuous control valves achieve 0.1% accuracy throughout a service life of seven million cycles - at least three times longer than conventional designs.
Kieran Bennett, Field Segment Manager for hygienic-food & beverage at Bürkert, explains the technology behind Element continuous control valves.
“Mainly used within the food and beverage, but also pharmaceutical, sectors, continuous control valves - also referred to as modulating control valves are crucial for accurate control of gases and liquids. Used across a variety of applications where high accuracy is required for temperature, pressure or flow control, continuous control valves constantly monitor valve position and make adjustments several times per second to ensure precise control of the media.
“Typically used for steam control within heating systems such as heat exchangers, continuous control valves are also important for accurate modulation in plants such as breweries.
“This level of accuracy is achieved with the partnership of the actuator and the electronic positioner, and Bürkert’s Element continuous control valve system is always accurate to within just 0.1% of the command position. This gives a very high level of precision control and crucially, this accuracy is continuously repeated across the valve’s lifespan. This is significant because traditional technology typically has a decline to 0.5% accuracy or more within as a little as 18 months of generally expected use, impacting the performance of the application accordingly.
“Typical position sensors use potentiometers with contacts and linkages that wear out over time; the greater the number of valve cycles, the greater the wear. Instead, Bürkert’s
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Element positioner uses a contactless induction sensor with no moving or contacting parts, hence no wear, and remains accurate to within 0.1% even after 10 years of use.
“The key benefit of the Element continuous control valve system, however, is its significantly longer lifespan compared to traditional designs. With an expected lifetime of seven million cycles, this is at least three times higher than the alternatives. In the case of diaphragm valves, the difference can be as much as seven times, where replacement of a diaphragm valve after around a million cycles is common.
“This difference lies in the design of Element’s air system. With conventional technology, air pressure opens or closes the valves against the force of the spring but when the valve is de-energised and the springs decompress, ambient air is introduced to the chamber. Ambient air includes moisture and in humid and potentially corrosive environments, such as a food & beverage manufacturing site that is subjected to regular chemical washdowns, the moisture and chemicals can rapidly corrode the valve’s steel spring.
“Not only does this lead to decreased performance over time, it means a more frequent rate of replacement. This is not only more costly in the long-term with the replacement of valves, but it also increases the downtime required for the refit. Shutting off part of a high-value production plant for several hours can result in thousands of pounds of lost revenue, so minimising downtime is an important consideration. If that downtime is unplanned, for example a mechanical breakdown through valve failure with a corroded spring, it can also cause costly knock-on damage to other parts of the system as a result.
“Alternatively, Bürkert’s Element system is sealed and prevents ingress of moist, contaminated air. The clean, dry air used to pressurise the actuator is recycled back into the spring chamber via an integrated pilot valve, preventing corrosion of the actuator spring and removing humidity build-up inside the actuator.
“This also removes the possibility of bacteria collecting inside the actuator, which could potentially contaminate the hygienic atmosphere. In addition, the positioner is also sealed and the area around the electronics is pressurised to keep out any moisture, contributing to the valve system’s long life.”
For further information: www.burkert.co.uk
Sales team boosted
B&B Attachments Ltd (B&B), the Northumberland based manufacturer of forklift truck attachments, has announced the addition of a new Key Account /Export Manager to its team.
Steve Egginton brings more than 20 years of material handling solutions experience to the position, with a strong focus on export markets.
Based in Yorkshire, Steve’s main role at B&B will be expanding the company’s customer base and increasing brand engagement with core customers by broadening its UK and international sales network.
Steve’s vast experience working with SMEs and larger global organisations is instrumental in developing the growing demand for B&B products. Neal Fowler, Sales Director at B&B Attachments comments, “We are delighted to welcome Steve as we expand our service and product offerings.”
For further information: www.bandbattachments.com
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NEWS Equipment
Brewery’s ‘rebellious’ move from OMRON debuts steam to thermal fluid cobot palletiser In 2015, with business improving but its original process equipment reaching its end-of-life, Rebellion Beer Company bucked the trend and, with impartial advice from heat transfer specialist Fulton, replaced its ageing steam boiler for a thermal fluid system. Now, six years on, Rebellion’s Mark Gloyens offers an update on how brewery life has coped with the switch.
Anyone running a brewery will tell you just how critical the boil phase of the brewing process is; and when Rebellion set out on its journey from steam to thermal, they were warned that they’d never succeed in getting that clean flavour achieved from a steam-driven rolling boil.
“The move from steam to thermal was a leap of faith on our part, but the warnings received from other breweries have been proven to be incorrect!” says Mark. “Product quality has improved because we now have more control over temperature for the wort boiling process than ever before. We’re getting a very good quality boil that is controllable and we have achieved everything we wanted from the move from steam to thermal fluid.”
Thanks to the control and flexibility that the thermal system affords Rebellion, the brewery has had the ability to achieve various size batches as and when required. Until recently, this has enabled them to process research and development batches and has been especially useful throughout the pandemic when, at the beginning, throughput was decimated because pubs were forced to close. However, as lockdowns came and went, Rebellion successfully pivoted its business and started selling direct to the consumer via a home delivery service, which meant throughput very quickly returned to pre-pandemic levels, currently two to three batches per day, with each boil lasting up to 90 minutes.
“The beauty of the thermal fluid installation is its flexibility and ability to very easily adapt our changing brewing
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Responding to beverage producers’ end-of-line labour challenges including staff shortages, social distancing measures and self-isolation, OMRON UK debuted its “gamechanging” cobot palletiser, the RB1200, at the recent PPMA Show.
strategies,” says Mark. “Historically we would have been doing two brews per day to achieve maximum output, but because of its flexibility, we are now able to shut the thermal fluid heater down for a day per week to deep clean the brewhouse and increase output to three brews per day for the remainder of the week. Something that would have been very difficult to achieve with steam.”
Beyond the control and flexibility, there are many other factors that have had a positive impact on Rebellion Beer Company, as Mark explains: “A steam boiler is essentially a pressure vessel and regulations state that pressurised systems must undergo an annual insurance inspection. This inspection would often take the steam boiler offline and mean our brewing processes were down for a day or more, with disruption from the downtime potentially being felt for several days after. Additionally, with even the best water treatment programme in place, steam at pressure can be very corrosive, leading to problems with steam traps, flanges and pipework, which we always seemed to be maintaining and was always therefore another potential for process downtime.
“With thermal being more of a closed loop system, we’ve not experienced the same issues with leaking gaskets, flanges, etc., making the whole installation not only look but also feel so much more reliable than steam!”
Summarising, Mark Gloyens says, “It’s just a neat, compact installation that’s relatively maintenance free and extremely flexible!”
For further information: www.fulton.co.uk
Thanks to OMRON’s iAutomation proprietary technology, the cobot system boasts a 50% cost saving, rapid delivery within weeks and plug-andplay system architecture to help drinks producers of all budgets and sizes immediately de-risk their line against today’s unprecedented labour challenges. The introduction of the RB1200 could not be timelier. Beverage businesses are navigating social distancing guidelines amid high vacancy rates compounded by Brexit and the longterm skills shortage, putting pressure on existing staff and affecting productivity – according to a report from the Association of Labour Providers, 78% of food and drink firms surveyed did not expect to have sufficient workers in 2021. Adding to this anxiety is the risk of production being halted entirely due to an on-site Covid outbreak or high numbers of staff self-isolating; events which are outside of a company’s control.
Developed in partnership with OMRON’s automation partner Reeco, the palletiser makes drinks producers more resilient to the detrimental effects of both labour shortages and the possibility of immediate workforce interruptions. Using OMRON’s 3i concept of intelligent, integrated and interactive engineering methods has dramatically shortened system design and delivery time resulting in a 50% cost reduction compared to same spec cobot palletisers.
A modular, plug-and-play solution, the RB1200 has a maximum payload of 10kg and a cycle time of 12 picks per minute.
For further information: www.industrial.omron.co.uk/en
BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn 2021
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www.bulksystems.co.uk BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn 2021
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NEWS Hygiene & Resources
Bespoke water treatment system solves water quality issues at major UK brewery Envirogen Group recently installed a bespoke multi-stage water treatment system at a major brewery in the south-west of England, to solve an incoming water treatment quality issue.
With water making up around 95% of the total content of beer, consistent, pure and taste-neutral water is crucial to creating the perfect pint. With municipal supplies delivering changeable quality and imbalanced mineral composition, our customer needed a reliable solution.
“When you’re producing a premium product, first-class ingredients are essential,” explains John Jepson, Commercial Director at Envirogen. “End users expect a repeatable high quality experience and our customer had this at the heart of its business. Unfortunately, municipal water can show huge ranges in mineral composition and in the suspended solid content. Although it will meet the safety standards set for the water companies, the taste can vary widely depending on the location, the time of year and various other downstream issues. Since water is such a major ingredient in beer, even small changes can taint the final flavour.”
The entire plant was built with scalability in mind, future-proofing the plant for expansion
“Our customer was experiencing very specific issues with high suspended solid
and colloidal matter concentrations. Additional high trihalomethane (THM) content was producing a flavour taint. Analysis of the current plant, and examination of the further plans to double brewing capability, meant that our process engineers could design the solution to fit the existing machinery with the expansion strategy in mind. With a toolkit of some of the best filtration systems in the world, we don’t deliver a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Designing the system to solve the exact problems experienced by the client means that they receive the most efficient solution, and it’s often the most cost effective too.
“Appointing a dedicated project manager, with extensive water engineering experience, meant that the customer had one point-of-contact throughout the whole project. Current operational tasks were carefully understood to ensure that installation and commissioning had little impact on the day-to-day delivery. Using 3D modelling software we could demonstrate the entire proposed plant in situ, combining the existing and new technology all within the exact dimensions of the brewery. This ensures that all parties completely understand the planned changes and we can address any variations or issues before manufacturing commences.”
Envirogen’s solution included a deep bed multimedia iron removal filtration system, reducing the backwash
UK’s “first Green CHP offering” An alternative to traditional CHP systems has been developed by EuroSite Power. The company’s Green CHP offering, which is powered by certified biomethane injection to provide a 100% zero carbon solution, is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK.
Hailed as “a vital transition technology for breweries on their Net Zero journey”, Green CHP works exactly like a conventional CHP system; however, EuroSite Power ensures that the gas used to fuel the boiler is certified green. The company, which is well-known for its On-Site Utility fully-funded energy as a
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service approach, says its Green CHP offer has been designed for organisations needing an immediate transitional solution as part of their zero carbon goals.
EuroSite Power’s Green CHP solution uses similar reciprocating gas engine technology to a conventional CHP but takes advantage of certified biomethane injection to provide a 100% zero carbon solution. All the gas burned by EuroSite Power’s Green CHP system is certified as renewable, using a widely accepted standard called Renewable Gas Guarantees of Origin (RGGOs). The company can also use the same
frequency and increasing capacity; a 24-hour steam sterilisable duplex carbon filtration system – to reduce THM, free chlorine and destroy microbes; a 75m³ storage vessel to accommodate buffer store when water supply varies in volume and quality; PureChlor chlorine dioxide dosing system to control microbial content in storage vessels - without introducing further flavour changes; PureSep Reverse Osmosis systems to further increase the water quality as well as recycling water for reuse; Ongoing service and maintenance contract for peace of mind and optimum operational efficiencies. The brewery’s Engineering Manager commented: “Envirogen’s knowledge and experience within the beverage industry is excellent. They understand the way we operate, the standards and quality we require and as a consequence have provided us with an efficient, costeffective water treatment solution.”
For further information: www.envirogengroup.com enquiries@envirogengroup.com
approach to include gas used elsewhere in a customer’s building. This means users are able to legitimately state that they are using 100% green gas and have decarbonised their operational emissions from the use of heating in their buildings or process. The company has published a guide entitled GREEN CHP: How to meet Net Zero Ambitions with a powerful alternative to conventional gas CHP which is available for download via its website.
For further information: www.eurositepower.co.uk
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Branding&&Resources Marketing NEWS Hygiene
Control the dew point for greater efficiency
Excessive humidity is a frequent issue in many breweries.
Older breweries are often housed in buildings that is a key part of their identity and heritage, often important for maintaining brand value and a distinctive market position. However, when outdoor temperatures and humidity rise in early spring, relative humidity can often rise above 70%, the point at which mould and fungus begin to flourish.
The surface of any tank or pipe containing beer will be cold — often 5°C or less. Moisture in the air will therefore tend to condense on these cold surfaces. It can then drip and collect, leading to corrosion of brewery structures which, over time, will make metal structures and equipment lose their viability and strength. Condensation also leads to droplets of moisture that
might end in electrical systems and other sensitive, operations critical equipment.
For some beers, bottling temperature needs to be at about 6°C or below, whereas the surface temperature on the bottles is at ambient temperature. Resulting condensation leads to many practical problems, such as: • Mould and fungus growth on the edge of the label, rendering the bottles unsaleable. • Labels start to wrinkle and peel off because the glue doesn’t dry properly. Bottles without labels are not saleable. • Bottles get dirty because dust and particles from inside the building and from forklift trucks, etc. settle on the wet surfaces of the bottles. Any remaining water in and on any crates will add to the moisture load and make problems worse. Many breweries attempt to deal with this by ventilating with outside air. But there will be condensation on the bottles as long as the dew point in the storage room is higher than their surface temperature, and the problems listed above will remain.
Lanemark brings heating benefits to small brewery applications A new gas process heating system from Lanemark Combustion Engineering is now fully operational at a leading microbrewery in London. Villages Brewery is benefiting from Lanemark technology which plays a key role in a new facility – with particular gains noted in terms of operational efficiency.
“We have installed and commissioned a liquid heating TX 25E burner package on a brewing kettle supplied by Bespoke Brewing Solutions, with whom we liaised closely throughout the project,” says Lanemark’s Process Burner Sales Manager, Adrian Cadman. “This provides a capacity of 30 hl – or 18 UK barrels – and is now central to Villages Brewery’s production.”
The Lanemark installation – which utilises the existing natural gas supply and includes an exhaust fan, damper, digital temperature controls and gas valve train
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– is typical of the company’s extensive involvement in the mini- and microbrewery sector. The burner is installed on the external wall of the circular vessel, firing through the structure into a submerged 2½” nb. stainless steel tubular heat exchanger.
“This takes the form of a helical coil located at the base of the tank in order to deliver the optimum blend of maximum heat transfer and minimum intrusion into the available space,” adds Adrian Cadman. He explains that the exhaust fan then pulls the products of combustion through the system to optimise even distribution of heat.
With the benefit of Lanemark’s own TxCalc specification software, which identifies the ideal combination of system components, efficiencies in excess of 80% can be readily achieved, as is the case at Villages Brewery. This is further enhanced by low exhaust temperatures of typically 180°C, which is markedly lower than alternative systems where up
However, a tailored desiccant dehumidification system enables the brewer to control the dew point of the air so that such condensation simply cannot arise the laws of physics make it impossible.
By employing specialist dehumidification technology, brewers will be able to control the humidity that’s always present in the air inside the buildings and around all the equipment and processing operations. Better control means lower costs, less risk, better hygiene and greater efficiency. In addition, desiccant dehumidifiers have the big added advantage of being equally effective all year round and over the entire temperature range from -25°C to 40°C. To ensure you get the right system, it is wise to take specialist advice. Humidity Solutions Ltd offers a full range of desiccant dehumidifiers with an excellent reputation for quality, reliability and service. A free site survey enables the company to measure and discuss each brewery’s individual requirements.
For further information: www.humiditysolutions.co.uk
to 300°C, reducing efficiency to just 50%, can be noted.
Archie Village, Director at Deptfordbased Villages Brewery – which distributes to a wide range of pubs and bottle shops throughout the capital – highlights the role played by the new installation.
“The facility is now central to all our brewing operations, so it is vital that it performs reliably every time,” he says. “The overall aim of the project has been to facilitate an increase in production output while building on the high quality that is at the heart of our reputation – and the Lanemark system is already delivering in both respects.”
For further information: www.lanemark.com
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NEWS Hygiene & Resources
Emerson introduces non-contacting radar level transmitter designed for beverage applications To meet the need for highly accurate and reliable level measurement in hygienic applications, Emerson has developed the Rosemount™ 1408H Level Transmitter, the world’s first noncontacting radar device designed specifically for the food and beverage industry.
Dedicated features include a hygienic compact design, fast sweep technology, exceptional radar beam focusing and IO-Link communications, helping manufacturers to optimise the efficiency of their operations, reduce product losses and ensure product safety.
in food and beverage production. The hygienic antenna is flush with the process connection that ensures the removal of process residue during clean-in-place and sterilise-in-place processes, and is insensitive to condensation and build-up. The hygienically approved, IP69-rated device has a stainless steel housing with minimal crevices to withstand external washdowns and ensure cleanability.
Non-contacting radar is an ideal level measurement technology for applications that require stringent hygienic facilities and equipment. It is virtually maintenance-free, which helps it to ensure long-term reliability, in sharp contrast to legacy technologies. It has a top-down installation that reduces the risk of product loss through leakage, and it is unaffected by process conditions such as density, viscosity, temperature and pH. The compact and robust form of the Rosemount 1408H makes it a suitable solution for the small tanks and space-constrained skids commonly used
The Rosemount 1408H is the first level transmitter to use 80 GHz frequency modulated continuous wave technology on a single electronic chip with embedded smart algorithms. This enables exceptional radar beam focusing, so that internal tank obstructions such as agitators can be avoided, and greater measurement accuracy achieved. Fast sweep technology makes the Rosemount 1408H the quickest level measurement technology on the market, says Emerson, collecting up to 40 times more information than legacy transmitters. This increases measurement accuracy, enabling manufacturers to reduce the amount of product lost through wastage, maximise production capability, and reduce production variations, leading to increased product quality and batch consistency. The technology also enables measurements
Munters DSS Pro represents an evolutionary leap forward from the market-leading Munters DSS system, with performance upgrades that make a real difference. It will provide users the right climate more efficiently than ever before.
The DSS Pro offers key energy-saving features. It consumes up to 30% less energy with its Green PowerPurge™ and, when it’s time to transition to renewable energy, the DSS Pro is ready for a seamless switch.
all the way to the top of the tank, with this elimination of radar dead-zones enabling users to maximise vessel utilisation.
The Rosemount 1408H is the first non-contacting radar transmitter with connectivity to the IO-Link communication protocol, making it easy to integrate with any automation system. The transmitter provides both conventional 4-20 mA, switch outputs and digital high-speed communication. It features innovative technology and smart algorithms to ensure installation and commissioning are made easy, saving time and helping ensure trouble-free operation. Together with the new Rosemount IO-Link Assistant software, which sets the parameters via IO-Link, the experience of using Rosemount IOLink devices is enhanced even further.
For further information: www.emerson.com
Munters DSS Pro offers ‘next level of dehumidification’
Suitable for indoor or outdoor installation, Munters DSS Pro is designed for a wide range of industries that demand dehumidification efficiencies. Equipped with the Munters custom configured control system, the DSS Pro offers full function integration, delivering the perfect climate whenever and wherever it’s needed. It comes in twenty configurable sizes with three different desiccant rotor types.
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Another positive energy saving feature is the new AirPro casing, an innovative enclosure that significantly improves durability, reduces air leakage, and reduces energy consumption.
When it comes to size, the DSS Pro offers a reduced physical footprint, which makes the system more convenient to install and can free up much-needed space that can be used to generate revenue.
Munters offers more than a benchmark dehumidification system with the DSS Pro. As a partner with the knowledge and expertise to ensure indoor climate is always exactly as it needs to be, Munters provides support from design and quotation to ongoing service from our offices all over the world.
For further information: www.munters.com/dsspro
BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn 2021
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Cask and Keg Repair & Refurbishment Specialists
l A Genuine Alternative to Cask and Keg Replacement l Repairs to casks and kegs of all sizes l We can supply refurbished casks too l Fast On-Site Turnaround l Competitive Rates l Over 60 years of Industry Experience Please contact us for details of our other onsite services.
Head Office: 01283 740807 • Mob: 07952 152 099 Email: repairs@dhmbreweryservices.co.uk • Contact: Jason Miller
Web: www.dhmbreweryservices.co.uk • Twitter: @DHMBreweryServ
BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn 2021
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NEWS Packaging & Labelling
Spout drink pouches – the innovative liquid packaging solution The spout pouch is one of the more popular types of flexible packaging, especially in the food and drink industry. Manufacturers can benefit from this extremely versatile and customisable alternative to other types of plastic packaging, such as plastic bottles, cans and jars.
Regardless of what is being sold, spout pouches are an innovative liquid packaging solution that could well become the future for brewing businesses, especially as there are environmental benefits to using them along with recyclable options
What are the uses of spout pouches? Spout pouches are the perfect solution for either single serve drinks or sharing packs, whether that be beer, juices, cocktails or mocktails. The pandemic really changed the way packaging was considered, with bars and restaurants
having to change their strategy in how they trade, spout pouches have proved to be the perfect solution for both food and drink delivery services and postal/subscription services. Not only this, but they are easy to store and the lifespan is good.
What are the benefits of spout packaging? Amongst the many benefits of spout packaging is the excellent evacuation they provide – you can minimise drink waste by using up to 99.5% of the product if you store it in a spout pouch.
Spout pouches are also great for consumers on the move, as they are both easier to access and to carry, think festivals where you can drink straight from the pouch spout. It’s also easily disposable with recyclable options available and costs less than a bottle or can, as well as being lighter in weight, and safer too as there’s no sharp edges to consider.
Decade of bag-in-box packaging for Sandford Orchards Cider Sandford Orchards owner Barny Butterfield was no stranger to boxed cider packaging when he contacted Smurfit Kappa Barnstaple in 2010. It was in fact his own supplier at the time (and customer of Smurfit Kappa Barnstaple) who put him in touch as his requirement for Bag-in-box packaging had gone from standard off-the-shelf to a more bespoke need.
By coming direct the company was able to source packaging that gave it the ability to truly shout about its Devon roots and products, helping raise brand awareness and appeal to larger companies. When the products were listed in Wetherspoons the volumes increased and the company recognised just how much its new packaging had supported this, and the importance of good quality packaging to ensure that products are displayed well, arrive undamaged and taste just as fresh as
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they do when packaged. In the 10 years Sandford Orchards has been a direct customer of Smurfit Kappa Barnstaple, its packaging has undergone various visual design changes and in more recent years the packaging has been altered to help save business costs and improve performance.
By altering the dimensions of the Bag-inBox® being used by Sandford Orchards, Smurfit Kappa Barnstaple is now able to get 57 boxes onto a pallet, when previously it was 40 – a 40% increase in pallet load. This innovation, and collaborative working has helped reduce pallet requirements and save costs.
The box has also seen other innovations including adding an ice box flap so the product (when situated on a bar) stays at the correct and optimum temperature all day with a couple of ice packs being added; changing the board grade to a Kraft liner, which gives a higher water resistance and enables the pack to stay rigid while it is being chilled; using gloss
When it comes down to flexible packaging, spout drink bags are the most economical and eco-friendly option of all – their production uses up less natural resources than that of the more traditional food packaging options and it takes around 70-80% less energy to manufacture when compared to rigid alternatives as well as having recyclable options. Spout pouches are also perfect for sample packaging, as they offer the perfect size and functional versatility for distributing liquid samples. You can also make sure your product stands out from the crowd in a busy retail environment, by customising your spout bags with high-quality prints.
For further information: www.polypouch.co.uk
lamination helps the box maintain its shape and protect the artwork from transit damage
“In the 10 years of using Smurfit Kappa Barnstaple as my Bag-in-Box® supplier I have developed a great working relationship with the team. They are always on hand to help with our next project and their expertise and knowledge is invaluable,” said Barny Butterfield, owner of Sandford Orchards. Sandford Orchards traditionally sells directly to pubs and distributors, and uses a 20L Bag-in-Box® full colour litho packaging solution. The company also sells in-store and on its website having 3L, 5L and 20L options available.
For further info: www.smurfitkappa.com
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NEWS Packaging & Labelling
Bubble scientists aim to pop the plastic pollution problem for drinks manufacturers
A Leeds-based business is continuing to use its unique insight and expertise to help drinks manufacturers tackle the global problem of plastic pollution.
CO2 Sustain Ltd, makers of patented liquid foam control and carbonation aid, CO2Sustain, is stepping up production at its Leeds research and production facility to help businesses reduce the volume of plastic packaging they use.
The innovative solution can proactively aid the process of ‘lightweighting’, a technique that aims to drastically reduce plastic consumption in the beverage industry by using thinner plastic in the packaging manufacturing process.
Plastic pollution has triggered mounting pressure on drinks manufacturers to reduce plastic usage and the environmental impact of using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. Manufacturers and bottlers are further incentivised to cut down on plastic as they benefit from a substantial cost saving by using less increasingly expensive raw materials.
However, as plastic is porous, gas leakage over time is inevitable, capping
carbonation shelf life for PET packaged drinks on average at 12 months.
Jonathan Stott, business manager CO2Sustain LTD said: “We are helping soft drinks manufacturers all over the world to not only cut down their plastic use but also save money by using our product in their production process. Lightweighting is the practice of manufacturing thinner plastic bottles which will biodegrade quicker and use less raw materials. Whilst lightweighting is good news for the drinks brands and for the planet but drinks manufacturers, this creates a similar problem to using recycled plastic as the integrity of the PET walls of bottles is compromised and reduces carbonation shelf life. This has the undesirable effect of deterring the manufacturers from doing it.”
The thinner the plastic bottle, the more porous it becomes and the quicker the carbonated beverage will lose its fizz. This problem is made even worse when producing and distributing in hot climates, where refreshing drinks are in the highest demand, as hotter climates exacerbate carbon dioxide loss. So despite saving money and resources in one area by reducing plastic usage, new obstacles are presented with carbonation
shelf life cut shorter and wastage likely to increase.
Added Jonathan Stott: “Drinks manufacturers who use our product can make a huge difference to the environmental damage resulting from plastic bottles. In developing CO2Sustain our scientists are able to retain carbon dioxide in carbonated drinks, making drinks fizzier and for longer. This means beverage businesses are free to produce drinks that use less plastic whilst maintaining the carbonation shelf life standard. With no impact on taste or appearance, our innovative non-silicone processing aid has the potential to contribute to massive waste reductions globally which is great news in the global battle against plastic pollution.”
For further information: www.co2sustain.com
Durham Box creates gift pack for Turning Point
Leading packaging manufacturer, Durham Box, has produced distinctive new gift and shipping packaging for Knaresboroughbased craft beer micro brewery, Turning Point Brew Co.
The vibrant selection gift pack, comprising either 4 x 440ml cans, or 4 x 330ml cans, was created to showcase innovative beers from the brewer’s core
range, including the iconic Disco King, an American pale ale and three popular Custard sweet ales in various unique flavours.
Formed in 2017, Turning Point Brew Co’s founders have seen a rapid expansion of their business, particularly in online sales of their house and special beers. In developing their gift pack concept, the brewery approached Durham Box with a loose idea, which the packaging manufacturer then converted into reality with a concept and samples. Basing the artwork on the playful design of the Disco King pale ale, the gift box was digitally printed through Durham Box’s Nozomi C18000, onto a claycoated outer liner to give a vivid eyecatching look.
In addition to the gift packs, Durham Box also supply shipping boxes, printed on
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brown board in one-colour flexo in a shocking pink to ensure stand-out. The boxes use a crash lock base with tuck in top to assist in speeding up packing time on canning lines.
Cameron McQueen, co-founder of Turning Point Brew Co, said: “We have been really impressed with Durham Box’s excellent packaging solutions and great customer service. Their digital print capabilities are perfect for our production, allowing us the opportunity to be proactive with selection box concepts and special releases where short runs are required. We found them to be really helpful in the design process and completely flexible in their approach.”
For further information: www.durhambox.co.uk
BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn 2021
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NEWS Containers
Beatson Clark’s apothecary bottles are ‘flying off the shelves’
A new Caribbean rum tonic drink called Wha Gwan has seen excellent sales since it launched this summer in 200ml amber Winchester apothecary bottles made by Beatson Clark.
Wha Gwan is a ready-to-drink melon cherry rum tonic described as “fully loaded with good vybz and strength.” The 17.2% rum-based drink has been selling well in wholesalers, cash and carries and small retail outlets since it launched.
David Mills, founder of Wha Gwan who licenses the brand to distributor BevStar, said: “Sales are good – we are one of the fastest growing new start-ups in the country at the moment. For the packaging we wanted to work directly with a manufacturer, and Beatson Clark
are one of the main players in the marketplace.
“They’re a great company to work with and they’re very reliable and efficient in terms of timescales. We chose a pharmaceutical bottle to identify the drink as part of the category. Medicinestyle bottles are proving very popular in the marketplace right now and rather than stand apart from them we wanted our new product to fit in with the rest of the sector.
“We believe we will soon start to see competitors launching similar products so we plan to customise our bottle within six months through embossing, once our brand is fully established in the market.”
Jonathan Clark, Account Manager at Beatson Clark, said: “The popularity of our vintage, retro-style apothecary
bottles shows no sign of abating.
“Originally designed for pharmaceutical use, they lend brands an authentic apothecary look which is currently very popular in the craft spirits market. In addition the amber glass protects drink products from harmful UV rays, offering them a longer shelf life.
“Many bottles in this range are available from stock and the addition of embossing produces unique bottles for less than half the cost of a completely bespoke design.”
For further information: www.beatsonclark.co.uk
Polykeg, Murphy & Son and Reborn announce an innovative new UK-based keg recycling service
POLYKEG is working with Murphy & Son on a new partnership with Reborn to launch a keg recycling program which collects used kegs, shreds them down into pellets and then uses the pellets to make a range of products including clothes and promotional merchandise.
Polykeg has developed the recycling program in partnership with Murphy & Son and Reborn. Murphy & Son is a long-established and well-respected distributor to breweries throughout the UK. The company now exclusively distributes Polykegs and wants to ensure that all Polykegs sold into the UK market are 100% recycled with the lowest carbon footprint.
Brandon Critchell, Sales and Marketing Director for Murphy & Son commented, “We are delighted to be able to offer this service to all of our customers. It is so important that we are now able to recycle Polykegs and we are delighted to be working with Reborn. Being able to see the kegs being turned into products which are then sold back into our
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industry is very satisfying.”
Reborn is an organisation passionate about preserving our oceans and global ecosystem. It works extensively with the hospitality industry collecting and recycling plastic waste plastic before it ends up in landfill or our oceans. This is then made into a range of sustainable products including uniforms, point-ofsale items, chairs, and bars.
Zak Johnson, CEO & Founder of Reborn commented, “I am thrilled to be working with Polykeg. At Reborn we are passionate about preserving the oceans and environment and see plastic waste as a commodity that can be turned into useful and long-lasting. Rather than going to landfill or ending up in our oceans, businesses can turn their own plastic waste into sustainable merchandise and clothes creating a circular economy.
“Polykeg is a great partner for us especially as the kegs are very easy to dismantle and 100% recyclable. This is a win-win situation for Polykeg, Murphy & Son and the brewing industry.”
The way the program will work is there will be several drop-off locations around the UK. In some cases, collections can be arranged. The kegs will then be shipped from the drop off locations to Reborn’s recycling centre in Buckinghamshire. There they will dismantled and shredded down into pellets. The pellets are then shipped to Reborn’s manufacturing plant where they are used to make a range of products. Tony Hird, Managing Director of Polykeg UK, commented, “This is a very significant milestone for Polykeg. It is the first recycling program which is not only based in the UK, but which uses recycled plastic to produce products sold back into the industry. The carbon footprint of the program is negligible when compared to other recycling programs which ship the kegs to other European countries to be recycled. The service is free of charge and available to all Polykeg and Murphy’s customers. We believe this will make Polykegs even more attractive to breweries.”
For further information: www.polykeg.it
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NEWS Ingredients
Muntons celebrates 100 years in business
Muntons is a family-owned manufacturer, based in the UK, which supplies world-class malts and malted ingredients across the globe. It provides a full portfolio of brewing malts, from crushed malt in sacks to the whole malt in bulk. How it all began:
The Baker-Munton family had been trading in malt and grain in Lincoln, Liverpool, and London during the 19th century. During this time, family member Horace Baker-Munton had established a business importing malt extract from America to Britain. Shortly after WW1 and the Spanish flu pandemic, there was a demand for malt extract from the bakers, food manufacturers and breweries, inspiring Horace’s son, Munton Baker-Munton, to start his own business and directly supply British manufactured malt extract. Munton Baker-Munton moved his dreams to the disused Phoenix Brewery in Bedford, which was owned by the brewing family business, Charles Wells Ltd. Muntona Ltd was established on 27 September 1921, with the Wells family becoming major shareholders. The business continued to grow and in 1934 acquired Edward Fison Ltd, a local competitor maltster and malt extract manufacturer.
After the war:
A new site followed in 1948, with the purchase of land and buildings of the former British Nylon Spinners in Stowmarket for £110,000. For the next decade, the Bedford and Ipswich plants were sold and closed, and Stowmarket became the headquarters. Malt production at the renamed Munton & Fison Ltd, now being run by brothers Selwyn and Monty Baker-Munton, exceeded internal requirements. By this point, more families than ever before had both parents going out to work and with more disposable income. The post-war era became that of technological advancement. In 1964, the 45,000 tonnes Flamborough Maltings in Bridlington opened to support Scottish whisky distillers. Muntons chose the region for having some of the finest barley crops in the country. Following Britain’s entry into the EU in the 1970s, the malting capacity soon became fully utilised. Stowmarket expanded and Cedars Maltings opened in 1978 to meet the demand; it brought group production capacity to 95,000 tonnes per annum. Towards the turn of the century, expansion continued with new maltings being built at Bridlington, in two phases, beginning in 1993. Phase 1 increased the group capacity to 120,000 tonnes per annum; the completion of phase 2 in 1997 brought capacity to 150,000 tonnes per annum.
The New Millennium
By the year 2000, the business’ name had changed again, this time to Muntons PLC. Stowmarket received a large investment, including the installations of evaporators, mash
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vessels and a malt extract packing facility. Muntons’ passion to remain to innovate and drive product development support for its customers was demonstrated in 2010 with the launch of its Centre for Excellence at its headquarters in Stowmarket. Home to the New Product Development (NPD) team, it boasts a fully operational 1HL microbrewery and a taste test facility and a fully operational commercial kitchen. With a team of brewing technology experts based at its Centre for Excellence in Suffolk, Muntons works with breweries wanting support with areas including recipe development and brewery troubleshooting. Muntons invites customers to work with the brewing technologists who will provide a refreshing mix of traditional knowledge. Brands can learn about ingredients and bring concepts to life on equipment like that at their own breweries and distilleries.
Further Expansion Abroad and at Home
The late 2000s was the decade when Muntons made its concrete mark on the global market. In 2007, it opened an office in Singapore and in 2009, Muntons inc in America was established. A new product development team was formed in Thailand to help meet the exacting needs of the region. This, coupled with the expertise and skills provided from the UK headquarters, ensures that products made for the Asian market have a global appeal, and strengthen Muntons’ position as a global player in malt and malted ingredients. In 2019, Muntons completed the full purchase of the plant making it wholly owned by Muntons PLC. Also, in 2019, a new peating plant in a remote rural area in the Yorkshire Wold opened. Muntons sends green malt from its Bridlington maltings for final kilning and incorporation of the peated flavour to supply the growing whisky businesses globally.
It’s Not Just About the Malt:
Muntons’ knowledge and passion in being a responsible and green global corporate citizen span over 30 years. As certified as compliant with the Farm Sustainability Assessment Standard approved by SAI Platform, it manufactures malt that comes from 100% sustainable barley and is working to a strategic goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. In 2015, it became the first maltster in the UK to open an anaerobic digester (AD). Not only does it generate electricity, but it also reduces road haulage and greenhouse gasses. The AD produces bio-fertiliser, which is used by local barley farmers to enrich the soil, enabling them to grow quality crops ready to be malted. Muntons installed a biomass boiler at Bridlington in 2018, providing the plant with its heat and electricity, therefore reducing its carbon footprint. As part of its science-based targets, of which it is the only maltster to do so, it plans to reduce its emissions by 45% between 2010 and 2025 and is currently on track. As part of this pledge, it’s investing in another biomass boiler. Set to
be fully operational in autumn 2021 in Stowmarket, the 14MW bio-energy centre will reduce its Stowmarket maltings' carbon emissions by over 50% and will pave a way to allow the site to become self-efficient for heat and electricity. Through its anaerobic digester, Muntons converts its waste into products that are reusable within its supply chain, including highly nutritive soil fertiliser used in barley fields, making its manufacturing a 360-degree process.
2021 and Beyond
2021 is Muntons’ 100th year. With the Wells family still a firm part of the day-to-day running of the company, Muntons continues to be a family-owned business, employing a team of over 250 at the Stowmarket headquarters and more than 300 people globally. It produces around 200,000 mt of malt per annum for the brewing, distilling and food sectors and prides itself on being one of the most sustainable maltsters in the industry. The maltster has continued to roll with innovations, with the launch of its Premium Alcohol-Free Malt Extract, being just one of its latest products this year. It has developed the malt extract with the mindset of creating great tasting alcohol-free beer that is more accessible to all brewers. Versatile and easy to use, the extract gives body, mouthfeel, and taste. Muntons’ latest innovation allows the brewer to include alcohol-free options in their range without the need to invest in expensive equipment. Managing Director of Muntons, Mark Tyldesley, adds: “To be going strong for 100 years is an achievement that all of us at Muntons are incredibly proud of. Supporting customers with the creation of some of the world’s favourite food and drink for a century is an honour and proves that we remain passionate about malt and creating moments of enjoyment to this day. “Our team members play a huge role in the heritage of our business. We’re fortunate to have some of the best experts in the malt industry, some of whom have been with us for 40 years. These colleagues ensure they pass this knowledge down to the next generation of maltsters. If we didn’t have such a team, then we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
For further information: www.muntons.com
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NEWS Ingredients
Innovative yeast hybrid product from Lallemand
Lallemand has introduced an innovative new product, a yeast hybrid called LalBrew Farmhouse™ for Saison-Style beers. The product is the result of the research and development work of Renaissance Biosciences in Vancouver, CA and is a first collaborative release. Both lab and field trials have confirmed this yeast as unique, performant and displaying a desirable Saison flavour profile.
Framed within the LalBrew® Premium Hybrid Yeast product line, LalBrew Farmhouse™ was created using the most advanced breeding techniques. The Renaissance research team used classical and non-gmo science to select a strain that did not have the STA1 gene, responsible for the diastatic activity of
Saison yeasts. Care was taken to retain normal brewing sugar utilisation to produce dry saisons.
Additionally, the patented technology from UC Davis, CA, USA ensures that the strain will not produce sulfurous off-flavours, therefore enhancing the saison yeasts aroma characteristics.
LalBrew Farmhouse™ is a non-diastatic hybrid to make hassle-free saison beers , eliminating the risk of cross-contamination with a diastatic yeast while retaining all the characteristics that make a saison yeast so attractive: flavour, aroma profile and high attenuation. This yeast is highly anticipated addition to the Lalbrew® Premium portfolio for farmhouse-style beer.
The product is available in 500g, 11g at all time and 20kg on demand.
For further information: www.lallemand.com
Hop supplier helps bring fresh hop ales to global craft community
For the first time, Yakima Chief Hops (YCH), a grower-owned hop supplier, has made fresh hop ales possible for the global craft beer industry with the launch of its cutting edge Frozen Fresh Hops program.
Fresh hop ales are one of the most celebratory beers in American craft beer. Brewed with whole wet cones within 36 hours of harvest, they represent hops in their most natural form. Dependent upon the unpredictable nature of farming, brewers plan their operations around these seasonal beers. With the high perishability of an unprocessed ingredient, fresh hops are difficult to access for brewers further from the farms.
With the growing popularity of fresh hop ales, the need to create a more flexible and sustainable product increased. Focused on innovation and creative solutions, YCH developed a way to offer Frozen Fresh Hops in partnership with Wyckoff Farms, skilled in the art producing and preserving quality, frozen agricultural products.
YCH’s Frozen Fresh Hops are raw, unkilned, flash frozen whole cone hops
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produced in a state-of-the-art BRCcertified food processing facility. Unlike traditional freezing, flash freezing retains the delicate nuances of un-kilned hops by protecting lupulin gland integrity, preserving fresh hops from both a physical and aromatic perspective. The result is a product that delivers the magic of fresh hop season with better storability and logistical flexibility.
“As a northwest brewer, Fresh Hops have a special place in my heart,” said YCH’s Brewery Manager, Jeremy Wattenberg. “Frozen Fresh hops will be a game changer in the way we look at fresh hopped beers.”
Frozen Fresh Hops have sub-freezing shipping and storage requirements. Inspired by Wyckoff’s fresh frozen blueberries exported across the globe, YCH now supplies a more accessible fresh hop product, bringing this celebration to beer drinkers everywhere.
UK brewers can place orders directly through YCH. A local distributor partner will handle the shipping to UK customers from its facility to allow for more logistical flexibility and cost effective options.
For further information: www.yakimachief.com
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NEWS Ingredients
Simpsons switches fleet to sustainable HVO fuel Simpsons Malt, the fifth-generation family malting and merchanting business, has reduced net CO2 emissions from its wagons by up to 90% after switching its fleet from diesel to HVO fuel.
HVO, or hydrotreated vegetable oil, is a synthetic, paraffinic fuel made from 100% renewable raw materials. It is stable, sustainable and high quality, offering better combustion, filterability and cold temperature resistance than other diesel products.
In January 2021, Simpsons Malt took delivery of a 140,000-litre steel bunded HVO fuel storage tank from provider Crown Oil and, in the weeks that followed, 28 trucks in the company’s fleet based out of its Berwick-uponTweed headquarters – comprising 21 DAF trucks, six Scania trucks and one MAN truck – have gradually transitioned over to HVO, with additional haulage partners also using the fossil-free fuel for their malt deliveries with the company.
As well as reducing net CO2 emissions by up to 90% – which equates to more than 4,000 tonnes based on litres the company’s fleet consumes in a regular year – HVO is also found to reduce NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions by up to 27% and PM (particulate matter) by up to 84%, with all these key components towards achieving improved air quality. It is the best available technology to do this until electric or hydrogen powered haulage vehicles become viable, which is still a few years away.
To showcase that the wagons are running more sustainably, an HVO logo – designed by Courage Creative Ltd in County Durham – has been applied to the rear of the trailer of each truck. The switch to HVO marks the completion of another of Simpsons Malt’s sustainability objectives and comes hot on the heels of the company assisting all its farming partners who grow malting barley on contract in becoming verified to the SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) to Gold level.
David McCreath, Simpsons Malt Group Fleet Manager, said: “Here at Simpsons Malt, we’re passionate in our quest to reduce our carbon footprint and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to contribute towards this in the Transport Department in switching 28 trucks based out of Berwick-upon-Tweed to HVO, significantly reducing the level of harmful emissions we produce.
“In the five months our wagons have been running on HVO, we have been
very impressed with the performance, with no change in the miles per gallon of the vehicles, while refueling has also been made simple through our on-site HVO tank supplied and regularly restocked by Crown Oil.” Simon Lawford, Crown Oil Technical Sales Manager, added: “The proven benefits of using HVO are extensive both practically and environmentally. We are thrilled that Simpsons Malt is already seeing the value of using this more sustainable, fossil-free fuel and hope this is the beginning of a longstanding relationship.
““The credentials of HVO are being increasingly noted, which has been proven by a more than 100% increase in UK uptake in the last year and, at Crown Oil, we are proud to be one of the UK’s leading distributors of this advanced renewable fuel.”
For further information: www.simpsonsmalt.co.uk
Hop oil firm expands with move to new warehouse
UK-based Totally Natural Solutions is making a strategic investment to support exponential growth of its patented natural hop extract business to incorporate an increase in headcount to 30 as well as securing additional premises to further expand.
The first phase of the investment has seen completion of the new warehouse and installation of an automated blend and pack facility to comply with Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standards.
At 6,500 square feet, the Paddock Wood warehouse allows for 500 pallet spaces
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supported by investments in stock control systems. This improvement allows TNS to respond with short lead times to its increasing export sales, in markets such as the USA and Asia.
Securing the new site is the latest step in the firm’s overall aim to take on 15,000 square feet by the end of the year. This is part of strategic investments in equipment, team and systems to deliver rapid expansion which has seen TNS grow from start-up to a global brewery partner within eight years.
The company was set-up in 2013 by Colin Wilson, who had previously been operations director with Barth Haas, the
world’s largest supplier of hop products and services. Wilson has ambitious growth plans for TNS, including taking its turnover to £25 million over the next three years and the firm is investing heavily to realise this opportunity The new warehouse fit out has been led and managed by TNS warehouse manager, Nathan Biginton, who joined the company in March. Colin Wilson said: “The new warehouse is the first of many major developments in our ongoing expansion plans for TNS.”
For further information: www.totallynaturalsolutions.com
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NEWS Branding
Powderkeg Brewery launches brand new look Multi-award-winning Powderkeg Beer is coming out of lockdown with a stunning re-brand.
Working with Hampshire-based Catling Creative and renowned Illustrator Jem Panufunik, Powderkeg has brought its brand to life with some eye-popping new artwork. The intricate illustrations tell the stories of the individual beers above the bold new logo, tasting notes and clear product information. Certainly the new designs look set to grab the attention of beer lovers on shelves, taps and in fridges everywhere this summer.
Having picked up a 3-star Great Taste Award, a national SIBA Gold, Food & Drink Devon ‘Drink Of The Year’ and a gold at the European Beer Challenge over the past 12 months, Powderkeg is brewing at the top of its game. Widely admired in its home county of Devon, Powderkeg is ready to take its ‘FreeThinking Beer’ to the next level with this fresh new look.
The Exeter-based brewer is carving its own path with curiosity, creativity and defiance, looking beyond established ideas and opinions to revolutionise a style, creating something fresh,
interesting and always outstanding. In Cut Loose, it re-imagines a classic German-style Pilsner by pepping it up with New Zealand hops; it’s a great example of how moving past traditional techniques can elevate a beer beyond expectations. The beers are also GlutenFree and Vegan. Said founder and head brewer John Magill; “We take influences from craft beer and classic European brewing to
create flavour-packed sessionable beers that excite craft aficionados and the casual drinker alike. The PK team have spent many years honing our skills, giving us the expert brewing knowledge to break the rules with a bit of style; making beers that really satisfy our curiosity, creativity and thirst.”
For further information: www.catlingcreative.com
What’s brand purpose got to do with it… Integrity, equity and serendipity Says Myles Pinfold
This year two drinks brands came under fire, with questions concerning their integrity.
The first was Coca Cola, called out by Ronaldo when interviewed for the Euros. Despite a supposed drop in share price for Coke immediately following the incident, the value of the brand remains resilient, whilst ‘brand Ronaldo’ was also boosted and FIFA had a successful tournament. Though why FIFA – an organisation representing a sport which is all about athletic prowess – would choose a highly sugared soft drink as a lead sponsor seems to have gone largely unnoticed.
The second under fire was the eponymous Brewdog, who built their reputation on their ‘punk’ attitude. For a business that has grown exponentially, in the space of under 15 years, it is inevitable that some eggs will be broken.
It’s sad that those eggs were the people that helped make it all happen. There is much talk about brand purpose these days and whilst it is undeniable that Brewdog has achieved its aim to help revolutionise the beer industry and build a passionate fan base, I don’t recall the Punk Rock era having much to do with peace and love or saving our planet. It could be said that Brewdog has always been true to its brand attitude of being rebellious and challenging, with its wry, ironic PR. The resultant publicity from its ‘outing’ by ex-staff appears to have had little impact on its sales and the brewer has retained its high Brand Index rating. Although I don’t imagine Greta Thunberg will be featured holding a can of Punk IPA in the foreseeable future.
So, what are we to deduce from all this, a fizzy soft drinks brand that originally used ‘interesting’ ingredients (the clue’s in the name) to invigorate its consumers
and build phenomenal growth, and an alcoholic drinks brand that has built its reputation on being the ‘bad boy’ of brewing and is now being questioned over its ethical claims. The point is that the former has become a lifestyle brand that has gone beyond the product and ingrained itself into our Western culture, whilst the latter has built its fan base on being contrary, not green. Both have built resilient brand equities with their consumers. Brands need firstly to ensure that they are true to their brand promise before jumping on the purpose bandwagon. Whilst looking after the people that you work with has to be a priority for any business.
Myles Pinfold is founder and strategic director of WPA Pinfold
For further information: www.wpa-pinfold.co.uk
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THE VIEW THROUGH MY GLASS BOTTOM
What’s brewing…grounds for divorce? Julian Grocock
It’s been one of the longest relationships of my life. I wasn’t there at the birth, but membership for forty-five years qualified me for an invitation – from co-founder Michael Hardman MBE – to CAMRA’s 50th Anniversary reunion of 1970s activists.
Accordingly, I arrived at Castle Rock Brewery’s Canalhouse, in Nottingham, to celebrate with many old ‘camrades’…and to mourn the eternal absence of others. And, I’m sorry to say, to join in some general kicking-off about unwelcome developments in policy and direction of the organisation that has for so long played such a fundamental role at the heart of our beer-obsessed lives. Until now, I’ve never hesitated over payment of my annual subscription. When I moved to Lincoln, in 1976, it entitled me to attend meetings, become branch secretary, and propose Imp Ale as the title of our newsletter. (Clever, eh? And still in use today!) From 1978 to 2018 it took me to 37 National AGM Weekends – mostly to drink ridiculous amounts of beer, but also occasionally to engage in motion debates. And in the last five years it’s allowed me back into direct involvement, and actually to become Vale of Belvoir branch chairman.
But one constant factor, above anything else, has underpinned my undiminished enthusiasm to part with whatever it costs to stay wedded to the cause. And that – the eagerly anticipated monthly delivery of my copy of the latest issue of What’s Brewing – has now been consigned to history.
It’s a decision that’s left me (and everyone I chatted with at the reunion) feeling short-changed. I’m aware of the arguments deployed to justify it…’archaic and unnecessary’, ‘too costly’, ‘democratically agreed’, ‘most members don’t care’, etc. And some might be valid points, but they bring into focus broader issues that are redesigning CAMRA’s future, and challenging the continued loyalty of many of those who first earned it the accolade of being ‘the most successful consumer organisation in Europe’. ~ Let me assure you I’m sufficiently IT-savvy to access and utilise an
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online What’s Brewing. A few weeks ago I visited the new platform and registered my email update preferences. But as a publican, my proper copy was regularly left on the newspaper table in the bar, to encourage customer interest in the passion that had made me their landlord. That wouldn’t be so easy with a laptop, would it?
Furthermore, I’m not sure how production can be prohibitively expensive, given current subs income, when it was affordable in the Seventies and Eighties, funded by fewer than 30,000 members. Before discontinuation, members had been invited to opt out of receipt, so financial outlay was surely under control and manageable. Or does the St Albans wage bill now take priority? ~ In December 1975 I joined a CAMPAIGN. For the majority of those signed-up today that is not the case. Virtually every recruit in the early years was an active participant. These days, my local branch area has around 350-400 members. I’ve never chaired a meeting of more than twenty.
Not long ago, CAMRA’s homepage proudly boasted a membership update, growing on an almost daily basis, and reaching 190,000, but it’s now disappeared. Is that because it’s fallen back below 165,000? And is that because lockdown prevented the use of Real Ale Vouchers and the Real Ale Discount Scheme, so made renewal not worthwhile for such a significant number?
You probably know I’m familiar with the concept of an organisation changing its name but retaining its original acronym. I’m not sure I can feel an affinity with CAMRA becoming the ‘Collective for Acquiring Money off Real Ale’. ~ The world has only just had the good fortune to produce a generation ready to pass definitive moral and ethical judgment on any subject, so you won’t be getting that from me here. I’m more interested in learning what others think. Trying to address the What’s Brewing issue has brought to the fore a more comprehensive critical assessment of CAMRA after fifty years. We have to acknowledge that the world has moved on apace since 1971, and must also appreciate the real ale movement’s massive role in the extraordinary and mostly welcome changes in beer and brewing – but don’t they themselves mean it must embrace a flexible and evolving ongoing purpose? And if so, does it nevertheless still have a heritage it must respect? Answers on a postcard, please. Or by email, if you insist.
Julian Grocock
Julian Grocock is a former pub landlord, managing director of Tynemill/Castle Rock, and chief executive of SIBA. Extensive experience in beer and pub politics, brewery and pubco operations, and on the front line in the pub trade...‘from cellar to ceiling’.
BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn 2021
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The NEXT issue of
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Features in this issue... Production Equipment
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