The Brewers Journal Sep-Oct 2017, iss 5 vol 3

The magazine for the professional brewing industry

Brewers J o u r n a l 63 | ContracT brewing: A HELPING HAND FOR BREWERS

September~October 2017 | Volume 3, issue 5 ISSN 2059-6669

56 | MOOR BEER: WHY THE UK NEEDS TO IMPROVE QUALITY

WILD CARD

Walthamstow’s finest on moving to the next level

71 | YEAST: CAN IT BECOME THE “NEW” HOPS

l e ad e r

round three

W

ow. It feels like only yesterday we were putting together the first issue of The Brewers Journal. The teams at Beavertown, Fuller's and Weird Beard were kind enough to welcome us to their breweries for a chat so we could produce that initial publication. Thank you again! Jump ahead two years and here we are entering the start of the third year of the magazine. Much has changed in that period.

We've witnessed impressive industry growth but with that, an increase in the acquisitive nature of the multinationals.

We also continue to see a strong sense of camaraderie and community alive and well in UK brewing, it's one of its finest traits. However, competition is incredibly fierce. More than it ever has been before. An increasing number of breweries are competing for the attentions of drinkers across the land and while quality and consistency, on the whole, continue to improve, there is still some way to go. It's an opinion Justin Hawke, owner of the excellent Moor Beer expresses in this issue.

"Let’s be honest, a lot of these people shouldn’t be brewing. They don’t have the background and the acumen to do so and as an industry, there has to be a minimum baseline standard. We need it. The industry is at a challenging point now because growth is slowing, competition is increasing but at the same time, quality, standards and education needs to improve,” he explains. Do you agree? Turn to p56 for more.

It was also great to catch up with the team at Walthamstow's Wild Card Brewery, a young group that has taken a considered approach to business.

Adopting such an attitude has seen them outgrow their facility, leading to investment in another site that will enable the team to increase production capacity, open a new taproom and also move into barrel aging.

brewersjournal.info

editor's choice Contract brewing can divide opinion, but it's an invaluable tool for breweries across the UK - page 63

“Currently we can do 8000 litres a week and the new site will do 12,000 litres each week so it's a major jump. But even with this new volume, we could easily fill it with existing orders. We are at full pelt and there has been some business we’ve had to turn down previously but this helps change that," an excited Jaega Wise, head brewer at Wild Card, tells us on p36.

She is enthused by what the future has in store, as are we here at The Brewers Journal. First up we have the latest instalment of the Brewers Lectures, taking place in Bristol this October 16th. Speakers including Adam Robertson from Verdant, Ed Mason from Five Points and St Austell's Roger Ryman ensure this will be an event not to be missed.

And on the subject of unmissable events, we hold our inaugural Brewers Congress in London in November. Next issue features a full preview but until then, head to congress.brewersjournal.info for more!

Thanks again for all of your support.

Tim Sheahan Editor

September~October 2017

3

BREWERS C O N G R E S S 2 The Brewers Congress is the UK’s premier industry gathering. Taking place this November, the inaugural 2017 Congress will be held at the prestigious Institute of Civil Engineers at One Great George Street, off Parliament Square in London.

The morning focuses on flavour trends, developments in ingredients and methodology, with presentations from subject experts and pioneering brewers. The afternoon talks will address the business and branding side of working in a brewery and feature lectures from leading designers, trailblazing brewery owners, and experts in funding, regulation and more.

Tickets include attendance at all talks, hot food and drink throughout the day and a beer tasting in the afternoon intermission. It also includes access to the trade hall where industry suppliers will be exhibiting and demonstrating a range of products and services.

0 1 7

Confirmed speakers Sir Geoff Palmer OBE Heriot-Watt University Mike Murphy Lervig Aktiebryggeri Dr Bill Simpson Cara Technology Russell Bissett Northern Monk Jaega Wise Wild Card Brewery John Keeling Fuller’s Richard Simpson Simpsons Malt Nick Dwyer Beavertown Brewery Alistair Taylor Portman Group Alex Troncoso Lost and Grounded Phil Lowry Simply Hops Brad Cummings Tiny Rebel Brewing Co Charlie McVeigh Draft House Robert Percival Lallemand Stu McKinlay Yeastie Boys Colin Gilesphy Cave Direct

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without the express prior written consent of the publisher. The Brewers Journal ISSN 2059-6650 is published bimonthly by Reby Media, 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 1PA. Subscription records are maintained at Reby Media, 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 1PA. The Brewers Journal accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of statements or opinion given within the Journal that is not the expressly designated opinion of the Journal or its publishers. Those opinions expressed in areas other than editorial comment may not be taken as being the opinion of the Journal or its staff, and the aforementioned accept no responsibility or liability for actions that arise therefrom.

The Brewers Journal

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co nte nt s

contents 11

74

71

56

36

Cover story 36 - Born in Nottinghamshire and brewing in London, Wild Card Brewery is marking its fifth year with significant expansion in the nation’s capital

Brewers Lectures 20- The full lowdown on Brewers Lectures Bristol, taking place on 16 October, 2017

Meet The Brewer | mOOR bEER 56- Justin Hawke, owner of Moor Beer on growth, collaborations and why UK brewers need to focus more on quality and consistency

COMMENTS 23- Touch Packaging Innovation discuss smart packaging 26- Fieldfisher looks at intellectual property 28- Champion Accountants focus on R&D tax relief 31- Phil Lowry asks "So you want to be a brewer?"

34- CBI Insurance talks risk management

show preview | drinktec 2017 46- All the products and exhibitors not to miss at the Drinktec 2017 event in Munich, Germany

8

September~October 2017

Sector | Contract Brewing 63- The latest trends and developments taking place in the contract brewing sector, according to those involved in it

science | yeast 71- Renaissance BioScience ask whether yeast can undergo an industry hop-like explosion

science | basic alcohol 74- Gary Spedding from BDAS on why it is key to have alcohol and extract info on hand

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n e ws

Cave Direct starts selling cask beer

C

ave Direct has started selling cask beer, the first time in its 38-year history, to customers in the south-east

of England with other regions rolling out throughout 2017.

Starting with Tiny Rebel, the company is supplying cask beer alongside the necessary equipment as well as expertise direct from the brewery on how best to look after and serve their beer.

“In taking on a line of cask from Tiny Rebel we’re hoping to help raise the quality of the sector as a whole,” said marketing manager, Jonny Garrett. “With this in mind all our casks will be cold-stored in our new cold warehouse and we’re offering a manual to all the accounts that buy cask, along with free equipment and a manual to look after it and serve it right.”

He added: “Many of the team at Cave Direct are former

Garrett added that Cave Direct wants to work with UK

publicans. They love cask beer and they know how to

breweries, promoting cask collaborations and giving cask

look after it.

beer the attention and credit it deserves.

“We have been asked many times why we don’t sell cask but ultimately, we started as an importer so the cask offering wasn’t core to our strategy and the number of beers available to us were somewhat slim. But that has changed. Why not offer cask lambic, or a fantastic cask beer from someone like Lervig?”

Navigation Brewery cuts waste and keg filling times

N

avigation Brewery increased its keg filling speeds, reduced batch wastage and minimised the labour

required at the end of the brew following the investment in a solution from Fileder Filter Systems.

The brewery, which opened in 2012, said it

He said: “It has always bugs me when I’m asked if I am craft beer drinker or a real ale drinker.

"The only difference is the way you are serving it. It’s either good beer or not.

“We want to show that cask beer is a medium. It’s like a pen and paper. It’s what you do with it that counts.”

Orbit Beers marks third birthday with branding revamp

O

rbit Beers has undertaken a revamp of its logo, bottles, labels, tap badges and other branding.

Walworth, South East London-based Orbit worked

with alcohol branding design agency ByVolume

experienced difficulties with the slow process of changing

on the project, which aimed to retain the brewery’s

the plate and frame filters in their existing set up and

commitment to independence, love of music and

the amount of batch waste generated. They called on

independent record labels

Fileder who demonstrated how bag filtration would help improve the process and after a successful small-scale trial, the company supplied the Spectrum Size 4 stainless steel bag housing together with a Spectrum Economic 1 micron and Premier 5 micron bag.

This system is installed on the final filtration kegging

The brewery also plans to expand into a neighbouring archway which will double the 10bbl brewery’s footprint.

Orbit also expects to upgrade some of its equipment and add a new member to its brewing team.

Robert Middleton, founder and owner of the brewery, explained: “As a small, South London-based,

line and, depending on the beer being produced, utilises

independently owned and operated brewery, we are as

either the 1 or 5 micron bag to remove dry hops, flavour

proud of our independence as we are of our core beers.

additives and sediment, whilst leaving the crucial yeast and bacteria in place.

Head brewer Dom Flynn, said the filter increased keg filling speeds, cut waste and minimised labour required.

brewersjournal.info

“Beers which we think are timeless in their adherence to balance and finesse. We hope you’ll continue to join us in drinking Orbit Beers as we continue to grow and evolve!”

September~October 2017

11

n e ws

BrewDog to open Australian brewery

B

rewDog is to open an Australian brewery, with Brisbane and Newcastle possible locations.

The business has identified Australia as the next step in

its expansion plans and has announced the appointment of Zarah Prior as ‘Top Dog’ for Australia.

Prior has worked for BrewDog in the brewery’s Aberdeenshire HQ between 2011 and 2016, rejoining this month with the mandate to identify potential locations for the company’s third international brewery.

An Australian native, Prior previously held the role of ‘Head of People’ for the Scottish business, and also contributed to marketing and business development over four years based at BrewDog’s HQ in Scotland.

Prior explained: “Our Australian Equity Punk community has been crying out for BrewDog to set up shop closer to home, so we are excited to finally be making that happen.

“We’ve thrived on the loyalty that our shareholders and

a plot of land able to comfortably accommodate a new build of that size with expansion capabilities in the future.

“However, what’s non-negotiable is finding the right community where BrewDog’s hardcore values and Punk

peers have shown over the past 10 years, and we can’t

attitude will be fully embraced. Since BrewDog was

wait to deliver brewery-fresh beers to our Equity Punks

born, we’ve been on a mission to make other people as

and BrewDog fans in Australia!

passionate about amazing craft beer as we are. Now,

“We are open to re-developing an existing industrial

we’re bringing that ethos all the way across the other side

site with a 2,000 – 4,000m² built up facility, or alternatively

of the planet, to Oz.”

Cask beer integral to Thornbridge expansion plans

low levels of dissolved oxygen in the bottle, it will future

“Its technology will enable us to achieve extremely proof the growth of the brewery and will prove to be

T

hornbridge has placed a cask-only brewhouse

an extremely robust piece of kit with greatly reduced

among its expansion plans at the Bakewell-based

downtime. The bottom line is that we are putting our beer

brewery.

Thornbridge CEO Simon Webster, explained: “We’ve

first,” he explained.

Simon Walkden, chief operating officer, added that

enjoyed really strong growth in both keg and cask. We

Thornbridge, which has doubled its headcount in the past

have always made cask beer and always will.

five years, is looking to expand its site and is looking to

“Our next stage of planning at the brewery will focus on building a new brew house dedicated to cask beers,

recruit at all levels and functions within the business “Good people have taken us to where we are today

while at the same time increasing the production capacity

and that will continue. We are very proud of those who

to the main brew house, to meet increasing demand for

have developed with us and we will continue to offer

bottles and keg.

opportunities to our existing team and those who join us

“We have demand for our beers and also the space in which to expand, so we are really well placed to move forward with the plans during 2018”.

Late last summer the brewery made a substantial investment in a new bottling line from market leaders, KHS, and new fermentation vessels to increase production capacity.

Speaking to The Brewers Journal at the time, head brewer Rob Lovatt, described the KHS line as “the RollsRoyce of bottling lines”.

12

September~October 2017

in the future,” he said.

Cape Town’s Devil’s Peak partners with Fierce Beer

S

outh African brewery Devil’s Peak has launched in the UK, partnering with Aberdeen’s Fierce Beer for its

brewing operations.

The Cape Town brewery has launched its first two beers in the UK, contract brewed at Fierce Beer.

The Brewers Journal

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n e ws

Fuller's invests in packing robots

F

uller’s has invested in two new robots for its cask racking line at the Chiswick brewery in London.

The West London brewery has named the two

machines, which were supplied by Kuka and were commissioned by SCM Handling, after two former team members, Brendan Bray and Richard Keith.

The Brendan robot stacks and de-stacks casks, while Richard removes and replaces locator boards – the robots will have to work in unison, much like the real Brendan and Richard did for decades, explained the brewery.

Brendan Bray, joined Fuller’s in April 1966, leaving in August 2014. In this time he worked his way up from Copper Boy to brewing team leader.

Richard Keith joined in August 1982. He joined as a mechanical engineer and managed the day to day running of the engineering team. He retired in March 2016.

Simon Dodd, managing director of Fuller’s Beer Company, explained: “These robots show our continued

the Fuller’s family and they knew every nuance of how

long term commitment to producing fantastic and

the Brewery operated.

delicious cask beer.

“It is a great tribute to name them both after former

“These robots now stand proudly next to Les, our original robot in the keg racking line, named after our

colleagues. Brendan and Richard are very much part of

Chief Engineer, Les Birchmore, who retired last year.”

The brewery said that South Africa and the UK are

ingredients used and the following of a beer making

“obviously very different in their tastes” and moreover, and

process. We had a few misses here, but finally landed on

most importantly, the two craft beer movements are at

a partner in Fierce Beer.

very different points in their journey.

“To compound this, we are the new kids on an a very

“There was a courtship process in the form of a few collaboration beers followed shortly thereafter by an

crowded block. If we want to get noticed, the best way is

agreement to contract brew with them at their home in

through launching with beers that resonate with the on-

Aberdeen, Scotland.

trend UK craft beer drinker. More of the same is not going

“We have finally packaged our first two beers that are

to get us very far,” explained Russell Boltman, director at

now ready for sale in the United Kingdom! This is just the

Devil’s Peak.

beginning, and there are many more to come.”

Devil’s Peak has updated its logo and packaging for the UK market and is launching with beer styles that they are confident will find favour here, year-round sour pale ales and juicy IPAs. Lockhart explained: “What was most important to us was the freshness of the beer, being able to provide our

Wild Card Brewery crowdfunds

W

ild Card Brewery has started crowdfunding to help expand its operations. The £250,000 goal will

enable the business to open a bigger production facility

beers at the right price point, and having access to local

to significantly increase its production capacity. This

ingredients and ideas – all while being environmentally

will allow the brewery to roll out our keg beers through

responsible.

distributors and to put its lager into small pack.

“All of these elements would suffer if we had opted to

It also wants, among other improvements, to open

brew in South Africa. We therefore unanimously decided

a second bar at its Lockwood Way site, creating a new

that brewing in the UK was the only option.”

and vibrant drinking space for the Blackhorse area in

He added: “The next step was to find a partner that shared our obsession with the intrinsics of beer – the

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September~October 2017

Walthamstow. For more on Wild Card Brewery, check out our cover feature in this issue.

The Brewers Journal

BREWERS C O N G R E S S 2 The Brewers Congress is the UK’s premier industry gathering. Taking place this November, the inaugural 2017 Congress will be held at the prestigious Institute of Civil Engineers at One Great George Street, off Parliament Square in London.

The morning focuses on flavour trends, developments in ingredients and methodology, with presentations from subject experts and pioneering brewers. The afternoon talks will address the business and branding side of working in a brewery and feature lectures from leading designers, trailblazing brewery owners, and experts in funding, regulation and more.

Tickets include attendance at all talks, hot food and drink throughout the day and a beer tasting in the afternoon intermission. It also includes access to the trade hall where industry suppliers will be exhibiting and demonstrating a range of products and services.

0 1 7

Confirmed speakers Sir Geoff Palmer OBE Heriot-Watt University Mike Murphy Lervig Aktiebryggeri Dr Bill Simpson Cara Technology Russell Bissett Northern Monk Jaega Wise Wild Card Brewery John Keeling Fuller’s Richard Simpson Simpsons Malt Nick Dwyer Beavertown Brewery Alistair Taylor Portman Group Alex Troncoso Lost and Grounded Phil Lowry Simply Hops Brad Cummings Tiny Rebel Brewing Co Charlie McVeigh Draft House Robert Percival Lallemand Stu McKinlay Yeastie Boys Colin Gilesphy Cave Direct

GOLD SPONSORS

congress.brewersjournal.info

n e ws

West Berkshire Brewery investment to “transform” packaging offer to breweries

W

est Berkshire Brewery has said its new CFT packaging line will transform the packaging

options available to breweries.

The new packaging line, which forms part of a £5.5m investment at West Berkshire Brewery, will enable the business to offer other breweries a wealth of packaging options.

Its CFT line is rated to fill 9000 330ml bottles or 12,000 330ml cans every hour with the flexibility to package a run into four different bottle varieties or three different can sizes.

The brewery will offer a minimum run of 30 hectolitres or 9090 330ml bottles, which it expects will enable brewers to trial new beers or for and customers such as restaurant chains or supermarkets to launch their own beer brands.

Beer can either be brewed for customers at the

control and flexibility whatever the size of brew.

“For those customers interested in creating bespoke lines of beer, we will be able to work with them to create

brewery, or brewed by the client and transported to the

the beers that truly represent their brand, offering superb

brewery for finishing and packaging.

brewing, packaging and labelling facilities and quality

Simon Lewis, CEO at West Berkshire Brewery, explained: “This amazing new facility is going to transform the packaging options currently available in this country to brewers of all sizes.

“Our new facilities can cater for large and small volumes with equal ease, offering unrivalled quality

Crisp Maltings helps revive Chevallier barley malt

control before and after packaging in our on-site lab to ensure consistency.

“We will be up and running by late Autumn of this year and are already receiving significant interest from potential customers – The West Berkshire Brewery has an exciting future ahead.”

worked with Dr Chris Ridout of New Heritage Barley and a handful of Norfolk farmers prepared to take on the responsibility of reviving the variety.

C

risp Maltings has worked with scientists at the John Innes Centre, New Heritage Barley and Norfolk

By 2014 a 20 tonne crop of barley was produced.

Five tonnes were malted by Crisp on their traditional

farmers to help bring the Chevallier barley malt variety

floor maltings and the balance was reserved as seed for

back to life.

further regeneration. The process was repeated in 2015

Chevallier barley malt was revered for the quality of the beers it produced – and was the main type used for brewing in England. It also took until the 1920s for it to be superseded by other varieties.

But scientists at the John Innes Centre have now revived the Victorian variety, starting with just a handful of seeds, producing a small crop and repeating the process.

The work took place as part of a project to improve

and 2016, each time allowing more of the precious grain to be allocated to malting and brewing.

Dr David Griggs from Crisp Maltings, explained: “This is an exciting project for historians, crop scientists, farmers, maltsters and brewers. But it also holds appeal for any curious drinker.

“The revival of Chevallier provides an opportunity for people to sample-authentic tastes of the Victorian era.

contemporary barley, especially disease resistance,

“Brewers are researching old brewing recipes and

by looking at past varieties. Historic records showed

using them to reproduce, or play tunes with, flavours

Chevallier to produce good yields – and premium quality

of the past. Opportunities associated with Chevallier

malt. With the support of Crisp Maltings, propagation

Heritage Malt are many and varied – and we’re finding

continued beyond the initial research. The Crisp team

brewers keen to push boundaries with the help of history.”

16

September~October 2017

The Brewers Journal

Muntons Seminars and Innovation 2017 Following the success of the seminars we hosted from our Stowmarket Maltings, we’re pleased to announce the launch of our 2017 series of seminars. These are aimed at breweries who wish to gain a greater understanding of brewing. We have teamed up with industry specialists to ensure delegates are given a complete overview providing technical insights and of course we encourage delegate participation.

You may attend one seminar or all of them, the choice is yours. To register your interest your interest at these events, please visit our website: www.muntons.com/seminars

For those who seek perfection, we can help.

The topics include:

1: Raw Materials Friday 3rd February 2017 2: Fermentation and Yeast Management Friday 10th March 2017 3: Beer stability, Consistency and Packaging Friday 23rd June 2017 4: Compliance and Quality Control Friday 8th September 2017 5: Innovation & Trends Friday 13th October 2017 Venue: Muntons, Flamborough Maltings, Bridlington, East Yorkshire, YO15 1DY Other info: Parking and refreshments available throughout the day.

Lunch included.

If you would like to attend these events, please register at: www.muntons.com/seminars 2015 | GOLDEN CATEGORY : MALTSTERS

Muntons, Cedars Maltings, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 2AG 01449 618300 info@muntons.com www.muntons.com

n e ws

Northern Monk hires Colin Stronge, outlines latest plans

N

orthern Monk has appointed Colin Stronge, formerly of Buxton Brewery, to lead its production team.

Stronge, who joins in October, is widely respected for

the beers he has produced at Buxton and, according to Northern Monk “will triple the years of experience we have in the brew team”.

Russell Bissett, director at Leeds-based Northern Monk, explained: “Colin brings with him years of experience and amongst many other things his addition to the team means we can start to fast track our wild beer and ageing programme.

In the past this was an area we were reluctant to delve too deep into as we felt we didn’t have the knowledge and experience within the team to do the styles justice.

“However our original brew kit at The Old Flax Store is the perfect home for this and something we had always planned to do in time.”

The brewery has also detailed the latest additions to its Patrons 6 series of beers, this time with Jon Simmons.

Bissett said: “We’re excited to launch Kuncklepuck and with the help of our collaborators at Bissell feel it’s one of

going to be on the cards we were also keen to brew something with more of a British take. We decided to incorporate this into the ABV defying light beers with Fell Runner Ricky Lightfoot.

the best DIPA’s we’ve brewed. With Slam Dank pencilled

“Ingleborough a Session imperial Stout (Yeah, we

in the brew schedule we’re running out of beer / sporting

know... we eventually settled on Session Porter) is a 4%

/ hop pun inspiration for this series.

Porter that we've packed with as much flavour and body

“Whilst a DIPA while Bissell were in town was always

Craft Academy launches own brewery

as we possibly could cram into it.”

director at Greene King, said at the time: He added: “The Craft Academy gives young people the chance to learn in-depth about each component

T

he Craft Academy, a brewing venture from Greene

of the brew process, right from creating the recipe and

King that is led by apprentices, is launching its own

designing the branding to marketing and selling the

training brewery at The Florence pub in London.

The Herne Hill pub has undergone six weeks of

beers.

“We’re really pleased to support this venture, which

refurbishment in order to install the new brewery that will

helps young people to realise their passion for beer

be a training ground for Craft Academy apprentices to

and brewing while working to secure a professional

experiment with ingredients, flavours and styles.

qualification.”

They will also be able to develop new beers while they work towards a recognised qualification.

Daniel Scott and Nancy Nangle, the academy’s first two apprentices, now more than half way towards achieving their qualifications.

The Craft Academy was launched earlier this year, is designed to help “craft new talent and unbottle potential” by giving young people the chance to earn while they learn about brewing, design, marketing and sales.

George Johnston, brewing and brands marketing

18

September~October 2017

The British Hop Association relaunches website

T

he British Hops Association has relaunched its website complete with a new look and some insights

from industry professionals.

The new website, www.britishhops.org.uk has an updated layout, key information on new varieties, and includes British hop testimonials.

The Brewers Journal

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bristol

The Brewers Lectures Bristol 16 October, 2017 The Brewers Lectures comes to Bristol this October following successful events in London, Manchester and Edinburgh.

You can expect insight, entertainment and inspiration from some of the leading lights the brewing industry has to offer.

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Venue & Time Watershed 1 Canons Road Harbourside Bristol, BS1 5TX 16 October 2017, 12.45pm – 5pm

he fourth instalment of the Brewers Lectures comes to Bristol on 16 October 2017. The first session will focus on brewing ingredients

the capital’s finest breweries. Ed is also the co-founder of

and methods, followed by a beer tasting.

craft beer and kitchen, Mason & Company.

The second session will look at brewing

as a business, challenges to growth and business

Roger Ryman | St Austell

models. The confirmed speakers list can be seen below

Roger Ryman wrote his name into UK brewing history

and seats are very limited.

when he created St Austell ‘Tribute’ nearly 20 years ago. Much has changed since he first produced that ale

Confirmed speakers

in 1999 but with the subsequent, popular creation of numbers like ‘Proper Job’, Ryman has helped guarantee ongoing success for the historic Cornish brewery. His

Ed Mason | Five Points Brewing Company

expertise in brewing is difficult to rival.

Ed Mason is the owner and director of The Five Points Brewing Company. The London-based business, which

Mike Marcus | Chorlton Brewing Company

has made its name from an excellent, consistent, range of

Mike Marcus left his studies in the world of fine art when

beers, started brewing commercially in 2013, and is one of

started Chorlton Brewing Co in 2014. Driven by a respect

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The Brewers Journal

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for the heritage of German sour beer, he is now making a career producing some of the nation’s most respected beers that are making waves both in the UK and overseas.

Sponsors

Robert Percival | Lallemand Robert is a qualified brewing professional with extensive experience in quality and technical roles in beer production. Working for yeast specialists Lallemand, the IBD young brewer of the year 2013/14 is an expert in the fields of fermentation and cask beer production.

Adam Robertson | Verdant Brewing Company Adam Robertson is the co-founder of Verdant Brewing Company. Established two years ago, the Falmouthbased brewery that also comprises James Heffron and Richard White, is enjoying fantastic success with its increasing family of beers. At the Brewers Lectures the Bristol native will place the spotlight on growing a brewery tenfold in one hit.

Phil Lowry | Simply Hops Phil Lowry is one of the craft brewing originals with experience in the craft market for over 20 years, that makes him one of the best-known personalities in brewing. Phil looks after the growing European and African market for Simply Hops.

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September~October 2017

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P ackaging

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From Gimmick to Game-changer Now that the digital innovation dust has started to settle, we should start seeing a host of on-pack digital campaigns that genuinely build engagement, dialogue, extra value and loyalty between consumers and brands, argues James Harmer of Touch Packaging Innovation.

the time this seemed quite extraordinary but it was just a prototype, and a costly one which never made it to market.

Grolsch too took to exploring virtual worlds. In 2014 they unveiled a beer bottle that contained nextgeneration Bluetooth beacon technology. This effectively allowed consumers to access free movies via the digitally enhanced bottles. When a consumer opened a bottle the beacon in the cap connected to the shoppers’ previously registered smartphone and enabled them to access a

by james harmer

movie of their choice by tapping the bottle with their device. Certainly designing an immersive experience

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is increasingly easy to do thanks to all the digital tools

ack in 1999 a cat-shaped handheld

marketers and designers now have at their disposal. We

barcode reader enabled a user to open a

have the technology to turn everyday items into digitised,

link to a URL by scanning a barcode. The

identifiable, data-generators that go way beyond

CueCat was clearly advanced for its time,

entertaining the consumer.

but the fact that the Digital Convergence

But are we really making the most of all this

Corporation is now defunct only goes to show that this

technology? Are we truly looking in depth at each

early attempt at meshing technology with our everyday

touchpoint to ensure a beer bottle’s entire journey from

interactions was perhaps too advanced of consumer

concept to recycling is optimised? And are marketers set

expectations.

up to make the most of the wealth of data brands can

Now, 18 years on, and consumers are more than

potentially gather? The short answer to this is, not yet. The

comfortable with all things digital, and very much attuned

impact of digitalisation is so powerful that most marketers

to the concept of connected products. These no longer

and brand designers are only just grasping the need to

sound like outlandish ideas inspired by sci-fi movies.

take a more holistic approach. Our focus no longer should

Neither do they centre around seemingly out-of-reach

purely be on the consumer’s experience of a bottle - from

home appliances as they once did.

the moment they connect with it on shelf to when they

As we increasingly witness the spread of every day

recycle it - but right back to the beginning as a bottle can

items becoming digitised, it is vital to shift the emphasis

potentially start gathering valuable data from the moment

from tackling the ‘here-and-now’ challenges they throw

it leaves the brewery.

up, to focus on what the future is going to look like from

Knowing what to know

this digitised perspective, and the opportunities they present brewers and brand builders.

It was only four years ago that Heineken took a stab at merging the digital and physical worlds and produced the first ‘smart beer bottle’. Using micro sensors and wireless networking technology to sense motion and illuminate in

T

his data can not only inform brewers and later retailers, it can potentially be used as marketing material. This is particularly the case for specialist

response, this bottle could be programmed to ‘listen’ to

beers where the entire lifecycle of beer production could

music and detect different kinds of motion, responding

be turned into a narrative. Certainly a beer bottle can

accordingly via responsive lighting in time with the beat

now have its temperature monitored, its entire journey

and in keeping with the vibe and atmosphere in a bar. At

to the shelf tracked and it can offer rapid and effective

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P ackaging

cashier scanning. If it is a premium brand that suffers from

up a whole new potential channel for engaging with

counterfeiting across markets it could even be tracked

consumers. However, if it is not used to make the product

for proof of origin. A rare beer could even benefit from

more relevant and personalised it risks missing vital

theft or fraud prevention via these digital identification

opportunities to truly engage on an emotional level.

techniques! But, more to the point, the fact that it can now tell its own life story is a powerful marketing tool.

The key is to define what we want to know, in other

As such the focus should be less on turning bottles into a multi-media experience and much more on being targeted and relevant. We are still some way

words, what information we want the bottle to gather

off beer packs understanding who we are and our

along its journey. Then we need to establish how best

motivations by themselves. But when combined with

to manage this data to ensure the experience is not

barcode technology and store card data, with access

just smooth and efficient but engaging and relevant.

to our product history, our beer brands could begin to

Creating awareness is one thing, offering an experience

become trusted lifestyle advisors in possession of more

that consumers want to share and repeat is key. Digitally

knowledge about who we are than we realise.

enabled packaging holds product identification data that

Gimmick or authentic

can be updated in real time throughout the supply chain and once it is with the consumer. As a bottle makes its way through the distribution chain, each stop can be reflected in the data. It can also serve as a launch point for communication between brands and consumers via their smartphones This of course is the most exciting part, when it

M

any of the digital extensions we are currently seeing on packs and bottles are still being created as entertaining promotions - beer

marketers need to ask themselves whether they

reaches the consumer - that interaction is what gets

are creating gimmicks or delivering real value to the

marketers and designers really excited. Establishing how

consumer. Whilst manufacturers now have a multitude of

consumers best interact with a beer brand and how to

reasons to wrap their products in brand stories that can

apply the most relevant marketing campaigns around this

come to life at the swipe of a smart phone, the benefits

requires deep diving into how consumers interact with

need to be analysed and amplified at each touch point

this specific product.

otherwise a pack can offer efficient cashier scanning and

As technology seamlessly soups-up consumers’ view of the real world with an overlay of digital content, beer can now broadcast its own advertising, show a 3D version

fraud prevention, yet disappoint on consumer delivery or vice versa.

Now that the digital innovation dust has started to

of the bottle contents in action, or take the consumer

settle, we should start seeing a host of on-pack digital

straight to an entertaining microsite or app, all with a quick

campaigns that genuinely build engagement, dialogue,

swipe of the smartphone.

extra value and loyalty between consumers and brands.

Estrella’s recent marketing campaign focused on an

Relevance over entertainment

aspirational millennial Mediterranean lifestyle, beautifully capturing brand essence in a short arts film.

In future, smartphones will have the capacity to know

F

rom a beer brand’s perspective, once the

when a consumer is popping the cap on a chilled bottle,

consumer brings the bottle home and scans

and the marketing message will play automatically.

it to reveal this additional information, they

Shifting from gimmick to game-changer will ensure smart

have valuable data they can tap in to. This ethically

packaging really delivers on the innovation opportunities

sourced data belongs to the brand owner and opens

it promises. u

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The Brewers Journal

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intellectual

property

protect property Whether you're a diehard stout drinker, or enjoy the more fruity undertones of a Pale Ale, the expansion of the brewing industry over the recent years means there is now a beer for the most discerning of taste buds. Just as a brewer must constantly contemplate the balance of hops, yeast and grain going into the beer, there is a need to set aside some time to think about the relevant intellectual property (IP) issues that will arise as the business grows, explains Joshua Marshall from Fieldfisher. LLP

international conglomerate, uses some form of trade mark to sell their beer. These are displayed on taps, cans, bottles, bottle caps, barrels, beer mats and just about any type of merchandise sold. The purpose of the trade mark is to distinguish a brewer's goods from those of a competitor.

Trade marks can be registered or unregistered. The essential difference is that a registered trade mark better protects the owner where competitors use similar or identical signs which produce certain effects by, for example making it harder for customers to determine whose beer is being bought.

A registered trade mark can cover the UK, EU or USA. Without a registered trade mark, the brewer can still maintain some elbow room at the bar by claiming Passing Off, which guards against look-a-like products.

Interestingly, the first every trade mark to be registered

by joshua marshall

in the UK was the Bass Triangle in 1876.

Most people associate 'copyright' with the warning

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advert that appears in the credits of a DVD. However,

Te Financial Times has reported a rise in the

copyright protects much more than just films. Copyright

number of beer breweries from 140 in 1970

is an IP right which stops other people copying parts

to over 1,700 in 2017. Whilst The Guardian

of the original 'work'. A 'work' can include drawings,

reported 2016 to be the year of Gin, there is

sketches and paintings. It also includes anything written,

a genuine argument to be made that we are

for example a slogan or statement about a beer or

living in the Beer-era. Pales, Porters and Pilsners seem to populate the prime positions on most bar tops.

Just as a brewer must constantly contemplate the

product.

Few brewers realise it, but the artwork appearing on packaging, for example beer cans or bottles, is capable

balance of hops, yeast and grain going into the mash,

of protection as a copyright work, as is the artwork

there is a need to set aside some time to think about the

appearing on tap-labels. The real advantage of copyright

relevant intellectual property (IP) issues which will arise as

is that it exists automatically the moment something is

the business grows.

created, without the need to incur the cost of registration.

Often this is an after-thought, once the casks are wired

Like ordering your first pint, the key to copyright is to

to the taps or the bottles are stocked on supermarket

have your ID and other documents at the ready, should

shelves. However, developing a strong strategy early

you be asked for them.

on can ensure the business maintains a crisp undertone

Design rights

instead of going stale.

The IP issues which will concern even the most mundane of lager drinkers are set out below. These are the core ingredients which a brewer should think about including in the barrel from the outset.

Trade marks & copyright

D

esign rights are a third type of IP right which is relevant to the brewing community. There are various kinds of design rights and, like an English

and American Pale, each is a slight variant of the other.

Dealing with the basics, design rights protect the shape of a product or, in some instances, the ornamentation

E

very product offered for sale carries a trade

appearing on the product. Like trade marks, design rights

mark of some sort. This may be a name, shape,

can be registered or unregistered.

symbol or a combination of all of the above in a

logo. Every beer brewer, from small micro-brewery to

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September~October 2017

Design rights are most relevant to brewers when selling their beers in bottles or cans. It's easy to think

The Brewers Journal

intellectual

that packaging for beverages is a standard shape and

property

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practices.

Hops are the latest ingredient listed in the German

dimension.

Purity Laws of 1516 to be used in brewing. We've all

However, variations to the shape or fastening mechanism can make the difference between a generic bottle and something which attracts design rights. Equally,

benefited from disclosure of this trade secret.

Focusing on patents, a patent is an IP right which

there is a trend to sell craft ales in highly decorative cans,

protects technical inventions which are new and

which may also lead to some design rights.

innovative, giving the owner the exclusive rights to use

When thinking of design rights, think of the Fanta or

the invention for a twenty year period.

This may include novel methods of brewing,

Coca-Cola bottle shape.

machinery and devices used in the brewing or bottling

Trade secrets

process. In November 2014, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA (owner of Stella Artois, Budweiser and Corona) filed a patent for a two-stage method for preparing beer and

A

s with a schooner, trade secrets are a specific

cider concentrate. The most important thing for any

area of IP which sound mysterious and most

brewer is the quality and taste of their beer.

pretend to know what the term means. However,

However, IP can actually mean more to brewers than Indian Pale.

when you push through the jargon, the concept, like

The key is to recognise the relevant IP rights early on in

a schooner, is very straight forward.. Trade secrets are those bits of information which a brewer wishes to keep

the progression of the business and to devise a strategy

confidential within the business and avoid disclosing to

for protecting those rights.

the public or their competitors. Examples of trade secrets

Remaining diligent and commercially savvy can make

may include ingredients, brewing techniques, novel

the difference between being a small tap-room and a

uses for machinery, bottling methods or transportation

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R esearch

and

D evelopment

R&D tax relief Research and Development (R&D) tax relief is overlooked by so many businesses, including breweries and distilleries. Most don’t realise that they’re eligible for the Government incentive, which can help to reduce your company’s Corporation Tax liability or result in a cash repayment on the money invested, explains Danny Evans, client manager at Champion Accountants

differs if the work is completed by sub-contractors and not employees. For sub-contractors, it’s reduced to 65% of the invoice paid, which could be a significant difference to 100% of a salary. Another pitfall is that breweries that pay their director’s dividends should also consider whether these are the most tax efficient option. Dividends do not qualify for R&D relief, so be sure to weigh up the benefits of dividends Vs R&D salary.

Businesses should also consult with their advisors before accepting Government grants, whether that’s EU or UK wide. This type of funding can disqualify an entire project from being eligible for R&D relief, which is often greater than the grant itself.

by Danny Evans

T

he type of activity that qualifies for R&D is wide-ranging, from solving product issues, development of new products or new methodologies to improving existing products. R&D tax relief enables businesses

The right choice for Crate

R

esearch and development lies at the heart of Hackney-based Crate Brewery. The company produces 500,000 litres of beer each year, runs

three retail bars and is constantly evolving and updating

to claim £46 for every £100 spent on qualifying costs,

its own-brand recipes with tweaks, trials and experimental

including wages, ingredients, overheads and software,

brews. With the Crate team having a vague understanding

as well as the ability to claim cash back from HMRC. Any

of the tax relief available and the benefits it would bring,

loss-making businesses that are yet to make a profit can

our team of R&D advisors at Champion Accountants

claim £33 for every £100 invested on R&D activities.

helped them to identify a spend of more than £123,000

First time claims can also include R&D spend over the last two financial years. For example, a brewery with an accounting year ending on 31 December 2015 has until 31 December 2017 to submit a claim.

on R&D activities during the last two tax years, which resulted in a tax saving of more than £30,000.

Jess Seaton, director of Crate Brewery, said: “The claim couldn’t have come at a better time for the business.

We were in the middle of a large expansion, so it not

What should a brewery consider?

only saved us money but made us more aware of how to make the most of our innovative brewers and how we produce the beer.

S

o many businesses, not just breweries, think that

“We have always been very active with research and

you need to wear a lab coat to claim R&D. This

development, every day and with every brew, and it

simply isn’t true. Most of the claims we handle

has certainly made us more confident in pushing the

actually come through our knowledge of a client’s business rather than them approaching us direct –

boundaries!”

The tax relief available can amount to a generous sum

simply because they don’t consider what they do to be

but it’s crucial that businesses make a claim that meets

innovative or unique.

HMRC requirements.

R&D need not be the development of a completely

Appointing an experienced R&D tax advisor, which

unique product to the marketplace. You can have a similar

doesn’t have to be your accountant, will ensure that the

product to another brewery, but if you have developed

claim meets the necessary criteria and will also help

your own unique methodology of how to manufacture

you to identify any other areas that you may not realise

that product, then your work can still qualify.

qualified for R&D, helping to maximise the expenditure

However there are a number of pitfalls which you need to be aware of. For example, the rate of relief available

28

September~October 2017

identified. Businesses should approach R&D with an open mind.u

The Brewers Journal

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starting

a

brewery

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So you want to be a brewer?

To many, Phil Lowry is known for selling hops. But he’s also sold beer, been a teacher, consultant, and nearly everything in-between. But he’s also known for being a brewer. And a bloody good one at that. In the article below, he stresses that to be a brewer, you need to be smart, practical and fit. But if you really, really want to be a brewer, go be the best brewer you can be and absolutely kill it.

as well as washed dishes to cooking in small fancy restaurants, internet stuff, worked for magazines and print newspapers, hauled hoses around wineries as well as spending far too much time in University. But, as some say that all adds to life’s rich tapestry. I leverage those experiences, from every single aspect, to deliver what I do, every day, week, which today is sell hops, for Simply Hops, the craft arm of Barth Haas, a premier company in the world of hops and all things hop derived.

Growing up where I did, in a farming community there weren’t huge opportunities, school was 45miles away and college an hour on the train, with changes. Eventually, university was the other end of the country, then the

Phil Lowry

other side of the world. However, in the beginning, I grew up in a real ale centric free house, in a then isolated

O

community in the bottom of Kent, called the Romney

ver the time that I was writing CAMRA’s

Marsh.

Homebrew column, doing BrewWharf

I was the “beer guy”, the guy everyone went to to ask

This instilled in me a passion for beer and travel:

and flogging beer online, I was inundated

where should I go to drink and eat in X city. As beer grew,

by people wanting to get into brewing as

so did I, in knowledge, and weight. I was lucky, getting

a profession; Today, the same question

that early exposure to something that’s now become the

is from those looking to get involved with or those

normal, good beer is certainly a norm today. Looking

opening a brewery. Close friends who joined me on the

back, when we got the internet; the nascent bulletin

journey have gone on to be brewers, head brewers and

boards transforming to BeerAdvocate and RateBeer gave

all manner of other tasks and challenges within the beer

me insight into what was happening around the world.

industry we love, have created and enjoy daily. And,

hated being out on the Romney Marsh at times, well

being quite honest, my life has changed so much from

often. Constantly fighting to get away, to get away from

those days, do I do much brewing now, probably not.

the Marsh, but often resorting to beer as a job, whether

I have to admit, from the outset, brewing and beer

I

pouring beer, making beer, cleaning casks and breweries,

has never been a career path that I’d aspired to pursue, it

or just cleaning up after those that had over indulged to

kinda chose me, as in the only job that’s kept pulling me

get through the week. That working hard to get away and

back, something that I could actually do, I didn’t have to

keep something going has kept me going today.

ask permission, seek approval, I just got on with it. That

It has to be remembered that “Craft Beer” whilst

alchemy thing that is brewing, that’s the bit I love, does

exciting and interesting today, is the result of years of

keep the normals at bay.

hard work by everyone from the outliers: early CAMRA

My career path has has more twists and turns than a

founders, good beer retailers and wholesalers like

roller coaster at a Disney fun park. I love science, I love

Utobeer, CaveDirect and many others, local CAMRA

art, design, travel and languages. I’ve been a teacher,

groups through the Social Media Blog/Twitterati today.

worked in high performance business consultancies,

There isn’t a school that all these people who’ve created

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co m m e nt

starting

a

brewery

these businesses, that does a beer and business course.

others have overlooked and forgotten.

They’ve all been successful from time served, learned

However, my skills and make up are serving the

fast and self motivated to educate themselves day in

greater industry in different ways, in different sectors.

day out. Education, communication and putting events,

Could I be a brewer, day in day out. No. This is where I

creating spaces and saying to the every day public, “yes,

have to ask you, could you!?

it’s ok to put down your industrial pale lager and chose

However if you’re really good at something, why not

something local, different and full flavoured.” has been

do that for the beer industry? Also, to quote the Joker,

paramount in cracking the message and marketing dollar

“if you’re good at something don’t do it for free...” Case

spend by the multi-nationals.

in point, I was speaking to a friend who’s a really good

I can clearly remember having strong conversations

accountant, a good brewer too, wondering what to do

with my father, that beer wouldn’t be a career. I do now

with his beer brand? Should he scale, should he buy his

like to remind him of those conversations. Yes, I have

own kit? I asked do you feel you could be a better brewer

been around the craft brewing/beer industry for a very

or accountant? There was a pause. So I said, why not do

long time, but I have always turned my hand to the

accountancy services for small brewers? That way you

different challenges and opportunities that it presents. I

can keep in with the industry you love, doing something

still live in the bottom of Kent, yes, in that much maligned

you’re really good at with the insight of what it takes to

town of Dover. (don’t believe all you read!) Opportunities

be a successful beer brand. Craft Beer as it matures

don’t come knocking every day down here, meaning that

will always need people who are good at what they do,

I have and still do, leave the area every day to go to work.

knowing beer and being experienced in the nuances, is a

This keeps you on your toes.

killer combination.

Today, I sell hops. Nearly three years ago I was selling

Opening Breakwater, was a life long aspiration, seeing

beer. At both companies, Simply Hops and CaveDirect

it to 6 months trading successfully, wasn’t solely built on

Beermerchants, whilst different sections of the same

the skills of being a brewer, it was a combination of being

part of the greater industry, were and are vastly different

behind a bar, running busy sea front pubs, back street

in their scale and operations, but demand quality of

boozers, fancy kitchens, running businesses at tough

their personnel and themselves. Knowledge of your

times in the greater world, marketing and comms skills

job and what you know of beer, as a mix is paramount.

learned at that time of need; street smarts rather than

Amongst the last 20 plus years, I have dipped in and out

book learned. Employing people to operate, giving them

of brewing, as well as home brewed when time and more

the opportunities, to take the brewery and make it their

importantly, interest peaked. Coming from working in

own has been the bigger pleasure, maybe not “cool” but

kitchens, I was comfortable with the intense attention to

super exciting to me.

detail required, the bio chemistry, the work load and time and level of cleanliness and sterilisation required. But, I

What the hell am I getting at?

In summary, being a brewer is a hard, wet, dangerous

realised I am better as a communicator, project type and

job – those that do it day in day out are, I believe,

comfortable with diverse languages, etc than I will ever

genuinely worthy of the hero status that is being

be a brewer. This is why I never call myself a “brewer”, I

bestowed on them. You need to be smart, practical

can brew, and do brew, successfully. But I don’t do it all

and fit. If you really really want to be a brewer, for all of

day, everyday.

us, go be the best brewer you can be, absolutely kill it.

One of life’s failures was when I helped build an

Invest in yourself, keep yourself fit and well and make a

e-commerce for a scooter company, I knew nothing of

commitment to making great beer. We who dress up the

the intricacies of the greater scooter world, let alone the

industry will be eternally grateful. Likewise, I am always

sub cultures of Mod types and the twist and go youth.

in awe of the people who can turn a few twitter followers

Yes, I knew e-commerce, but I didn’t know the subject.

into beer tastings, then blog articles, then books, then

Yes, I love the art and science of brewing, genuinely. I

speaking engagements, then businesses, consultancies

am still learning everyday. Joining the hop industry has

even breweries.

really reignited the grey matter, and I realise how little I

There are huge opportunities to those that are willing

knew about the nuances; when brewers I’d met through

to commit to being the best in farming, agronomics,

my Beermerchants.com days said I can’t get Citra or

ingredients science, research and development,

Galaxy, I know why now, and do everything in my reach to

education, logistics, supply chain, distribution, retail,

effect that. I have also been working hard, with the lens

marketing, accountancy, communications, events

of a beer retailer and the aspects of cooking life, making

management,.. and so much more.

the most of what you have, looking at hops that people

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You still want to be a brewer!? u

The Brewers Journal

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co m m e nt

insurance

Don’t Risk It While brewers recognise the need for adequate insurance in case the unexpected happens, many have not yet woken up to the need for two extra elements of cover that they should be considering, explains Peter Blundell, managing director at CBI Insurance.

consistency in the brewing process which only comes from eliminating all risks of the next brew not being of the same quality and flavour as the last. This attention to detail means that costly incidents rarely happen and a clean well ordered workplace protects employees from having an accident also. However, whilst brewers recognise the need for adequate insurance in case the unexpected happens, many have not yet woken up to the need for two extra elements of cover that they should be considering.

by Peter Blundell

For limited companies Directors & Officers insurance is a must. The Companies Act 2006 imposes duties, on

B

company directors for ensuring that the company trades

rewers are lucky. They get to work in

profitably and ethically, Shareholders can sue a director

a brewery, and they get a great deal

personally if he fails in these duties. Equally an employee

on insurance! The second part of that

may bring a claim for discrimination or a Health & Safety

statement may come as a surprise, but the

breach against the director they regard as responsible

rapid growth in the microbrewery sector

The company will have Public Liability or Legal Expenses

has not just created competition amongst brewers but a

insurance to protect it but the director is not covered by

realisation in the insurance market that this is an industry

either. Even if the claim fails they could be left with a large

sector worth looking at. This has meant competition

legal bill which the D&O insurance policy would have

amongst insurers in the last few years which has led

paid. A policy costs surprisingly little too.

to premiums being reduced whilst cover has been expanded.

Micro breweries have always been able to obtain

Most breweries have sophisticated IT systems for accounting, tracking stock and quality control. This makes them vulnerable to cyber attack and means their

insurance against fire, flood, theft, business interruption,

computer system could be infected with a malicious virus

public and employers liability. However, ten years ago

which shuts it down for several days. Insurers have been

they would buy an ‘off the peg’ Business Combined

working on ways to offer protection against this growing

insurance with a recognition from the insurer that the

threat and there are now a number of Cyber Insurance

premium should be lower as the risks of a claim were

policies available with premiums starting from as little as

lower than in other manufacturing sectors. These days

£120 per year. Looking to the future micro breweries will

though, specialist schemes exist for the brewery sector

have to make sure that they look after their staff: good

offering extensions of cover such as loss of licence,

knowledgeable brewers will be key to keeping a well

contamination of yeast cultures and liability cover for

earned reputation for producing fine beers. Think about

participation at beer festivals and events.

an accident or accident and sickness insurance to protect

Micro breweries can attract lower premiums because

these key people. The policy can pay most, if not all of a

they don’t have many claims. This is all to do with two

salary for up to two years and ensure that the employee

words loved by insurers - Risk Management. Brewers

is not left worrying how to pay the bills after a lengthy

are very good at this: they recognise the need for

absence. u

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17/08/2017 11:40

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Play Your Cards Right Born in the Nottinghamshire and brewing in London, Wild Card Brewery is marking its fifth year with significant expansion in the nation’s capital. For Jaega Wise, William Harris and Andrew Birkby, all friends from the Midlands, the only way is up for the Walthamstow-based brewery.

the tasks at hand. Approving artwork, signing off orders, organising the taproom and debating the complexities of whether to supply a new customer that wants to buy their beer for overseas, are all issues on the agenda. That’s not to mention the myriad of public-facing events the brewery could have a presence at if they so wish.

“We genuinely could be taking part in something every night, if we were able to,” explains head brewer Jaega Wise. You get the impression if she could clone herself and the rest of the team to meet such lofty commitments,

words by TIM SHEAHAN Photography by phiLlip suddick

they’d do just that. Wild Card though, in their own words, are a lean outfit. They’ve adopted a careful, considered approach to business since the day they started cuckoo

S

brewing back in 2012, and it’s a mindset that sees the

ome 167 reviews and we’re averaging a 4.6 rating!" exclaims a proud Will Harris.

brewery on an upward trajectory five years on.

Wild Card Brewery was founded by William John

“There are lots of other breweries that don’t

Harris and Andrew Birkby as a hobby, one they admit

come close to such a rating. How good is

that got “way out of hand”. The duo, which hail from the

that?” Harris, director and co-founder of

Midlands, produced beer at home before becoming a

Wild Card Brewery, is rightfully proud of the rating they

cuckoo brewing operation. Jaega Wise, another Midlands

have on Google reviews. The brewery tap, which opens

native and best friends with Harris and Birkby from home

each weekend is a hive of activity, fulfilling just what

in Nottinghamshire, soon joined as head brewer.

people want from such an establishment. There’s great

The team initially planned to run a brewery in the

beer direct from the source, served in an environment

basement of a Walthamstow pub, but demand quickly

conducive to enjoying it. “We love having it and, of course,

put paid to that particular idea. Though by January 2014,

it helps get cash into the brewery too,” he adds.

Wild Card, which got its name from the playing cards they

Walthamstow. East London. It’s a hot, sunny Monday

used to identify each bottle of homebrew early on, had

morning in July and the team at Wild Card are plotting

somewhere to call its own. The Ravenswood Industrial

the busy week ahead. Ok, well that’s only a part truth.

Estate in Walthamstow, East London. And the rest, they

It’s wet, windy and verging on cold, which should be

say, is history.

surprising considering we’re a matter of days from the

“This year has been really good. We've been busy,

start of August. But that’s England, right?. However, the

really busy, with existing accounts but we’ve also just

assembled group at the brewery are fully-focused on

taken on a new site in Lockwood, Walthamstow, and that

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Jaega Wise: "I'm excited to grow with this brewery" brewersjournal.info

September~October 2017

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wild

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Andrew Birkby, Jaega Wise, William Harris, 2017

is somewhere we can be for the next 15 years. It gives us

at a limited capacity for so long was that we had no room

a lot of room to grow,” explains Harris.

to experiment and produce new beers. But this new unit

The team has just been given the keys to a new facility that will take on the bulk of production from its existing site, an additional brewery tap and also free up space at

changes that and Jaega has lots of exciting new ideas of where we can go next.”

“The additional facility will more than double what

Ravenswood for a pilot kit as well as capacity for a barrel-

we can produce,” adds Wise. Wise has a background in

ageing programme. New beers are on the horizon at Wild

chemical engineering, previously working as a process

Card, too, but only if they tick every box.

technician for General Electric’s Water Division and also in

“Having a core to focus on was very important for us

international chemical import and trading. “Currently we

from the get-go,” says Harris. “We had one year where all

can do 8000 litres a week and the new site will do 12,000

we made was Jack of Clubs then another year on Queen

litres each week so it's a major jump. But even with this

of Diamonds. It was key for us to produce quality, reliable

new volume, we could easily fill it with existing orders. We

beers from the off so we got them right each time and

are at full pelt and there has been some business we’ve

always had them in stock.”

had to turn down previously, but this helps change that.”

Birkby adds: “One of the main drawbacks of us being

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More space means more beer, as Birkby points out,

The Brewers Journal

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Wild Card core Beers Jack of Clubs A ruby ale. Initial malty sweetness from British Crystal malts gives way to a balanced and lengthy hoppy bitterness created using a blend of flavourful and fragrant American hops.

ABV: 4.5% Queen of Diamonds Our award-winning Queen of Diamonds is an ostentatious continuously hopped IPA. Hops are added continuously throughout the boil, developing a complex citrus flavour and fresh bitter edge.

ABV: 5% King of Hearts A light and refreshing blonde beer.

Brewed with lager malts and dry hopped with citra hops to create a beer that is fragrant, clean and refreshing.

ABV: 4.5% Ace of Spades A classic London Porter with flavours of rich chocolate, smooth caramel and a roasted coffee edge. Full-bodied and deliciously dark.

ABV: 4.7% Joker

In London we make a lot of noise about beer on Twitter and Instagram, but when you delve into the actual numbers, the volumes are nowhere close to what the capital produced years ago

Our Lager is a Czech style Pilsner with a twist. The Joker is fresh and crisp and made from English malts and hops (including Target, Epic and Pioneer). Keg only.

ABV: 4.4%

Jaega Wise

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Wild Card Brewery's new unit will significantly boost its capacity

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wild

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But it’s now not uncommon to have a selection of 20-plus independently owned breweries’ beers to choose from, if not more.”

Despite the consumer having more choice than ever before, Wise staunchly believes that we are a long way from the industry reaching something resembling saturation.

“No way, no way. If you look at the volume of beer that

The standard of beer has definitely improved in London. Things have got way better Will Harris

and head brewer Wise has already turned her hand to producing a cherry sour beer.

“Access to the new unit coincided with the time of

year where morello cherries were growing outside, so of

London as a city used to produce compared to what we do now, we are nowhere near that. Don’t forget, especially in London, we make a lot of noise about beer on Twitter, Instagram and other social media but when you delve into the actual numbers, the volumes are nowhere close to what the capital produced many years ago,” she explains.

Although the Wild Card team believe there is room for many breweries to grow, this isn’t to say that they don’t feel London isn’t a competitive market for selling beer.

“I know I wouldn’t want to be opening up now,” says

course we picked them for a beer. They are famous for

Harris. “Of course it’s competitive. You just have to look

their sour qualities and use in deserts like a black forest

around and you can see many, many breweries that are

gateau so I’m excited to see how it turns out,” she says.

competitive because their beer is great, their branding is

The number, and style, of beers Wild Card produce

strong, as is their delivery. Competition is stiff as breweries

will continue to change and develop, much like the

are constantly raising their game, and quality is very high.

brewing scene it has been part of for the last five years.

But that’s amazing because it means the consumer has

And Wise feels there is much more to come from the

access to really, really great beer. Something we get here

capital’s brewers.

too thanks to the amount of guest beers we pour at the

“Brewing was definitely very different in London when

brewery tap. Going out of London, there are many towns

we started up. I reckon there were only around 10 or

and cities that don’t have as many breweries or they only

12 breweries in operation and now there are obviously

have a few. The same applies to European countries. You

well over 100. But what has also changed is the type of

look at the number of breweries in other places, then you

breweries. Previously there was something of an even

come back to London and you realise how lucky we are.”

split between the new forward-facing craft breweries and

He adds: “The standard of beer has definitely improved

the more so-called traditional breweries. It’s not quite like

in London, things have got way better. When we first

that anymore,” explains Wise. “But people still want good

started out, it wasn’t uncommon to hear about breweries

beer, they want quality beer with flavour and that’s what

where bottles of beer would explode. But this situation

is driving growth in places like London and breweries like

was wrapped up as it being a ‘crafty, exciting and artisan’

Wild Card. Rewind only a few years and in the majority of

product so quite a few people looked at it a bit tongue-in-

shops you’d only find the predictable selection of beers.

cheek. One brewery in particular made a t-shirt featuring

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the design of an exploding bottle! The idea of you selling

expensive. You also feel somewhat insecure because

some beer to a restaurant or bar now and the bottle

you’ll frequently get a lease that is a lot shorter than you

bursting in the fridge now is bonkers, it’s farcical. You

would in other parts of the country. With that, you tend

just wouldn't get away with it. But companies are getting

to have fewer rights as a tenant so trying to navigate

bigger and better.

things is very difficult,” says Birkby. “But we are fortunate

"They are paying more attention to their operations

that our landlord, Waltham Forest Council, has been very

while universities are turning out graduates that have

supportive and we have a long lease. We don’t have rich

some industry-specific technical qualifications and in

backers so help like that is always appreciated.”

general, the quality of manufacturing is getting much higher.”

“Things are getting better as the industry matures, no doubt about it” adds Wise. “I've definitely improved, 100%.

And as Harris explains, with that part of the business secure, the goal now is to keep growing and to continue producing great beer.

“We want to keep doing what we love, man. We’ve

And I will continue to do so. I’m excited to grow with the

managed five years and we are all still in work and we're

brewery as we expand, with all of the opportunities that

still making beer, which is why we got into this in the first

come with that.”

place. So if we're still here in five years time then we’ll

Speaking to the team, it’s evident how much of a

all be be pretty happy with ourselves,” he says. “Sure,

positive impact the new unit is having on their outlook.

we have a bucket list. We wanted our beer served in a

“We all want to do our best, trying to make the

skyscraper and we’ve done that. We wanted it served in a

best beer we can and growing as a team. One of the

Parisian bistro and we’ve done that. The other one was to

massive challenges in London is that space is really

send our beer into space.... we’re working on that!” u

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drinktec

beer in the spotlight at drinktec Drinktec takes place this September and brewing is expected to play an integral part of the Munich event. Nearly half the visitors that attended the last Drinktec exhibition came from the brewing industry and this is likely to grow again in 2017. The organisers take up the story below, alongside our selection of the exhibitors you shouldn’t miss if you’re at show, taking place from 1115th September at the Messe München exhibition center.

Solutions for brewers big and small

F

or the brewing sector drinktec 2017 is offering everything that is needed for producing and marketing beer. Tailor-made solutions can be

found here for both amateur brewers and craft brewers, as well as family-owned firms and large-scale breweries.

Overall around 80 percent of the drinktec exhibitors are offering solutions and technology for the brewing world.

The exhibitors will be showcasing product-specific process technology for beer from the brewhouse via filtration through to the necessary analytical equipment in Hall B2.

Raw materials from malthouses and from hop

C

suppliers are presented in Hall B1 and restaurant and

economic conditions and increasing political unrest. And:

borderline between production for home consumption

The world beer market is now strongly consolidated.

and commercial activity is not a clear one.

urrently the global thirst for beer is

catering supplies as well as dispensing systems are on

lessening. For the first time brewers

show in Hall A1. There is a new section called Home &

worldwide saw the market fall in two

Craft in Hall C1, where small-scale and amateur brewers

successive years—in 2014 by 0.5 percent

can find the right equipment. drinktec is thus reacting to a

and in 2015 by 1.5 percent. The main

trend that is gaining ground in Germany. There are now an

reasons for this are thought to be the difficult general

estimated 17,000 amateur brewers in Germany, and the

According to Statista, the five biggest brewing groups

The adjacent display called drinktec@SIMEI in Halls C1

accounted for just over half of all beer sales, a market

and C2, where machinery, technology and equipment for

that stands at 1.93 billion hectoliters. It will become even

wine production and processing is on show, will also be of

more important for each individual brewery to be able

interest to craft brewers who occasionally like to fill their

to produce efficiently and flexibly. For that, they need

special beers in fine, large wine bottles or who think more

the right technology, energy-saving brewing processes,

in terms of overall numbers than hectoliters.

plus continuous investment in the business, in line with

Of course in the brewing industry not everything is

the motto “A brewery that stops building, will soon stop

measured in terms of size. Small and medium-sized

brewing.”

breweries are generally well placed to find their niche and

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to fill it. The ever stronger craft beer wave is advancing

The European Beer Star will also be awarded at

across almost all continents. In Europe, Asia and Australia

drinktec—on September 13. This competition picks

lots of small breweries are starting up. In the US, the

out the best beers from all over the world, and it is

“mother land” of the craft brewing movement, the market

regarded as one of the most important international beer

in craft brewing increased by almost 13 percent (in sales)

competitions. The European Beer Star is organized by

and 16 percent (in revenue) in 2015, according to the

Private Brauereien Bayern e.V. The place2beer with beer

Brewers Association, this against the background of an

tastings, success stories and a mix of lectures on diverse

overall market that was stagnating.

themes will be a popular gathering place for brewers,

These small breweries now account for over 12 percent

beer lovers and all those involved in the world of beer.

of the second-largest beer market worldwide. What

Hall B1 is the place to be for start-ups, SMEs and craft

an amazing success story! Thanks to craft beer, new

brewers.

dynamism is being injected into hop markets worldwide,

The Microbrew Symposium on the first day of the show

which have suffered years of standstill. Years ago US-

is directed at the special-beer and craft beer movement.

American hop farmers had started to grow new varieties

The themes focus primarily on technology and quality

of hop, and craft brewers experimented with different

aspects of professional craft beer brewing. Also, Orange

taste nuances. Now other regions are following suit. For

Spirit, the beer specially brewed for drinktec, will be

example, the Hallertau region in Bavaria is producing new

available again this year, with a slightly adapted recipe:

German varieties with highly aromatic nuances.

“drinktec is mainly a trade fair for breweries. And of course we will again be brewing a special beer for drinktec: the

Supporting programme for brewers

Orange Spirit with eight weeks maturing period,” said Dr. Wolfgang Stempfl from Doemens Academy.

A

The very well received Innovation Flow Lounge will

s well as the broad spectrum of products and

be continued at drinktec 2017, but with a new concept:

services on show at the exhibitors booths,

It will share a communication platform and bar space

drinktec 2017 in Munich has a whole lot more to

with the Special Area New Beverage Concepts in Hall

offer brewers: For example, the world championships

B1, which will give rise to synergies. For example via the

for beer sommeliers, which takes place every two years.

IDEArena for the presentation and exchange on trends

In 2017 the date will be 10 September, one day before

and innovations in the sector, the “Talking Table” and its

the start of drinktec. On that day the world´s best beer

chaired discussion sessions, and the “5 o‘Clock Theme”

connoisseur will be crowned for the fifth time. The

with visionary keynote speeches to round off each day of

championships are organized by the Doemens Academy.

the fair. Every brewer, large or small, will find something to

The champion beer sommelier is selected from a total of

interest them in the wide variety of solutions and themes

over 2,000 hopefuls.

presented at drinktec.

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Ones Not to miss at drinktec Aber- Hall B3 Stand 217

drinks brands of all sizes. So whether you are looking for standard bottles, a small run of a customized container, or a completely bespoke design, it has it all. Exporting

A

ber Instruments will be showing their complete

around 20% of its glass containers to over 60 countries

range of “Compact” Yeast Monitors. The

each year,

Perfectpitch and “Aber Yeast Countstar” will also

Bestmalz- Hall B1 Stand 415

be on display. The Perfectpitch provides automatic pitching on a mobile skid and is ideal for craft breweries.

The Countstar is an automated yeast counter using traditional dyes, the Instrument can be used for rapid counting of yeast cells and viability estimation.

Ardagh - Hall A1 Stand 539

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estmalz presents its products at this year’s Drinktec, the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry, from 11 to 15

September 2017.Come and visit us at booth #415 in hall B1 of the Munich exhibition centre: Our malt masters will be available for you to answer all your questions about our

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rdagh will be exhibiting in Hall A1, Stand 539,

full range of base, special and craft malts.

showcasing their latest innovations in glass and

Brewfitt- Hall A1 Stand 409

metal packaging, including developments in

decoration and printing that create striking shelf standout and add brand value.

Argelith - Hall A3 Stand 345

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rewfitt is an award-winning family business with over 50 years’ industry experience at the forefront of innovation, offering a diverse range of

dispense and bar equipment. Brewfitt work in partnership

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ygiene and easy cleaning, together with

with leading manufacturers and pride themselves in

the fundamental requirements of chemical,

providing a first-class service to customers. Brewfitt aim

mechanical and thermal load resistance, are

to revolutionise drink dispensing, by providing a more

a critical component of a beverage production floor.

Problems with grouting are regularly mentioned in connection with ceramic floors in driving and wet areas.

Ball- Hall A1 Stand 348

consistent draught quality.

Cabka-IPS- Hall A1 Stand 119

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abka-IPS will be presenting solutions in the form of two plastic pallets, the BPP i9 and the Keg S9.

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all’s dynamic stand with feature the latest additions to the product range, interactive displays, samples, and opportunities for visitors to

These pallets are tailored to meet the challenges

and needs of the beverage industry and have already successfully contributed to safer processes and cost

discuss innovative packaging solutions with experts. The

reductions at various companies. In addition, Cabka-IPS

stand will showcase the ground-breaking innovations on

will also present the Keg S9 plastic pallet at Drinktec.

which Ball’s reputation is built,

Beatson Clark- Hall A1 Stand 210

C

PL is the leading international search company

B

eatson Clark has been designing and manufacturing glass bottles and jars since 1751 and is proud of its long heritage. Because of its

flexible approach, Beatson Clark are ideally placed for

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Carling Partnership -Hall B1 Booth 323A

September~October 2017

working exclusively within the brewing, distilling, cider and soft drinks industries. Providing a first-

class recruitment service for a wide network of clients from global drinks companies to breweries,

The Brewers Journal

SafAle HA-18 ™

THE OBVIOUS CHOICE FOR FERMENTATION OF VERY HIGH GRAVITY BEERS

This yeast strain is recommended for the fermentation of particularly high gravity worts and the production of attenuated beers with high ABV degrees, such as « Barley Wines ». The strain is able to reach 18% ABV with a very good resistance to the osmotic pressure and rather high fermentation temperatures.

www.fermentis.com

Pub SafAle HA-18_135x180_ANG.indd 1

02/08/2017 11:42

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SCHÄFER PLUS KEGs 9.2017 11.-15.0 s in Visit u d 502 , st an hall A1

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PU jacket, stainless steel inside Available in all colours In-mould coating and labelling process makes any decor possible Extremely quiet handling No obvious scrap value

KEG App Mobile KEG configurator available for Android and iOS www.schaefer-container-systems.com/app

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Charles Faram - Hall B1 Booth 117

H

op Merchants for over 150 years. Charles Faram has one of the largest range of hop varieties available from stock in both vacuum packed leaf

hops and Type 90 pellets. Varieties come from the UK, Germany, USA, Slovenia, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Belgium, and France. Faram’s provides an artist's palette of flavours to create every type and style of beer from the traditional varieties to exciting new developmental varieties in Faram’s own breeding programme. At Charles Faram & Co, we have a wealth of experience, and can help you with any technical advice and variety recommendations.

Domino - Hall A2 Booth 439

A

t drinktec 2017 in Munich Domino presents the state-of-the-art coding solutions that beverage manufacturers need for finishing their products at

high throughput, reliable productivity and low operating

New bottles from Beatson Clark will be on show

costs: The new Ax-Series Continuous Ink Jet printers automate system monitoring, allowing for proactive diagnostics and remote service support through connection to the Domino Cloud.

Enterprise Tondelli - Hall B5 Booth 319

GEA - Hall A3 Booth 313

A

t drinktec 2017, GEA will present innovations

E

nterprise Tondelli: Supplying from single machines to complex turnkey projects such as brewhouses, canning lines, bottling lines, kegging lines and

in Hall A3, booth 313 that enable customers succeed in a tough competitive environment.

Two solutions for the craft-beer market will be shown

plant ancillaries. It offers bottling and canning lines 1,800

including the multi-functional compact system GEA ‘Plug

containers per hour to 60,000 containers per hour,

& Win’ separator and a three-vessel GEA Craft-Star.

kegging lines from 16 kegs per hour to 1,600 kegs per hour and modular brew houses for 12 brews per day –

KHS - Hall B4 Booth 328

manufactured by those who brew from 3 hl to 200 hl.

Fermentis - Hall B1 Booth 536

A

worthwhile visit: at drinktec, the KHS Group will be exhibiting the future of filling and packaging

F

ermentis works with everyone in the world of beer, wine, spirits and other fermented beverages. Its range of products and services covers almost all

systems under the motto "Technology 4.0" from 11

to 15 September 2017. In Munich, this systems supplier will be presenting its new systems for all container segments.

professional requirements: from safeguarding production

All branches of industry, from small craft brewers to large

to expressing sensory characteristics. The business Unit

water bottlers, will find innovative ideas for sustainable

of the Lesaffre Group, global key player in fermentation

and effective processes in Hall B4.328.

and yeast, Fermentis builds solutions and results upon its talented experts, visionary R&D program, industrial expertise that meets the highest standards and a strong and coherent marketing and communication strategy.

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The Brewers Journal

Visit us!

Naturally grown.

Traditionally processed.

Quality malt from Germany.

Since 1899.

drinktec München 11th–15th september 2017 Hall B.1 | Booth 415

www.bestmalz.com

aber brewery range

The ABER Yeast Monitors are recognised today as the most accurate and reliable instruments for measuring the LIVE yeast cell concentration on-line.

Aber’s COMPACT range of yeast monitors are found at the heart of a breweries yeast pitching system. They can also be installed into yeast recovery lines and are ideal for cropping control at the end of fermentation.

Brewery Labs can now take the strain out of manual cell counting by utilising ABER’s automated cell counter The ABER COUNTSTAR

ABER’s COMPACT yeast cell concentration technology is available for craft breweries in the form of our PERFECTPITCH SKID.

Visit ABER at Drinktec 2017 - Hall B3/ Stand 217

www.aberinstruments.com

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Krones - Hall B6

A

t this year’s drinktec, the world’s biggest sectoral meet-up for the beverage and liquid food industries, Krones will, as in all the previous

Rastal - Hall C2 Booth 505

F

or almost 100 years, Rastal has been in demand as a partner of the national and international beverage, catering and retail industries.The family-

years, be showcasing its corporate capabilities in Hall B6.

owned company produces around 120 million glasses per

The principal focus this time is on innovations primarily

year. All over the world, established manufacturers benefit

designed to improve line performance still further, to

from Rastal’s experience and technology for presenting

ensure even higher individualisation and flexibility, and

their brand and giving customers a sense of exquisite

to impart additional sustainability to the production

drinking pleasure.

operation.

Scanjet - Hall B3 Booth 536

Moravek - Hall B2 Booth 113

M

oravek design, manufacture and install integrated process and for filling systems for bottling, kegging and canning in the brewing

S

canjet, a leading supplier of advanced tank cleaning products and systems, has today announced a new addition to their range of tank

cleaning jets. Premiering at the drinks industry trade

and beverage industries. At Drinktec 17 in Hall B2 Stand

show Drinktec 2017 in Munich this September, the new

113 they will be showcasing on stand their new 5,500CPH

product, Bio 25B, has been designed specifically with

x 330ml CanPro 9/2 rotary can filler unit. The machine

the brewery process in mind, and as such is the first of its

is designed specifically for the growing craft brewery

kind. In normal use, a tank cleaning jet sits inside a tank

industry by delivering a wide range of canning options

and is used to spray water or other cleaning liquids to

and flexibility at a best-in-class value. Features include:

clean the tank’s interior surfaces, and needless to say the

Very low Dissolved Oxygen pickup (< 30ppb) is achieved

Bio 25B also performs that job exceedingly well.

with CO2 pre-purge technology from an independent

Schäfer - Hall A1 Booth 502

CO2 channel, and tangential can transfer with undercover gassing; Precise vent-tube fill height control system with true counter-pressure-gravity filling technology for high-speed operation and superior product yield; Rotary filler and seamer design on a common-base with a tangential discharge, ensures perfect synchronization,

S

chäfer Container Systems, the manufacturer of reusable beverage container systems (KEGs), IBCs and special containers will be presenting

high- speed operation, and reliable mechanical

its complete portfolio for the beverage and liquid food

maintainability; Variable speed operation to meet

industry at the drinktec from 11 to 15 September. The new

production requirements and maintain high efficiency;

DIN type ECO KEG is making its first appearance at a

Quick & easy adjustable Filler-Seamer height adjustment

trade fair as a 50 l version.

for different size containers (i.e. 330ml & 375ml.)

Schubert - Hall B4 Booth 328 Pentair - Hall B3 Booth 313

S

chubert will be presenting the Innopack-TLM

S

olutions featured at this year’s fair include hygienic and aseptic valves and components, quality control equipment, CO2 systems, membrane

block packaging system which was developed with the company’s collaboration partner KHS. The

block system seamlessly combines a Schubert TLM

technology for beer, dairy and water applications,

packaging machine with a KHS packer. Customers in

continuous beverage processing, microfiltration, and

the beverage industry stand to greatly benefit from this

biogas upgrading. Innovations include: Beer Membrane

self-contained total solution which delivers significant

Filtration: Diatomaceous earth-free beer filtration.

increases in packaging quality and flexibility.

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Manufacturers of the finest Pale Ale, Crystal and Roasted Malts All Malts delivered ON TIME to your specification, crushed or whole Main products include: Maris Otter, Pearl, Propino and Golden Promise Ale Malts together with the complete range of Speciality Crystal and Roasted Malts including Wheat, Rye and Oat products

Thomas Fawcett & Sons Limited Eastfield Lane, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 4LE www.fawcett-maltsters.co.uk sales@fawcett-maltsters.co.uk +44 (0)1977552460/90

MANUFACTURERS & DISTRIBUTORS OF STEAM BOILERS & ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT

Complete Steam Solutions • Boiler ranges from 128 – 55,000 kg/hr • Steam, electric and hot water boilers • Ancillary equipment • Fully packaged plant rooms INDUSTRY-LEADING DESIGN, INSTALLATION, MAINTENANCE AND ENERGY SAVING SERVICES

T: 01255 224500 E: boilersales@steamboilers.co.uk www.steamboilers.co.uk

130x98mm CFB Boilers Advert.indd 1

03/05/2017 15:18

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Heuft - Hall B4 Booth 315

H

euft will showcase a range of new technology at this year’s Drinktec. These include brand-new empty bottle inspectors of the Heuft Spectrum

generation to a new category of slimline devices for an affordable introduction to a full container inspection up to Heuft standards: the technology leader will present cutting-edge innovations for perfect packaging material and safe drinks.

Wild Goose Canning and Meheen are at Drinktec 17

Sidel - Hall A6 Booth 330

E

xhibiting as part of the Sidel Group, along

Weyermann - Hall B1 Booth 505

with Gebo Cermex, Sidel will be introducing a number of breakthrough packaging solutions at

Drinktec 2017 (stand A6.330), to help producers meet the challenges of ever-changing demands in beverage markets.

W

eyermann Specialty Malting Company is a German family-owned enterprise in the heart of the famous Bavarian beer town of

Simply Hops- Hall B1 Stand 312

Bamberg – a UNESCO World Heritage. Founded in 1879 by the visionary J.B. Weyermann, Weyermann is today one of the most renowned malt manufacturers on every continent - offering the widest range of malts on earth!

S

imply Hops is right at the heart of craft brewing, and as the younger brother to Barth-Haas Group

Wild Goose Canning-Hall B2 Booth 347

we have some serious backing in the world of

hops. Unlike larger, more established breweries, craft beer requires a different type of service. Something responsive, more personal and more understanding of a craft brewer’s needs. Hops, and natural hop products, are our passion. Focusing all our energy into bringing

W

ild Goose Canning and Meheen Manufacturing have partnered to offer world-class beverage canning and bottling

solutions. Wild Goose Canning is the craft brewing

craft brewers the hops they need, our team is made up

industry’s leading canning system designer and

of experienced brewers and highly trained technicians,

manufacturer. Through innovative engineering and

so whether you’re after advice or new and interesting

experience, Wild Goose Canning designs and hand-

varieties, Simply Hops have got you covered.

builds custom systems that allow craft producers to create their highest quality products with unprecedented

WaveGrip - Hall C1 Booth 635

precision and versatility. Meheen Manufacturing’s bottle filling and carbonating technologies are engineered to

M

anufacturer of a new generation of beverage multi-packing solutions, WaveGrip is making its debut at this year’s Drinktec, where its stand

make premium craft beverage bottling possible and profitable. .

Ziemann Holvrieka-Hall B2 Booth 303

will demonstrate the many advantages that its hi-tech system offers over more traditional can multi-packing options. WaveGrip is the most efficient carrier available and also the most environmentally-sustainable, and it has the versatility to be adapted for all types of drinks businesses, from smaller artisanal producers to high volume operations. .

Z

iemann Holvrieka will launch its new brewhouse, Omnium, at this year’s event in hall B2 booth 303.

The core component and centrepiece of Omnium

is the system Nessie, presented in 2016, with which the mash is separated into wort and spent grains in a continuous process and the spent grains are sparged in order to obtain the extract.

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September~October 2017

The Brewers Journal

BEER MEMBRANE FILTRATION BMF +FLUX COMPACT S4

The Ideal Solution for Craft Brewers!

Capacity 30-60 hl/h • Consistent & excellent beer quality • Low beer losses • Ease of beer type change-overs • Minimal maintenance • Automated process • No DE handling

VISIT PENTAIR AT

DRINKTEC September 11-15, Munich, Germany Hall B3, Booth 313

Phone: +44 (0) 1905 797 280 Email: Sales.uk@pentair.com

WWW.FOODANDBEVERAGE.PENTAIR.COM

m e e t

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moor

beer

When less is no longer more Moor Beer has celebrated its 10th birthday on the back of record results in 2017. Alongside collaboration brews, hosting major events and taking on new roles, brewery owner Justin Hawke is eyeing expansion in Bristol, and beyond.

– I noted the unusual use of maize and imported hops, something that was rare at that time.”

Hawke explains that from conversations with John Keeling at Fuller’s, the inclusion of maize in the original recipe helped dliute the nitrogen levels that were too high in the malt being used at the time.

“John actually said it opened the beer out so for this version we have used flake maize. Why not? We also spotted in the records that the recipe featured hops from places such as the US, Australia, and Slovenia, which is

by Tim Sheahan

amazing!” says Hawke. “To match their house yeast in this beer, we have used Enigma from Australia, Crystal

W

from the US, First Gold and also Slovenian hops, too. hen you have more than 300 beers

We’ve worked really hard to create a beer that respects

to choose from, produced by

the original whilst giving drinkers something new to

the great and the good of global

enjoy. To be trusted to work on a flagship beer – twice a

brewing, pinning down highlights

World Champion Beer – is an honour and a real vote of

is always a difficult task. But for

confidence.”

drinkers at the excellent London Craft Beer Festival in

Hawke is in good spirits. The aforementioned John

August, one beer that was on people’s lips time and time

Keeling is due at the brewery for a brew and Moor Beer,

again was Moor Rebirth. The beer, a reinvention of Fuller’s

which exports to 20 countries, has recently celebrated

ESB, is a collaboration that forms part of the ‘Fuller’s and

its 10th birthday, something it did on the back of record

Friends’ project, an initiative where the West London

results.

brewer teams up with brewers such as Thornbridge,

“We’re so happy to be celebrating our 10th birthday,

Cloudwater and Hardknott. Served in the Hoxton beer

especially when you consider most people think craft

festival’s ‘Cask Yard’, the 6% beer is a particular point of

beer is a new movement. News of our continuing growth

pride for Moor Beer’s owner Justin Hawke.

coinciding with our anniversary is the icing on the cake”,

“For someone like us to be linked with Fuller’s, to

he says. “Over the past decade we set many of the trends

benefit from the doors they open and the leverage that

by having the vision and quality to kick-start what was

gives us, is amazing,” he enthuses. “When it came to

a flagging British beer market. We continue to remain

deciding a beer to brew for their new project, ESB jumped

desirable by a growing audience by staying true to our

out right away. It is a fantastic beer. When I studied the

values and being fiercely independent. The progress

original brewing notes from 1971 – the year I was born

we’ve made in the last 10 years is testament to an ever

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“ m e e t

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moor

beer

We have never considered crowdfunding. I think it’s dangerous. I worry about the underpinning of a lot of them and many of these businesses are not viable in the first place.

Justin Hawke

vibrant beer scene and we are looking forward to what the next six months, year and even ten years brings for us.”

While Hawke is positive and confident about what the

future holds, he is also direct in his assessment of the industry that Moor Beer is a key part of.

“These last ten years have been a ride. When I started

this, it was for the passion of beer. I left careers in the corporate world and military to do this. I had no ambition beyond that to grow any huge business,” he says. “Look, last year we did the 5000hl mark. At ten years that is nothing but it was intentional. However, with the love we continue to get from this industry, I realised a while back that I shouldn't keep constraining us. So we are putting in more capacity to continue growing in a stable way. But one thing that is important to me is the investment. It all comes from us, nowhere else. It’s secure.”

He adds: “We have never, nor will we ever, consider crowdfunding. I think it’s dangerous. I worry about the underpinning of a lot of them and many of these businesses are not viable in the first place. I think there will be an economic correction at some point in the future and I was always brought up with the discipline that you don’t spend what you can’t afford. So yeah, I am challenged by the idea.”

Hawke’s outlook stems from watching his parents grow a small family business in his youth and he proudly says that he comes from such a background. Upon leaving the US, Hawke spent time in the US army. Stationed in Germany at the time Bill Clinton was elected, he fell in love with the continent and its beers. But it was upon returning to California where he learned to brew but by his own admission, Hawke already set his sights on a move back to Europe and, in particular, the UK. “In Germany, I loved the unified hazy beers. That is where I learned the qualities of those beers and it was in the US, I learned all about hops. But I always loved real

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moor

beer

ale too, so Moor Beer is the culmination of all of those three things,” he says.

but we we made eventually made our mark.”

And that mark was Moor JJJ, a 9% Triple IPA launched

Taking the reins of Moor ten years ago, Hawke laments

in 2008 that caught the attention of markets across

that Somerset was the ‘wrong place and the wrong time’

Europe, with a 97% rating on RateBeer. Such beers have

for the brewery. “There was no craft beer and we are in

helped Moor Beer make an indelible mark on the UK

cider county! Bristol or London would have been better

industry but in Hawke’s opinion, the brewery, now in Bristol, doesn’t quite get the attention it deserves.

“I don’t think we do, considering all that we have done to promote can conditioning, imperial pale ales and unfined beers. We are also very ‘pro UK’ when we are abroad, too,” he says. “The other side of this conversation is that there is very much a ‘coolness’ curve that breweries go through. I've seen it many times. You have your first years being on the map when you are pretty cool in people’s eyes. We had it, Thornbridge had it, as did Magic Rock and Kernel among others, too. Now, Cloudwater have it alongside breweries like Verdant and Deya. But

The industry is at a challenging point now because growth is slowing, competition is increasing, but at the same time, quality, standards and education needs to improve.

Justin Hawke

when that goes, the challenge is to stay relevant and to stay true to what you believe in. But you also need to build upon what you’ve learned in those early years.

Improve your QA, your lab, everything.

And too much of the UK isn’t doing that.”

He explains: Sure, if I could go back and see what I was doing in the early days and assess some of the

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beer

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b r e w e r

assumptions I made with regards to brewing, then some

acumen to do so and as an industry, there has to be a

beers were probably not near the quality they are now.

minimum baseline standard. We need it. The industry is

The same would apply to other breweries, too.

at a challenging point now because growth is slowing,

“But people are still opening cans and pouring out hop matter. That is not ok. Look at the whole mobile canning side of things, too. That is an issue for me. We fought,

competition is increasing but at the same time, quality, standards and education needs to improve.”

It’s a perspective shared by many in the industry, and

and continue to fight, to get cans accepted. And while I

something Hawke continues to campaign for through his

appreciate the platform mobile canners give breweries,

SIBA role, as well as his own brewery. But for now, the

it also gives you a low quality platform to package beer

challenge and opportunity at Moor Beer is growth.

of unknown quality. For so long we have had an industry

“We want to expand to 10000hl but warehouse space

where consumers thought that cans were shit. And if they

and additional retail space is an issue. Our taproom is

now go to a market to try a canned beer and are let down

great and it's a hive of activity but we need the warehouse

in a very serious way then they are probably done with

facilities out of this site and into another unit in Bristol.

that for life. It’s very serious.”

But it’s an exciting opportunity. We are also looking at a

For Hawke, quality and consistency defines Moor Beer.

distribution hub in London that will offer a retail taproom

It’s something he wants to see more of in the UK and

element, too. It’s a big proposition,” he adds. “A big

was in part, a reason for this desire to take the role of vice

crowdfunder would have been easy but we don’t want to

chairman at SIBA.

do it that way. We are secure, we are established and we

“I am very focused on industry standards, especially in

have great people.

the UK. Here we are the least regulated, easiest western

"In these days of craft beer buyouts by big brewers

country to open a brewing business. You can be a home-

and the crowdfunding of questionable propositions, both

brewer, get signed up with HMRC and then sell you beer

of which compromise the integrity and choices a brewer

to a pub. Let’s be honest, a lot of these people shouldn’t

can make, we are one of the very few who are truly

be brewing. They don’t have the background and the

independent. And we will stay that way.” u

brewersjournal.info

September~October 2017

61

bricks, mortar and brewing Contract brewing can divide opinion. Some argue it eliminates the sense of provenance many value from their beer. Others say the service is a valuable tool to give fledgling brewers a step on the ladder. But with many good beers being produced without a brewer's own bricks and mortar operation, is it much ado about nothing?

by Tim Sheahan

T

he Northern Monk Refectory in Leeds has become a go-to

not who we are, it is where we are at.”

But it was an arrangement that suited

destination for fans of good beer.

the team at that point in time, allowing

An integral part of the brewery’s

them to build the solid foundations upon

operation, 16 keg lines and two

which they sit today. And across the pond

cask lines dispense beer from one of the

in North America, companies such as Evil

UK’s leading lights, as well their sought after

Twin and Grimm Artisanal Ales are investing

collaborations with respected breweries from

in breweries in Queens and Brooklyn

across the globe.

respectively, following years brewing their

Rewind four years and the same brewery was addressing questions about where

beers at other company's facilities.

Closer to home, we take the opportunity

its beer was brewed. The answer, was

to speak to the UK’s leading contract brewers

Hambleton Ales in North Yorkshire. “This

to learn how they challenge preconceptions

means our beer is brewed by us, based on

about contract brewed beer, the changing

our recipe but we do not own the equipment

demands placed upon them and also the role

that we use to brew it,” they explained. “This

they are playing in getting new brewers off

method of brewing does not define us, it is

the ground.

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September~October 2017

63

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contract

brewing

The Brewers Journal: There are many preconceptions that still exist when it comes to contract brewed beer.

That it may be in some way inferior to the beer made at a brewer’s own brewery. Or that the brewer in question may be somewhat less committed or credible than their bricks and mortar peers. What do you tell potential customers or detractors when these statements arise?

can’t afford to skimp on quality of ingredients or on the brew itself – the beer has to be right or we won’t get paid!”

For Dr Keith Thomas, director at Brewlab, he explains: “I think that this raises the issue of the variability of brewing generally – and that’s not limited to the craft brew arena, international brewers have difficulties matching their beers around the world. Breweries and brewers differ – in fact it’s not impossible that a contract

Tracy Sambrook, managing director of South East

brew could be better or more consistent than the original.

Bottling, explains: “I would actually say that this is often

Craft beers with strong and distinctive flavours are even

the exact opposite because the contract brewing and

more susceptible than standard brands to variability of

bottling/canning services we offer are from experienced,

brew kit, ingredient sources, production management and

quality-focused and highly skilled breweries, rather than

fermentation control.

from someone new to the industry.

“It can work on so many levels since an organisation

“Our approach at Brewlab is to have very tight specifications on each of these along with accurate

looking for a contract brewing partner will know what they

analyses of the parameters to provide confidence that the

want to achieve in terms of style, focus, taste and the

targets are met. We also have the confidence to say no

experienced contract brewer can interpret that direction

when the requests are too extreme like if we were asked

and add value from their years of brewing experience. Our

to produce a direct match of Chimay Blue or even John

contract brewing partners are more than credible - with

Smiths. Drinkers committed to a popular brand will soon

deep experience, having more than 24 years combined

pick up the difference.”

brewing experience!

“I think that the industry should challenge the

Camerons director and general manager Chris Soley, adds: “To the contrary, our approach towards brewing

pre-conception that anyone can produce great beer.

third party beers is to aim to achieve quality and flavour

Producing great beer comes from years of experience

to the same specifications as the owner brewer. We

and that is what a contract brewer and packager can

pride ourselves on our contract brewing reputation and

offer.”

we have often been credited with producing beers for

“In terms of the credibility of our contract customers

other brewers that surpass their own standards. As well

we have seen that as the market has become more

as being accredited to ISO9000 and BRC grade “AA”, we

crowded, new entrants are looking at specialising and

need to achieve the individual quality standards of all of

creating niches. This does not mean that they are less

our national and international partners which means we

committed but taking a new perspective on how to enter

can learn from each of them and adopt best practice

the market and with so many breweries in the UK, testing

from each of our customers.

new products through contract brewing would seem

“This has ensured a continuous improvement in our

a much more credible way to enter the marketplace.

quality and service levels, growing our contract brewing

The key to making this a success is to work with our

business through reputation, thus supporting significant

customers in partnership. We find that our customers

investment in new technology, flexibility and continual

value the quality of our end-to-end offering of contract

improvement. Contract brewing makes up 95% of our

brewing and bottling/canning and the expertise that we

business and we are absolutely 100% committed to

bring to this relationship.”

achieving consistent beer which replicates exactly the

Ben Harrison, brewery manager at Hambleton Ales,

beer brewed at the brewer’s own brewery.”

says: “At Hambleton we brew our own beers, as well as

Chris Wilson, sales at Keltek Brewery concludes: “We

contract brewing for other breweries. We don’t treat the

put just the same effort into Contract Brewed beer as our

beers differently here, and treat every brew as if it is our

own, Fair enough the drinking public may not necessarily

own. We aren’t huge, but our 20BBL plant means that

know it was us that made it, but like in any industry – bad

we do have more capacity than a lot of the very small

news travels, FAST! We work hard to make sure we are

brewers across the UK. Our brews are still very manual,

putting out consistently great beer, no matter who’s it

involve lots of hard work and significant brewing skill. Our

actually is. Our head brewer, Rob Jones, is very particular

customers can also be incredibly demanding, and we

and a stickler for continuous improvement.”

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contract

Marketing over brewing

brewing

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won’t have a long track record. I think the ideal today is to have the passion in production matched with a sound awareness of what customers will genuinely enjoy rather

The Brewers Journal: A contract brewer is more likely to spend their time marketing beer than looking at brewing it. Do you find that to be the case? And does it matter?

than respond to some transient hype. This means getting rigorous feedback from blind tastings rather than passing bottles round the bar. Production and marketing can be achieved in a single person business but it gets difficult as sales grow. Having a partner, a consultant or senior

Tracy Sambrook: “So long as quality is at the heart of the

manager with skills and experience of the market is

product, I don’t think that it matters where our customers

increasingly essential for development.

focus is. Our contract customers are often consumer-

“Of course, marketing can get lost up its own bottom if

led experts, with sector experience, who recognises the

put out of context. We once worked with a brewery who

skill, investment and rigour required to brew and wants

commissioned a marketing company to draft a name

to play to their strengths by focusing on brand-building,

for a low alcohol beer highlighting the low but in a lively

routes-to-market and distribution. In a fast-changing

manner. The resulting “Low Life” suggestion from the

sector, focusing on strengths to grow quickly is the way

focus group also had limited life.”

to create value and we can provide a scalable solution

Chris Soley: “We spend very little resource on

that supports their objectives. Many have plans to build a

marketing of our contract brewing facility. Our brewing

brewery and want to establish consumer demand before

partnerships have been built through the years by word

they do so, rather than the path of marketing a product

of mouth, networking and reputation. Our resource

that has been possibly years in development.

is significantly weighted towards the technical team,

“Establishing a brand (i.e. demand) in parallel to

engineering and production where we continually

working with an experienced contract brewing partner

invest in people and equipment to achieve consistently

who can deliver the style and quality gets the contract

improving quality contract brewed products.”

brewer to market quickly – a market that is evolving

Chris Wilson: “Perhaps small business’s will be able

rapidly as consumers tastes broaden. Beer is a consumer

to better use their time marketing instead of brewing but

product so whilst a contract brewer can go so far with

at the end of the day they are still paying a wage to the

branding, ultimately the “proof is in the pudding” and

brewer. At the end of the day a start up business always

consumers recognise quality – what SEB offers through

has very tight cash flow however they start production.”

its contract brewing and packaging partnerships.”

Ben Harrison: “People contract brew for a number

Changing demands

of reasons, but one of those certainly is that they want to spend their time on other things. I don’t think this is a problem though.. and is far better than a stressed out brewer putting out mediocre beer because they are stressed trying to juggle sales, marketing and deliveries.

By contract brewing you can concentrate on building a

The Brewers Journal: How have demands on contract brewers changed in recent years? What trends are you witnessing from potential and existing customers?

Equally, how are you reacting to them?

business and developing sales, without needing to also be brewing 9 hours a day 7 days a week. By choosing

Tracy Sambrook: “We work with a broad range of

the correct contract brewer you can end up with beer

customers, from experienced capacity constrained

being brewed to your recipe, but by very experienced and

breweries, to excited new entrants to the beer market,

dedicated brewers.. who have the time to make sure it is

but the one thing that all of our customers share is their

perfect.”

demand for quality and flexibility. At SEB we can offer

Dr Keith Thomas: “That can certainly be true and not

not just the experience to create any beer style that our

a few breweries have been started by marketing experts

customer demands but we also have the packaging

with limited involvement in production. This can work but

solutions to be able to translate that beer into something

you need to know more than how to design a good label

that is eye catching and unique in the market place. We

to be sure the beer will survive. Drinkers demand more

see this trend of increased flexibility only growing as

information than ever and a beer with limited substance

our customers trial unique product offerings to the UK

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brewing market.

Ben Harrison: “One of the benefits to us of contract brewing is that we are exposed to new ideas and trends at an early stage, which ultimately feed into our own

and final pack formats is meaning investment in vessels, yeast handling and filling equipment for large and small pack.”

Chris Wilson: “The demand for contract brewing has

brewing. The recent rise of Craft has certainly seen some

definitely grown in the last few years, This is only natural,

changes, and the styles of beers we are brewing and the

the craft/real beer wave is one that a lot of people want

final packages we are filling are more varied than ever–

to get on, contract brewing offers that opportunity with

however the demands haven’t changed, and at the end of

minimal capital costs.”

the day our customers still require great ingredients, and

Potential pitfalls

high quality beer.”

Dr Keith Thomas: “The major change does seem to be the increase in start up contracts in recent years and addressing novel areas of the market. Ten or more years ago contract brewing was a feature to expand production before installing new plant – say in response to an award or to cover a period of illness or maintenance.

The Brewers Journal: What key advice do you have for a brewer looking to partner with a contract brewer?

What are the potential pitfalls they can avoid when taking those first steps?

Matching was a major issue and variably achieved. Today it is a route to test the market before committing to

Tracy Sambrook: “Some of the key areas I would

equipment and also to test beers with novel ingredients

recommend prospective customer to understand would

and character. For ourselves at Brewlab we need to

be: Understand what you want from your contract

have a good range of production options particularly

brewing partner. Our most successful customers have a

yeasts for novel fermentations and packaging for display

clear vision and understanding of the product that they

presentations.

are wanting to create and we help them achieve that

It is important to discuss and agree expectations as

vision; Take ownership in the process, we aim to create

some ingredients may well affect standard beer features –

the best product for our customers but the more our

haze, head formation, colour, carbonation, flavour stability

customers put into the process the more they will get out

or gluten levels. Bottle conditioning is a particularly

of it; Don’t be afraid to ask questions – we have plenty

difficult demand if the specifications are atypical.”

of experience and there may be other solutions that you

Chris Soley: “There has been a particular focus on continuous improvement both from a cost perspective

may not have considered.

“Don’t neglect the regulatory side of the process – we

and within quality parameters. For example accepted

all know how much regulation surrounds beer and just

Oxygen levels in final beer have been driven down by

because you are not brewing does not mean that you

customers substantially over the last few years.

are not subject to these regulations! Understand your

“We have implemented a continuous improvement

marketplace – who are you selling to, how will you get it

agenda to support this requirement and are on a journey

to market? Again, some of our most successful customers

towards world class manufacturing standards. We

have already buttoned this down before they have started

have a focus on lean manufacturing and 5 “S” having

brewing with us.”

trained all production personnel in NVQ level 3 lean

Ben Harrison: “Think about the whole journey all the

manufacturing techniques and level 4 for team leaders. CI

way to final package. You may find a great brewer, but if

is now being integrated into the day to day environment

you are then having to ship your beer somewhere else for

in a way that Health and Safety was decades ago. We

packaging then you are increasing costs and risking the

have also invested in new equipment to support these

quality of the beer.

improvements. A new bottling plant and a replacement

By keeping it all under the same roof the contract

conversion vessel have been installed in the last 2 years

brewer can control everything, and be responsible

at a cost of c£2.5m. In addition to this we invest around

for quality throughout the full process. Also, it is really

£500k per year in capital as well as £1.5m in engineering

important to choose a brewery with a recognised industry

revenue.

accreditation.

“The vast change in product ranges driven by

Salsa plus Beer, which is recognised by Cask Marque

consumer trends is also meaning that our customers are

is a good example. Breweries with this accreditation are

demanding a greater flexibility. A greater product range

subject to annual auditing, and have to conform to a

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rigorous quality standards. If you aren’t brewing the beer

brewing

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Sustainable solution

yourself, knowing that an outside body regular checks on your brewer and packaging provider can give you peace of mind and prevent future quality issue.”

Dr Keith Thomas: “Knowledge and experience are definitely key. Judge these by the brewery credentials, brewer background, training and reputation of the beers.

The Brewers Journal: Previous press on contract brewing calls it “not only a great startup strategy for aspiring brewers, but also a sustainable solution for brewers looking to expand”. How do you do this?

Ask for recommendations from past customers. How good are the regular beers produced, how consistent are

Tracy Sambrook: “Absolutely and we are now regularly

they and how well managed is the quality assurance?

working with partners who are as you describe “bricks

Ask to see what records are kept of the production

and mortar” brewers – they have a recipe and they may

process and the beer analysis. The more detailed records

have brewed it themselves but they are out-growing

the better and check that the analysis includes abv and

capacity or want one-off, specialist runs and our services

gravity by a reputable standard method or laboratory

are perfect for these customers as well. Because of our 24

along with indicators of consistency – pH, colour and

years combined experience, we understand the growth

ideally bitterness.

challenges these established brewers are facing. Our

“Also, to test carbonation from package. If you commit

brewers are established in the industry and are award

to a contract make sure that you and the company

winners in their own right so our ability to work with

process samples for shelf life by incubating at warm

established brewers is unquestionable.”

temperature (27 – 30oC) to anticipate problems in advance.

Also make sure that any changes made to the

Ben Harrison: “There are a huge number of breweries across the UK who have started their lives at Hambleton, including some very big well-known names.. many

specification are clearly understood as the initial

have now grown much bigger than us. By starting at

production conditions may not suit new targets. In

Hambleton it enabled them to develop a business and

fact, make sure that there is a clear written contract –

build a customer base, before worrying about building

telephone agreements are legal torture if problems arise.

themselves a brewery. I’m sure that the breweries they

Don’t just trust to your tasting abilities good as they may

ended up building are far better than they would have

be – get access to a microscope to check microbial

been, and far better sized, then if they had built them

contamination if problems are suspected – you need the

before they understood the market and their customers.

evidence in front of your eyes not an argument over who has the best taste credentials.”

Chris Soley: “It is important to share as much

“Similarly we also do a lot of brewing for contract brew for breweries who are expanding, or who are renovating and having new kit installed. This enables them to

information as possible early on in the relationship.

consistently trade, and not lose customers during the

Detailed technical specifications and any specific brewing

periods that they cant produce. In such a competitive and

parameters will ensure that requirements are quickly

consumer led market, this is really important.”

understood and flush out any early challenges. It is

Dr Keith Thomas: “It certainly can cover both of

important to view the relationship as a partnership and be

these options and is increasingly a popular way to test

as open as possible from the onset.

the market – or even as a long term business plan.

Be clear and honest about sales volumes so that a

We outsource plenty of other services so why not the

transparent judgement can be made as to the capability

production element? One difficulty is to then convince

and suitability of the partnership both current and future.

customers that your products have a competent

Expectations of standards throughout the supply chain

background and have been developed with skill and

including planning, warehousing, logistics etc. should be

knowledge – in essence that you really know what you

discussed early on.

are talking about when you describe your brew. Simple

"Often these are left to the end and can create challenges too late in the day.”

Chris Wilson: “Be fussy. Your name is on the bottle

errors such as not knowing that stouts are brewed with roast barley or that Maris Piper is a potato rather than a malt are examples I remember from interviews. I suppose

and you are the one who will get the complaints and bad

education is an issue here and having a qualification

name from the general public. Also, always read the small

such as the IBD certificate or diploma as well as a Beer

print. We use it.”

Academy certificate would help. Naturally we provide this

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67

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contract

brewing

as part of our on site or distance learning programmes.

Chris Soley: “We have developed new products for brand owning companies with no aspirations for brewing the beer at all. A recent example of this is “Skinny” beer

less enthusiastic about poor quality products entering the market and lowering the consumer bar and taste expectations.”

Ben Harrison: “Whenever we think that we have

which is a low calorie, Gluten free and vegan friendly

a reached a plateau as to the number of breweries

product. We have allowed that business to develop a

opening, we then receive another flurry of enquiries which

market from scratch and has now grown substantial

makes us change our minds. The one thing we can offer

volumes through major retailers through both the on and

all breweries, whether new or established, is additional

off trade.

flexibility to how their business opperates. In such a

“Recently we have used our small scale microbrewery

dynamic industry as brewing, where sudden large orders

to develop a new beer for an aspiring brewer who has

can come out of nowhere, flexibility is really important.

ambitions to invest in his own brewery if the product

We help our customers be able to say YES to their

succeeds in the marketplace. Without our support, the

customer.. and I think there will always be a need for this.”

barriers to entry in terms of capital expenditure on plant and

Dr Keith Thomas: “This is a perpetual question and a

equipment would have been too high and the idea would

concern which has been asked since the microbrewery

never have been able to get off the ground. Equally, we have

movement started. It never seems to reach the top

supported smaller brewers who might have the opportunity

despite variable trading conditions. To the industry’s

for periodic listings in major pub groups of supermarkets

great credit it seems that there are continual innovations

but doesn’t currently justify a brewery expansion for them.

which provide new avenues of activity. Pub breweries

We can deliver a solution which allows them to grow their

developed from stand-alone breweries, craft developed

brands to a level which eventually allows them to invest. We

from cask and now it seems that retail additions either

act as a contingency for emergencies through to a platform

physically or web based may provide further expansion.

for future growth and have seen several successful brands

Some of the increase recently seems to be in the nano

grow from initial concept.”

brewery scale but most breweries seem to expand

Chris Wilson: “For us, this is a great way of filling in

rapidly and I suspect the overall increase is still by taking

the blanks, like it or not, there are gaps in production

share from the larger producers. Profitability is another

schedules and it gives us that slot to fill. We work with

matter and quite a few are probably carrying on for the joy

start up companies to allow them the entrance to market

of brewing than looking to fund an early retirement!”

without the colossal start up costs of a brewery, however,

Chris Soley: “As long as the market changes, there

this has to be tied up in contracts that from the moment

will always be a place for contract brewing. Volumes and

they say go, they are responsible for taking the finished

styles consumed, number of products available and the

article. No cold feet allowed.”

number of breweries is, and will continue to constantly change. Cost pressures on supply chain and exchange

Constant growth

rates are other examples of reasons people have opted to use a contract brewing partner.The UK production footprint will continually need to change as a result, and

The Brewers Journal: Do you expect this field to keep growing as many breweries continue to outgrow their often modest sites? Or are we reaching a plateau in both the number of breweries opening and the rate at which they are growing?

therefore contract brewing is necessary to support this change in both a growth and decline market. Whilst the needs for contract brewing will ebb and flow, there will certainly be a need.”

Chris Wilson: “I can see the need growing but I can also see the more successful smaller breweries

Tracy Sambrook: “Growth in the industry is great for all

being subject to buy outs and then being enveloped

of us so of course we are supportive. Our focus is quality

by their owning company and production going off site."

for both packing and brewing and therefore we want to

the future I believe we will reach saturation to some

see growth in quality products. I think its fair to say we are

extent. There’s only so many glasses to fill.” u

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contract

brewing

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Who's involved Brewlab

are subject to ongoing independent auditing and checks, meaning you can be assured that your product is in good hands. .

B

rewlab is a leading provider of training and

Keltek

analysis services for the international brewing industry, based in purpose built premises on the

banks of the river Wear in Sunderland. Craft beers with strong and distinctive flavours are even more susceptible than standard brands to variability of brew kit, ingredient sources, production management and fermentation control, they explain.

T

he Keltek Brewery has invested significantly in new brewing and bottling equipment, including state of the art bottling and labelling equipment,

and a short-run label printer. This investment presents

Camerons

us with a perfect facility to offer contract brewing and contract bottling services. The fact that products brewed and bottled at our facilities have been approved for sale in ASDA and Tesco is testament to our strict quality regimes

C

amerons can brew lager and ale from 15HL

and efficient processes.

batches in our microbrewery to 450HL batches in

Robinsons

its main brewery. They have a roven track record

– we brew for a number of national and international brewers, currently brewing for three of the world’s largest brewing companies. We have over 100 years of master brewing experience amongst our team.

Everards

W

e have invested in a new, modernised brewing plant, which includes a 2.5m hopnik (one of the world’s largest), to enhance

the flavours and aromas of the brewing process. Beth Eaton, our full-time Contracts Manager, oversees all contract matters relating to any product we brew and or

E

verards is an independent family business with

package for a third party. This include: Liaison between

over 160 years of brewing heritage.We have been

customers and our technical staff, and written technical

brewing since 1849 and have modern facilities

and commercial specifications and coordinating cost and

capable of brewing to the highest standards. This is

handling the excise and complex duty issues for alcoholic

proven by the numerous awards we have won for our

beverages.

own ales over the years. We are passionate about quality - we operate to the highest standards and have passed

South East Bottling

audits from each of the major brewers and well-known high street retailers.

Hambleton Ales

F

or brewers wishing to trial product or customers without their own brewing facilities we are

A

capable of providing an end to end solution

t Hambleton Ales we have over 25 years of

of contract brewing through to packaging as a single

brewing experience of both our own products

package. Enquire with our production manager for

and the contract brewing of other brewery’s

further details. They explain: Our focus is quality for both

craft beers. This covers a huge range of styles covering

packing and brewing and therefore we want to see

everything from english bitters to chocolate porters and

growth in quality products. I think its fair to say we are

from pilsner style beers to heavily hopped American IPA’s.

less enthusiastic about poor quality products entering

Our brewery, packaging equipment and all procedures

the market and lowering the consumer bar and taste

are fully accredited to the latest Salsa standards, and we

expectations.

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yeast

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Yeast: The new hops Given the impressive range of yeast’s biodiversity and the ingenuity of modern scientists, the potential of beer yeast to undergo a hop-like explosion has now moved beyond theory to become an exciting, new reality.

paved the way for lagers to become the most popular beer worldwide.

However, what’s popular with the brewing world right now is being “different.” This desire has eroded the dominance of uniform, “industrial” lagers in favour of small-batch craft beers. Given the explosion of craft brewing, brewers are now constantly in search of new and diverse ingredients with which to differentiate their products. To this end, hops, barley, and even water are

by Jason Hung, Zachari Turgeon & matthew Dahabieh

T

now painstakingly sourced to exacting specifications to generate interesting flavours and aromas.

Yeast, breeding the "other" ingredient

he biodiversity of yeast is an incredibly powerful force capable of not only profoundly shaping the utility of yeast, but also is the foundation of a global beer industry estimated by Canadean at more

than US$700 billion.

Indeed, some 450 years ago, a wild yeast strain

Y

east, however, remains an enigma to most brewers, who tend to ignore it much like in the original German Reinheitsgebot beer purity law.

But this is a mistake given yeast’s impressive biodiversity in comparison to other brewing ingredients. Indeed, due

growing on a beech tree in Patagonia somehow found its

to the ease and speed of yeast propagation, the number

way into a cold fermentation tank in Bavaria, ultimately

of untapped Saccharomyces species and the inherent

becoming what we now know as lager yeast. Today,

genetic flexibility of yeast, scientists can now develop

Canadean estimates that lager yeast is responsible for

novel, customized yeast strains to exacting specifications,

more than 90% of the world’s two billion hectolitres of

all using the non-GMO techniques — screening, artificial

annual beer production.

selection and selective breeding — that are already

The canonical lager yeast, Saccharomyces pastorianus, is in fact a hybrid of the traditional

familiar to hops and barley breeders.

As with beer, the quality of yeast is only as good as its

ale yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the wild

“ingredients”; therefore, finding the right breeding stock

yeast Saccharomyces eubayanus, whereby the high

is vital for strain development. To this end, Mother Nature

fermentative power of S. cerevisiae and the cold

is by far the most bountiful source of new biodiversity,

tolerance of S. eubayanus merged to produce a hybrid

which should come as no surprise to brewers familiar with

yeast capable of brewing beer at cold temperatures. This

the traditional practice of open fermentation.

striking example of species hybridization and selection

brewersjournal.info

In this process, the inherent diversity of indigenous wild

September~October 2017

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yeast

yeast is utilized to create unique beers; unfortunately, this

definitions

occurs at the expense of consistency and reproducibility.

However, using modern non-GMO techniques, it is possible to isolate these strains and optimize them for the

Artificial selection The human-directed selection of advantageous traits in an organism.

brewery, all the while retaining the traits that make them interesting.

How scientists optimize yeast strains for the brewery is essentially the act of domestication — akin to what

Biodiversity The variety and variability of life within and between species.

ancient agriculturalists have achieved with hops and barley. Wild barley Hordeum spontaneum bears little resemblance to modern malt barley Hordeum vulgare;

Domestication The artificial evolution of organisms with traits best suited to the needs of humans.

over the millennia of producing beer, humans have artificially selected barley with high starch content for greater ethanol yield, thin cell walls for efficient milling, and uniform water absorption for fast malting.

Evolution The change in an organism’s heritable traits to better suit the environment.

It is believed that the domestication of S. pastorianus followed a similar pattern and occurred after the initial mating of S. cerevisiae and S. eubayanus.

Since repitching has historically been the only method

Hybrid The progeny of two genetically distinct individuals.

of directly adding yeast to wort, the S. pastorianus strains that were most suited to the brewing lagers survived and were then artificially selected (unknowingly) by being

Selective breeding The human-directed breeding of specific organisms in order to develop particular traits through artificial selection.

Spore The yeast equivalent to gametes — sexual reproduction in yeast requires two spores to fuse to create a new organism.

repitched into the next batch of wort.

The evolution of modern noGMO development techniques

H

owever, modern scientists don’t rely on hundreds of years of random chance to domesticate a new yeast strain. Much like the recent

Screening: The evaluation of individual organisms for particular traits of interest.

application of selective breeding for high α-acid hops, the selective breeding of yeast involves the directed— yet natural—merging of distinct strains. Choice parent strains are induced to form spores that are then placed

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yeast

About the authors This paper was authored by Renaissance BioScience Corp.

Jason Hung, MSc., is an Associate Scientific Research Writer

s ci e n c e

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together to mate and create a new hybrid yeast with the characteristics of both parents.

To further refine specific traits, initial hybrids can

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be backcrossed to its parents. It is possible this way to produce a selectively bred strain that is similar to a parent strain, but with the addition of specific traits. The key to this entire process is a holistic understanding of what the brewer wants from their yeast; with this information and the right background biodiversity, it becomes possible to breed in any trait.

Most, if not all, modern domesticated organisms are a product of selective breeding. For example, these domestication methods were used in 1919 by E.S. Salmon to develop Brewer’s Gold, the ancestor to most modern hop varieties; the “3 Cs” of hops are all hybrids of older parental varieties. Centennial hops in particular result from multiple crosses and are a mix of Brewer’s Gold, Golding, Fuggle and Bavarian varieties. While it took Salmon 15 years to develop Brewer’s Gold, the modern yeast scientist can now produce a novel strain in six to twelve months, and in a far more precise and directed manner.

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Today, just as Brewer’s Gold was the genesis of the modern explosion in hop varieties, the development of novel yeast strains holds even greater potential for innovation in beer making. It is now possible to create yeast strains that are unique and fully customized for a brewery and its specific requirements in terms of flavour, aroma and performance.

Brewers can also “upgrade” their current yeast strains by enhancing flavour, removing defects, or optimizing brewing kinetics to streamline the brewing process.

Given the impressive range of yeast’s biodiversity and the ingenuity of modern scientists, the potential of beer yeast to undergo a hop-like explosion has now moved beyond

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theory to become an exciting, new reality. u

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alcohol

September~October 2017

The Brewers Journal

alcohol

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Find the balance : Basic Beer Alcohol & Extract Determinations For several reasons brewers often need to be able to obtain basic alcohol and residual extract information for their beers. Alcohol values are important at point of sale to drive responsible consumption decisions by customers, and are sometimes required for legal reporting purposes. Having alcohol and extract information on hand also allows the brewer to compute brewhouse efficiencies and help them maximize their return on investment. Moreover, as the marketplace for beer gets ever more crowded, quality and consistency evaluations are becoming of paramount importance irrespective of any desired or required testing, explains Gary Spedding from BDAS LLC, a brewing and distilling analytical chemist and biochemist with a special interest in the origins and development of beverage flavour and in the sensory evaluation of beer and spirits.

legal reporting purposes, the brewer must have access to expensive and officially accepted instruments for their measurements or make use of a qualified and established third party analytical facility.

If seeking an analytical testing facility for beer alcohol, extract and nutritional work, the brewer should be sure the facility fully understands how to test the beer and report the parameters. Data must be obtained using officially approved instrumentation and methods as quickly, efficiently, and accurately as possible while all being done at a reasonable cost. The brewer in the US might also ask if the lab is TTB certified or otherwise recognized as providing reliable data. For European brewers and Canadian brewers there are agencies that they can consult and laboratories available to test their products. With that said we now look at some basic evaluations and calculations to better understand key beer parameters no matter if products are tested in house or elsewhere. As this article is directed towards a British and Canadian brewing perspective, calories will be expressed in both US Calorie and International kJoule units.

Alcohol and extract determinations

C

areful measurement of the original extract (OE) of

by Gary Spedding

the wort and terminal gravity of the beer can lead to the calculation of attenuation (fermentation

T

efficiencies), and to determination of residual extracts

his review will illustrate how brewers may

(real and apparent) and alcohol content. A review on

obtain such alcohol and beer extract

how to determine alcohol content and extract values

values and then, along with optional

has appeared recently (Spedding, 2016); the reference

beer protein estimation, shows how to

shows the use of proper tools, methods, and robust

approximate both total beer carbohydrate,

algorithms needed to obtain accurate data. Currently user

and calorie information with a reasonable degree of

error, both through incorrect instrument use and method

accuracy. The approaches here allow the brewer to

performance and the use of simple formulas (often

obtain such information using basic instruments and

inaccurate â&#x20AC;&#x153;rule of thumbâ&#x20AC;? homebrewerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s equations), is

robust algorithms. Though the data as obtained are to be

the main cause for many calculation discrepancies.

considered as unofficial results for internal use only. For

brewersjournal.info

The understanding of alcohol and extract

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alcohol

determination is underpinned by a theory pertaining to fermentation and alcohol production, chemical mass

ABWt =

balance relationships of fermentation and, Carl Balling’s original theoretical work in brewing science. This topic has been covered elsewhere (Spedding, 2013, 2016 and

(OE − RE ) (2.0665) − (1.0665 × OE / 100)

references contained therein). To keep this present article as brief as possible only the details of the calculations

Where: ABWt is the percentage alcohol by weight (as

needed by the brewer to obtain key data are presented.

w/w, grams of alcohol per 100 grams of beer), OE, original

For brewers to be able to determine both the alcohol

extract and RE the real or present extract in degrees Plato. It

by weight and by volume for beer the following values

is assumed that the brewer is familiar with or will familiarize

must be known or obtained; the present or apparent

themselves with all these brewing terms.

gravity of the beer, the real extract of the beer and the original extract of the wort. To help solve for these various

The original extract of wort is the amount of material

terms an arithmetical relationship exists between them as

extracted from the mash and is measured in grams of

attributed to Carl Balling. The relationship which is known

extract per 100 grams of wort. The brewer will determine

as Ballings’s formula is:

the original extract by measuring the specific gravity of

OE % P =

( A% mass x 2.0665 + RE ) x 100 ( A% mass x 1.0665 + 100) (1)

the wort and will relate this to the established sucrose (= extract) tables (in grams per 100 grams) to report the original extract content in degrees Plato. Or more simply they will determine the OE using a Plato hydrometer.

For the brewer limited to the use of a hydrometer, real extract (RE) can be approximated using the OE (of the

Where: OE is original extract (Plato; g/100g or mass/mass),

original wort) and AE (apparent extract of the final and

A% mass is alcohol by weight, RE is the real extract and

degassed beer) and by using another empirical equation

the numbers in the numerator and denominator are as

recently revised but based on Balling’s work:

described below.

The above formula (equation 1) is based on an understanding of the mass balance relationship in

RE = (0.1948 × OE ) + (0.8052 × AE )

brewing – simply the chemical relationship dealing with

Where: AE = apparent extract – that extract value

the conversion of fermentable sugars to alcohol, carbon

determined when alcohol is present. This is the value for

dioxide and yeast biomass. Theoretically, 1 gram of

gravity obtained by the brewer on the final attenuated beer.

fermentable sugar will yield 0.51 gram of ethanol and 0.49 gram of carbon dioxide. In fact, some sugar is needed for

The real extract (RE) assessment here will always be

cell growth and so, more realistically, the ethanol yield

an estimate for reasons discussed elsewhere (Spedding,

is more likely 0.46 gram, and carbon dioxide 0.44 gram

2016). Using equation 3, the brewer will find satisfactory

from 1 g sugar. Or more simply put: 2.0665 g sugar yields

answers to RE values compared to those obtained from

1 g ethanol, 0.9565 g CO2 and 0.11 g yeast and - for the

official instrumentation over the typical ranges of OE, real

equations below: 0.9565g and 0.11g sum to 1.0665g which

degree of fermentation (RDF), and alcohol for most beers

is the extract not converted to alcohol.

(see Spedding, 2013 and 2016 for a fuller discussion on

An application of Balling’s formula and a minimum

limitations to the above approaches). Errors in evaluations

number of analytical measurements allows the brewer,

between official and less accurate methods are typically

without the full range of sophisticated instruments

quite small but are not considered further here. Operators

to obtain some quite accurate values for alcohol and

should be aware of accuracy and precision for all

extract using a series of approximate beer calculations. In

methods and instruments used.

simplifying the discussion, it is known, from above that a

Getting back to the use of Plato values - by

quite accurate estimate of alcohol content can be derived

substitution in the above formula (Eq. 3), it is possible to

by subtracting, from the original extract (OE), the final or

solve for the alcohol by weight without directly inputting a

present extract gravity (PG) as “real extract” (RE – not the

calculated or determined RE value:

apparent extract, AE), assuming no process dilution, and by applying conversion factors which infer the alcohol content from the drop in the wort gravity occurring during fermentation. Using an equation, deriving from Balling’s

ABWt =

0.8052 × (OE − AE ) (2.0665) − (1.0665 × OE /100)

formula noted above, alcohol weight can be calculated:

76

September~October 2017

The Brewers Journal

alcohol

s ci e n c e

And then, if the SG value for the beer has also been

be reported both % by weight (wt.) and by volume (vol.)

determined the alcohol by volume can be deduced with

to two decimal places. For reporting purposes brewers

a correction to account for the specific gravity of the beer:

in the US are allowed a tolerance of +/- 0.3% alcohol by volume (see American Society of Brewing Chemists,

ABV ( % by vol ) =

ABWt × SG beer SG ethyl alcohol at 20 0C / 20 0C

2017).

Armed with the set of principles, equations and tables defined or referenced above - if the brewer can obtain either reasonably accurate Plato extract values or SG

Where: SG is the specific gravity, e.g., for the beer or pure

values for the original extract (gravity) of their wort and

ethanol respectively.

the terminal (apparent) extract gravity of the resulting beer – as well as real extract (measured or calculated),

This simplifies to:

ABWt × SG beer ABV = 0.7907

via use of hydrometers, refractometers or simple digital density meters, they can get quite close to true alcohol results for beers with low to reasonably high alcoholic strengths – typically 2.5-12% ABV and real extract values of around 2.5-8 degrees Plato (see caveats in Spedding, 2016). Furthermore, with the real extract value for the beer

in hand several other useful equations can be applied as

Variant equations are available but alcohol should

described below.

brewersjournal.info

September~October 2017

77

s ci e n c e

alcohol

Carbohydrate/12 fl. oz. beer = 5.48 x (355 x 1.01534/100) =

Basic nutritional calculations

19.75 g (See Beer-6 in the ASBC Methods of Analysis -

W

ith alcohol by weight, real extract and total

American Society of Brewing Chemists, 2017 for further

beer protein determined it is possible to

details. The European Brewery Convention also supplies

obtain a good estimate of total carbohydrate.

a special methods manual that covers the same details.)

Protein values will need to be obtained from a third-

A final note here covers the fact that in the absence of

party lab and this complex topic has been discussed

protein and ash data the real extract value can be taken

elsewhere (Weygandt et al, 2017). For a more accurate

as an upper limit on the carbohydrate content of the

carbohydrate determination a value known as ash (which

beer – a rough upper estimate! Though use this value as a

is the inorganic mineral content in the beer expressed as

crude estimate only if anyone requests the carbohydrate

% by weight per 100 mL – w/v) will also be needed; ash

load of a beer style, and note also that some of that

determination has also been discussed by Weygandt et

carbohydrate is non-calorie bearing (again see Weygandt

al, (2017). Established brewers know how to calculate total

et al, 2017).

calories in their beers starting with just alcohol and real

Calories, energy and definitions

extract information; many more craft brewers should now learn how to do so. In Europe researchers also showed that, for the most part, a set of routine calculations solve the overall calorie values for many of the beers they tested (Olšovská et al, 2015).

For simple nutritional purposes, we can consider that traditional beers contain mainly alcohol, carbohydrates,

I

n the US, the term calorie refers to a kilocalorie.

One kilocalorie (kcal) is the same as one Calorie (upper case C). A kilocalorie is the amount of heat energy

required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of

and protein. For unofficial in-house estimation, the ash

water by one degree Celsius. Nutritional calculations are

determinations may be omitted from certain nutritional

largely based on the so-called Atwater factors, which

calculations (see below). The more detailed examination

express the caloric content per nutrient source (fat,

of the topic presented by Weygandt et al, (2017) should

protein, carbohydrate, alcohol) in terms of calories per

again be consulted for more official nutritional reporting

gram. For protein and carbohydrate this is 4 kcal/gram,

claims.

fat 9.0 kcal/gram, alcohol 6.9 kcal/gram (7.0 in Atwood

Carbohydrate calculations. Once the protein,

tables though brewers’ use 6.9).

ash and extract values for the beer are known the

total carbohydrate value is obtained by the formula:

(University of Minnesota, 2017). The international or SI unit

Carbohydrates g/100g beer = Real Extract – protein – ash.

for measuring food energy is the joule with nutritionally

An example will serve to illustrate the total

The Atwater factors are discussed elsewhere

relevant amounts of energy expressed in kilojoules (kJ,

carbohydrate content in a robust porter. Note: a typical

1000J). 1 US calorie is 4.18(65) joules or 1kcal (Calorie) is

serving size as in the US – 12 US fl. oz (355 mL) is used

4.18kJ (usually rounded to 4.2). The related Atwater factors

in the examples below. It should be easy to see how to

in kilojoules are: protein, 16.8 kJ/gram (rounded to 17),

adjust for a different serving size.

fat, 37.8 kJ/gram (not relevant to us here), carbohydrate 16.8 kJ/gram (rounded to 17) and alcohol at 29 kJ/gram

Porter

(Hughes and Baxter, 2001).

As total beer calorie values are sometimes important to consumers and for reporting to official regulatory

6.40°P = real extract, (°P = degrees Plato, g/100g or % by

bodies we provide the total calorie calculations that

weight); 0.70 = protein % by weight; and 0.22 = ash % by

will be of most use to the brewer. An example for total

weight; 1.01534 = Specific gravity (SG) of beer; 355 = 12 fl.

calorie determinations in beer as based on calculations

oz. in mL.

described in ASBC Method Beer 33 again includes the robust porter beer data as noted above for the

Carbohydrate g/100g beer = 6.40 – 0.70 – 0.22 = 5.48 g

78

September~October 2017

carbohydrate determination.

The Brewers Journal

BREWERS C O N G R E S S 2 The Brewers Congress is the UK’s premier industry gathering. Taking place this November, the inaugural 2017 Congress will be held at the prestigious Institute of Civil Engineers at One Great George Street, off Parliament Square in London.

The morning focuses on flavour trends, developments in ingredients and methodology, with presentations from subject experts and pioneering brewers. The afternoon talks will address the business and branding side of working in a brewery and feature lectures from leading designers, trailblazing brewery owners, and experts in funding, regulation and more.

Tickets include attendance at all talks, hot food and drink throughout the day and a beer tasting in the afternoon intermission. It also includes access to the trade hall where industry suppliers will be exhibiting and demonstrating a range of products and services.

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Confirmed speakers Sir Geoff Palmer OBE Heriot-Watt University Mike Murphy Lervig Aktiebryggeri Dr Bill Simpson Cara Technology Russell Bissett Northern Monk Jaega Wise Wild Card Brewery John Keeling Fuller’s Richard Simpson Simpsons Malt Nick Dwyer Beavertown Brewery Alistair Taylor Portman Group Alex Troncoso Lost and Grounded Phil Lowry Simply Hops Brad Cummings Tiny Rebel Brewing Co Charlie McVeigh Draft House Robert Percival Lallemand Stu McKinlay Yeastie Boys Colin Gilesphy Cave Direct

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congress.brewersjournal.info

s ci e n c e

alcohol

Porter

caloric content, as determined by approved TTB analysis, is within the tolerance +5 and -10 calories of the labeled caloric content (https://www.ttb.gov/rulings/80-3.

Alcohol by weight; 5.54%, real extract; 6.40 Plato (%

htm). For example, a label showing 96 calories will be

by weight), ash; 0.22 (% by weight) and SG of the beer

acceptable if the analysis of the product shows a caloric

1.01534.

content between 86 and 101 calories. European and Canadian regulations may be slightly different and the

Calories per 100 grams of beer: = 6.9 * (5.54) + 4 * (6.40 - 0.22) = 62.95.

brewer should always be aware of local and changing regulations and the tolerances for reporting caloric content in kJ terms.

[The real extract minus the ash is considered as protein and carbohydrate and it will be recalled from above that

Conclusion

there are 4 kcal of energy per gram for both protein and carbohydrate.]

Calories per 12 fl. oz. (355 mL beer). = 62.95 * (355 * 1.01534/100) = 226.9. [226.9 Calories or kcal.]

A

ny brewer routinely getting alcohol and extract data and (optionally) ash and protein values can get quite good estimates of their beer’s

As already mentioned above the brewer could omit the ash value and still obtain a suitably accurate value of the calories if the alcohol by weight and real extract

carbohydrate content and note the caloric impact per serving size.

Furthermore, they will be better informed on their own

values have themselves been obtained accurately. From

brew-house efficiencies, as well as providing consumers

the data above the astute reader should be able to back-

of their beers with nutritional information to help them

calculate the alcohol by volume for this porter beer (hint it

make better choices in their drinking of fine craft and

is slightly above 7.0%)

homebrewed beers.

In the UK, the calorific (energy) value is calculated in a

The brewer should also check out the Scandinavian Beer

related way to the above using a formula based on Food

calculator to perform a range of calculations including

Labeling Regulations:

calories in kJoule units (http://www.beercalc.com/).

However, note how the calculator is not using an ash term

Energy value (kJ/100 gram) = (alcohol * 29) + (carbohydrate * 17) + (protein * 17)

for calorie determination. It simply takes the real extract as if all protein and carbohydrate as best we can tell. The

Simplifying and incorporating the ash value:

values should all be good enough for most purposes.

Energy value (kJ/100 grams of beer) = 29 * (5.54) + 17 * (6.40

The reader should practice with this robust and freely

- 0.22) = 265.7

available on-line tool.

For those brewers with a wider distribution of their

For the example: kJ/12 fl. oz. (355 mL beer). = 265.7 * (355 * 1.01534/100) = 957.7 [957.7 kJ]

products, and whose beers might come under the recent US and European nutritional mandate guidelines, more extensive and official testing will be required (consult local

If using the US approach, simply multiply the kcal

regulatory authorities, the author, BDAS, LLC, Olšovská

number by the rounded conversion factor number 4.2 to

et al, 2015 and Weygandt et al, 2017 for current details).

obtain the kJ value. From the above example, the values

Perhaps most significantly though, is that those brewers

would then compute out to be 264.4 kJ/100 grams of

not paying more attention to quality considerations may

beer or 953.0 kJ/12 fl. oz serving of the beer.

not survive in an ever more crowded and competitive

Depending on exactly how calculated (using either

marketplace.

the accurate or rounded values), these values will vary a

Product consistency is a hot topic today and this

little but should provide an adequate means to obtaining

review on alcohol measurements and nutritional basics

data that will be within most tolerated reporting ranges.

should, hopefully, provide a platform to help the brewer

In the US, the statement of caloric content on labels

launch a quality control program to ensure delivery of the

for malt beverages will be considered acceptable if the

most consistent highest quality beer time after time. u

80

September~October 2017

The Brewers Journal

da t e s

&

e v e nt s

events

The inaugural Brewers Congress, presented by The Brewers Journal, takes place in London this November

08/09/17 - 09/09/17

sheffield beer festival

Printworks, Canada Water www.beavertownbrewery.co.uk

Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield www.sheffieldcamra.org.uk

28/09/17 - 01/10/17

INDY MAN BEER CON Victoria Baths, Manchester www.indymanbeercon.co.uk 16/10/2017

Brewers lectures Watershed, Bristol www.brewersjournal.info 18/10/17 - 21/10/17

Concrete pint

82

18/10/17 - 21/10/17

beavertown extravaganza

Snozone, Milton Keynes www.mkcamra.org.uk

September~October 2017

19/10/17 - 20/10/17

London bierfest Old Billingsgate, London www.thelondonbierfest.com 16/11/17 - 17/11/17

hull real ale festival Hull Minster www.hull.camra.org.uk.

26/11/2017

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

The Brewers Journal

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