The Brewers Journal - Canada edition, Summer 2018

The magazine for the canadian brewing industry

Brewers J o u r n a l

Summer 2018 | issue 9 ISSN 2398-6956

trans canada brewing

Putting quality first in Winnipeg

40 | torque brewing: why local beer is so important

46 | barrel ageing: how it can elevate your beer

58 | Cloudwater: WORLD NO. 2 ranked brewery tells all

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le ad e r

the future is bright

I

t has been a real pleasure speaking to some fantastic Manitoban breweries in recent weeks. Torque Brewing and Trans Canada Brewing Co are ensuring that the Winnipeg and wider Manitoban brewing scene are richer as a result. Both are placing quality at the forefront of what they do, alongside a desire to become and remain an indelible part of the community. It was also fascinating to hear Surly Brewing Co of Minneapolis, Minnesota cited as a major inspiration for both breweries when setting up..

Beer truly is a universal language, just like music.

Consumers develop an attachment with breweries and brands. Beer is still a commodity in the eyes of the many, but it’s also something reliable, something reassuring.

Music can offer that same enjoyment, that same comfort. People become fans of bands and artists, grow with them on their journey and are invested in their output, for better or worse. It can be a challenge then when the group you adore move from playing to 300 people at $15 a ticket to five or ten thousand and you’re charged upwards of $50 for the privilege. That’s where the music analogy falls down slightly, though.

When a band gets increased airtime, coupled with commercial pressures from their label, the familiar outfit you could see every couple of months move somewhat out of reach.

But when independent breweries are coveted by big beer, followed by acquisitions, investment and partnerships, that company’s beer ends up reaching a far wider audience and is more readily available as a result. Local radio is out the window and you’re now looking at the primetime slots. The big time.

Instead of rising gig prices however, you have that brewery’s beer coming down in price as it hits supermarket shelves. Many independent bottle shops will understandably stop selling that brewery’s beers, as is their prerogative. But there is still that hope, in the long run, that the increased visibility of good beer in big retail will bring more people into the independent space and not exclude them.

brewersjournal.ca

editor's choice Dr Gearoid Cahill, director of brewing science at Alltech, places the spotlight on barrel ageing - page 46

There’s also the common preconception that as that brewery’s beer is produced at far higher volumes, the quality comes down. That the premium ingredients used previously are shipped out for cheaper alternatives. This happens, of course, but not always.

There's plenty of examples where quality improves.

It was unsurprising then to see all of these concerns come to a fore overseas recently then when London’s Beavertown confirmed what had been rumoured for months, that Heineken was taking a stake in the business. Time will tell how that relationship develops but for now, wider availability of great beer, for most at least, has to be a good thing. I know what I’d sooner see on tap in a bar where options were previously slim, to say the least.

But that aside, let’s enjoy what we’ve got across the globe. Fantastic breweries old and new, access to great beer like never before and an ever-increasing and improving number of places to enjoy them in.

Tim Sheahan Editor

Summer 2018

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contacts Tim Sheahan Editor tim@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 592 Richard Piotrowski Canada Bureau Chief richard@rebymedia.com +1 647 975 7656 Jakub Mulik Staff photographer Jim Robertson Head of sales jim@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 593 Johnny Leung North American Sales johnny@rebymedia.com +1 647 975 7656 Jon Young Publisher jon@rebymedia.com Reby Media 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP1 1PA, UK

SUBscriptions The Brewers Journal is a quarterly magazine mailed every Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Subscriptions can be purchased for four or eight issues. Prices for single issue subscriptions or back issues can be obtained by emailing: sales@rebymedia.com

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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 Canada ISSN 23986948 is published bimonthly by Reby Media, 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 1PA, UK. Subscription records are maintained at Reby Media, 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 1PA, UK. 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.

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Brewers Journal Canada

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contents 46

58

50

40

32

Cover story 26 - Trans Canada Brewing on its mission to put quality first in everything it does

Brewers Lectures 17- The full lowdown on the first ever Brewers Lectures Canada, taking place this September

COMMENT 20- DRM.reCoop look at the latest innovations in barrel ageing 23- Roger Mittag argues that putting people first is key to a successful business

Sector | barrel ageing 46- How an oak barrel can add a great deal of complexity to your beer

crossing continents 50- Khmer Beverages on its rapid success

focus | centrifuges 53- Why a centirfuge can be a boon to your brewery usiness

insight | workflow 32- The software that can help boost productivity, improve efficiency and open-up new markets for you and your beer

crossing continents

Meet The Brewer | torque brewing

Science

40- How John Heim and the team at Torque are bringing quality, diverse beers to Manitoba

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58- Cloudwater, the UK's hottest brewery on meeting expectations and the road ahead

70- Escarpment Laboratories report on the results of a forced diacetyl test 72- Fermenting with dry active yeast

Brewers Journal Canada

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BREWERY NUMBERS HIT ALL-TIME HIGH

T

hL in 2017.

in 2016, according to the latest figures released by Beer

continues to grow, domestic brewers still account for

Canada.

84% of the beer purchased in Canada – a contrast when

he number of breweries operating in Canada grew to 817 last year, up 17.6% from the 695 in business

More than half of the 817 brewing facilities are located in either Ontario or Québec.

The number of brewing facilities per every 100,000 drinking age adults increased by 16.8% from 2.4 to 2.8 breweries for 2017 over the previous year.

Utilising the same per capita measure, New Brunswick

While the imports share of the Canadian beer market

compared with wine and spirits sales.

Domestic wine accounts for 33% of Canadian’s wine purchases and domestic spirits account for 56% of Canadian’s spirits purchases.

In 2017, per capita consumption of beer in Canada stood at 75.5 litres, down 2.1% from 2016. Newfoundland

maintained the title for the most operational brewing

has the highest per capita consumption rate at 93.4 litres,

facilities with 6.5, followed by Nova Scotia and PEI with 6.4

followed by Quebec and PEI with 82.4 litres and 79.7 litres

and 5.0 respectively. Coming in last was Manitoba with 1.0.

respectively.

However, while the number of operational brewing

In 2017, national can sales rose 4.3%, keg sales were

facilities continues to climb, national production and

up 1.2%, while bottle sales declined by 10.7%. In total, cans

national sales volumes have remained somewhat flat.

currently hold 60% share of the Canadian beer market,

National production grew by 0.3% from 22.36 million hectolitres (hL) in 2016 to 22.43 million hL in 2017.

Domestic sales declined 1.5% from 18.84 million hL in 2016 to 18.56 million hL in 2017.

Over the same period, import sales increased by 1.0%

with bottles and kegs holding the remaining 30% and 10% respectively.

This is a contrast from just five years ago, when bottles accounted for 44% of the Canadian beer market, cans 46% and kegs 10%. 2017 also saw the price of beer rise

from 3.58 million hL to 3.62 million hL. In total, national

nationally by 2.6%, while the price of spirits increased by

sales fell 1.1% from 22.42 million hL in 2016 to 22.20 million

1.6% and wine decreased by 0.4%.

First Key Consulting key to Old Tomorrow acquisition

F

irst Key Consulting Inc has acted as the advisor to Double Trouble Brewing in its sale to Old Tomorrow

Macdonald Jr, Old Tomorrow is dedicated to creating distinctive, easy-going beers that celebrate the greatness of Canada.

It recently won an Ontario Brewing Awards GOLD medal for its Track 85 Altbier “German style” lager and its

Limited. Ian Mcdonald of Tricapital Solutions acted for the

feisty but polite CPA (Canadian Pale Ale) previously won

buyer. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Bronze.

Ian Mcdonalf of Tricapital Solutions acted as the

“It was a pleasure to work with Double Trouble and

buyer in a deal where terms of the transaction were not

help find them a buyer to take their brands to the next

disclosed.

level. We wish all the best to Nathan and Claude in their

Double Trouble, an Ontario company, founded by Nathan Dunsmoor and Claude Lefebvre, came on the scene in 2011 creating a variety of unique brands including Hops & Robbers IPA, Grapefruit IPA, Pecan Porter and Pear Cider, made with 100% Ontario pears. Old Tomorrow will continue to run Double Trouble as a separate entity.

“It was absolutely essential having First Key as our transaction advisor”, said Nathan Dunsmoor, co-founder of Double Trouble Brewing.

“Having their deep brewing industry knowledge and understanding of our business really was the key to the

future endeavors,” said Paul Woodhouse of First Key Consulting, who acted for the vendors.

Toronto Beer Week returns

T

he ninth annual Toronto Beer Week is back from September 14 to 22, 2018. Following the success of

the last eight years, this much-anticipated highlight of the social calendar will celebrate the best of the city through curated beer events.

Organised by St. Joseph Media, Toronto Beer Week

success of the sale. They helped us to make informed

is a collective nine-day series of events dedicated to

business and financial decisions throughout the whole

the celebration and advancement of the craft beer

process.”

movement. The series showcases authentically brewed

Founded in 2014 by mother and son team Pat and Ian

brewersjournal.ca

beer and the talented brewers who create them.

Summer 2018

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Toronto Breweries form collective are competitors individually, we are all friendly with each other and share similar goals and values.

The idea of banding together to accomplish things we couldn’t otherwise do on our own seemed like a good idea.”

Mandie Murphy of Left Field, added: “Each of us brings something unique to the group. Our facilities and our products reflect the strengths, styles, and aesthetics we have each developed over time.

“The opportunity to partner-up was appealing, and we feel that as a collective we can reinforce the notion that Toronto’s east end is an incredible destination for craft beer.”

The collective’s first event was be a multi-location tap-takeover in June. Billed as, “Brewed in the East,” the tap-takeover took place at The Wren, The Only, and Bar Hop Danforth, featuring new, exclusive, and rare beers from each brewery.

Future events will include a collaborative series of brewery tours, collaboration brews, and a TEBC festival.

T

he ten breweries in Toronto’s East End have formed

“We’re just getting started,” says Godspeed’s Luc “Bim”

a collective designed to operate as an “organizing

LaFontaine. “We’re going to keep making great beer and

body” for events and initiatives benefiting the collective’s

creating interesting avenues for fans of our breweries to

members as well as the community at large.

experience them.”

The Toronto East Brewery Collective comprises Brunswick Bierworks, Common Good Brewing, Eastbound Brewing Co., Godspeed Brewery, Left Field

The TEBC will continue to add members when new brick and mortar breweries open in the east end.

“We expect new breweries to open and we will

Brewery, Louis Cifer Brew Works, Muddy York Brewing

definitely welcome them into the collective,” says Aimee

Co., Radical Road Brewing Co., Rorschach Brewing Co.,

Pellegrino of Saulter Street. “We are looking to support

and Saulter Street Brewery.

our craft brewery community, and look forward to

Eastbound Brewing’s Dave Watson, explained: “There are so many great breweries in the east end and while we

Henderson Brewing Co wins gold for Winter Stout

working with local BIAs and officials to leverage that support in our own neighbourhoods.”

(Benzaquen) and I tweaked for the big system at the brewery”.

The beer style, an Export Stout, was originally brewed

H

enderson Brewing Co has been adorned with a Gold

to celebrate the contribution that Caribbean ex-pats have

medal win at the 2018 Canadian Brewing Awards for

made to the landscape of Toronto.

from across the country, only 55 Gold medals are given

regularly carbonated version, as well as on Nitro, a type of

out at the CBA’s and Henderson said it was honoured to

beer gas.

their Winter Seasonal Stout. With hundreds of entrants

have taken home one of them.

Originally released as the Ides of November, the beer was so popular that it was re-brewed for the entire winter season. The original recipe was developed by Henderson’s lead brewer James Turco who brewed each batch of the beer, including the gold medal winner.

“This has long been a favourite of mine to brew at home, and I was really happy with the versions that Mark

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Sold only at the brewery, it was offered in both a

To celebrate the Gold win, Henderson has released a small cache that has been aged, and is now for sale in their tap room on Sterling road in the west end of Toronto.

The brewers are now also planning to brew the beer again for the 2018-19 Winter season.

At last year’s Canadian Brewing Awards, the first year they entered, Henderson won a Silver medal for their Food Truck Blonde Ale.

Brewers Journal Canada

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Moosehead opens small batch brewery and taproom a 3-barrel pilot system, the new small batch brewery will also allow Moosehead to create new beers in smaller quantities.

At opening, five brand new Moosehead beers will be available for beer lovers to either enjoy at the Small Batch Brewery or to purchase and take home in 64oz growlers.

“Our brewing team has been itching to experiment with new beer flavours and styles in ways that we simply haven’t been able to accommodate in our main brewery.

The Small Batch Brewery provides us with the flexibility to innovate in completely new ways,” explained Andrew Oland, President and CEO of Moosehead Breweries.

He added: “This weekend’s opening is the culmination of several years of planning, and we cannot wait to share

M

oosehead has opened the doors to its small batch brewery and taproom, located at the company’s

West Side brewery at 89 Main Street West in Saint John.

The brewery features an on-site tap room, retail store, growler fill station, and a selection of Moosehead merchandise for sale.

The facility features a 20-barrel brewing system and

Beer Canada commends Government amendments

a pint with Saint John residents and visitors.”

The five new beers on offer at launch are a Stout, Dunkel-Weizen, Bock, Session IPA, and October Brown Ale, the latter of which was inspired by the first beer Moosehead’s matriarch Susannah Oland brewed in 1867.

Moosehead’s new Small Batch Brewery and Tap Room are located at the company’s historic West Side brewery.

achieving market growth.

“Beer is part of Canada’s heritage and culture. It is important that the Beer Standard includes criteria that

B

eer Canada and its members have commended

preserve beer’s key traditional attributes, but also allow

the Government of Canada for supporting Canada’s

brewers to innovate and compete in a fastchanging and

brewers by proposing amendments in Canada Gazette Part I aimed at modernizing the Beer Standard.

“The proposed updates to the Beer Standard will benefit all brewers at a time when the pace of change and innovation is as exciting as it is challenging,” said Luke Harford, Beer Canada president.

“In some circumstances innovation has blurred

vibrant category,” explained Harford.

The modernization of the Beer Standard is required to keep pace with industry innovation and to draw a line between beer and other beverage alcohol categories.

Harford highlighted that “in 1990 there were 400 brands of beer in Canada and today there are over 8000”.

The changes proposed, which touch on sugars,

the lines between beer and other beverage alcohol

flavours, carbohydrate matter and additives, offer brewers

categories”.

and regulators an objective and consistent tool to

Beer is a food and is regulated under the Food and

differentiate beer from other beverage alcohol categories

Drug Regulations. The Beer Standard sets out the

and the ability to experiment and be innovative. They

ingredients that are required in beer, those that are

are supported by Beer Canada and provincial brewer

optional and criteria that must be met for a beverage

associations across the country.

alcohol product to be packaged, sold and/or advertised as beer in Canada.

The need for a modernized Beer Standard has

The modern Beer Standard will benefit consumers, government and industry by providing a clear and concise understanding of what constitutes and defines beer. It will

become increasingly apparent as innovation within

also provide a basis for opportunities to innovate within

the beer category continues to be a primary means of

the beer category.

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Brewers Journal Canada

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Substance use study ignores positive impact of brewing industry

B

eer Canada said a study by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) fails to include

the positive trends that exist within the beer industry.

The study, which estimates the cost of substance use

producing the highest and most alarming numbers.

Nearly two-thirds of the cost estimate for alcohol in the study relate to productivity losses and the justice system.

These costs are contentious and subject to ongoing

to Canadian society, cost $1.4 million to produce and was

debate among health economists. The World Health

funded by Health Canada.

Organization (WHO) guidelines have advised against

Beer Canada said the report fails to discuss some of the positive trends that are a direct result of industry,

including loss of production in such studies.

Harford added: “There are a lot of assumptions built

government and NGOs working toward reducing harmful

into these types of cost studies and CCSA’s new study

drinking and fostering a culture of moderation.

is no different. The assumptions boost the costs and

Luke Harford, president of Beer Canada, said commended the CCSA for publishing a lot of “thoughtful

downplay, trivialize or ignore any benefits.”

The organisation said that the majority of adults drink in

research” but caveated this by stating that such cost

moderation. Among those who drink, 80% do so within the

studies come with “a lot of moving parts” aimed at

low-risk alcohol drinking guidelines for long-term harm.

Shawn & Ed Brewing Co opt for aluminium

Trestle Brewing open for business in Parry Sound

S

P

unbreakable alternative” for outdoor living this summer.

back in 2015, is independently owned and is located at 9

hawn and Ed Brewing Co has opted for aluminium bottles to distribute its beer, citing the need for

an “unbreakable single serve, larger volume and The brewery has also invested in bottling beer rather than canning and the company said the pursuit of bottling

arry Sound, Ontario-based Trestle Brewing has opened its doors.

The brewery, initially outlined its plans to start business

Great North Road backing onto the river.

The company's 4000 sq. ft facility has just opened

enables the beer to avoid the exposure to air that takes

and includes a taproom serving year round beer offerings

place during canning which can oxidize the beer even

brewed on site as well as other seasonal special beers

before it is packaged.

throughout the year.

Ed Madronich, co-founder and president of Shawn and

They also boast a full kitchen inside serving up a

Ed Brewing Co, explained: “We believe our aluminium

"small, but delicious" menu of food that pairs perfectly

bottle is simply the best container for beer. It has all the

with beer.

benefits of aluminium cans and glass bottles combined into one.

“First, it has the quality of glass bottles (less oxygen pick up during bottling). While at the same time, it has the unbreakable and no impact of sunlight like a can. It delivers better quality than any other container.

“Perhaps best of all, it has a premium look and feel.

The open concept design connects the brewhouse area on one end through its taproom/retail area.

The brewery is headed up by a team that includes Chris Pettinger, Dave Fusek and Matt Lyons.

Pettinger and Fusek met at university more than 20 years ago while Lyons takes on the role of head brewer. .

Lyons is a graduate of the Niagara College Brewmaster

Sleek, modern and elegant delivered in a sturdier and

and Brewery Operations Management program, He has

narrower (easier to hold) package. We believe it is simply

spent the last four years brewing in Victoria, BC.

the best container for beer.”

This new bottles will launch early July into Loblaws locations followed by other select grocery stores, the Beer Store and LCBO throughout Southern Ontario.

The first brand to be released in the aluminium bottle

The brewery has launched with a flagship beer, Golden Ale. "It is a crisp and clean lagered ale modeled after our favourite European Pilsners," the brewery explained.

They added: "We brew it using only high quality

is the brewery’s flagship, LagerShed Original, while other

German Pilsner and Vienna malts along with a blend

beers in the Shawn and Ed Brewing Co portfolio are

of European and North American hops. It is a perfect

expected to follow in due course.

dockside drinker."

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Brewers Journal Canada

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toronto

b r e w e r s

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Brewers Lectures toronto The Brewers Lectures is coming to Canada for the first time. So join some of the industry's leading lights for an afternoon of education, entertainment and great beer on September 6th, 2018.

speakers Hershel Perera | BrewDog Hershel Perera is the international business manager at BrewDog. Perera has more than 20 years' experience in Canadian beverage sales & marketing, working for companies such as Labatt, Pepsi, Diageo & Lifford Wine & Spirits.

Perera has been with BrewDog since August 2017 and is on a mission "to make everyone in Canada as passionate about craft beer as BrewDog is".

John Keeling | Fuller's John Keeling is the global ambassador of London-based Fuller's, and one of the global brewing industry's most recognisable names.

Formerly the company's head brewer, Keeling has helped steer Fuller's into the modern brewing sector, collaborating with breweries old and new, big and small. “With beer, there is quality and consistency plus flavour and character. For a great beer you need them in perfect balance. If anything is lacking then you don’t have a great beer,” he tells us.

Lodewijk Swinkels and Mike Laba | Brunswick Bierworks

KEY INFORMATION Zoomermedia (Zoomerplex) 70 Jefferson Avenue Toronto, Ontario M6K 1Y4 1 Parking available on location 6 September 2018 12.30pm to 5pm Tickets are $49 full price and $24.50 concesssion.

Go to brewersjournal.ca/lectures

brewersjournal.ca

Currently the brewmaster and head of Operations at Brunswick Bierworks, Lodewijk Swinkels is an 8th generation master brewer.

For the past 20 years, Swinkels has been the Brewmaster at De Koningshoeven Brewery (better known as La Trappe) and has won numerous international brewing awards and was the driver in establishing La Trappe's worldrenowned barrel aging program. Like you, Mike Laba loves great brands. Mike has spent his entire working life on the marketing and sales side for some of the top craft breweries in the Country. Mike thrives on developing new products for market, creating brand identities, creating customer value and bringing great stories to life. Mike is co-founder of craft beer importing company, The Craft Brand Company and is a Partner and VP of partner brewing facility Brunswick Bierworks in East York. ”

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b r e w e r s

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T oronto

proudly sponsored by

Daniel Lowe | Fourpure Daniel Lowe is the CEO and Founder of London’s Fourpure. The brewery, which he started with brother Tom in 2013, has been a leader in innovation and driving market growth through beerssuch as its Pils Lager, Session IPA and Juicebox Citrus IPA. Fourpure recently completed a significant expansion, which included the installation of a four vessel Craft-Star brewing system from GEA, the first of its kind to hit the UK. The brewery has also just announced its acquisition by Australianheadquarted business Lion, a move that will enable Fourpure to grow in the UK and across the globe. Dan will spearhead this growth, remaining as CEO for that next adventure.

Darren Karasiuk | MedReleaf Mr. Karasiuk is the Vice-President, Strategy for MedReleaf, responsible for the Company’s recreational cannabis business and the person behind the innovative partnership with Amsterdam Brewing to develop and launch San Rafael ’71 4:20 Pale Ale. In his role, Darren is responsible for development and introduction of the Company’s brand portfolio including San Rafael ’71 and AltaVie. Dr. Doug Mancosky | Hydro Dynamics Growing up in Wisconsin Dr. Mancosky learned about fermentation at a young age, helping pick and crush wild elderberries as part of the family’s annual winemaking adventures. Dr. Mancosky has his undergraduate in Chemistry from St. Norbert College in Depere, WI. He

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obtained his masters and Ph.D from the Institute of Paper Science and Technology at Georgia Tech. His masters focused on biotechnology and his doctorate research was in peroxide and oxygen chemistry of lignocellulosic materials. He currently works as Chief Science Officer for Hydro Dynamics, Inc. of Rome, GA, a manufacturer of next generation industrial mixing and reactor technology, and focuses on extraction applications.

Julian Holland | Radical Road Brewery Julian Holland is the co-founder of Radical Road Brewery. Holland has nearly 20 years’ experience in the beer industry, starting his career in imports with Premier Brand in 2001. He’s worked on many well-known European beer brands such as Carlsberg and in 2014, started his own import agency, Global Beverage Co, working with a number of renowned US breweries including Deschutes, Oskar Blues and Stone in the process.

And in 2015, Holland teamed up with the cofounders of Radical Road Brewery to build a brewery and taproom in Toronto.

Josh McKinney | Ekos Passionate about the start-up community and craft industry, Josh McKinney and his partner Greg decided to develop innovative software to help partner with craft producers. Just four years in and Ekos is already working with over 1400 craft beverage producers - helping them streamline their processes. As the CEO of Ekos, Josh continues to drive the company's mission by continuing to disrupt the craft industry through software.

Brewers Journal Canada

Co m m e nt

B arrel

S p i r it

Infus i ons

Innovation in barrel ageing Imparting and infusing your beer with the aromas and taste of spirits remains an incredibly popular device in the global brewing industry. Here, Damien R. Matthews, chief executive officer at DRM.reCoop, looks at a fascinating way brewers can put their own take on the process.

to swell when hydrated and via micro-oxygenation pull a wine or spirit back into the capillary through osmosis.

Later on we looked at different methods being used in wines & spirits to speed up maturation rates in oak barrels.

Currently there are a few places that do this already using high end cavitation wands that use ultrasonic sound waves to penetrate a liquid at up to 20,000 pulses per minute. This technique allows liquids to pass through porous materials more effectively. An example of this would be adding oak chips to chardonnay in a stainless

by Damien R Matthews

steel tank and cavitating or sonicating the oak chips to give up their phenols into the wine.

This speeds up maturation and gets the wine to bottle

uite often at our barrel shop we are approached by

Q

faster. So apply this concept to spirits and craft beers also.

craft breweries asking for varied and different kinds

This method is new and not widely accepted which is

of barrels that have previously held varied spirits such as

understandable. There has been a lot of talk about how

rum, sherry, calvados and cognac.

it is deemed as cheating because a normal maturation

It gets tricky to procure good quality recently emptied barrels of this nature without having to procure an entire truckload of them from down south. So what’s the

process in an oak barrel takes months and years, not minutes.

PolyScience makes the Sonicprep wand, which is used,

solution? We did a ton of research into barrel hydration

in high-end culinary institutes and 5 star restaurants. This

using steam and actual oak capillary re-absorption rates.

is the tool used for sonic cavitation in liquids and comes

At first we just dove into peer reviewed articles that were

at a cost of approximately $5000 USD. At DRM.reCoop we

published talking about the ability of hemicellulose fibers

decided not to buy one for obvious reasons. Instead we

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Brewers Journal Canada

B arrel

S p i r it

Infus i ons

Co m m e nt

went with an old school method for a barrel reset.

Working with the esteemed Jon Downing, a well known and highly regarded brew master at Niagara College who has helped to open over 100 craft breweries over his career, we decided to try this barrel infusion method using steam, time and the human pallet. Starting off on this exciting project we decided to use some 2-fill bourbon barrels in 50-gallon format we had sitting in the shop. These barrels were 8 years old and had an alligator 4 char on the interior.

Using a brass steam wand and 220F dry vapor steam, we steamed the barrel up for 30 minutes to bring it to a clean, sanitized and neutral state where it can no longer infuse any bourbon flavors. This is how we managed to “reset” the barrel with the quarter sawn oak capillaries fully hydrated. From here we added approximately 2 gallons of Captain Morgan dark rum into the former

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bourbon barrel and tightly sealed up the bung. The barrel suction and hissing we witnessed was pretty intense from the heat of the steam!

We left the rum to sit in the barrel for about 1 week allowing it to infuse into the capillaries and after that gave Jon Downing a call to pick it up. This is where it gets interesting. Jon and his students were about to start a “Butler’s Bitter” project for a class assignment and they decided to use this custom spirit infused barrel for their craft beer.

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At first during this experiment, we were unsure if there would be a hint of bourbon left in the barrel, mixed with the dark rum to leave a complex off-note on the back of the palate with the Butler’s Bitter.

Jon and his students left the beer to sit in the barrel for 3 weeks after fermentation was completed and after that carbonation and canning was completed. We didn’t

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tell Jon we used Captain Morgan in the barrel infusion but he nailed it. In my own opinion the beer was smooth with a hint of oak and a subtle note of dark rum without overpowering the beer itself. DRM.reCoop would like to thank Jon Downing and his students for the creative and innovative project!

One important question we received and dealt with was with the AGCO (Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario) and the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario).

The initial question was “Is this spirit infusion process legal to carry out in Ontario”. After some discussions with both entities their response was that we are two steps too far removed to warrant any concern or enforcement by the AGCO or LCBO with our custom barrel infusion process as the spirits are emptied from the barrel before being

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shipped to the craft brewery.

So there you have it! A fun innovative project with multiple permutations for craft beer & cider using a relatively simple process that anyone can emulate with the right equipment and barrels.

brewersjournal.ca

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21

Co m m e nt

L AB O U R

Putting people first We’ve seen tremendous growth in recent years in the industry and the only way to sustain the growth and create a profitable, healthy industry is to ensure you are well structured and include the development of your staff as a key objective, explains Roger Mittag, president of Thirst For Knowledge Inc.

sales staff, it will drive your volume and you need to maintain a constant inventory level so that your customers (both retail and on-premise) never run out. An inventory shortage will lead to a de-list and future loss of revenue.

It is inconceivable to be out of stock!

Create realistic expectations. This is a big nut to crack.

All employees need structure and guidelines. This includes the hours expected to work during a week and what kind of work ethic and process you need back from your staff. From a sales perspective, objectives need to be firmly established with the sales person.

by roger mittag

Top down objectives are generally not realistic when it comes to understanding the regional differences of each territory. A sales territory needs to be manageable

B

uilding a successful brewing operation requires

as well; both geographically and from an account

a tremendous amount of thought and execution.

perspective. If a rep feels they are being over-worked, it

Everything you do is a two-way street that requires a lot

will become a de-motivator and they will slowly start to

of give and take. The old adage of “if you build it, they will

shut down.

come” is far from reality when it comes to the Canadian

Professional Development. Great sales people don’t

brewing industry. They may come at first but you will be

just materialize out of thin air! They are developed

hard pressed to develop on-going strategies to continue

and nurtured. You need to spend time on helping your

the path to success.

sales team develop organizational skills such as time

The magic you create has a direct impact on your

management, route planning and reporting. Developing

business relationships including your staff. We can’t

a sales objective and understanding how to achieve

simply exist because we know how to make beer. Here’s

that goal require a lot of thought and a clear focus on

a list of things to consider when you build your success

executing the strategies you have developed. Bonus-

plan.

able objectives are a key motivator to most sales people.

Hire great people. This goes without saying. The

Pure commission rates will force your sales team to

quality of the people who work for you both inside the

generate immediate sales with a lack of long term

brewery and as sales and marketing will speak volumes

commitment and relationships.

on what you are trying to achieve. Therefore, it is crucially

Professionalism. You need to expect that your sales

important to hire people with passion and of course,

team conducts itself with professionalism and courtesy.

experience.

A long time ago, it was the norm to wear a suit and tie in

Compensate them well. The range of compensation is

this industry and thankfully, we no longer need that look.

mind boggling in this industry and you will get what you

However, it is unprofessional to show up in sandals and

pay for. For example, a salary of $35,000 a year equates

shorts. This is still a business and it’s important for your

to $15 an hour for a 45-hour work week and yet, brewers

customers to take you and your staff seriously.

are often expecting their staff to work upwards of 60

This two-way street works both ways. In exchange for

hours a week. It will be a matter of time before you lose

a great job with a great employer, it is incumbent on you

this employee to another brewery. If you provide a call

to be passionate, thoughtful and professional.

allowance for travel, ensure it is within CRA guidelines.

Show up / Show up on time / Show up dressed to

The norm is currently $.50 per kilometer. Anything below

play – we used this saying in all of what we accomplished

that is unfair and will create stress of the employee’s

in the early days of OSBC. In essence, it means that you

budget and on their vehicle.

need to do what you say you are going to do (show up) –

Plan well. You need to have a full understanding of

get up early, plan your week well, execute the sales and

production needs with respect to sales. If you are hiring

marketing strategies and deliver your POS. Be punctual

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Brewers Journal Canada

L abour

Co m m e nt

if not early. Lateness is an excuse not a reason and if you

Nothing has changed since the inception of selling beer.

have an appointment, keep it. Dressed to play means a

A good working relationship with your customers requires

multiple of things – dressing professionally and paying

you to assess their needs, develop a plan to meet both

attention to your personal image is important. It shows

of your needs and to execute the plan based on your

you mean to conduct business not just party. Make sure

principles of doing business.

your vehicle is loaded with everything you need for the day / week.

Passion. You can’t learn this. In exchange for

Inducements or paying for business is not a relationship and cannot be sustained in the long-term.

There will always be someone offering a better deal.

employment, you need to have a passion for the industry,

Learn to walk away from potential negative relationships.

for your brands and for your employer that exceeds

It may hurt at first but it will become very rewarding to

expectations.

work with ethical customers.

Understand. The industry and your customers

We’ve seen tremendous growth in recent years in the

inherently. This means, you truly have to absorb the

industry (from a brewery perspective) and the only way

nuances of draught beer. This means you need to visit

to sustain the growth and create a profitable, healthy

the keg cooler before you close the deal. This will help

industry is to ensure you are well structured and include

you to understand whether this customer is worthy of

the development of your staff as a key objective. The

selling your beer.

human assets you have are critical to your long-term

This business will always be relationship oriented.

brewersjournal.ca

success.

Summer 2018

23

Co m m e nt

data

Tapping into Your Brewery’s Data Having the right tools is important when running a craft brewery. Especially tools that allow business owners to make informed decisions, so they can focus on growing into their full potential, explains Cathy Vigrass, head of Canada at Square.

by Cathy Vigrass

business operations were remarkably similar. They both overcame inventory, employee and customer management challenges using data and insights from their Square Point of Sale app to help guide their decision-making.

Inventory decisions

I

t goes without saying that the primary focus for a brewery is on the craft brews. However, secondary

A

craft brew is a work of art. No two craft brews, or craft breweries for that matter, are alike. We were

areas such as food service and branded merchandise

can strongly support the primary offering. Craft brewers’

reminded of this when we recently spoke with co-

expertise tends to be in brewing so it’s useful to tap into

owner Sonja Mills of Port Rexton Brewing in Port Rexton,

sales data to inform inventory decisions for secondary

Newfoundland, and owner Bryan Lockhart of Black Kettle

areas of the business.

Brewing Company in Vancouver, British Columbia. These

Food options can greatly enhance customers’

breweries on opposite sides of the country serve very

experience at a brewery. Bryan Lockhart had scheduling

different customers.

problems when inviting local food trucks to his brewery,

Set in a rural area on the Bonavista Peninsula, Port

so he decided to introduce his own on-site food truck. To

Rexton Brewing is largely visited by international and

get the food menu just right, he views his food sales by

domestic travellers. On the other hand, Black Kettle

menu item to know which ones are popular and which

Brewing Company is in an urban area of North Vancouver

ones he should take off his menu.

visited by residents and workers within a six-block radius.

Yet it turns out the challenges they faced in managing

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Summer 2018

Branded merchandise helps build awareness and a sense of community for breweries. Sonja Mills uses her

Brewers Journal Canada

data

Co m m e nt

sales data to shape her selection of branded Port Rexton merchandise. She views which T-shirt styles and sizes are selling best (and then orders more) and which items are moving more slowly and don’t need to be restocked.

Employee decisions

Our 80+ members follow the OCB Brewing Philosophy, which means that our over 500 beers are naturally brewed in small batches using no chemical additives, fillers or preservatives.

I

t can be difficult to predict how many employees to schedule at tap rooms to sufficiently serve customers.

By viewing tap room sales reports, business owners

have the ability to look at sales by hour, day, week or month to identify trends in customer volume and staff accordingly. Sonja has found it helpful to compare sales at Port Rexton Brewing from the same week the previous year to better anticipate what staffing needs could look like for the week ahead.

Having a digital tool to track employee timecards can also save a brewery on payroll. Bryan found that by having employees clock in and out at the point of sale, he was finally able to pay employees for the work they do. Bryan realized when his staff used a pen and paper schedule, while innocent, they tended to round down their arrival times and round up their departure times,

ontariocraftbrewers.com Please enjoy our products responsibly.

inflating their hours. In fact, he noticed savings of around 15 hours in a two-week period, which adds up to a significant amount of savings every year.

trusted by

Customer management decisions

B

reweries benefit from receiving feedback from their customers and acting on it. Digital receipts from Square have a question asking “How was

your experience?” Customers simply click a happy/ sad face, and they’re invited to leave comments on their experience. Bryan has seen this is an effective way to directly and immediately correct bad customer experiences. If he hears a customer feels they waited too long for service, he can apologize. He is also able to issue a coupon for the customer’s next visit. This is an opportunity to resolve issues privately that would otherwise go unknown by an owner or could be aired by frustrated customers online or through social media.

Today, both Bryan and Sonja face rapidly growing customer demand and are expanding their operations.

Bryan is opening a second location in the Shipyards area of North Vancouver, and Sonja recently opened a retail shop in St. John’s and is extending the season of the Port Rexton location. When business operations are well managed, business owners, like Bryan and Sonja, take their breweries to new heights.

brewersjournal.ca

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trans

canada

brew i ng

When only the best will do Nearly a year on from its first brew, Trans Canada Brewing Co is well on track. For founder Matt Tallman and head brewer Morgan Wielgosz, that means putting quality first in everything they do. And that’s good news for Manitoban drinkers.

me develop that passion. So it got to the point that combining what I love with what I wanted to achieve in life made complete sense.”

Tallman knew that there was space for growth in Manitoba. The fact that brewery numbers have jumped 300% since he set out on his own journey attest to that.

So he set about developing ideas, a business plan and learning what works.

“It was important to spend time travelling to other

by tim sheahan

markets in North America and really try to get a feel for the landscape out there. It was key to know what was

N

going on, what beers were being sought after and what

early one and half million people call

models were being successful,” he says. “Whether that

Manitoba home and more than half of

was being inspired by Hangar 24 in Redlands, California

these inhabit it’s capital Winnipeg. But

or places such as Surly Brewing in Minnesota, they all

in 2018, only 12 breweries operate in a

motivated me in different ways.”

province that spans 650,000km2. It’s a

Following that epiphany, it was time, in Tallman’s

figure that would bring out most good beer lovers in a

words, to take a step back. To look at Manitoba and

cold sweat, so it’s probably best not to tell them that if

formulate ideas.

you rewind five years, that brewery quota was smaller still.

You’d be able to count them on one hand.

But such slim pickings was the stark reality facing Matt

“Above all else, I wanted to create an asset to the local market and something that local people could look at, and have a great experience with. Central to that, in

Tallman. Tallman was finishing his final year at the Ivey

my mind, was having a taproom on site that could bring

Business School, the business school of the University

people together,” he explains. “I wanted such an asset

of Western Ontario. As his mind turned to the future, he

because it means people could come in, see how the

knew he wanted to launch his own business. It was just a

beer is made and interact with that.

question of what. And where.

“The idea of moving back to Winnipeg, with its two or

He says: “To help educate people, you need to immerse them in the process, in the production of

three breweries, wasn’t a particularly appealing prospect.

the drink they are enjoying. Lots of people coming to

Living in Ontario had opened up my eyes to everything

breweries such as ours didn’t previously drink local, or

around me. And lots of great beer,” he explains. “Spending

know much about it. So it’s our responsibility to help

a lot of time homebrewing during university really helped

change that.”

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Brewers Journal Canada

The brewery has produced a wealth of beers since starting out with Arrow IPA and Lamp Lighter Amber Ale

m e e t

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trans

canada

brew i ng

Brewers Journal Canada

trans

canada

brew i ng

m e e t

th e

b r e w e r

Having an on-site taproom was a priority for brewery founder Matt Tallman

Tallman called on family investment to help achieve

Rauchbier and Amarillo IPAs. She’s also brewed a 6.2%

his aims. After spending years on the development of his

Brett Pale Ale, a beer conditioned in secondary with Brett

business plan, he felt it was time to press on. But above

C yeast. Something no other brewery in the province has

all of the technical and logistical facets of his plan, the

tried. But the next step is educating the consumer on the

overarching goal was simple. To provide drinkers with

choice now available to them.

beer that had quality at the forefront.

“The challenge is trying to express that you can be

Central to this was bringing on a head brewer he

progressive, innovative and approachable,” she explains.

trusted from the start. Thankfully for Tallman, his advert

“We are trying to produce beers that are high quality and

for such a position hit the right eyes at the right time.

technically sound, beers that bring the consumers into

Morgan Wielgosz graduated with a degree in the

our space and for them to enjoy what we’re doing, too.”

faculty of science from WLU and started her pro brewing

And once again, for Tallman and Wielgosz, that can be

career in Toronto with Amsterdam Brewing Co. After

achieved by putting quality first. From the first releases of

spending six years at the business from 2011-2017, she

Arrow IPA and Lamp Lighter Amber Ale to everything that

made the move to Winnipeg to begin my career with

has come since.

Trans Canada Brewing Co in March of last year.

“When I first spoke to Matt, what I saw was the desire

“Quality is broad term that people use but rarely define,” says Wielgosz. "For us, it’s starting with the best

for investment in quality-first beer. Working in Toronto

raw materials, the best protocols and being diligent on

for six years, you see how things change as demand

materials across the process. You have to making sure

increases. For me, quality is all important and you can’t

levels are checked and specifications are attained for

jeopardise that,” she says. “So to be here from the start,

each and every recipe.”

to help shape this brewery, the impact it has on the local market, and to be part of a movement, was critical.”

As head brewer at Trans Canada Brewing Co, Wielgosz has created dozens of beers from Light Lagers to

brewersjournal.ca

She adds: “That extends to putting your foot down when you know that something isn’t up to quality standards. There’s no point putting out an inferior product to market. If you do release that poor quality beer to

Summer 2018

29

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brew i ng

market, and the consumer has a poor experience, more

Farrell—Fermentation Monitoring Technician and Cam

importantly, you’re doing wider damage to the industry

McLean—Cellar, and the aformentioned Tallman and

that is working hard to raise standards.”

Wielgosz.

Wielgosz heads up a brewery operation capable of

With that team in tow, and a growing loyal consumer

producing up to 12,000hl, the brewery’s beers are brewed

base, Tallman and Trans Canada Brewing Co are

on a 5hL R&D system for recipe innovation, and a 35hL

understandably optimistic about the future as they

system for its larger volume production beers.

approach their first birthday.

The company also boasts a dedicated Foeder Room

“I believe Winnipeg and Manitoba more widely can

with 6-40hL Seguin Moreau French Oak Foeders. This

develop its own strong beer identity. You can see the

is dedicated to its wild, sour and spontaneous ferment

excitement and support coming from the consumers

programs currently in development. As well the room

and there is a lot of drive for change,” says Wielgosz. “The

holds some of its barrels for small batch releases. This

perception of what beer can be is changing for many

room is entirely humidity and temperature controlled.

people and there is a momentum behind that, too. As

Making this happen is a team that comprises Josh Adler—Quality Assurance, Thomas Schneider— Timmy Tom’s Pizzeria Head Pizzaiolo and Jeff Wirt—

long as we provide a quality, strong beer portfolio, we can continue to achieve that loyalty.”

Tallman concludes: "Manitobans in general are

Administration Leader. The team also includes Josh

connected to the industry and we are seeing a culture of

van den Ende—Taproom Leader, Michael Raftis—Sales

support that comes with the ability to enjoy a quality, local

and Marketing Leader, Martina Schaumleffel—Assistant

product. So it’s our job to produce the best beer we are

Kitchen Leader, Michael Schneider—Marketing & Brand

capable of and give people the best possible environment

Ambassador, Frank Fiorillo—Taproom Shift Leader, Katrina

to enjoy it in. And I think we’re getting there.”

30

Summer 2018

Brewers Journal Canada

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WINEMAKING

BREWING

CIDER MAKING

DISTILLING

i n s i g ht

workflow

and

software

The digital brewer Investing hard-earned cash in your brewery needn’t, nor shouldn’t, be the preserve of heavy capital equipment.

A raft of software exists that can help boost productivity, improve efficiency and open-up new markets for you and your beer.

cloud based system, Lacey says the Ekos Brewmaster is easy to use on the production floor or while your team is on the road. With drag and drop features, Ekos makes it easy to move product and batches around. They also provide you with brewery view of your facility to help visually see where everything is. Being a one-stop shop for all aspects of the brewery, Ekos makes it easy to communicate between departments as well. Their monthly subscription also includes unlimited users and support.

by Tim sheahan

At Vicinity Brew, brewery management software from Vicinity Manufacturing, the one thing brewers want time

I

and time again, is mobile access. nvestment in brewery software is essential to

“Breweries who invest in the platform gain production

take your brewery to the next level. Through

controls to enhance their bottom such as inventory

software you can keep track of your product on

control – identify bottle necks, make better purchasing

hand and processes that work the best for your

decisions,” says Brooke Dillard, digital marketing specialist

team,” says Brittany Lacey from Ekos. “It syncs

at the business.

your team together, saving your team hours of headache

They add: “Brewing is a unique industry due to the high

from something that may have just been overlooked.

variation in the production process, finding a product off

Customized dashboards make it easy for your team to

the shelf that is flexible enough to adapt that structure

see how they are progressing and what product is being

into a software application can be a challenge. The

sold the most. Overall, brewery management software

core benefits of VicinityBrew revolve around detailed

helps save your team time while keeping your team on

inventory tracking. By gaining visibility into the production

the same page.”

flow, clients are able to increase the accuracy of their

Ekos provides management software to independent

costing reports evaluate margins, make better purchasing

craft manufacturing businesses – currently focusing on

decisions, identify production bottlenecks (lagging shifts,

craft beverages.

or underperforming recipes, inefficient equipment).

“Breweries are always looks looking for more flexibility

“Centralizing this data saves time and resources and

and integrations. Being in a time where tech rules -

enables a company to make informed decisions on items

users are always looking for the best product that can

that significantly impact their bottom line. In addition

integrate into their current processes,” she explains. “With

to those core insights VicinityBrew is able to offer a

the brewing industry getting more creative with their

rich feature set around scheduling, quality control and

processes, there is more need for flexibility within the

reporting to further save time and enhance a user’s ability

software. Our latest update helps them with just that. Our

to perform in their role.

team is continuously working on partnerships with the best software companies for our users to integrate with.”

Lacey tells us that Ekos was built for the brewer. Ekos

“We provide a brewery management solution that will be the same whether you are a brewery in the start-up phase or a brewery that produces over 50,000 barrels

Brewmaster is a proprietary platform customized to help

a year. Your growth potential is not limited by your ERP

breweries streamline their processes in 4 different areas -

system nor do you have to adopt an ERP system that

operations, production, sales, and accounting. With their

you are not ready for. VicinityBrew Software is a solution

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Summer 2018

Brewers Journal Canada

workflow

for any brewery, no matter what stage of growth. We are unique in we have the capability to grow with your brewery.”

Focus on Brewing

W

hen did brewing beer become a chore?” asks Darin Haener, founder of Fermentable. “I have fond memories of the days that I would roll

out my custom 10-gallon brew deck into the backyard and spend the morning relishing in the aroma of malted barley and boiling hops. Then I’d spend the rest of that afternoon enjoying the spoils of last month’s brews and conversing with great friends.”

Fermentable was created by Haener, a professional brewer who experienced first-hand how frustrating it was to manage the brewery’s day-to-day operations. “Your business is brewing beer, not managing spreadsheets, compiling TTB reports, and fumbling through brew logs.

We know the in’s and out’s of the industry and what it takes to get the paperwork out of the way, so you can get brewing,” he says.

Those early experiences are why he originally chose brewing as a profession. For the first years of his professional career, Haener was learning and continuing

and

software

“

i n s i g ht

With the brewing industry getting more creative with their processes, there is more need for flexibility within the software Brittany Lacey, Ekos

understand the pain of actually running a brewery as a business.

He explains: “Maintaining impeccable records, keeping

hops that were frequently unavailable from suppliers in stock so I didn’t run out of the precious West Coast IPA, and struggling to remember where I put my pen so I could record my mash out time were just a few of the headaches that began to consume the majority of my time as a ‘brewer’.

“I began to lose sight of what it was that drove me to

choose a life of schlepping spent-grain and dragging hoses. Managing the business side of my brewery had

to grow as a brewer, and he developed a passion for

begun to suck the passion out of my career. I wanted to

creating works of art in a pint glass. It wasn’t until he

remember why I started brewing in the first place, and

started managing his own breweries that he began to

this set-in-motion my first attempt to hone my business

brewersjournal.ca

Summer 2018

33

“ i n s i g ht

workflow

and

software

formulating my next masterpiece. Management software quickly became the clear choice for solving these problems.”

For Haener, finding a solution to help automatically track inventory, generate reports, and rid the brewery of paper documents was going to be a big win for his breweries. At that time, he explains, brewery management software solutions did not exist, so he

If you’re struggling with your management and need help, there is a software solution that will meet your brewery’s needs and budget Darin Haener, Fermentable

operations.

“I started with an assortment of spreadsheets for

tracking inventory and forecasting ordering, which grew

continued with spreadsheets, longing for the day that I could use a piece of streamlined software to make managing my brewery operations easier.

“Fortunately, today, there are a wide variety of platforms out there that can help with these issues. From free schedulers to full-fledged enterprise level Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, if you’re struggling with your management and need help, there is a software solution that will meet your brewery’s needs and budget,” he says.

“All that said, management software isn’t for everyone.

into another mess with a whole new set of problems.

If you have a small brewery that is making a few hundred

Deciphering bad handwriting and wort smudged

barrels of beer a year, your operations are dialled in, and

brew logs was doing nothing but detracting me from

you aren’t looking to grow much beyond your current

sTAY FLEXIBLE AND EFFICIENT

Complicated transport planning

Routing and scheduling software offers the key to efficient, accurate and flexible solution, explains William Salter, managing director, Paragon Software Systems The brewing industry has changed beyond recognition in the last decade, with falling consumption levels, consumer demand for product innovation and fierce competition from niche providers reshaping the marketplace and the distribution channels that serve it. The need for flexible and accurate delivery services that keep costs under control is therefore more essential than ever.

Outsourcing distribution can allow brewers to meet this need for flexibility without the fixed cost of drivers and vehicles in periods of lower demand, but brewers must decide if they can achieve greater efficiencies inhouse and whether they wish to lose control of this important customer touch point. For those managing directly, technology such as routing and scheduling software is playing an important role in meeting the demands of customers in the retail and hospitality sector keen to avoid inventory gaps, meet seasonal demand and give consumers the variety they demand.

Whether you are a local craft beer producer or an established nationwide brewer, there are a huge number of variables to think about. Seasonal peaks, packaging variations, frequency and access restrictions all impact on the effectiveness of the delivery operation.

Manual planning is no longer an option for most brewers, especially when you factor in transport challenges faced by the brewing sector such as rising fuel costs, driver shortage and demands from the customer.

Salter says: “Our annual customer survey, including feedback from some of the UK’s leading breweries and drinks distribution businesses, found that the most significant issues for this year were the ongoing driver shortage and rising operational costs. These findings highlight the growing importance of maximising the use of vehicles and drivers to ensure cost efficient service delivery.”

The research also suggested a clear shift in what customers are looking for from delivery services, with a staggering 85.6 percent saying that expectations had increased in the past 12 months. It seems many customers are now wanting greater levels of visibility and accuracy, which includes the provision of faster and

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workflow

more regular deliveries – possibly fuelled by the proliferation of choice and desire to hold less inventory – along with increased reporting and real-time communications. These added demands are piling pressure on operating margins and the overall profitability of brewing businesses.

Advanced routing and scheduling Routing and scheduling software is enabling brewers of all sizes to reduce planning time and transport costs, by optimising the delivery planning process. By creating accurate and efficient routes, it ensures that orders arrive on time in the most efficient manner, enhancing customer service while fully utilising available drivers and vehicles.

Complementary modules, working alongside the route planning software, further optimise deliveries and improve the accuracy of the transport plan. Smarter mapping tools – including street level mapping, average road speed data and truck attribute data – allow brewers to calculate more accurate arrival times, and build plans that are achievable for all their fleet vehicles. This is especially useful when tackling the challenge of making frequent deliveries in dense urban areas.

brewersjournal.ca

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In addition, the advanced functionality of a routing and scheduling system allows information to be collected and fed back into the planning process. This provides the ability to identify areas of improvement, such as delays at specific customer sites or drivers that use more fuel than expected, as well as gain immediate visibility of any unforeseen issues, so customers can be proactively alerted to potential delays.

Routing and scheduling software can also be used to future proof a brewer’s distribution operation, supporting their ongoing success by enabling them to better understand the impact and opportunities of potential business or operational changes. For example, it is possible to create what-if scenarios to assess the transport-related cost and service implications of strategic decisions such as different packaging sizes or delivery volumes, moving a site, offering different delivery windows, or investing in new types of vehicles.

Taking advantage of the functionality of the latest routing and scheduling software means brewers can benefit from the ability to manage daily planning operations, while having a strategic planning tool that allows them to respond to the continued pressures of this evolving sector.

Summer 2018

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i n s i g ht

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and

software

production, it probably doesn’t make sense to spend the

to make your brewery run efficiently and cost effectively?

time and money to invest in a system that is built to help

Simply put, software can reduce the time and energy

you grow as a brewery.”

you spend keeping your business successful. Or, perhaps

Haener concludes: “However, if growth is your goal, it’s a good idea to start looking at ways to streamline your business, and management software is a great place to

software can help you get to efficiently managing your costs for the first time.

“Maybe you’ve already got a process in place. How many moving parts does it have and how many points

start.”

of possible failure? Assess where you are with your

Inventory and production management

business. Are you exactly where you want to be? Are your costs controlled? I like the saying, if you keep doing what you’re already doing, you’ll keep getting the results you’re already getting. Are you happy with those results?

B

rew Love Software is a brewery management

“Software reminds you of actions so you don't have

software helping breweries ranging in size from

to remember everything yourself, it automates time

startup to 10,000 BBLS of production to manage

consuming tasks that you are currently doing manually,

their ingredient inventory and production in one tool.

According to Russell Miller, founder of the business,

it keeps digital records for you so that data is easily accessible and usable, not stuck on paper somewhere in

customers are looking to manage their production with

a drawer full of files. Software works in ways you only wish

as little mental energy as possible. Brewers ask for a tool

spreadsheets could.

they can use without spending hours on the computer

“You probably got in business to make great beer and

jumping from one spreadsheet to the next, updating and

to make good money in the process. How do you know

trying to remember to save a new version each time.

what’s making money and what’s costing you money if

They want something that takes away some of the

you’re not tracking it? Software will allow you to focus

demand on their attention so they can focus on brewing

on making good beer and to expend less effort on the

and growing their business. They also want reports that

business of making it.”

tell them what their business is doing, as well as reports

Small Pack Focus

they can use to provide their numbers to the government as required.

Brew Love Software’s offering is based around one software package. It focuses on breweries from start-up to around 15k BBLS/Year (~18k HL/Yr), where often one brewer runs most of the show. The tools are the same whether your goal is to grow your brewery or just optimise production for the equipment you've got.

He explains: “What you really need is to know your

F

or Nigel Hoppitt, director at brewery management systems firm Spasoft, he’s observed a particular shift in the arena of beer packaging.

“Beer packaging is changing especially in small-pack

products, the range in supermarkets has increased giving more breweries access to new outlets. Breweries are

numbers. Brew Love helps you prepare orders of raw

looking for more automation and improved data recording

materials in time to meet your production schedule,

and retention, which we have always excelled at and

determine the real cost of goods for finished beer, keep

offered solutions focussed on accuracy,” he explains.

track of your kegs and know who still hasn’t returned

“Currently we are preparing a release that will improve

them, and maintain production records in case of

the management of the wide range of small-pack

government audits.

containers and pack sizes into account, speeding up

“It also helps manage customers’ beer orders, track barrel ageing, remind you to make payments for materials

order entry and offering pre-allocation of stock by batch/ datecode,” says Hoppitt.

before they are overdue and to get paid for your beer,

“Our system already forces accuracy in shipping

automatically update your raw material inventory when

and delivery, moving stock allocation one step earlier

a batch is started, log losses, track quality control, and

assists with stock management for larger customers and

manage beer inventory.”

ensures customers get what they need and makes the

For Miller, effective investment in the software side

stock allocation faster. Planning production and stock

of your business helps answer a key question: “How do

gets easier with the new Production Schedule module.

you know what’s making money and what’s costing you

A graphical interface shows tank utilisation, beer stock

money if you’re not tracking it?”

availability and highlights potential raw stock shortages.

He adds: “If you're on the fence about software, let me ask you something. If you really think about it, how much of your mental energy and attention do you spend trying

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Summer 2018

This module will also lead into our new GUI format for rollout throughout 2018.”

For Hoppitt, it’s not surprising to see an increasing

Brewers Journal Canada

workflow

number of breweries place a stronger emphasis on the online side of their business.

As breweries grow and their market changes, they need more time for their customers and brewing their beers. Adding a system to their business is more efficient,

and

software

i n s i g ht

A

US brewer recently commented that if you’re a brewery in 2018 and you don’t have a selection of barrels out the back “people look at you funny”,

and that’s a trend we’re increasing seeing in the UK and

tracking contact with the customers, having their

Ireland. Barrel-ageing programmes enable brewers to

contact and order history to hand, accurately entering

diversify their product offering, and many are seeing this

orders, knowing what has gone where, and preventing

side of their business grow at a rapid pace, according to

production issues by having the right amount of stock in

Sam Babikian, co-owner of Barrel-IT from ZymurTech.

place. Producing a monthly duty report at the click of a

Barrel-IT is a web-based software used as a Service

button saves hours compared to an accounts package or

(SaaS) application. It was built from the ground up to

interlinked excel spreadsheets, he says.

increase visibility of what is happening in your oak cellar.

“Reliable cloud-based solutions are the answer. They

This ranges from the logistical aspects of receiving

remove the data integrity issue from the brewery, offer

barrels, filling them and blending them to locating them,

secure access from any location and give flexibility to

emptying them, and reusing or selling them off, which

support the many ways in which breweries work. It is cost

can all be done with a few clicks.

effective and painless to migrate from spreadsheets and

He explains: “Our Quality Control module can be

paper to a complete cloud-based solution that gives a

used to track different post fermentation/distillation

seamless and economic solution end to end.

data attributes and assures that only barrels of a certain

“Our solution is available for less than the cost of

quality go into the final product. The Scoring module can

a High Street coffee a day. Your data integrity is our

be used for group sensory analysis to help determine

responsibility. We ensure the security of your data

specific attributes or characteristic of each barrel, with

including backups and disaster recovery, plus the uptime

the data from these modules then being used to help

of our servers, maintaining your access to your data.”

create a blend plan or a product release. This system not only tells you where your barrels are physically located

Barrel Management

but what’s been in them and what additions, if any, where added.

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Summer 2018

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i n s i g ht

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and

“

software

“It tracks the complete history of each barrel or as we say “who did what to it when and where”. Lastly, Barrel-It is a decentralized system, meaning that permission or access can be granted to each user at a module level.

For example, you can provide access to your cellar man, QA/QC lab, or your sensory testers just to the modules they need.”

According to Sam Babikian, US-based Barrel-IT’s clients range in size, with some having as few as 60 barrels to some that have over 10,000. The general feedback Babikian and his team receive is that when oak cellars get close to around 60 or 70 barrels, things get very difficult to manage using spreadsheets.

"Some of our clients with smaller programs jumped on board early knowing they are going to expand and they wanted to have the complete history of their entire program in Barrel-IT. So, even for breweries that have smaller barrel programs our price point is such that even they get good value using our software,” he says. “When you think about it, the retail cost potential of even one barrel of product is at least $5,000 or more. We have had clients say that if the software prevents the loss of one barrel or better yet helps prevent one bad barrel from ruining an entire blend, it’s already paid for itself for many years.”

The things to remember are that when implementing software is there will always be a bit of culture shock and of course a learning curve Sam Babikian, Barrel-IT

reports for government tax authorities – who take a dim view of inaccurate information. He said it used to take him a half day to do it, but as he has grown, it now takes him three days to do these mandatory reports. He said he wanted to buy some of his time back,” explains Dr Will Bralick, founder of Iconic BMS

Babikian echoes what we’ve already heard, and

Bralick says: “I described to him how our system

goes on to add: “The bottom line is investing in the right

operates: you follow standard operating procedures

software will save you money. The things to remember

– those defined by how the system works – to handle

are that when implementing software is there will always

purchasing raw materials, receiving them, managing

be a bit of culture shock and of course a learning curve.

them in inventory (lot/serial control, expiration dates),

However, these issues can be minimized by being

using them in production to produce beer which is then

selective of the software you choose.

sold using the POS or B2B sales process and then ship

“Put together a list of features that is important to you and try to find one the hits most of what is on that list.

the product.

“All of those activities are the natural activities of the

For the ones that are not on the list think about how you

brewery – so nothing unusual there. At the end of the

might be able to change or adapt your process to make

month, if the processes have been followed reliably, then

it work.

the click of a button produces the necessary reports.

“When you talk to software companies find out their response times for how quickly they can patch or update

When I described how our system operates along these lines he sounded like he had found nirvana.

problems. No software is perfect, they all have bugs in

“One significant advantage of a system like this is that

there somewhere. Lastly, see how perceptive they are

it creates an opportunity for the business of the brewery

to adding functionality and future changes or new ideas.

to be continually refined and improved upon. Improving

If your idea is one that would help other clients as well

efficiency across the organization is achieved by

and make the overall application better that should be

improving the efficiency of the system. Before a process

enough incentive for them to add it to their roadmap for a

can be improved it must be consistent. An automated

future release,” says Babikian.

system imposes this necessary consistency on the users.

“Often the impact of a system like this is immeasurable.

Impact is change. Although the users can experience

Brewery management

the change, they cannot say how much (or whether) it has improved things because before the system is implemented, most of the business operations are

I 38

spoke with a brewer yesterday who is typical. They

not measured. Once the system is in place, those

have 35 spreadsheets that all need to be kept up to

measurements can be taken and the effect of change

date and, once each month, he needs to generate

shown in the data.”

Summer 2018

Brewers Journal Canada

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ONTARIO CRAFT BREWER OWNED

m e e t

th e

b r e w e r

torque

brew i ng

Making its mark in Manitoba When John Heim co-founded Torque Brewing, he and the team wanted to bring quality, diverse beers to the local market. And with the number of breweries in Manitoba up 200% since they started business back in 2016, Heim and his peers are doing a great job at doing just that.

the same pitch as them a few years later,” he enthuses.

“It’s surreal, gratifying, and rewarding. We loved it.”

Heim’s beer epiphany may have come in Minnesota but he is one fifth of Torque Brewing. The business, which officially launched back in August 2016, exists thanks to the efforts of Heim, Phil Bernardin, Adam Olson, Gilles Pinette, and Matt Wolff.

While Olson, Wolff and Heim are full-time from that setup. You’re looking at a board that has a combined CV of being a physician, automation engineer, government microbiologist, former head brewer and ad agency owner.

by Tim sheahan

A pretty good mix to start any business, that’s for sure.

While their backgrounds may differ, their joint goal

S

remains the same. To make a great product and chip

urly Brewing Company has a lot to answer

away at the macro monopoly that engulfs Manitoba’s

for. The Minnesota-based brewery has

beer scene while they’re doing it.

become one of North America’s most

“The local breweries account for 4.4% of all beer sales

respected modern breweries thanks to

in the province. So it goes without saying that there is a lot

beers such as Furious IPA.

to chip away at. That figure is up 1.5% from the year before

And it was back in 2009, thanks to a love of soccer,

that took John Heim and his family down to Minneapolis,

so it shows that we’re moving in the right direction, but there’s still a long way to go,” Heim explains.

one of Minnesota’s major cities. Watching a game, Heim

Brewery numbers are up from a modest two as

enjoyed a beverage and the beer of choice was choice

recently as 2015 to a more healthy 12 in 2018. And that

was recommended by the staff. It was a Surly Furious IPA.

number is only increasing. Consumer appetites, as they

It changed his perspective on beer forever.

are across the globe, are changing. People want to hear

“It showed me the flavours that could exist in a beer.

the stories behind the product. They want to support

That beer didn’t have to be one-dimensional and could

local, and they want variety. Thankfully for the fine

offer up a far greater experience than the beers I was

drinkers in Manitoba, that’s becoming a reality.

used to drinking back home,” he recalls.

Fast-forward a good few years and Heim isn’t only

“I think we’re catching up to the rest of the world. You look at Ontario, British Columbia and to some degree

the president of his own outfit, Torque Brewing, but the

Quebec, too. These are the major populous provinces,”

Winnipeg, Manitoba-based brewery has also gone and

Heim says. “So when you travel to places like those, let

collaborated with Surly Brewing Company on a Rye IPA.

alone down in the States, you’re exposed to so many

“It’s just like being in the crowd watching a game, with

diverse, inventive styles of beer. You’re palate is taken on

all the admiration that comes with seeing your favourite

a journey you may hot have been on before. So coming

footballers in action. And then finding yourself playing on

back to Manitoba, and the limited selection we’ve been

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The team at Torque Brewing. June, 2018

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used to. Is a reality check.”

However, a relaxation of taproom rules, among other regulative changes have helped open up the brewing scene in the province. For the better.

“People are embracing change and embracing local beer,” Heim observes.

To acknowledge and celebrate the growing brewing

brew i ng

Hefeweizen. The latter is a collaborative beer available only in the pack.

The breakdown of the pack is: Door Prize Hefeweizen, a german wheat beer with aromas of bananas and cloves, with a balanced wheat malt character; Torque Red Line IPA; Half Pints Bulldog Amber ale; Fort Garry Brewing Dark ale; Stone Angel Brewing Kaiser Bill IPA; Farmery Estate

community in Manitoba, Torque has recently helped

Brewing Robbie Scotch ale; Barn Hammer Brewing Lousy

put together a special mixed pack of beers that show

Beatnik kellerbier; One great City brewing Tipsy Cow Milk

off the best of local. Comprising 10 local beers and a

Stout; Trans Canada Brewing Lamp Lighter Amber ale;

collaboration, it includes beers from Half Pints, Stone

Oxus Brewing Juice of the oats Oatmeal Stout and Brazen

Angel, Barn Hammer, Torque, Oxus, Fort Garry, Farmery,

Hall Brewing Vakten Belgian OL.

One Great City, Trans Canada, and Brazen Hall. A mix of cans and bottles – and two cans of Door Prize

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Summer 2018

Heim likens the launch of such a pack to the company’s own success. He felt that the business started

Brewers Journal Canada

torque

brew i ng

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Heim and his colleagues have adopted a slow and steady approach to investment across the brewery

as if it was getting on an escalator at a standstill, but now things are moving. And they’re moving fast.

Awards are flying in for their beers, and as part of the

fashion.

“Look at couture. Some like it, some don’t. What works for one person, doesn’t work for the next. And that’s ok,”

Manitoba Brewing Association, they’re trying to regulate

he says. “What’s important for us is that we do our best

the federal government on issues such as excise duty.

to help educate people on the various styles. So people

Not bad for two years work.

know why they may or may not like a particular style of

“It’s all about variety. In business, and the beers we

beer. It’s rewarding to see someone try a particular style

make,” he says. "We made the choice to do four core

and not enjoy it only to come come back and give it

beers and we package on a regular basis. We also do

another shot and slowly change their opinion. It shows

small batch as frequently as possible, too. IPAs are still

that people are making their own decisions.”

all the rage of course, but we love producing a Berliner Weiss, kettle sours and Goses, too,” says Heim.

Torque has brewed more than 60 beers since opening.

Heim likens their output, and any brewery’s output to

brewersjournal.ca

Torque Brewing operates a 30hl brewhouse from Specific Mechanical Systems. This is matched by a portfolio of 30 and 60hl FVs. A smaller one barrel kit with matching FVs is housed in the brewery’s popular taproom

Summer 2018

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for one-off small batch brews.

Other kit utilised by the team is the recent addition of a centrifuge, something that has already made a

brew i ng

consistency of the beer you’re making. Quality control is crucial and as important as any new piece of steel.”

He adds: “I am very proud of the beer we make. I was

positive impact on the brewery. Five days of tank time

trying to sell it in 2015 before we had it and that was

has become five hours in the centrifuge and Heim is

obviously a challenge. It’s easier now and it’s nice to

confident on the machine’s projected 2.5 years return on

see people having the opportunity to consumer more

investment.

than one local beer. I’m pleased that we were the 4th

A canning line from Calgary’s Cask can output 30 cans a minute in two different sizes. Heim and the team were set on packaging from day one and upcoming expansion in geographies such as Saskatchewan will see both 12oz and 16 oz cans go tor market.

Approximately 70% of the volume Torque produces

brewery to open in Manitoba and with that, we have a responsibility to the consumer to meet their expectations.”

And going forward, Heim is confident about those next formative years for the team at Torque Brewing.

“These two years have been a success. My dad taught me that if you’ve not falling down you’re not trying. I think

are generated through packaged goods. The remaining

he yelled that to me when I was learning to waterski,” he

output is through kegs that go to bars, restaurants and

laughs. “You make mistakes, you learn and you exchange

other outlets. Heim is content with the level of investment

knowledge. We learned from others and others learn

the brewery carries out, despite the growing “grocery list”

from us. I like to think we are one of the go-to breweries

the brewers bring to him on regular occasions.

both for customers of good beer and those wanting to

“If you try to grow too much, too soon, you’re likely to encounter difficulties. You need to be cautious and

learn.”

He adds: “We want for people to entrench us in their

approach growth and capital expansion with trepidation,”

buying decisions. When people buy local, I want them to

he explains. “Investing in equipment all of the time is

buy us. We want to push boundaries and change people’s

fine, but you need to pay attention to the quality, and

mindsets on what Manitoban beer can be.”

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Brewers Journal Canada

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M e th o d

B arrel - A ge i ng

Patience is a virtue An important job of the brewer is to constantly look for new ways to take brewing to the next level. Dr Gearoid Cahill, director of brewing science at Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company, explains how an oak barrel previously used to age bourbon, wine, or maybe gin, can add a lot of complexity to beer in a relatively short amount of time

A

barrel-aged beer is a traditional style or a unique experimental beer, that has been aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel. “They tend to be premium or super premium beers,” says Dr Gearoid Cahill,

director of brewing science at Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company. “They are usually high alcohol and small batch, and come at a high price, and they deserve that as it is painstakingly prepared. They aren’t easily scaled up and we have to do a lot of actively managing that in order to make sure we get the most consistent product that we can make.”

Bourbon barrels are the gold standard when it comes to used casks. But with the number of breweries in the UK

by Rhian Owen

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Summer 2018

exceeding 2,000 and with distilleries also looking to buy

Brewers Journal Canada

B arrel - A ge i ng

M e th o d

bourbon barrels, producers face more difficulty acquiring

other beers, the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale makes up

them affordably. In the past, used barrels once fetched

about 75 percent of our production and we need to make

£50, but now the used barrel commands upwards of £150.

sure we keep making it as well as we can.”

“A lot of people are using the bourbon barrel, but with

The right barrel

Irish and Scottish whiskey producers trying to get their hands on these, you’re already competing with them straight away. The competition for these barrels is fierce,” says Dr Cahill.

Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company has been brewing its Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale since 2006, and the company makes 40,000 barrels of barrel-

K

nowing the history of the barrel that is going to be used is vital. The nice thing about spirits is that they’re high in alcohol, which means

that the barrels they inhabit are more or less devoid of

aged beer per year. “That’s a lot of beer going through,”

microscopic life forms. But the way the barrel has been

says Cahill. “Barrel-aged beer is hard to do when you’re

looked after still needs to be inspected thoroughly.

doing a barrel here and there, but to do it on full scale and get consistency is tricky. While we do a whole range of

brewersjournal.ca

“So you have a four year old bourbon that has been emptied and bottled, and you have this barrel. That’s an

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B arrel - A ge i ng

excellent barrel to use for barrel ageing beer – if it’s fresh,”

barrels that we could and as we would say here in Ireland

says Cahill. “Let’s say the barrel is two months old and it

- we steamed the bejesus out of them. The steam went

has been hanging around in a warehouse before you get

into the barrel, the bung hole was in the bottom, we

your hands on it. If that bourbon barrel dries out you’re in

steamed them for 10 minutes. They get really hot, the

a bad place. First of all, if it really dries out it leeks like hell.

wood takes a while for it to come through, but a lot of

It’s only a piece of wood at the end of the day made up of

heat builds up in it, we steam them and let them drain

a load of sticks. if it shrinks you will not fill it with anything.

out, and then we fill them with beer after they’d cooled

It may sound like a stupid question, but your first question

down. And we had perfectly good beer, we didn’t have a

should be “Is it water tight?” Then you should be asking,

lot of bourbon character in it, but we had nice oak flavours

“and is it wet?” If it’s watertight but it has dried out then

in there, and the beer was perfectly sound.”

you’ve lost a whole load of bourbon character and flavour.

Cahill explains that there are some manufacturers that

Also, if the barrel has been left open and it is dry and

steam their barrels to get the last dregs of bourbon out,

there is no more bourbon in there, you can have anything

and while the barrel may be wet the bourbon contribution

growing in there. You could get fungus and bacteria

might be quite low, and may need reconditioning. “So if

in there. Therefore, one that is watertight but dried out

you steam the barrel and recondition it then by adding

loses its antiseptic properties. The history and condition

red wine, or bourbon or sherry, back into it that’s an

of the barrel is very important. But if you source fresh

interesting thing to do and there are some people in

barrels, then you’re on the way to having good success at

Europe that are reconditioning barrels in that way. They’ll

creating barrel-aged beer.”

do all that work for you and they’ll sell you a reconditioned

Whereas, with wine, bacteria can happily grow in the barrels. Cahill says that while extra care needs to be taken, these barrels can be used. “If you look at a barrel

barrel and it’s pretty good, it is pretty bullet proof at that stage,” says Cahill.

Cahill says that it is important to know when a beer is

that was used for wine, and it is a sour as hell inside – it

considered a beer, and when it is considered a spirit. “If

has a bit of fungus growing in it – it can certainly still be of

you add in bourbon or whiskey into your barrel, rejuvenate

use. What you need to do is rejuvenate that barrel.”

it, and you’re leaving liquid in that barrel then technically

Rejuvenation techniques can bring a barrel back to

you’re adding spirit to beer, and it’s not a beer anymore it

life. The first thing that needs to be done is sterilising the

is a spirit. You will pay through the nose dearly for the duty

barrel. “We’ve done this. We’ve picked the worst popular

bill on that. So reconditioning or re-soaking the barrels in

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B arrel - A ge i ng

the original liquid is fine using a duty paid liquid, but you then need to make sure it is drained off completely, or

M e th o d

From far left: Filling whisky barrels in Kentucky; Dr Gearoid Cahill; A barrel filling nozzle

you’ll be in hot water,” Cahill notes.

Making beer

after six weeks and we take out our beer,” says Cahill.

Some brewers are putting their beer into a barrel for

F

much longer than Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling

illing and emptying is a careful process, and when

Company. “It’s a brave step, but I’ve tasted some beer that

it comes to using barrels extra care needs to be

has been aged for a year in barrels and it was fantastic.

taken as the environment is not as controlled as

They had used some souring cultures as well and I think

stainless steel. “We will change the valve settings and run

that’s how it was able to survive the journey of one year in

CO2 through down to the bottom of the barrel – and CO2

a barrel.”

is much heavier than air so it basically fills up the barrel

However, Cahill notes that the flavours produced from

with CO2. Then we switch over and fill our beer from the

the barrel aged process are intense, and sometimes

bottom. So we don’t get any air mixing; we fill it up to the

hypersensitive to the treatment. “Bourbon barrels hold

brim full, hammer in a bung and off we go,” says Cahill.

about 200 litres. There’s actually two square metres of oak

The Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale is always stored

in contact with your beer at that stage, and that is quite

cool. “We can’t afford to have a high level of failures,” says

a large area for impacting a flavour. But if you take the

Cahill. “Some people are storing ambient, works really

volume of spirits, so I have a barrel of bourbon, I empty it

well for sours, it’s a bit risky if you’re not doing that. We

out, and now I’m going to do something with beer, there’s

collect our own barrels from our distillery, sometimes

actually six litres of bourbon at high strength available to

we have to go further afield as well to collect our barrels.

you from that barrel, even though technically it’s empty.

They are fresh, and in the summer we keep them in a

So, that’s fantastic, it’s a wonderful flavour, but you need

giant cold room, even though they are bourbon, they’re

to be careful that if it’s a well wetted barrel, and if you’re

empty, they’re stable, but when we use them fresh we

putting in a lighter flavour beer, particularly with whiskey

keep them cold because we have to minimise the risk.

it seems to happen, you can get an over-pronunciation

If three percent of our barrels get infected, first of all it is

of the whiskey notes so that you get a beer that is pretty

a enormous waste of beer, but secondly if we had any

honking of whiskey and it is out of balance. It works with

of that beer get out to market our reputation would be

some beer styles and not with other ones.”

spoiled.

So what does the barrel give you? The six litres of

“A cool area out of sunlight as a bare minimum and

flavours from the bourbon, and the wood itself, can give

refrigerate it if you can. We mature our barrel-aged beer

you some vanillins, lactones, and a lot of different sugars,

in the cold at four degrees celsius for six weeks. We find

which add to the character of the beer you’re maturing.

that’s the sweet spot, and it is a minimum of six weeks,

But with sourcing of barrels becoming increasingly

we sometimes have to go to eight weeks depending on

difficult and more costly, Cahill notes it can be a “nail

stock levels and production. Then we go into the cold

biting process and it isn’t for everyone”.

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K hmer

B everages

Craft in Cambodia The brewing sector is not confined by geographical boundaries. It’s a universal language that and one that continues to grow across the globe. The same applies to Cambodia. When Chip Mong Group decided to enter the arena through its company Khmer Beverages, it had ambitious plans that it has realised with aplomb in its first seven years, and it’s not stopping there.

by Peter Buchhauser

K

hmer Beverages isn’t your standard brewery. Very few breweries hit an annual output of 600,000hl in its lifetime, let alone from a standing start. But that’s exactly what Meng Leang, group president of

the brewery’s parent company Chip Mong Group has achieved since the business came into operation in 2011.

Khmer Beverages is part of a family-managed group that also comprises a construction business and trading firm among others. The idea of the company came into being back in 2009. However the group had no expertise in the brewing sector so Leang’s brother Peter traveled to the prestigious Research and Teaching Institute for Brewing (VLB) in Berlin where he completed his apprenticeship as a brewmaster.

Construction swiftly followed and in 2011, the brewery was founded. It launched with an initial capacity of 600,000 hectolitres alongside kit for processing, as well as a canning, a glass and a kegging line from a range of manufacturers.

Impressive growth followed. Output swiftly increased to 750,000 hectolitres in 2012, expansion the year after enabled the brewery to upsize further and in 2014, output hit 1.3 million hectolitres.

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From the off, Khmer Beverages relied solely on its Cambodia brand, a 5% pale lager. More than 90 percent of it is now filled in cans. Leang explains that glass bottles have to be imported, are expensive and in terms of distribution in the country, less practical.

Beer in cans, by contrast, are a mature and popular choice in Cambodia, a preference that in Leang’s view is not going to change in the foreseeable future.

It was in 2015 that the brewery took the ambitious decision to expand even further. They turned to manufacturer Krones for a turnkey order that would triple the capacity of the brewery and its filling kit.

This comprised a five-kettle brewhouse rated at 600 hectolitres per brew and 14 brews a day, growing its capacity to 4.2 million hectolitres per year.

The investment also allowed the business to diversify its product range to cover soft drinks, too. Leang’s plans involve producing one million hectolitres of its water brand, 0.7 million hectolitres of the Wurkz energy-drink brand, 0.5 million hectolitres of the Cola-Ice brand and 0.5 million hectolitres of the Joop juice brand along side its beer output in the coming years.

“Entering the soft-drinks market is yet another major milestone for us,” Leang says. “And for beer, we’re targeting a market share of 45 per cent to be reached by 2022.” It’s something that looks well within reach thanks to the company’s partnership with 29 exclusive beer distributors located across the country.

He adds: “Having a good team is extremely important.

We look after our customers, we want to learn from them and improve our performance on a daily basis. These sales partners are now part of the family.

“You can’t buy a good relationship” Elsewhere, the business is also planning further expansion and diversification across the alcohol sector.

“We now have gained some valuable experience with products based on water,” he adds. And within two years Chip Mong is aiming to set up a production operation for whiskey in the vicinity of its brewery.

“People aren’t going to stop drinking,” he concludes.

Brewers Journal Canada

C ENTR I FU G E

F OCUS

Clear as Day A centrifuge can put a significant dent in your pocket, granted, but the benefits are certainly unquestionable: time saving, cost saving, and maintenance of beer quality and integrity, explains Neva Parker, vice president of operations at White Labs

there is also a collection point so yeast can be harvested and reused.

Beer centrifuges are typically quite expensive, mainly due to engineering needed in ordered to design these instruments properly and maintain beer quality and integrity through the centrifugation. The other challenge if you are a smaller craft brewery is, because of the design and engineering costs associated, most manufacturers are concentrating on centrifuges that will process 40-

by NEVA PARKER

50hL an hour or more.

If you are a brewery within this scale, using a centrifuge

A

can be a huge advantage in processing beer. For one

clarity a major priority. In the “old days” brewers relied on

itself can lead to more frequent exposure to oxygen,

cooling and a natural settling of yeast and other solids to

which is a very big no-no for finished beer.

challenge that every brewery faces at one

thing, it’s a significant improvement over standard filtration

time or another is producing a beer that is

methods, which typically use diatomaceous earth (a

free from hazy solids and is crystal clear.

known respiratory hazard) or paper filters (expensive).

Since part of the draw of any consumer-

Regardless of which filter aid is used, filtration has been

driven beer is the look and appeal of that

reported to strip beer of essential flavor complexities as

beer, brewers have, since the dawn of time, made beer

well as hop aromas. Additionally, the process of filtration

drop out of the beer.

Some brewers still hold steadfast that this is the best

For breweries that rely on the natural method of allowing yeast to flocculate and then transferring to brite

and only way to do this. Today, most brewers are using

tanks, using a beer centrifuge can save both time and

filtration for clarification and predominantly plate-and-

money. When beer has finished the fermentation process,

frame filters. In recent years, large-scale centrifugation

rather than waiting for all of the yeast to drop to the

has an achievable notion and made popular by early

bottom, beer can be processed through the centrifuge

users such as Russian River Brewing. If you are relatively

to quickly remove these solids and get beer to a finished

new to this concept, or have no idea what I’m even talking

state much quicker.

about, read on.

This can typically save two to three days of tank time and turnover production schedules much quicker. In

The lowdown on cetrifugation

addition, because solids are being physically separated from the liquid, more actual beer can be yielded since

C

entrifugation is the process of using centrifugal

less of it is having to be dumped down the drain or into yeast collection tanks.

force in order to promote sedimentation of

More beer in less time drive profit

solids within a liquid medium. This works on

both a small (lab) and large (production) scale by using an instrument to spin the medium around very quickly and driving the solids to the outer edges of the spinning instrument – think amusement park Gravitron.

In the brewery setting, beer goes in, gets spun around very quickly via a pump that creates the force. Yeast and

I

f you are in the market for a centrifuge, there are a few key elements to look for in a separator – minimal oxygen exposure, effective separation but low

shear (to protect the yeast from damage), and as much

other solids are separated from the beer through this

automation as you can afford (this will make your life

motion, and in most commercial brewery centrifuges,

easier).

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C ENTR I FU G E

KNOW THE SCORE | CENTRIFUGES Centrifuge technology can be a boon to any brewery business but it’s important to look for a centrifuge which is multipurpose and one that is equipped with feed and discharge valves required for beer. It’s also key to note that the size of the brewery is not the driving factor, explains Rßdiger Flocke, product manager Beer & Beverages at GEA.

control the brewing process, which means better beer quality. Additionally, lengthy sedimentation times can be avoided and nor does the yeast autolyze as in the standard brewing process.

Centrifuges increase the efficiency of breweries. When the beer is fermented, there is still settling time required for the yeast. Because the centrifuge facilitates a quick sedimentation period, the fermentation time can be shortened. And as mentioned, the anaerobic stress on the yeast cells is reduced which benefits the yeast and the beer.

The same applies to maturation: you can shorten

When it comes to centrifuge technology, beer is exposed

the timeframe, because part of the maturation is the

to high sedimentation force in the centrifuge bowl, which

natural sedimentation of proteins and remaining yeast

leads to a mechanical separation of the liquid/beer

cells. The filter captures beer with a standardized low

from the solids yeast/proteins. This high gravity force

level of solid load. This leads to extended filtration times

is realized by high speed rotation of the bowl. We have

and also reduces the consumption of filter aids. Further

developed a centrifuge which delivers efficient separation

applications for centrifuges in breweries include beer

of yeast and proteins from beer.

recovery from surplus yeast; typically 50% of the surplus

And during the process, the centrifuge very gently handles the product, to the extent that even the yeast

yeast is beer.

It has become more and more popular in brewhouses

cells are leaving the centrifuge in good condition and can

to utilize a centrifuge for wort recovery from the hot trub.

even be re-used in the brewing process for re-pitching.

In the past the hot trub was returned to the following

The efficient separation process allows brewers to better

brew at the lautering phase. Today this is more difficult

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C ENTR I FU G E

F OCUS

because batch consistency is required and different types

coffee and their extracts are just two trends that affect

of beers are not allowed to introduce trub from one brew

beer separation and must be taken into consider when

to another. Malfunctions in a whirlpool might be another

planning such an investment. We can offer equipment

reason for choosing to use centrifuge. For example, the

which helps standardize the beer haziness; there are

dosage of higher hop loads in specialty beers can cause

varying methods for maintaining the stable cloudiness

performance issues in the whirlpool. The feedback that

formulated by yeast cells or proteins, which can be

we have received is that breweries have been able to

tailored to customer’s needs. At the end of 2016, we

save up to 10% of their ingredients by reducing losses

began offering skid-mounted centrifuges for very small

while at the same time shortening the brewing process.

breweries.

This, in effect equals a significant increase in capacity. In

We would absolutely recommend investing in a

general, the centrifuge helps to monitor and control the

centrifuge, particularly when you compare it with the

brewing process and reacts to market demands in peak

benefits you get in return. It’s important to look for a

season.

centrifuge which is multipurpose and which is equipped

Large breweries all around the world are benefitting

with feed and discharge valves required for beer. There

from the use of our centrifuges. And, we’re also seeing

are lots secondhand and new skid-mounted centrifuges

that craft beer is a real trend and that these brewers

on the market, but quite often they are built for use in

have very specific needs. At first, their needs look similar

other applications. A wine centrifuge, for example, may

to other brewers. But as soon as you talk in detail, you

not deliver the expected result in a brewery.

see that their requirements are as tailored as their beers.

The components in the centrifuge must simply be

Having delivered more than 600 centrifuges of all sizes to

selected for the appropriate usage. The size of the

this market, we know about the challenges and needs of

brewery is not the driving factor when it comes to

our brewing friends.

choosing or not choosing to buy a centrifuge. Batch size

The increasing range of beer varieties and unusual ingredients such as herbs and fruit, or chocolate and

brewersjournal.ca

is really the determining factor and should be at least 10 to 20 hl to facilitate the use of a centrifuge.

Summer 2018

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C ENTR I FU G E

Criveller centrifuge technology

focus on the benefits | criveller The initial cost associated with purchasing a centrifuge is more than that of a traditional filter so, if a brewery is at its inception, purchasing a centrifuge may not be as feasible. If, however, a brewery is at a stage in its operating life where the budget allows for it, we believe that its benefits outweigh its initial start-up costs as in the long run, operating costs are greatly reduced, explains Jessica Criveller from Criveller group.

operating costs are not only reduced by not having to purchase an aid but also by the minimization of waste disposal. Centrifugation simply requires the disposal of the solids and not the solids plus the aid.

Some brewers find the use of a centrifuge beneficial in that it may be introduced at an earlier stage of beer production, resulting in finished product in a shorter period of time. This, of course, is personal preference and not a process shared by every brewer.

Under normal conditions, there are no limitations on what type of beer can be treated with a centrifuge, centrifuges are used worldwide in a variety of different breweries and are used on a variety of different beers.

Again, its use is more personal preference than anything else.

Centrifugation is a technique which involves the

The initial cost associated with purchasing a centrifuge

application of centrifugal force to separate particles from

is more than that of a traditional filter so, if a brewery

a solution according to their size, shape, density, the

is at its inception, purchasing a centrifuge may not be

viscosity of the medium and through rotor speed.

as feasible. If, however, a brewery is at a stage in its

This technology has been used in the food and

operating life where the budget allows for it, we believe

beverage industry for many years. For example, in the

that its benefits outweigh its initial start-up costs as in the

dairy industry Centrifuges are used to separate the fat

long run, operating costs are greatly reduced.

from milk. Similarly, centrifugation is used to remove

Centrifuges are available in different sizes and have

solids like dead yeast cells (lees), bacteria, tartrates,

features such as: nitrogen gas injection during cleaning

proteins, pectins, various tannins, other phenolic

mode, stainless steel components and piping, reduced

compounds and pieces of grape skins from wine. This

noise level and the option of a turbidimeter and pumps

process is known as “clarification�.

for waste disposal.

In the beer industry, centrifugation is used to remove

The Criveller Group offers a successful line of

yeast cells (live and dead) and other solid compounds

centrifuges manufactured by REDA, an Italian company

that may be present as a result of the brewing process:

that supplies centrifuges worldwide. REDA centrifuges

hops residue, proteins, miniscule pieces of malts, etc.

have been recently added to Criveller’s product portfolio

One of the biggest advantages of centrifugation versus

and along with sales throughout the North American

traditional filtration is that centrifuges do not require the

market, Criveller gladly offers after-sale client services as

use of a filtration aid. Without the use of a filtration aid,

well as parts.

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Mash, Wort, Trub, Ale, Lager, Liquid Gold; No matter how you say it, it’s all fluid to us. With over 70 years of experience controlling and monitoring fluids of all kinds (yes, even steam and glycol) we have the know-how and expertise to maximise the efficiency of your brewery. Better yet, we can design, build and fully automate your dream, state of the art brewery completely in house.

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|

(905) 632-3033

|

brau@burkert.com

Mash, Wort, Trub, Ale, Lager, Liquid Gold; No matter how you say it, it’s all fluid to us. With over 70 years of experience controlling and monitoring fluids of all kinds (yes, even steam and glycol) we have the know-how and expertise to maximise the efficiency of your brewery. Better yet, we can design, build and fully automate your dream, state of the art brewery completely in house.

Let us show you how we can make your ideas flow. www.burkertbrau.com

|

(905) 632-3033

|

brau@burkert.com

c ro s s i n g

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cloudwater

Great Expectations Being told you manage the world’s second best brewery is an achievement many would dream of, yet few can attain.

And it’s an accolade that has proved to be a fantastic asset for Paul Jones and Cloudwater, the Manchester, Englandbased business he both manages and co-founded. But Jones refuses to let such success define the brewery, however.

He believes educating the consumer, meeting their expectations and showing the world just how good modern UK beer can be, is far more important.

are. Does it matter if Lionel Messi is the world’s best and Ronaldo is second. Or vice versa? To be able to watch both is a joy and after all, it’s only football...

And from speaking to Paul Jones, co-founder and owner of Manchester-based Cloudwater, you get the impression he wishes that all of the unnecessary noise and hype around beer could disappear once in a while, so people could enjoy a great beer for what it is, a great beer. Without all of the background nonsense.

The brewery has enjoyed a meteoric rise in less than four years. It has many fans that enjoy the beers it produces but like any successful individual, outfit or business, it has those that for whatever reason, look upon it less favourably.

And for that reason, Jones wants to set the record straight.

by Tim Sheahan

“When we started putting together this company in 2014, we had a list of dreams and ambitions. Above all, we

T

wanted to build a great business and make impressive

he Fisht Stadium in Sochi, Russia.

beer that people would enjoy,” he tells us. “We asked

It's 10:45pm, 15th June, 2018.

ourselves how we could create a company that makes

It’s the type of humid, sultry night that

enough money to retire older staff with a good pension.

makes watching sport a challenging affair,

I also had goals such as being invited to the Mikkeller

let alone playing close to two hours of it.

Beer Celebration in Copenhagen and collaborate with

The clock hits the 88th minute of a scintillating tie

between Portugal and Spain, and the former trail 3-2

breweries we idolise across the globe. So we’re privileged to have hit a lot of our founding goals early on.”

despite going ahead twice in this Group B, World Cup tie.

Accolades and awards

But it’s not over. Portugal have a free kick.

Cristiano Ronaldo steps over the ball. Primed. The position isn’t ideal but this is Ronaldo, after all.

Adopting his trademark stance, he paces towards the ball, smashing it and curving it beautifully around the right-hand side of the wall, beating five defenders and one of the world’s best goalkeepers in the process.

The stadium goes wild and the World Cup, it seems,

E

arly success is somewhat of an understatement and Cloudwater’s ascension up the respected RateBeer Awards is a fitting way to map the

brewery’s rise. In 2016, the business was recognised as the ‘Best New Brewer’ in England. Not bad for a brewery

has now officially started. And though it pains them,

that had only started brewing the year prior. 12 months

there’s applause from Spain fans among the tens of

later, things were getting even more serious. Jones would

thousands in attendance, too. It was a brilliant strike and

have needed an additional baggage allowance to haul

such quality needs acknowledging.

back 11 accolades from the States, including the fifth best

Rewind several months and fans of Italian club Juventus felt compelled to do similar when the same player put them to the sword with a sumptuous overhead kick during the illustrious European club competition, the Champions League.

But despite his successes and ability, Ronaldo still has

brewery in the world, no less.

But despite such unprecedented success, it was the this year’s awards that really blew his mind.

“Being awarded the fifth best brewery in the world at RateBeer Best 2017 blew my mind. But we reached the end of 2017, and we were pretty sure we’d drop out of the

his detractors. Sure, you might not support the teams

top 10,” says Jones. “It had been a good ride so I listed a

he plays for, but football is the beautiful game, right? So

number of objectives I wanted to achieve going forward in

once in a while, why not enjoy these players for what they

the near future, and one of those was to hit that number

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From left: Head brewer James Campbell, managing director Paul Jones, head of retail Hannah Murphy and brewery manager Mark Cotterrell

Hive of activity: Mike Marcus, founder of nearby Chorlton Brewing Company, paying the team a visit

A busy brew day requires all hands to the pump and Against The Grain are in town for a new collaboration

“

cloudwater

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London calling

L

ondon was, and remains, its largest market. Figures that unsurprisingly impacted its decision to open its first taproom and storage facility outside of

Manchester. And if that goes to plan, there could even be

We don’t want to be a band playing to an empty room. We are trying to write music that is so good that we can’t help dancing to it while playing to a crowd that is dancing to it, too Paul Jones, Cloudwater

two spot at RateBeer Best, and two weeks later, we did.”

He explains: “There are people that would absolutely

another such outpost on the horizon, for the capital, too.

He explains: “Look, Manchester’s city centre population is about 250,000, and the Greater Manchester population is around two and a half million. So out of that, how many come to the centre to drink beer. And of those, how many of those like our type of beer?

“Sure, the scene here continues to develop, slowly, but there hasn’t been the growth in craft outlets to match the number of breweries opening. In London, the demand and market are massive and it makes sense to put your beer where the people are. Especially when they’re the type of people that already enjoy your beer.”

Jones is hopeful that between 10-12% of everything

ridicule me for saying stuff like that, and they do. But as

the brewery packages in Manchester each week will

I’ve said, what we absolutely are trying to be is a brewery

go through the new facility, which is located on Enid

that is as involved with its internal processes as it is with

Street in Bermondsey, a town in the London Borough

the consumer. We really care about our consumers, and

of Southwark. When it opens, it’ll be in good company a

that they are excited and satisfied by their experiences

couple of doors down from Brew By Numbers and also

they have with, and around, our beer.

Bristol’s Moor Beer, which also opted for the area for its

“We don’t want to be a band playing to an empty room.

capital site. In addition, breweries such as The Kernel,

We are trying to write music that is so good that we can’t

Fourpure, London Beer Factory and Anspach and Hobday

help dancing to it while playing to a crowd that is dancing

call Bermondsey home, as does distributor The Bottle

to it, too. That’s the ambition and I don’t think there is

Shop.

anything shoddy in that.”

In an age where ratings are valued and denounced in

“London gives us an opportunity to close the gap between the consumer and us, and gives us a direct

equal measure, it’s only natural to acknowledge positive

opportunity to convey what we’re about, our vision, and

feedback, especially when it can be such a boon to one’s

ideas,” he says. “But these new premises have to work

business. Look at Ronaldo. Love him or hate him, you are

financially, too. We don't have cash to burn and we’re not

sure as hell going to find his goalscoring prowess more

doing this off the back of any kind of refinancing because

enjoyable when it’s for your team, not against them.

we're trying to make this work out of the company's own

“It’s weird to find it difficult to appreciate and value feedback, which can be especially helpful if it is included

pockets as much as we possibly can.”

He adds: “We're trying to progress slow and steady

in your internal conversations about quality, value, and

and to ensure any new taprooms operate as a going

more. From my view, ignoring customer feedback is a

concern. If we chose a quieter neighbourhood and the

flawed approach. Sure, we’re in the manufacturing sector

outlet had a flat six months, that would drive our attention

but we are moving rapidly towards also being a service

and resources away from the brewery, and the focus on

industry, so that means customer satisfaction has to

beer quality, to how we could make that work. They need

register somewhere,” he says. “This is especially valid in

to be as self-sufficient as possible from day one. The

the UK, which I would argue is the most competitive beer

whole company is better off if we focus on getting new

marketplace in the world. Ratings can make a big impact

retail sites off the ground without keeping any of us awake

on whether you can easily shift your beer or not.”

at night.”

And Cloudwater is shifting its beers. A lot of them.

Being kept awake at night is something Jones knows

Several new beers are released each week. Whether its

all too well and he references the design misstep that

a 2.9% Small India Pale Lager brewed with Citra, or an

put a grey cloud over the brewery at the beginning of

8.5% Double IPA that comprises Citra BBC backed up by

this year. Collaborating with Miami’s J. Wakefield Brewing

Mosaic and an aroma hop bill of Citra BBC, Mosaic BBC,

brought the branding of the US brewery’s beers such as

Enigma and Loral. Their beers are flying out.

‘Orange Dreamsicle’ into laser focus in the UK. Labels

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All systems go during a brewing and packaging day at Cloudwater, Manchester. June, 2018.

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cloudwater

that placed scantily-clad women at the fore of design.

to die down after weeks of criticism and it was something

With such feedback taken on board, the collaboration

that he says nearly made him pull back from being the

between the Miami and Manchester breweries attempted

public figure he’s known as in the industry.

to indulge in some self-deprecation.

The branding of the beer, ‘Shelf Turds’ featured

“It made me feel as if having a public voice, and raising issues outside of beer production wasn’t worth it. Because

illustrations of Jones and Jonathan Wakefield in their

if what is going to come of me having a voice is being

underwear. However, the market disapproved. Not only

shot down so easily, then it just doesn’t feel worth it. I

was the beer removed, but Jones took it upon himself to

almost decided I won’t have a voice and we as a brewery

liaise with J. Wakefield and encourage them to look again

will speak on things less. I’ve tried to demonstrate that we

at some of their existing branding, which they rebranded

can just be humans, a company of humans with values,

in turn.

but at least at this point in time, it feels there is no margin

Despite being commended for the lengths he went to,

for error,” he explains. “I worry about how many voices are

Jones still feels regret over the situation, but would also

silenced right now. There are people in the industry that

like a wider industry dialogue on the nuances of such

have things they would love to express but I know that

instances, too.

there are many that are terrified about putting their values

“It was very tough, and extremely stressful. Even

out there because as soon as you do you are pinned to a

though I might have done a thousand positive things

mast, and held up to impossible standards. It’s no wonder

for the industry up to that point, nothing else seemed to

the vast majority of breweries just stick to beer, and

matter, one mistake and that was it. I was fucked for a

conduct themselves in a bit of a social or political vacuum

month, if not longer. And irrational fears of another Twitter

– it’s far less traumatic.”

storm still lingers on.” he says. “It felt like people threw

He adds: “I know I now find it ever more difficult to

anything positive we had done out of the window for

make statements based on my experiences, without

that one mistake. We have high standards for ourselves,

second guessing if people will call me out for something

and we don’t want to misrepresent our values, or offend

that’s visible from their point of view but maybe not mine.

anyone, ever. Maybe we’ll move past this being brought

But I’m more concerned with trying to demonstrate that

up in every interview eventually, and I hope we do, but

people can trust us, and that we’re doing our best to offer

the way things manifest themselves online at the moment

them long-lasting value in our beer. That’s what’s crucially

an element of point scoring and powerplay is the norm.”

important.

“I’m very hard on our beer quality so I make sure to

Online opinions

exert every little angle of scrutiny over what is flawed in every batch, with a view to protecting the consumers experience. Nothing else pays our bills, keeps our lights

J

ones goes on: “I say to my guys all the time,

on and makes the other positive things we want to do

because we get a lot of stick from a lot of people,

outside production without customer satisfaction. So it is

that it’s either people trying to slow us down or exert

important to me that when someone is disappointed with

some sort of influence over us. It’s rarely a truly altruistic

their experience we pay attention. Reacting to negative

concern that someone has when they flame you online,

feedback as if it’s just a consumer complaining is too

it’s really that they want to be powerful, and to be this

narrow. Sometimes customers think we’re so good that

week's judge and jury.

they’re deeply upset to discover we don’t always hit our

“What seems to be getting lost behind some of the

mark, however hard we try. It’s important to me to come

most seething outrage is a call in and focus making the

off the back of even angry complaints asking myself what

online spaces around beer a more positive. If I was a

we can do to make things better?”

wine drinker right now and I tuned into beer Twitter at

Jones is acutely aware of the positive impact strong

the wrong time, as this week’s spat or argument aired in

ratings and accolades have had on his business during

public, I might be put off quite quickly and think 'Wow

these first three and a half years. But in the words of

this is awful!’.

Uncle Ben from the Spiderman comic book universe,

“I guess it’s quite normal that overwhelming positivity

‘With great power comes great responsibility’ and

and good gets lost against the negative, and I feel that

that’s something that no doubts resonates with the

there’s, at times, a lesser overview than there could be of

Cloudwater director.

how the industry really influences the world. I think that’s

“If we carry out any critical evaluation of our beer in-

a big problem but, you know, online platforms don’t really

house and we flag something up, and if a customer picks

make long form, nuanced conversation easy, or in some

up on that too, then we escalate that issue to rectify any

cases, possible.”

problems as soon as we can. As long as the feedback

Jones feels that the J.Wakefield incident only started

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is genuine, of course. I have always tried to take any

Brewers Journal Canada

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cloudwater

negativity thrown at us from the most positive angle I can, and to use it for good. I have more than enough on my plate looking after the business, team, and customers that want us to succeed than to be slowed down by people hoping we’ll fail,” he explains. “I would like to promote more appreciation of the stuff that will build the industry into the right space rather than what will chip away at it. Because we’re only really good at doing the latter right now.”

Jones adds: “As food and drink has become a consumer-facing, direct communicating industry, I see a lot of animosity, of businesses being negatively impacted by shabby reviews and how it drags them down.

"Some reviews are genuine and some are not, and it can be difficult to separate to two sometimes. We’re all doing our best and it’s easy for consumers to expect utter flawlessness in every little thing but that’s not always possible, despite every effort. It’s made especially tough when we’re working at the scale of how businesses such as ours operate.

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How do we keep raising expectations, telling folk it’s a better experience than what they can get elsewhere, while also not building a perception that we can be utterly flawless Paul Jones, Cloudwater

quality, but it will have lost some of its freshest edges,

“We make beer in small batches, with ½-3 brews per release. We’re not blending 5, 10, 15 batches into a single tank where we can correct any errors in the early ones with recipe or process changes in the latter ones.

Unblended beer is what most smaller brewers make and there is a margin for error there that doesn’t exist in macro

and will no longer be quite the same beer that was passed in the brewery’s sensory panel for packaging.

The BBE date conveys when we expect the beer to start a “less graceful decline” towards being a shadow of its former self, by starting to showing age related off flavours.

The inclusion of such information is the latest addition

blended beer. So it’s a question of asking how do we keep

to the product breakdown featured on each of its cans.

raising expectations, telling folk it’s a better experience

But since its initiation, the brewery has always featured a

than what they can get elsewhere, while also not building

comprehensive list of product ingredients on its labels.

a perception that we can be utterly flawless.”

Something that has developed further to promote hopping rates and similar details. It’s a positive step for

Quality first

the consumer, and Jones believes it’s an effective way to educate the drinker. Despite the possible detriment it

O

ne approach Cloudwater has taken to quality

could have on the wider brewery at large.

“I took that decision at the start to put every ingredient

is through the adoption of how it conveys

on our beers. Did I make it easier for other breweries

freshness information on its canned output. The

to learn how we are putting those styles together?

business has printed packaged on dates since September

Absolutely, we made competition more intense for

2015. Jones has previously said that the business has

ourselves, but hopefully made life better for our

compromised reasonable shelf lives with short BBE

consumers! I think given that we've not seen a wide

dates, so to encourage every link in the distribution chain

adoption of ingredient publishing, it goes to show that

to move its beer in the quickest possible fashion. Such

many breweries are still reluctant to share their ingredient

an attitude has helped ensure there aren't stockpiles of

intellectual property, and I can understand why,” he

its beer anywhere, except for the days after a packaging

explains. “Go back to 2015 and it might have taken six

run, when a few pallets of cans sit in near suspended

months for an alternative style to see the light of day.

animation conditions in their 4ºC cold store.

Now, you can put out a beer and it’s maybe a month

As the industry and its distribution model develops, the brewery has gone on to adopt a new model and that’s

before a bunch of alternatives hit the market.”

He adds: “There is an intense geographical overlap of

the addition of a ‘Freshest Flavour Before’ date. This is

breweries reach here in the UK, and to build a sustainable

the brewery’s method of saying that provided the can

future, you have to ask yourself how you can figure

has been well looked after once it left our warehouse, it

out if there are any protected spaces outside of tied

should present very well to the consumer, and as was

tap handles. I feel as if we have functioned as an R&D

intended, before such date passes.

brewery for the rest of the UK sometimes. We have taken

After the FFB date, the beer should still be of high

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cloudwater

weeks, months and years later. One such goal, so ably achieved by many US breweries, is the ability to drive the self retail model.

“We are constantly waiting for hundreds of thousands of pounds that’s on our books, revenue that’s hopefully coming back from our customers. Most of them do their level best in their own way, but there is always an obscene amount overdue on our credit terms, and that’s

Traditional beer has waged a covert propaganda campaign against all keg beer, and lager for decades, and that’s impacted the growth opportunities of microbreweries Paul Jones, Cloudwater

risks as well, but in today's fast paced environment, things change all the time.

“It’s not that long ago that we started canning in 440ml

money I can’t use to build my business, to invest in staff and training to make higher quality beer,” he says, cutting a frustrated figure. “Cash flow issues do not escape a brewery like us at all, and are depressingly prevalent from the top to the bottom of the chain. So if we were able to drive more self retail, it would help us achieve increased financial comfort that we still don’t have, and it would allow us to make better decisions for our consumers.”

As of the company's 2016 end of year accounts, the cashflow was being managed by a £1.5 million director's loan. With debtors owing more than £300,000.

He adds: “We want to develop our online store, and want to develop what people can buy from us from the brewery and the taprooms. Each time I visit the US, I am

cans, and a little bit further back when we introduced the

astounded by the commercial realities that don’t ever

regular Double IPA releases. Now both are commonplace,

feel like they could be a possibility here in the UK. I can

you can’t move for them. The same is starting to apply

visit a brewery that finds that there is nobody else that

to DDH (Double dry-hopped) beers. For us that means

makes their style of beer for hundreds of miles, or even

literally double the quantity of hops, not that we dry

no other brewery that makes modern beer of such quality

hop the beer twice. I wish there was a term that meant

for hundreds of miles. Some breweries can develop great

the same thing for every single brewery. Instead, it can

direct retail support, gaining amazing loyalty and a host of

often feel like a marketing term rather than something be

benefits that come from being somewhat stylistically or

transparent over.

geographically isolated.

With that in mind, Jones admits that it could become

“That is a massive part that has made the US stand

harder and harder to maintain a commercial will to offer

out and grow, and it’s something we don’t have a cat in

up such transparency going forward.

hell’s chance of doing in the UK. The taps that we hope to

“I truly hope it doesn’t end up being the case, but

pour through here are the same taps that our peers want

when you look at how far things have come, and how

to get on, and for anybody that debuts a new style in the

much thing have changed in the last two years, then you

UK these days, you can bet your bottom dollar they’ll

ask yourself how much could happen in the next two, you

be many similar versions in a month or two, which is

find yourself asking whether being as open as possible

potentially great for the consumer, but it puts us in a very

will negatively impact us as a business. I hope not. And I

different position in the UK than our peers in the US.

want to be as transparent as we are today long into the future,” he laments.

“I’m good friends with folk in the US that have queues of hundreds of people out the door each day. You could never imagine that same situation unfolding over here because we

The cash conundrum

are brought up on pub culture. Buying beer, and enjoying it in a pleasant environment is the norm in the UK. So when we have an online shop platform that gives us reach

J

ones is proud to be part of the brewing scene in

geographically, or that meets the needs of those customers

the UK. He’s often said he is privileged to be part

that require such convenience, we need to protect our

of the burgeoning modern Manchester beer sector

customer’s experience and do our level best to make online

but equally, that Cloudwater is not a dyed in the wool Manchester brewery. He takes inspiration from London,

sales work as perfectly as a trip to the local pub.”

Development to its online platform continues, as does

Leeds, Bristol, the lot. And he’s a big fan of North America.

its upcoming London taproom and a new unit adjacent

Many seeds will have been sown on his visits overseas,

to its Manchester brewery. The Manchester facility will

ideas that would be transplanted to the UK audience

house a cold store allowing for direct can and bottle

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Maturing marketplace

sales, storage, and a taproom with purpose-built bar, seating, amenities and events space. It’s an impressive setup that will no doubt prove a go-to spot upon opening this summer.

Jones continues the investment in its current brewery site despite the lingering prospect of the need to move facilities in the future. It’s existing lease doesn’t expire for

O

pening up good beer to the wide market is why Jones has great admiration for businesses such as BrewDog, which he feels are effective at

converting macro drinkers through its bar portfolio.

a few years, something that is likely to be extended. It’s

“I'm convinced that we are one of the most competitive

something that remains at the back of his mind, but he

marketplaces in the world and there is 100% geographical

knows that the only way to prepare for such an eventuality

overlap for all but the smallest breweries across the UK.

is ensure the business becomes as profitable as possible

A tap in Manchester might be pouring us tomorrow but

before then so to cater for the high costs of a move.

not the next day. So we have to wait our turn to go back

“We are still definitely going to have to find a new

on,” he explains. “We’re limited by the number of speciality

home in the not too distant future and we're going to

outlets that exist to pour great beer. Breweries like

need to be able to afford to move. It’s going to cost

BrewDog help increase our potential customer base by

millions of pounds to do that and to be able to setup a

showing people new to craft beer what exists beyond the

new site and get that ready before we move over is likely

macro beer world they may be used to. And they should

to drain all the profit we’ve made up until then many times

be celebrated for it. Without such efforts, our market

over. It’s not going to be an easy thing to manage and I’d

would grow at a much smaller pace."

like to think we can get someone on board to head up that side of things,” he explains.

At this point in time, Cloudwater employ 21 people on

And Jones wants to do his level best to affect that change. He just doesn’t expect an easy ride doing it.

“Broadly speaking, people think we've somehow had

site at the brewery, which include three in work production,

a lot of luck and that things have been straightforward for

three in cellaring and thee in packaging. Recent staff

us on the pathway to whatever semblance of success we

hours have been cut to 40 hours per week while the wage

enjoy now. I can't tell you the number of people that I've

bill has increased 23%. Jones is also working on raising

spoken to in the industry and the number of consumers

the minimum wage for each member of the team at the

that approach us with the impression we’ve had it easy,”

brewery to £30,000 per annum. The company has also

Jones stresses. “I’ve invested in travelling and spreading

just employed Doreen Joy Barber, formerly of Five Points

the word of modern British beer, and that doesn’t only

Brewing Company in London, and Jeremy Stull, a founding

benefit Cloudwater. If you spend time elsewhere in the

member of Manchester’s Beermoth.

world talking about the positive achievements of modern

Stull will take ownership of managing the brewery’s barrel-aged output, a part of the business Jones admits

British beer, and developing the perception of British beer, it benefits everyone.

has sat on the back-burner somewhat while its focus on

He adds: “We’re sometimes held up to impossible

fresh beer grows apace. But to be firing on both cylinders

standards and have all sorts of accusations thrown at us.

with both, is one way Jones believes the brewery can

But I can’t stress how tough it has been to come this far,

sustain growth in what is becoming an increasingly

and how tough the future looks. There’s no silver lining

challenging and competitive UK beer market.

on the horizon yet. It’s difficult to appreciate the stresses

He explains: “I genuinely don’t believe the wider

and work that go into any success in the industry, without

industry can keep going at the pace it is without a bunch

being on the ground to see it first hand. I've spent time

of things changing. Traditional beer has waged a covert

with folk that sell literally hundreds more stock items

propaganda campaign against all keg beer, and lager for

from their front door than we ever could, and I might

decades, and that’s impacted the growth opportunities

have initially held a narrow-minded impression of their

of microbreweries wanting to make modern keg beer

lives being somewhat easy. But having seen the effort

in some rural locations, and made another hill to climb

that goes in from dusk till dawn, it gave me a real insight

for any brewery devoting time to independently brewed

otherwise.

lager. It’s tough for them to break into lager because lager

“If everyone is working really hard why does hard work

has been viewed as a commodity by those that have

not equal the same success for everyone? It’s possible to

bought into the CAMRA rhetoric over many years.

think it must be down to luck. But it's not the application

“But lager is the biggest market in the UK and it would

of effort alone that achieves results. It is focus, and having

be nice if we could all get a little piece of that massive

vision, taking risks, being bold, and then trying your

pie, reaching new customers and helping bring them

goddamn best to follow it up with something even more

into a world of new beer experiences, as it presents such

meaningful next time.

huge growth opportunities for everybody."

brewersjournal.ca

“And hoping it works.”

Summer 2018

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yeast

Fermenting with active dry yeast Gino Baart is a brewing professional with strong expertise in microbial cell physiology, metabolism and fermentation.

He working as technical sales manager for active dry yeast specialist Fermentis and in this article, Baart explores fermenting with active dry yeast.

molecules diffuse to the exterior at a high rate. The final powder (see figure 1) consists of 94-97% dry matter and is vacuum-packed to protect against oxidation and moisture and allows preservation of up to 3 years.

The long shelf life is one of the major advantages of active dry yeast. In addition, when considering production management there are several other advantages of active dry yeast as a replacement of liquid yeast propagation like e.g. significantly lower costs, no need for yeast quality management (done by supplier) and a massive

by GINO BAART

increase in production flexibility. In comparison with yeast propagation, the preparation time of active dry yeast can

T

almost be neglected.

he use of active dry yeast has been widely

The statement (still circulating on the internet) that

accepted in the brewing industry as both

propagated yeast has a better fermentation performance

quality and diversity have been improved

and yields better quality beer than active dry yeast has

considerably in the last decade. In short,

been disproven in several academic studies. Actually, the

the production of active dry yeast starts

fermentation and drying processes and related recipes

from a vial with pure liquid culture followed by a series

have been designed to best shape-up the yeast in terms

of propagation steps in aerobic fermenters of increasing

of vitality, viability and purity at time of rehydration and

volume. In the final production fermenter the yeast is

fermentation start. Nowadays many high quality and

grown aerobically up to 20-25% dry matter.

award winning beers are being produced with active

Next the yeast is harvested by centrifugation, concentrated to about 32% dry matter by rotating vacuum

dried yeast.

To prepare active dry yeast for fermentation, it needs

filters and dried in a so called fluidized bed dryer in which

to be rehydrated. The standard rehydration procedure

fast, homogeneous and protective drying is guaranteed.

involves the sprinkling of the desired amount of yeast in

To protect the concentrated yeast during the drying

10 times its weight in sterile water or (hopped) wort within

process, it is coated with a protective agent (most times

a specific optimal temperature range for each yeast and

the vegetal emulsifier sorbitan monostearate) just prior to

leave to rest for a set amount of time under gentle stirring.

drying.

Next the yeast cream is pitched in the fermenter.

During the drying process a protective film is formed

Although this procedure has been proven to be

at the droplet surface and the concentration of yeast cells

effective, the first results of a new study in which three

in the droplet keeps increasing while the smaller water

different rehydration procedures, i.e. rehydration at 30°C

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s c i e n c e

direct pitching STEPS u Fill the fermenter with 1/3 of the wort

volume (up to the top of the CKT cone) at a temperature of 21-29 °C u Sprinkle the active dry yeast cells directly in the fermenter u Add the remaining 2/3 of the volume of wort at fermentation temperature to allow for mixing of yeast and wort.

Figure 1 Optical microscopy image of active dry yeast powder granules prior to packaging

Figure 2 Fermentation performance of SafAle™ US-05 (Pitching rate 50 g/hL, 15°P, 20°C) and the concentration of ethanol, residual sugars and volatiles (acetaldehyde, esters, higher alcohols and vicinal diketones) at the end of fermentation for 3 different rehydration procedures (in triplicate).

with moderate agitation, rehydration in 15°P wort at

DP: direct pitch without rehydration, W: rehydration

20°C with moderate agitation and direct pitch without

at 30°C with moderate agitation, 15°P: rehydration in 15°P

rehydration, indicate no significant differences in

wort at 20°C with moderate agitation.

fermentation performance for all tested ale yeasts (SafAle

The new direct pitch procedure further simplifies

S-04, SafAle US-05, SafAle K-97, SafAle S-33, SafAle

fermentation in practice as it eliminates the need for

WB-06, SafAle BE-256, SafAle T-58, SafAle BE-134) and

rehydration of the active dry yeast prior to the process.

lager yeasts (SafLager S-23, SafLager S-189 and SafLager

The complete study including all results of the testing of

W-34/70). At the end of fermentations, no significant

the specially treated dried yeasts from Fermentis (called

differences in concentration of ethanol, residual sugars

E2U™) produced specifically for being used with the

and volatiles (acetaldehyde, esters, higher alcohols and

‘Direct Pitch’ procedure will be publically available soon.

vicinal diketones) between rehydration procedures were

To all brewers that still doubt the use of active dry yeast,

observed (see figure 2). This indicates that the direct

you should use it at least once; believe me you’ll keep on

pitching procedure is adequate for fermentation.

using it once you discover the benefits.

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s CIENCE

F orced

D i acetyl

T est

the deal with diacetyl In this article, Richard Preiss and Nate Ferguson from Escarpment Laboratories present their findings from the lab when carrying out the forced diacetyl test.

the brewers judgement, but customers complain about diacetyl upon purchase. This is not a fault of the brewer - everyone's palates are different, and diacetyl sensitivity has been linked to genetics. However, it is important to have a range of tasters during the critical stages of beer production, and there are ways to help insensitive diacetyl

by Richard Preiss & Nate Ferguson

tasters to identify potential faults: The forced diacetyl test can help prevent the above problems from occurring.

D

So how do I perform the test and how does it work?

iacetyl is a flavour-active molecule found

In its simplest form all the test requires is that a sample

in beer, which for most tasters appears

of beer is gently heated to 60-70ºC inside a sealed

as a buttery, popcorn or butterscotch-like

container for 10+ minutes.

flavour and is undesirable in most beer styles. Yeast produce the potential for

diacetyl during fermentation as the cells grow, in the form of α-acetolactate which is initially colourless and tasteless.

This can be achieved several ways. A sealed flask on a heated stir plate or water bath, or a mason jar in a bucket of hot water (this can be done at any brewery!)

Once heated for the appropriate time all you must

When α-acetolactate is exposed to the beer environment

do is open the container and smell. Some tasters prefer

over time, it will be broken down into diacetyl which can

to cool the sample back down to room or beer temp as

be reabsorbed by the yeast cells and broken down into

other flavors are also pronounced at hot temperatures.

2,3 butanediol, a much less flavor-active molecule. The process of reabsorption will continue after the beer has reached its terminal gravity and in some cases this period may extend beyond the point of terminal gravity. This is typically known as a diacetyl rest.

A beer has reached terminal gravity and there does not appear to be any diacetyl present according to sensory

If you smell butter then diacetyl uptake is not complete If you do not smell butter then diacetyl uptake is complete This tests works due to the heat being added which accelerates the breakdown of α-acetolactate into diacetyl.

Do not boil, as this will boil off the diacetyl and lead to a false negative result!

evaluation. The beer is cooled, filtered, carbonated,

The forced diacetyl test

packaged, shipped and placed on a shelf for purchase.

When the customer takes the beer home, the beer has diacetyl off-flavor. This is an example of a beer that has not finished fermenting or had other residual diacetyl issues as not all of the α-aceto has been turned into diacetyl and taken up by the yeast prior to cooling.

A second problem is when a brewer who is

T

he forced diacetyl test is commonly used as a `”go/no-go test” to determine if a beer has completed diacetyl reuptake and can thus have

the cooling turned on and proceed toward crashing,

unknowingly insensitive to diacetyl smells and tastes

transfer, filtration and packaging. If the cooling is turned

a beer at F.G. and it does not appear to them to have

on before diacetyl uptake is complete, the diacetyl

diacetyl. The beer is cooled and further processed due to

will remain within the beer as the yeast cells will have

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s CIENCE

flocculated and become metabolically dormant, less able

any cooling will accelerate the process however this is

to take up the remaining diacetyl.

best performed at the very end of fermentation to avoid

This test is superior to simply smelling a beer for

flavour changes. If diacetyl is present, we recommend

diacetyl for 2 reasons: Heated diacetyl is much more

raising the temperature slightly (1-2ºC for ales, possibly

volatile than when cooled, making those with low

greater for lagers) and holding the beer until diacetyl is no

sensitivity to the molecule able to identify its presence

longer detected.

more easily.

Flavourless α-acetolactate with the potential to turn into

Can I do anything else to reduce my diacetyl content of the beer? Diacetyl is mainly produced during the

diacetyl during storage is also accounted for, ensuring the

beginning of fermentation while the cells are within their

product will not develop yeast-derived diacetyl during

exponential growth phase. If this phase occurs at a lower

storage.

temperature, then less will be produced. Healthier cells

Who should be performing this test? Anyone can

will produce less diacetyl along with properly pitched

perform the test! However, it is best analyzed by

cells, proper aeration levels and generally anything that

someone who is more sensitive to diacetyl than others.

can be done to improve cell health. High finishing pH,

We recommend multiple people assessing the heated

high residual FAN (free amino nitrogen), and dry hopping

sample to ensure that all diacetyl is removed and that no

have all been linked to elevated diacetyl levels in beer.

personal limitations or biases are skewing the data.

Can I microwave the sample to heat it up? Microwaving

My beer reached terminal gravity several days ago and the diacetyl is still there! This is usually an indication

the sample is not recommended as it tends to flash off

of poor yeast cell health. In order for the diacetyl to be

the the diacetyl very quickly.

absorbed there must be healthy cells in your beer. If the

If I have diacetyl present, how long do I need to let it

cells are unhealthy or have flocculated out of solution

rest for? This is heavily strain-dependent. As a general

then the diacetyl will not be absorbed. Try rousing the

rule, the more diacetyl present, the longer it will take to

yeast within your fermentor with CO2 and removing the

be reabsorbed. Allowing the beer to “free rise” without

cooling to try and reawaken the yeast.

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date s

&

e v e nt s

events

Toronto’s Festival of Beer presented by the Beer Store, runs Thursday, July 26 to Sunday, July 29

13/07/18 - 15/07/18

Because beer Pier 4 Park, Hamilton www.becausebeer.ca 14/07/18

big axe craft beer festival Nackawico www.bigaxefestival.com/ 26/07/2018 - 29/07/18

Toronot's Festival of beer Bandshell Park, Toronto www.beerfestival.ca

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Summer 2018

10/08/18 - 11/08/18

halifax seaport Beerfest Cunard Centre www.seaportbeerfest.com 10/08/18 - 11/08/18

true north beer festival Prince Edward County, Ontario www.truenorthbeerfestival.com 12/08/18

winnipeg beer festival 866 Rue Sant Joseph www.winnipegbeerfestival.com

Brewers Journal Canada

N S I I N N O VAT E S & E X PA N D S YO U R

Dependability BUILT FOR BREWERS BY BREWERS

Newlands knows that when it comes to brewing, dependability in your brewhouse is essential. That’s why our systems are engineered with each unique brewer in mind. From 5 to 100 BBLs, your Newlands brewhouse will step up to the plate every time. Backed by an industry leading five year warranty, in house parts department and 24-7 technical care, you can have peace of mind knowing you’ll never miss a brew. Newlands – Built for Brewers by Brewers.

NSIBREW.COM

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