The Brewers Journal April 2019, iss3 vol 5

The magazine for the professional brewing industry

Brewers J o u r n a l 36 | coldchain: yvan seth sets out his stall

29 | no-alcohol: where next in the growing market

April 2019 | Volume 4, issue 3 ISSN 2059-6669

46 | water: innovation in a challenging sector

Bohem brewery Leading London’s Lager revolution

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le ad e r

the good, the bad and the unknown

T

here's a GIF online that shows Clint Eastwood in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly exchanging suspicious glances with two other characters. Except, with it being the internet and all, someone has added a confused-looking cat to the mix and the scene becomes all the more tense. Well, kind of...

I can't help but feel that those sentiments are rife in the modern beer industry. Does community and camaraderie still exist? Of course. Is the market more competitive? No doubt. Is there room for growth? I'm certain.

But, it seems, more and more businesses are looking after number one. And ultimately, who can blame them? It is business, after all. A brewery such as Cloudwater, for a fair while, gave a pretty detailed breakdown of its hop and malt bill on the label of each beer it rolled out in small pack. It was a welcome insight into the recipe's formulation but it's something the brewery has since moved away from.

The brewery's founder, Paul Jones, said such a possibility was on the horizon when interviewed in this publication last year, so it's far from surprising. And again, it's their prerogative when it comes to revealing how much of each recipe they share.

Move the dial and then you have the confirmation that Fuller's was selling its brewing business to Asahi.

Such news hit a lot of people hard. Other breweries could sell, sure. But not Fuller's. That brewery is older than everyone reading this, and most of us would assume it would be there after us, too.

The shockwaves are surely only starting to be felt.

Georgina Young, the proud head brewer, in the role for less than two years (but with Fuller's since 1999), has already moved on. Others will follow, no doubt. One only hopes the great work the brewery has been doing with collaborations and small batch beers continue, and the hard-working staff are treated in the correct manner.

A little more than three miles away from the Fuller's Griffin Brewery is The Beer Boutique, or should I say,

brewersjournal.info

editor's choice My colleague Velo Mitrovich explores the no-alcohol sector, and the growth opportunities that exist - page 29

was The Beer Boutique. A mainstay in the retail space since 2011, the bottle shop, along with its branches in nearby Wandsworth and Tunbridge Wells in Kent, shut abruptly at the end of March. The future of the We Brought Beer stores, a business Beer Boutique merged with back in 2018, also look uncertain.

And it's that uncertainty over any semblance of continuity that seems, in my humble opinion, to be clouding parts of the industry in 2019. Though, of course, I acknowledge the London-centric nature of the above. Either way, I'm hopeful things will improve.

There is good news, though! Congratulations to Big Smoke in Surrey on the launch of their new brewery.

There will also be more positive stories ahead, I'm sure.

Until next time, enjoy the issue. u Tim Sheahan Editor

April 2019

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co ntac t s

contacts Tim Sheahan Editor tim@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 592 Ryan Horwood Head of sales ryan@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 593 Josh Henderson Sales executive josh@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 594 Jon Young Publisher jon@rebymedia.com Reby Media 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP1 1PA, UK

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

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co nte nt s

contents 20

46

36

9

29

Cover story 22 - The team at London's Bohem Brewery have a commitment to quality and a core. With that, they're making some of the capital's best beers.

comments 16 - How the cloud can be used for smarter decision making & improved scalability 18 - The issues to consider when sending out your beers to be packaged

41 - Why portable cold storage presents an alternative for those looking for chilling solutions 44 - The lowdown on Star Refrigeration's installation at BrewDog's Ellon brewery

Sector | water Dear John 20 - John Keeling reflects on life post-Fuller's and the journeys that lie ahead

46 - The importance of best practice and ensuring control protocols are up to date 50 - How self-supply is changing the water procurement landscape in the UK

style | no alcohol beers 29 - The no-alcohol market remains on a growth trajectory and with it, so does the opportunity for breweries both big and small

focus | refrigeration 36 - Yvan Seth, founder of Jolly Good Beer explores the uptake and implementation of Coldchain distribution in the UK

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April 2019

crossing continents | short finger brewing co 52 - How Rob and Kate Hern founded a brewing supply business in Canada before starting a brewery of their very own

science | fermentation 57 - Why yeast is a driver of innovation in beer

Brewers Journal

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Georgina Young leaves Fuller’s to take up head brewer role at Bath Ales

S

t Austell has appointed Georgina Young as the new head brewer for its Bath Ales operation.

Young leaves London-based Fuller’s, which she joined

as a production brewer back in 1999, to take up the role at Bath Ales’ Hare Brewery.

As head brewer at Bath Ales, which was acquired by St Austell in 2016, Young will report to St Austell Brewery and Bath Ales brewing director, Roger Ryman.

Young started her brewing career at Smiles Brewery working alongside Richard Dempster, one of the founders of Bath Ales.

She then went on to run the pilot brewery at the Brewing Research Institute before joining Fuller’ in 1999, where she served in roles across all aspects of production.

She ascended to the role of Head Brewer in 2017.

Young also holds a Masters degree in Brewing & Distilling and is a Master Brewer of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling.

Roger Ryman brewing Director at St Austell Brewery

over for some time. So when a great brewer like St Austell

and Bath Ales, said: “George and I have known each

offered me such a fantastic opportunity, I just couldn’t say

other for many years, both as brewers and friends. I’m

no.

therefore hugely excited that she’ll be joining our brewing

"The role at Bath Ales will allow me to take total control

and production team at Hare Brewery. I look forward to

of the operation – including brewing and packaging –

working and brewing alongside her in the years to come.”

which gives me a new challenge. It’s sad to be leaving

Georgina Young, added: “I’m delighted to be heading

Fuller’s after all these years – but I’ve left a first class

back to my home town of Bristol – it’s where my parents

brewing team at Chiswick and I know they will flourish in

and sister still live and it’s something I’ve been mulling

the future.”

Greene King appoints new head brewer

G

reene King has appointed Ross O’Hara as its new head brewer.

O’Hara becomes the 17th head brewer to take the role

during the Suffolk-based brewery’s 220 years in business.

He joined Greene King as a shift brewer in 2016 with

responsible for the development of new brands including the award winning Heritage range, Yardbird Pale Ale, Gluten Free Old Speckled Hen, and the brewery’s seasonal beer range.

He has also been instrumental in the development of the new industry wide brewing apprentice-ship scheme which launched earlier this year.

Matt Starbuck, managing director of Greene King

a first class honours degree in brewing from Heriot

Brewing & Brands said: “Ross is a highly knowledgeable

Watt University. He subsequently became new product

and capable brewer, passionate about brewing with an

development brewer, as well as overseeing the brewery’s

excep-tional technical ability and flair for innovation.

apprenticeship scheme.

Last summer O’Hara, 28, became the world’s youngest Master Brewer, when he completed the four year course from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, alongside his role at Greene King.

Since joining Greene King, O’Hara has been

brewersjournal.info

"He is a great advocate for brewing as a career opportunity, encouraging the development of others and driving forward our brewing apprentice scheme.

"We are delighted to make this appointment as we look ahead to an exciting next chapter for Greene King brewing.”

April 2019

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Butcombe Brewing Company streamlines supply chain Purchasing Group, also based in the South West.

Alice Bowyer, Group Executive Chef at Butcombe Brewery, said: “We have a 40-strong managed and tenanted pub estate which includes everything from a three-Rosette country house hotel to gastro-pubs and wet-led premises.

“We had over 35 different suppliers for food across the group, which, even when we had just nine or ten pubs, was difficult to manage, with low profit margins.

“Last year we bought 15 new businesses so that, in itself, brought a lot of challenges. We did not really understand where we were buying from, who from, and had little control.

“Regency have a lot of knowledge of the industry and a lot of understanding as to what we should be paying, from who, and their advice has been invaluable.

“Our overall experience of working with Regency has been fantastic. I see Regency more as a department of our own company than a supplier.”

Alex Demetriou, managing Director of the Regency Group, added: “Over the past two years we have worked to help consolidate Butcombe’s supply chain throughout their pub estate.

“The reduction in food miles has been achieved by streamlining suppliers, using an increasing number of local suppliers and sourcing more produce from local

B

utcombe Brewing Company, which also operates more than 40 pubs, has had its supply chain

growers.

“It has been a very challenging time for the industry

streamlined, resulting in a reduction of 843,879 food

and we’ve seen more and more businesses turn to

miles.

procurement companies like ours to help maintain trading

The reduction in food miles was made possible

margins or even to enhance food margins in order to help

through Butcombe’s partnership with the Regency

counterbalance the increases in labour costs.”

Real Ale opens third site

We can’t wait to get started!”

To celebrate the launch of the new store, Real Ale

eal Ale, the independent London-based retailer

R

is combining forces with two of its favourite producers

specialising in craft beer, natural wine, cider and

for the first time to create a new collaboration brew.

spirits from small producers has opened its third, and

Throughout the year Real Ale will run a series of events,

largest shop and taproom, in Notting Hill.

hosting brewers, cidermakers, winemakers, spirit

The new store will offer a rotating selection of beers

producers and suppliers for tastings and discussions.

and wines available on tap, with an Enomatic wine

The taproom will host a number of tap takeovers with

dispenser for sampling high-end wines. Everything from

independent breweries from all over the country,

the retail range will be available to drink in.

showcasing one-off and seasonal releases.

Retail manager Tim Peyton said, “Our aim is to create

Real Ale’s first shop opened on Richmond Road, East

a comfortable and inviting space for people to discover

Twickenham in 2005 to champion locally brewed, high-

delicious drinks from small producers all over the world.

quality beers.

10

April 2019

Brewers Journal

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Firestone Walker to launch new IPA in UK roots in the East Coast of the US, but all the way back to southeastern Germany and the Bavarian Hefeweizens of lore.

“I recently spent some time at Gutmann brewery in Titting, and they have this amazing beer called Weizenbock,” he said. “It’s this beautiful 7.2 percent ABV hazy beer with a creamy mouth-feel and a tropicalbanana aroma that fits right in with the hazy IPAs of today—and yet they’ve been making it for more than 50 years.”

He added: “We’re not relying on residual yeasts or starches for turbidity. The haziness and mouthfeel of Mind Haze are cultivated by more stable means, namely using 40 percent wheat and oats in the grain bill while nailing the timing and interplay of our hop additions.

“We are drawing from our past experience in making Hefeweizens, and then aiming to amplify the esters gained from a specially chosen yeast and an array of

F

irestone Walker is launching Mind Haze, its new hazy IPA, in the UK.

The beer, which launches in mid April, is the

really fruity hops.”

The branding of Mind Haze is a nod to the marine mists that routinely envelop California’s Central Coast—

culmination of time spent tinkering with the style,

and to the idea of a beer that messes with perceptions of

retooling and refining the beer with several R&D batches.

what a hazy IPA can be.

Brewmaster Matt Brynildson said he and his team

He said: “We are not claiming to reinvent the style—we

wanted to put their own stamp on the style and create a

want Mind Haze to offer the best of what people expect

beer that would stand shoulder to shoulder with Firestone

from a hazy IPA. That said, we’re going about it in a little

Walker’s other IPAs in terms of quality and shelf stability.

different way, and I think that’s what gives Mind Haze its

For Brynildson, the hazy IPA style doesn’t just have

Low shear pumps find ideal partner in brewing industry

own unique signature.”

for gentle handling with long radius bends and a large enough diameter to keep liquid velocity below 2 m/s.

As well as the gentle handling properties of such

U

sing low shear screw centrifugal impeller pumps

a pump, the low NPSH values has the positive effect

promote gentle handling characteristics imperative

of reducing the changes of pump cavitation in all

to the beer production process, delivering clearer beer to

installations. High solids content in the pumped medium,

the fermenter, according to Hidrostal.

which is normal for a brewery, can easily be handled with

The company, the UK subsidiary of the Swiss

the pump.

manufacturer, said the gentle handling of malt mash

It is important to understand that not all pumps are

improves brewing as it avoids shearing the grist and

the same and in fact very few centrifugal solids handling

destroying endosperm and husk particles within the

pumps are low shear. The company’s pump differentiates

mash. Its pumps, the company explained, speed up

itself as derived from the unique impeller geometry,

wort transfers and allow you to recirculate your mash. It

its gentle handling characteristics are combined with

improves the clarity of the beer, saves times and improve

exceptionally large free passages delivering excellent

efficiency.

solids handling capabilities.

If low shear is deemed to be important and will

Extremely versatile in its application, the impeller

improve results, i.e. in whirlpool feeding, it is wise to

provides efficient handling of a range of liquids including

decide early and make sure that sufficient space is

those highly abrasive or corrosive in nature. It is ideal

available and pipe layouts are correct for a low shear

for solids handling and handling delicate or low shear

pump. In addition, the pipe layout should also be suitable

products.

12

April 2019

Brewers Journal

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top craft breweries in the US revealed

P

all or part of 2018.

annual list of the top 50 craft brewing companies in the

brewer. Small: Annual production of 6 million barrels of

US.

beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales).

ennsylvania-based D.G. Yuengling & Son has retained the top spot in the the Brewers Association (BA)

The rankings, which are devised on projected 2018

An American craft brewer is a small and independent

Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating

sales volumes, featured Boston Beer Company in second

proprietorships. Independent: Less than 25 percent of

and Sierra Nevada third.

the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent

Elsewhere, Canarchy Craft Brewery Collective that

economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry

comprises Cigar City Brewing, Deep Ellum Brewing, Oskar

member that is not itself a craft brewer. Brewer: Has a TTB

Blues, Perrin Brewing, Three Weavers Brewing and Utah

Brewer’s Notice and makes beer.

Brewers Cooperative, moved up to eighth. Stone Brewing, on the other hand, fell a spot, to ninth position.

The BA also released its list of the top 50 overall

“Although the market has grown more competitive, particularly for regional craft breweries with the widest distribution, these 50 small and independent brewing

brewing companies. Of these 40 were small and

companies continue to lead the craft brewing market in

independent craft brewing companies. According to the

sales through strong brands, quality, and innovation,” said

BA, these businesses met the craft brewer definition for

Bart Watson, chief economist at the Brewers Association.

Ska Fabricating installs 500th Depalletizer

Beer Works in Austin, Texas, and was eventually sold to

The first Can-i-Bus depalletizer was sold to Austin Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company in Houston when ABW

S

ka Fabricating has installed its 500th Can-i-Bus Depalletizer, ordered by AleSmith Brewing Company

purchased a newer model.

Ska Fabricating now has customers that are located in

in San Diego. Its Can-i-Bus depalletizer is the best-selling

48 states in the U.S., with provinces across Canada as well

sub-400 CPM can depalletizer in the world, the company

as 21 countries worldwide.

said.

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April 2019

Brewers Journal

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DME to reopen after being bought by Dutch firm CETP C

harlottetown-based DME is under new ownership

operates in brewing through its Ziemann Holvrieka and

after being purchased by CIMC Enric Tank & Process

Briggs brands.

B.V. (CETP), a subsidiary of CIMC ENRIC Holdings.

The DME and Newlands (NSI) brands will now operate

The acquisition provides the CETP group the opportunity to strengthen its position in the overall

as DME Process Systems after CETP, based out of the

brewing market and further increase its manufacturing

Netherlands, purchased the business.

footprint in Canada.

DME Process Systems will continue to manufacture

“We are very excited to be a part of this prestigious

both the DME and NSI brands out of the Charlottetown

international group of companies,” explained Marc de

location, which is operational as of today.

Jong, managing director of DME Process Systems. “Their

Although DME Process Systems is a new entity, they

innovation, market presence, manufacturing locations and

will work with previously installed DME and NSI breweries

experience will further strengthen our already globally

for any parts, service or expansion needs.

recognized brands.”

DME, one of the most respected brewing equipment

Ko Brink, CEO of CETP, added: “The DME Group brings

manufacturers in North America, was forced to cease

us an experienced team as well as a great customer base,

operations at the end of November last year after it was

which allows us to further increase our presence in North

issued an order by the Supreme Court of Prince Edward

America. Adding DME/NSI to our group brings two strong

Island in Canada.

brands in the (craft) brewing industry that will highly

Its new owners, the CETP group of companies

contribute to our existing brand portfolio.”

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brewersjournal.info

April 2019

15

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software

Look to the cloud Providing anytime, anywhere access to data – even on a brewery production line – can help improve productivity and drive operational efficiencies. Yet there remains a reluctance to embrace cloud services such as Software as a Service. Andy Graham, Wonderware product manager at SolutionsPT, looks at how the cloud can be used to enable smarter decision making, improved scalability, security and mobility.

by Andy Graham

efficiencies.

For those required to provide regular data to third parties, cloud can help ensure that data is readily available and collated, ready to be securely accessed whenever it’s needed.

Multi-location operators are other potential beneficiaries. When data is fed to the cloud, a business can get a real-time overview of the operation and performance of all its sites, making it easier to compare productivity and measure efficiencies. Connectivity within each site is also improved, paving the way for the implementation of mobility across the facility.

This gives everybody who needs it instant access to real-time data and analytics of the running of the plant.

Modern mobile technologies are such that this can now be tailored to specific areas, meaning relevant data is

M

made available when engineers walk into a different zone.

anufacturing environments today are

Improving Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is

filled with multiple devices collecting

another key driver for switching to the cloud. Its ability

data from every end point – brewing

to monitor and react to data means systems outages

industries being no exception.

can be pinpointed before they become a reality and

A typical site can easily generate, and

store, millions of data points every day. Harnessing that data is vital for effective decision making, but finding a way to access, analyse and manage it is easier said than done.

Many manufacturers fear connectivity, believing it opens the door to security breaches, but for any company

cause downtime – a key consideration on busy drinks production lines.

Similarly, system updates require no expensive hardware, so upgrades are simple and low-cost, again requiring no downtime.

There’s an increasing view that intelligent analysis of

looking to initiate an IoT strategy, connectivity is a must.

data will be central to companies’ future success. This is

And it’s here that Software as a Service (SaaS) comes in.

particularly true for companies facing a fight for survival,

Put simply, SaaS is software which you can access via

not only against their competitors, but also sometimes

a web browser or app, as opposed to buying it upfront

internally, against plants and sites based in other

to install on your computer or machine. Think Google,

countries which enjoy lower cost bases.

Facebook, YouTube - you haven’t installed them, you simply use them as a service.

SaaS solutions such as Wonderware Online InSight deliver powerful data intelligence when it’s needed

Do you use Office365 in more than one location

and where it’s needed, supported by the highly secure

across your business? If so, you’re already embracing

Microsoft Windows Azure Cloud Services environment.

SaaS. And if you trust the cloud with your accounting

As a SaaS solution, Wonderware Online InSight allows

and confidential business data, why not trust it with your

you to use the software without being responsible for its

production data?

implementation, maintenance or upkeep.

It’s not about operating your real-time drinks

Security is likely to remain one of the key concerns

production in the cloud. But SaaS can correlate all the

raised by companies when talking about the cloud.

other business data you collect, across multiple sites,

However, many drinks companies are already using cloud

before collating and presenting it in a way that doesn’t

services in their corporate and commercial processes,

require additional IT expertise or capital expenditure.

whether that be email, accounting or even online services

For drinks producers, using cloud-based services

such as DropBox. With that in mind, there’s no reason why

to remotely analyse energy consumption data and

non-critical manufacturing processes shouldn’t be moved

production data can provide valuable insight to help drive

there too. u

16

April 2019

Brewers Journal

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a

brewery

Take pride in your packaged beer

So you run a brewery but need help on the diverse packaging aspect of your business. There are a wealth of issues to consider and a number of potential hurdles you must avoid, explains Tracy Sambrook, managing director of SEB Brewing Services.

shelf life as well.

There are a number of questions we’re frequently asked, though. So it’s important to know where you stand How long does the process take? As a packager founded by established brewers, we understand quality beer and that it needs care. The beer spends 7-10 days with us, first a prescribed length of time cold-conditioning What actually happens to the beer when it’s packaged? For a new brewer, they will be on a learning

by TRACY SAMBROOK

curve and have focused on the brewing process rather than small-pack. We recommend a potential new

W

customer visits our SALSA accredited site to see for

we support customers in making sure their canned,

valuable when a new brewer is considering retail routes to

bottled and kegged beer is at its very best for filling and

market, such as supermarket chains.

e work with a fantastic mix of

themselves how it works and what the options are from

customers, from brand new

filtration and bottle conditioning to packing formats. It can

brewers to established regional

be reassuring to know the beer is in safe hands and meet

ones, there’s one thing a brewer

the team looking after their beer.

can’t avoid and that’s thinking

about the quality of their beer when it leaves the brewery.

As a craft beer packager with a commitment to quality,

stays that way for as long as possible, and has a great

18

April 2019

Are you accredited and why does that matter? We are SALSA accredited and have been since inception in 2013.

We are proud at SEB of that accreditation and know it is

How do we get the beer to you for small-packaging?

Brewers Journal

start i ng

a

brewery

co m m e nt

We use a simple but effective method of disposable

and laws around disclosure so we recommend allowing

sterile liners in 10HL Arlington containers, which we can

6-8 weeks minimum for the first time.

arrange for you as part of our end-to-end small pack

As a new brewer you won’t want to let your newly

service. We can guide you, with videos, on how best to

established routes to market down and although storage

move the beer from fermentation vessel to the Arlington

will be a challenge for you, no doubt, building buffer time

sterile liner and minimise DO2 pick up so it arrives with

into the supply chain is essential, for what ever issue

us in the best condition possible. We’ve got 6 years

might arise.

experience of best practice now and we’re keen to share

Considering pricing over quality. The cheapest options often cost more in the long term (stock written off;

it!

How do labels work and does SEB source them for us?

Our customers prefer to own the label-sourcing process however we can make introductions to those we work

complaints; loss of routes to market) so balance quality and price.

Other potential pitfalls would be leaving too much

with and who understand SEB’s labeller set up, for cans

sediment and yeast in the beer before shipping to

as well as bottles.

SEB. We can provide guidance and advise on the best methods. It if arrives at our facility in the best possible

The potential pitfalls and the positives

state, we can do the best possible packaging service for you. Packaging is really a partnership after all.

T

Positives are huge – getting a quality packaged

he design and production of labels often takes

product into market and knowing it has good shelf life will

longer than brewers realise and can slow the

generate both pride from a brewing perspective as well

packaging process down to get the right quality

as strong commercial trust in the product, all resulting in

labels, with the right set up and meeting the regulations

brewersjournal.info

happy retailers and consumers! u

April 2019

19

Co m m e nt

dear

john

A Day in the Life - or more like a few months Retirement offers up a change of pace away from the full-time commitments of a head brewer. There are, of course, pros and cons to such a move. For John Keeling, it has been a case of making new priorities and catching up on lost time.

quick succession. I was discussing all things beer with many people but always with my Fuller’s hat on.

Indeed, it still felt that I was still at work.

Gradually I started to think about things in a different way not just about how a Fuller’s head brewer should think about things. I then truly began to think of myself as ex-Fuller’s. It did help that I had chatted to Roger Protz and Pete Brown about the future of cask beer. Indeed, I did an article in this very magazine.

by John Keeling

I then went to see a group of people in Leeds organised by my good friend Ian Garrett. I found myself

W

thinking more and more about this and wrote a discussion

hen I retired, I wondered what it

article for CAMRA and was asked by another friend Peter

would be like. Not to have to get up

Alexander, aka Tandleman, to sit on the panel at the

and go to work but to be able to do

Manchester Beer Festival to discuss the future of cask

what you want and when you want

beer.

to do it. I wondered what I would

I have been thinking about the question of fairness

miss the most, because I already knew what I was glad

in duty. People have argued that to treat cask beer

to be rid of. That list included any form of management

differently to other beers is wrong and unfair to those

training, doing appraisals and being appraised. Lord

beers. I would argue that duty is not applied fairly now

protect us all from management gurus and the latest

and no matter how the government view duty, fairness is

thinking on how to manage people efficiently.

not high on the agenda.

I quickly realised it was the people that I missed most

Take the basic fact about duty that it increases as the

and that daily interaction. I decided to counter this by

alcohol content increases. Why should a strong beer pay

going out for a pub lunch as often as possible and anyone

more duty? It already has higher costs because it uses

who follows me on Twitter must know that already.

more malt. Cider is not taxed this way. It is banded. In

For the first few months I threw myself into the work

fact, you can date this back several centuries when the

I had left over from being employed at Fuller’s. This

government wanted grain to be grown for bread not beer.

involved travelling to Milan, Prague and Barcelona in

Cask beer is already taxed differently because of the

20

April 2019

Brewers Journal

dear

john

co m m e nt

sediment allowance so why can’t we take advantage of

finishing it in Blumeneau the sight of the Brazilian Beer

this? In fact, why can’t we argue that bottle conditioned

competition. I have been a judge here tasting 45 beers

beers should have a sediment allowance too.

per day. Judging is always fun, and I never had the time

Small Brewers duty relief is not exactly a fair tax. Not

whilst at Fuller’s to accept these invites. Also here are two

that I think it should change. In fact, it is a good model for

other Englishmen here, Bill Simmons who I worked with

the argument for cask beer duty relief.

for many years at Fuller’s and Mark Dorber, who many will

Many people have asked me what the biggest influence on my career has been. I always answer Her

know and most certainly will remember him from his days at the White Horse in Parsons Green, London.

Majesty’s Government. The way they have changed duty

One of the great things about judging is, of course,

rates, the way they calculate duty and decide how many

meeting new friends and visiting new places. It is always

pubs a brewery can own. This always have had greater

gratifying for people to express their admiration of Fuller’s

affect of my career than anything else.

beer and to that end our importer, Boxer, have been

Gradually the old Fuller’s commitments died away and

very good at spreading the message in Brazil. One of the

left me some free time. I was still in contact with many of

things I can’t do anymore is offer to give my new friends

my old Fuller’s friends but now it was different, I no longer

a tour of Fuller’s when they visit London, so I hope they

had the “up-to-date “information, so I began to have

don’t mind being overrun by Brazilian brewers in the not

different and more impartial views on Fuller’s and beer-

too distant future.

related topics.

I also realised that I could do things in beer that

Here is hoping that I get many more invites to future beer festivals and that Tim, your esteemed editor will

was impossible when I was at the brewery. They were

foot the bill. At this moment as Tim reads this copy, he is

impossible because I simply did not have the time. For

having a heart attack.

example, I started writing this in Sao Paulo and I am

brewersjournal.info

Goodbye from Brazil. u

April 2019

21

M e e t

th e

b r e w e r

B ohem

B rewery

Leading a Lager Revolution in London In an age of countless one-offs and seasonal beers, the team at London’s Bohem Brewery have nailed their colours to the mast of perfecting a core range in the challenging lager market. And by offering an authentic taste of the Czech Republic, they’re winning over drinkers left, right and centre.

respects on both a human and professional level.

Weeks before said appointment was announced however, Ryman was busy swapping the South West coast for a sojourn to England’s capital for a brewday with the team at Bohem.

There’s perhaps some circle of life irony to unravel there, or maybe not. But what is certain is the lager brewed on that day is likely to be very good, very good indeed.

Ryman (far right) teamed up with Petr Skocek (centre),

by tim sheahan

A

Bohem’s co-founder and head brewer as well as Bohem brewer Matej Krizek (left) to produce Otakar Brut Lager.

St Austell’s brewing director transported the yeast

lot can happen in seven months.

used to brew the Cornwall brewery’s Korev lager to

On a blistering afternoon at the end of

London. The recipe, originally developed for a one-off

June last year, the team at Bohem Brewery

beer called Korev Brut, was given a new twist by being

were in the company of 40 or so other

brewed by Ryman and Skocek on Bohem’s decoction

outfits pouring their beer at the London

brewing kit.

Brewers’ Alliance festival. An event held in the venerable

The result is a 6.4% ABV beer named for the several

surroundings of the Fuller’s Griffin Brewery in Chiswick,

King Otakars who ruled Bohemia, which today sits within

West London.

the Czech Republic.

The festival, spearheaded by Fuller’s ambassador and

Lagered at a low temperature for six weeks, Otakar

former head brewer John Keeling, its then head brewer

Brut Lager was brewed with Pilsner, Cara Gold, Acid Malt

Georgina Young, and members of the London Brewers

and maize, along with Magnum, Hersbrucker and Saaz

Alliance, was a resounding success.

hops, as well as Nelson Sauvin in the dry hop.

The sun was shining, excellent beer was pouring, and everyone was having a jolly good time.

Described as having a fresh, vibrant aroma, and initial light citrus tones of lemon and grapefruit, Otakar has low hop bitterness, which combined with the soft carbonation

But things change

delivers an easy drinking beer that belies its strength.

It was also the first time Ryman had made a decoction mash.

T

he impending completion of Fuller’s sale to

Such collaborations, and there’s more to come, are

Japanese brewing giant Asahi surely puts this

effective indicators of how far the brewery, completed by

year’s event in doubt.

co-founder Zdenek Kudr and chief tapster Marek Průša,

The aforementioned Young, in the role of head brewer

at Fuller’s since 2017, has departed to pastures both new and old. Returning to the area she grew up to take up the

have come since the early brews of Victoria, their 4.2% Session Pils, back in May 2015.

Kudr previously drove trucks across Europe before

position of head brewer at Bath Ales, a business acquired

moving to London in 2010, where he started his own

by St Austell back in 2016.

lettings business for Czechs and Slovaks arriving in the

Heading up Bath Ales’ Hare Brewery, she reports to Roger Ryman, the group’s brewing director and a figure understandably delighted to be working with a brewer he

22

April 2019

capital.

Skocek, originally from Pilsen, had made London his home five years prior to Kudr’s arrival. While, he admits,

Brewers Journal

the USA was his planned destination, the opportunity of work proved too much and here we are, 14 years on.

Returning the empty keg, Kudr would regale the beer’s virtues to Skocek, encouraging him to take his beer-

But there was one part of London life Skocek couldn’t

making prowess to the next level. But for the brewer, he

get on board with and that was the lofty price of a pint in

wasn’t sure where to turn in order to move from a labour

the capital. So naturally, he turned to home brewing.

of love that enveloped every Saturday, to something

“I knew Petr from games of football we played in Finsbury Park. He’d often bring bottles of beer for people to try, which was very welcome,” explains Kudr.

Kudr would soon find himself in need of beer, a lot of

more viable.

“The paperwork, premises, resources, finances, the lot,” recalls Kudr. “It was clear he had given it some thought before, but these were all hurdles in the way.

it. He’d be hosting a party and as was customary at such

“However, we worked things out. I felt I could help, and

gatherings, he needed a keg to keep the thirsty guests

we shook hands there and then. Bohem Brewery would

watered. Conveniently for Kudr, Skocek had recently

be established in 2015.”

brewed a Belgian-style beer with orange peel for the

A modest premises in North London, towards the outer

Christmas that has just passed. However the 8% number

reaches of the capital’s Piccadilly Line, was secured and

ended up not being ready in time for the celebrations.

with it, an equally unassuming one barrel kit and 200 litre

“I bought it off him for £120 and the whole keg, all 50 litres of it, went in about three hours that night. The Czechs, the Slovaks drank every last drop!” he laughs.

brewersjournal.info

kettle.

Beer produced on that kit include Victoria, a 4.2% Session Pils with a sweet butterscotch and floral

April 2019

23

“ M e e t

th e

b r e w e r

B ohem

B rewery

We want to perfect our core range of beers because that's what our reputation relies on Matěj Křížek, Bohem Brewery

aroma. The flavour has a little grapefruit and a touch of sweetness, as well as notes of fresh baked bread, and a building bitterness on the dry, subtly spicy finish.

Amos, its 4.9% Czech Pilsner has subtle lemon and

lagers, and so wanted to specialize in that area.

“I was looking for something that I could do for the rest of my life. I went to a small event where lots of different schools would attend and I saw some demonstration of fermentation,” he recalls. “And there and then my father told me that’s what I was going to do. Why? Because people are going to drink beer for the rest of time. They’re never going to stop, so I’d always have a job!”

Moving to London to be with his girlfriend studying in the captial, Křížek emailed many of London’s breweries but with no luck.

“I had zero responses but thankfully got wind of two Czechs running a brewery in London. I got in touch, they replied within minutes and two weeks later I was here,” he laughs.

Křížek says the most automated kit he encountered at the Břevnov Monastery Brewery was the keg washer, so to be part of a growing, evolving outfit at Bohem offers up

honey in the flavour, balanced by a dry bitterness

a whole new, exciting experience. But he’s in no rush to

and a spicy burst that lingers in the aftertaste, while

push things too fast, either.

Amber Lager Sparta has bitterness and hop spice

“We are just doing our best and we don't want to rush

complementing the honey and Dundee orange

things so we opt for quality over quantity,” he says. “As a

marmalade notes. The aftertaste has orange peel, toffee

result, we’re maybe not as visible as we'd like but we have

and a building dry spiciness.

to do what’s right for us."

Though amber beers have fallen out of fashion in the

Křížek adds: We want to perfect our core range of

UK market, Sparta had the opposite effect for Bohem. The

beers because that's what our reputation relies on. They

beer resonated so much with one local drinker, known

are always improving because you have to be honest,

for his love of variety, that he stuck on the lager for a

there is no such thing as a perfect beer. You can always

whole evening during a session at nearby pub, The Prince

improve somehow, no matter how minor the detail.”

N22. Not only that, he and another friend sought out the brewery to offer investment.

Such an approach was well-timed, enabling the team to move to a significantly larger facility in Tottenham in

Skocek, Kdur and Křížek are passionate about making the best beer they can, trying to reverse the reputation lager has long held in many circles.

“All lager, regardless of quality, is too easily associated

early 2018. Beers made here, much like those produced

with the cheap and fizzy liquid produced by major

at the existing site, help serve a range of customers

brewers and dismissed by CAMRA. The media still uses

including the company’s taproom near Bounds Green,

the term ‘lager louts’ to describe any alcohol-related

North London.

disorder,” explains Kdur. “However, in the Czech Republic,

Its Tottenham brewery comprises 215 square metres,

lager is rightly celebrated for quality. We believe that the

with a brewing capacity of 6000hl a year and, currently,

same quality standards should be applied in the UK, and

a lagering capacity of 2400hl a year. Bohem produces

is making its quality pledge through the Bohem Lager

its beers through decoction brewing, the traditional

Manifesto.”

European brewing style which sees part of the mash

He says: “It is not helpful for consumers that the

boiled, and returned to the main mash to raise the

term ‘lager’ is applied to such a wide range of products

temperature. The process adds the depth, complexity

of differing quality. In the absence of EU appellation

and flavour which characterises authentic Czech lagers.

regulation being applied to the traditional lagering

2018’s expansion at Bohem not only enabled the

method for beer, as it is to Champagne and other food

brewery to grow but also its team, too. Matěj Křížek,

and drink, we are making the quality pledge for our own

awash with experience from Břevnov Monastery Brewery,

products and production.”

one of the oldest micro‘s in the Czech Republic, joined Bohem that March.

At High School, he gained his Maturita certificate,

And in accordance with their own personal manifesto, Kdur says the brewery can guarantee the following: There are no additives, including no added sugar, there is no

similar to A-Levels, in Food Technology, specializing in

forced carbonation, its brewing equipment is a bespoke

brewing beer. Upon joining Břevnov, Matěj brewed many

design for brewing lager, manufactured in the Czech

different styles but found he was particularly excited by

Republic, its lager is unfiltered and unpasteurised, only

24

April 2019

Brewers Journal

M e e t

th e

b r e w e r

B ohem

specialist malts designed for brewing lager are used, its lager is always bottom-fermented using specialist lager yeast, no high-gravity concentrate is used, beer is lagered in a precise temperature-controlled fermenter and finally, all its beers are lagered for a minimum of five weeks.

This passion also extends to the way their beer is served. Marek Průša, the brewery’s chief tapster, is a Certified Pilsner Urquell Tapster and has more than 20 years experience in the Czech Republic, and latterly at Galvin Hop in Spitalfields. He is responsible for the expertly-poured beers found at the brewery’s North London taproom.

For Zdur, the taproom is an essential part of the Bohem jigsaw and something he’d like to see grow, too.

“Successful breweries tend to have their own retail source, which helps make a significant contribution to cash flow. It is so important,” he explains. “I’d like us to open more bars, giving us the opportunity to showcase our beers while offering guest taps to the many other breweries across London. We promote their beers, they promote ours, and everyone wins.”

Zdur is particularly keen to push this aspect of the business in what he sees as an increasingly competitive market and one in which Bohem needs to stand its ground in.

“Too many people are competing on price, and that’s not something we wanted to be involved in. Instead

B rewery

“

I’m not interested in one-offs. I’m more concerned with cementing what we do and giving people confidence in what they buy from us Zdenek Kudr, Bohem Brewery

means the complete opposite.”

He adds: “We are not focused on producing many

one-off beers. That works for some, but not us. I’m more concerned with cementing what we do and giving people confidence in what they buy from us.

“I think that the craft beer revolution in the UK is almost

dead. It's not going to move anywhere else because realistically, everything has already been done. So now is the time for a really good quality, consistent, core range of beers.

“There are many breweries in the UK but within the

we remain focused on quality and creating a premium

next 10 years I see 30% of those going bust because

product,” he says. “Sure, you would never call it a premium

they’ve not prioritised correctly. People want reliability

product because that term is meaningless today. If

and they want consistency, and that’s what we’re trying to

something says it's ‘Premium' on the package it normally

do.” u

26

April 2019

Brewers Journal

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no

alcohol

s t y le

Keeping it Dry It’s called non-alcohol beer, no-alcohol beer, non-alcoholic beer, very-low alcohol beer, NA, or malt beverage. It’s also been called a lot worse. However, thanks to a growing demand, both big and small brewers are putting out something you just might find yourself enjoying. Velo Mitrovich reports.

Brooklyn Brewery recently made its foray into the sector

volunteer peacetime army could work without a draft, so they took anyone and I do mean anyone.

One day in the middle of July, the powers that be decided they needed to throw a party to boost morale.

“269 Aviation Battalion will celebrate this Friday from 1200 to 1600 hours. You will be there and you will have fun.”

While North Carolina is full of lakes, ponds, and natural

by velo mitrovich

A

beauty, they gathered all 200 plus of us in what looked like a giant dirt parking lot in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by scrub pines that were maybe about a

bout a million years ago in the mid 1970s I

meter high. There was absolutely nothing to do there

was in the US Army stationed at Ft Bragg,

except for one thing.

North Carolina. It was not a good time

The barbeque that was provided – you had to pay for.

to be in the army. The government was

Soft drinks, you had to pay for. But the beer – all 20 zillion

desperately trying to show that the all-

cans – was free.

brewersjournal.info

April 2019

29

s t y le

no

alcohol

Infinite Session go from strength-to-strength

duty were busy putting in stitches and bandaging noses.

Because a couple of drunks decided it would be fun to push over the port-a-loos with someone inside, the porta-

Some supply sergeant must have figured: Mmm,

crappers were smashed and unusable. A few soldiers

hot as hell day and no shade. “Sir, each soldier must be

couldn’t be bothered to walk over to the scrub pines and

provided with at least 12 cans of beer for pure survival

pissed where they stood like mules.

reasons alone. Anything less and we could have a medical emergency on our hands.”

Because this was survival we’re talking about, they opted to have about a dozen open trailers placed strategically around the area, filled with ice and beer so

At one point, I watched a staff sergeant pass out drunk, face down into a beer trailer. If his friends hadn’t pulled him out, he would have drowned, or had his face frozen, or both.

Promptly at 1600, those still standing got into their cars

no soldier was ever far from a cold one and there would

and drove off like it was the start of the Indy 500 except

be no lines.

on a dirt track.

Sounds great? No, these guys were all idiots at the best of times. You did not want to get them drunk.

I don’t recall why, I suspect it was because Old

Looking at these drunk dunderheads behind their wheels, I decided to be in no hurry to leave. I looked over the field that looked like it was out of a war zone –

Milwaukee was the beer they choose, but I choose not to

in hindsight, it just needed the end music from Platoon

drink. So there I was, the only one completely thirsty and

playing.

sober person in a field of over 200 drunks.

Within an hour, the command had given up the idea of

The field was littered with hundreds of beer cans, overturned trailers, vomit, the smashed-up port-a-loos,

being in command, figuring the beer would ultimately run

and someone’s boots – how could you not notice your

out and order and discipline restored.

feet were suddenly bare?

It doesn’t require a vivid imagination to picture what was soon happening in the field. There were arguments, fights, smack-downs, and more fights. The two medics on

30

April 2019

I shook my head and went dry for 10-years.

During this dry decade, I tried to find alternatives.

There was near-beer, which was started in the US during

Brewers Journal

no

Prohibition. It was horrible – and I’ll just leave it at that.

After a long, long search I found a couple of German alcohol-free beers but these were so malty, they tasted like something you’d give your kids if they had whooping cough.

Ten years later, I was living in Seattle, in the Coast

alcohol

s t y le

While my generation in the States sees shame in drinking alcohol free and it would be something you’d try to hide; for the Millennials, not at all.

As far as tasting good, at the CBR show, there were numerous offerings of non-alcohol beer, with some brewers such as BrewDog and Brooklyn Brewery offering

Guard now, and was with some friends at a pub in Pioneer

it alongside their regular. Mitch Adams of Euroboozer

Square. While they were drinking their pitchers of Bud, I

plied me with bottles of German non-alcohol beers that

was getting ready to order a black coffee. The bartender

they import along with regular European beers. Online

though had other ideas for me.

beer shops such as Beerwulf and Dry Drinker have a huge

“You should try a Ballard Bitter.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s better than what they’re drinking,” she said,

assortment to try.

Thrown into this mixture of no-shame and tasting good is the report last August in which The Lancet said no level

pointing with her chin over at my mates. “It’s an IPA from

of alcohol consumption improves health, and the massive

this small brewery – Redhook – that’s just opened up the

marketing campaign that Heineken is doing on both sides

road. You’ll really like it, trust me.”

of the pond with its Heineken 0.0 lager in the familiar

IPA? Small brewery? I had no idea what she was talking about, though I was 100 percent sure whatever it was, it had alcohol in it. But then, she did have an English accent so a course I completely trusted her.

I took one sip and shouted out the F-word, so loudly, it’s still probably floating over Seattle. Ballard Bitter was everything that I had ever wanted in a beer, like I had spent my entire life waiting for that rush of hop flavours.

With that, my quest to find a non-alcohol beer that tasted like beer ended – until now.

It seems like about every decade or so for the last 40 years, the beer industry has rolled a non-alcohol beer and said this is the future, but if you watch the Simpson’s, you know how this always plays out.

When Duff’s Brewery goes alcohol free – due to

green bottle.

Suddenly an ice-cold non-alcohol beer starts sounding good.

Taking Europe as a whole, around 10 percent of all beer sales were non-alcohol last year. All are expecting this figure to jump for at least the next five to six years.

How big of jump, that’s the question.

Some market research groups are claiming that worldwide it will double in growth, being worth a staggering £20 billion by 2024. But, knowing how many of these research groups operate, I find it even more staggering that people believe them.

The UK papers have reported that last year our supermarkets saw a jump of 27 percent in the sales and/ or consumption of non-alcohol beer. A magazine article

Springfield’s local prohibition – the owner comes out

said that in the UK, the sale last year off non-alcohol beer

and says he knows Duff’s fans drink the beer for it’s great

rose 60 percent.

taste, not for its alcohol content. And then three hours later, he’s locking the gates of the shut-down plant.

While that sounds like every shopping trolley no longer has room for food – just non-alcohol beer –

Why will this time be any different for alcohol-free?

without knowing the actual figures behind the 60 percent,

In asking random people at this year’s Craft Beer Rising

that could be six bottles or six million. Percentages are

Festival at Truman’s and at the Pure Gym I go to, it seems

too easy to exaggerate and blow out of proportion as we

very much like you can draw a line.

know from the weekly health scare in any newspaper. You

For those over 30, alcohol is part of the beer drinking experience, with numerous people – both male and female – telling me it was at least 50 percent of the reason why they drank beer.

Those younger, however, said they were open to the

sold one can last year and five this year, way-hey, you just had an increase of 500 percent in sales.

But, what we can agree on, however, in talking with brewers and distributors, sales are rising and as I mentioned, the stigma that used to go with drinking non-

idea of non-alcohol beer – if it tasted good – and could

alcohol beer is disappearing, especially with Millennials

see sometimes when it would be preferable.

here in the UK.

When pressed, the reasons given were: It’s in the

Dry opportunities

middle of the week; or you’ve already had one regular beer so now you switch over to alcohol free; or you want to look like you’re drinking; or you’re in a situation where you need to keep your wits about you, i.e., meeting the future in-laws; or you feel better not drinking; or it seems healthier; or you don’t feel like drinking but still want a beer.

brewersjournal.info

I

n a December Brewbound podcast, Brooklyn Brewery CEO Eric Ottaway said that breweries needed to quit thinking of themselves as only makers of beer, but to

look at other potential revenue streams, which includes

April 2019

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“ s t y le

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alcohol

drinkers who love beer…but sometimes just don’t want the alcohol. We are going to change the game, it’s like nothing else in the market.”

NA controversy

N

on-alcohol beer first made an appearance in the

The elephant in the room for us involved in the beer industry is alcohol Velo Mitrovich

non-alcohol beer.

He said that Brooklyn’s entry into non-alcohol beer is a

way to diversify Brooklyn’s products offerings and build a buffer against beer’s overall slowing sales in the US. Brooklyn spent a year developing its non-alcohol

Special Effects lager that is now available in Sweden and which they had at the Brick Lane show. When will it be available Stateside, Eric wouldn’t say, but did say said

US in 1919. Why, you ask? That’s when Prohibition became law. It was decided that the strongest a

beverage could be and considered non-alcohol was 0.5 percent ABV and that’s where that magic number comes from – at least in most of the world but not here.

At present, to be “Alcohol-Free” in the UK, a beer brewed here has to be 0.05% ABV or below, while products at 0.5% have to be called “De-Alcoholised”, although some non-alcohol beers don’t have to have alcohol removed to be at 0.5 percent.

But, products from the EU and elsewhere, distributed in the UK can be 0.5% and still labelled “alcohol free.”

Confusing? Oh yeah.

Why doesn’t the government then put the marker at 0.5 percent and call it a day? Because, not all want this.

Steve Magnall, chief executive at St Peter’s Brewery, a

that the US has had it backwards when it comes to non-

producer of a range of 0.05% alcohol beers, says: “We’ve

alcoholic beer.

put time, effort and money into producing a zero-alcohol

“If you were drinking a non-alcohol beer, there was

range of beers, so why should a 0.5% beer be branded as

something wrong with you. It was kept in the back of the

zero alcohol when it isn’t. Someone wishing not to drink

bar fridge and carefully poured into a glass and given

alcohol doesn’t want a 0.5% ABV beer, that would be like

to you so nobody would see that you're drinking non-

feeding a vegetarian a tiny bit of thinly cut ham.”

alcoholic beer,” he said. “It was kind of an embarrassing

A course, if someone comes out with a 0.04 percent or

thing. Whereas you go in Europe and it's celebrated. It's

lower beer, they’ll be making the same argument against

treated as the opposite in most countries. People would

St Peter’s Brewery.

never sneer at you or look down at you like you have a problem.”

Ilaria Lodigiani, head of global marketing innovation,

In Germany, where 0.5 percent is treated as the gold standard of alcohol free, there have been numerous tests regarding 0.5 percent and complete alcohol free. Their

Heineken brand, characterises this as moving away

researchers didn’t see any difference in the effect it has on

from a focus on "can’ts" – such as pregnant women and

people.

designated drivers – to "don’t want tos", who "like the taste

Making it dry

of beer but just don’t want to drink alcohol at a particular moment."

Lodigiani agrees that alcohol free beer is seen as something that’s “not cool", but believes the brand equity of Heineken can play a big part in transforming perceptions. The business is putting its money where

M

ost of the time it starts off like a regular beer, from making a mash to the fermenting stage.

But, while regular beer will now be bottle,

its mouth is: it has committed to spend 25 percent of

canned or further aged, non-alcohol beer has to have its

Heineken’s marketing budget on its non-alcohol in every

alcohol removed.

market

If you remember your school chemistry, alcohol has a

She thinks the potential for the product is broad. "It’s

much lower freezing temperature than water – thus the

a zero-alcohol beer, but also very low in calories, low in

reason for that bottle of vodka in the freezer – and it has a

sugar. The consumer mind-set is changing quite a bit –

much lower boiling point than water – around 78 degrees

they’re looking for 100 percent natural products, but with

C. You can in effect, boil off the alcohol before the water

less sugar, less alcohol."

starts boiling.

CMO Jonnie Cahill of Heineken says: “It’s for beer

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April 2019

This additional cooking, however, gives alcohol

Brewers Journal

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alcohol

s t y le

free beer the taste we all can’t stand and it’s why most have been in the past heavy on the malt flavour. Hop flavours, forget it, they’re not going to happen with all that additional heat and cooking time.

The problem with boiling beer is that it doesn’t just remove the alcohol, it also destroys other flavour compounds that give beer its fullness and character.

According to Brew Your Own, "The hop aromas will usually be driven off within the first five minutes, while the hop flavours will be gone within the first 15 minutes."

Which is why finding a decent alcohol-free IPA can be a challenge.

One thing most people notice with non-alcohol beer is that quite a few have a metallic taste that ranges from being very slight to quite pronounced.

Regular beer can have the same problem but we don’t notice it due to the hop flavours.

When brewers inject CO2 in alcohol-free beer, besides tiny bubbles in your drink, it also adds carbonic acid, which can give off a metallic or sour favour – which could be one reason why non-alcohol seems to work extremely well with sours.

Some brewers boil under vacuum pressure to reduce the boiling point thereby mitigating damage to flavour. A course, you need the additional equipment to do it.

That said, two American craft brewers, Jeff Stevens of WellBeing Brewing and Philip Brandes of Bravus Brewing, have taken on the challenge of creating craft

Dry Drinker founder: Steve Elkington

non-alcoholic beer by using the vacuum boil method.

Depending on the power of the vacuum, the alcohol’s boiling point can be lowered to around 40 degrees C. A couple of friends and I tried WellBeing’s Heavenly

really add any flavour, alcohol adds to what is called the mouthfeel of the beer. It gives it that dryness, and

Body Golden Wheat and Hellraiser Dark Amber. We all

according to some, it can accentuate some of the sweet

agreed if we were offered a Diet Coke or either of these

flavours in the malt. If you don’t believe me about the lack

two, we’d take the non-alcohol beers in a heartbeat. If

of flavour, next time you’re in the USA’s Deep South, try

we were offered the real thing or these two, that’s where

having a swig from a bottle of Everclear which you can

opinions differed.

sometimes find being sold at 190 proof.

Another dealcoholizing technique that's sometimes

After sampling some of the non-alcohol choices at

employed is reverse-osmosis. As Chow.com explains it,

CBR, I wanted to see what else was out there. In the UK,

"...beer is passed through a filter with pores so small that

online seller Dry Drinker in Staines has Britain’s largest

only alcohol and water (and a few volatile acids) can pass

assortment of non-alcohol beers – 103 at last count –

through. The alcohol is distilled out of the alcohol-water

along with wines and spirits, so I went out there to meet

mix using conventional distillation methods, and the

with founder Stuart Elkington and to do a bit of sampling.

water and remaining acids are added back into the syrupy

A bet

mixture of sugars and flavour compounds left on the other side of the filter. Bingo—a non-alcoholic brew."

Because the main ingredients aren't heated, this technique causes less flavour degradation, so it gives generally preferable results, though it's more labour intensive and requires even more equipment.

Regular beer drinkers will tell you that no matter what

W

hile in the USA what seems to drive craft brewers into non-alcohol is an alcoholrelated problem, joining a dry-religion such

as the Mormons, or other guilt, in the UK we don’t carry all

brewers do, non-alcohol beers won’t taste completely the

those same issues and Elkington is an example of this. He

same because there’s no alcohol.

went dry to win a bet with his wife.

And they’re actually sort of right. While alcohol doesn’t

brewersjournal.info

They were trying IVF treatment for a baby and the

April 2019

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alcohol

doctor told Stuart that he should cut back on his drinking.

His wife said he couldn’t make it six months and the bet was on.

During this period, Elkington says that he found he was

Listen to the full story on the Brewers Journal Podcast

feeling and sleeping better so he decided to continue staying dry. However, he still wanted a beer. Elkington says that he searched locally but couldn’t find anything.

Complaining to his wife about it – and how this lack also

Find it on Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever your get your podcasts

seemed like there could be a business opportunity – she told him to either put-up or shut-up. Dry Drinker was born.

Go to: brewerspodcast.reby.media

“People ask me if I’ve stopped drinking? ‘No’, I tell them, I just drink dry,” says Elkington. “While for many people this is a negative thing, for me I see the positives.

“With Dry Drinker, we’re not a preachy brand; we’re

definitely there – but it’s something we never discuss at

here when you want to drink; we’re here when you don’t.”

beer conferences, trade shows, in bars or in tap rooms.

In the three years that Dry Drinker has been up

Which in a way seems a bit screwy on our part if for

and running, he says that he’s seen a big change in

many people, one of the main reasons why they have

the market, with more people drinking alcohol-free

a cold one is to enjoy a bit of buzz, enjoyment, and

beverages. But, it’s not always an easy slog to try to

temporary mental escape from what life throws at us.

convince people to try it.

“There is a pre-conceived notion here that it won’t taste good,” he says. “But for European drinkers, it’s not that big of deal with European breweries presenting non-alcohol

Why do we pretend otherwise? It’s why people have been drinking for thousands and thousands of years, so why should we feel embarrassed to discuss it?

If we acknowledge that alcohol is an important part

beer as just part of their range and not plastering non-

of our industry, then we should acknowledge, too, that

alcohol all over the label.”

sometimes we should be offering an alternative. Guinness

In sampling non-alcohol beers, some styles do work

has its H2O Guinness Clear - also known as tap water – in

better than others, a fact that Elkington is quick to point

their campaign to drink moderately. Breweries across the

out.

world are offering up non-alcohol beers by the hundreds.

“Sours work well, they’re a good fit in the range like

Should this alternative be, however, something coming

BrewDog’s Raspberry Blitz. IPAs can be found that are

from your brewery? For those of you who are small, no. It

full of flavours and hops,” he says. “If you start with good

takes time and money to do it right and you have bigger

ingredients, you get a good beer.”

things to worry about. For you medium to large brewers,

Lagers don’t work as well, but that said, Germany, Latvia, and surprisingly Russia, all make a decent lager.

Elkington says that he is lucky right now with

let me pass on this bit of advice from the US Western days. The pioneer gets the arrow, the settler gets the land.

If this time around, alcohol free will be here to stay,

Heineken’s big push for their alcohol-free beer. “When

which I suspect it will be, I don’t see much advantage

the bigger brands come into the market, it reassures the

in being the first out the gate. Let the big boys like

consumers that it must be a good thing because they’re

Heinekens use their massive marketing budget to create

doing it.”

the demand and then follow behind.

I asked Elkington with something like Brewdog’s sour, is it his job or Brewdog’s to market it?

“Looking at Brewdog’s latest accounts, they have just a bit more money than me,” he says laughing.

“Any brand we’ll work with. I tell them that I want to be

When visiting Stuart at Dry Drinker I enjoyed the Braxzz Porter. I’m not going to lie and tell you it was the finest porter I’ve ever had, but it was far from the worse, I’d place it right in the middle.

But, what in a way made it the best was, I had

their biggest supplier and distributor, but they need to

the enjoyment of the drink, without the sluggish feel

do their job as well,” he says. “With the small UK brewers

afterwards. And, without giving alcohol blood levels a

who are doing alcohol free, they know us and we work

single thought, I got into my car and drove off, knowing

together.”

I wasn’t a danger to anyone on the road – except for my

The elephant in the room for all of us who are involved in the beer industry is alcohol. It’s there – it’s most

34

April 2019

usual crappy driving.

I’d say that was a pretty great alternative. u

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refr i gerat i on

fo cu s

Keep it chilled “Coldchain” is a phrase increasingly prevalent in the British beer industry but what is it, does it really exist, and is it being used correctly? Yvan Seth from Jolly Good Beer takes a closer look.

temperature”.

I tend to regard our target storage temperature as “circa 4°C” and know a few cases where 6°C is used, and know a few breweries using 3°C for coldstorage. As 4°C is common for food storage it is also the temperature which most study and literature will refer to - such as “Freshness” by Dr Charles Bamforth.

by Yvan Seth

In “Freshness” Dr Bamforth refers to the work of Swedish chemist Svante August Arrhenius that relates

C

temperature to chemical reaction speed — and for beer

distributed is kept chilled all of the time including

after just the one month (this is an experiment you can try

transport links. This is what makes it a “chain” - every link is

at home!)

oldchain distribution is nothing new - you

uses a 3x faster reaction time for every 10°C temperature

see refrigerated lorries and vans on UK

increase. If you fit a curve to this trend and interpolate for

roads all the time. It is used for many food

4°C versus 12°C the result is that at 4°C changes ought to

products - often as a serious matter of food

be slowed down by approximately 2.4x - and versus 20°C

health and safety, but also to preserve the

this is 5.8x. In my own testing with 1-month changes in

quality of fresh produce.

What it means simply is that the product being

chilled. If you remove the refrigeration from one of those

beers across 4°C, 12°C, and 20°C there was often a notable flavour difference between 4°C and 12°C for pale beers

Of course the changes in a beer are on a continuum

links then you don’t have a chain any more. The important

- unlike the general public view of “best before dates”

thing about the chain is that it should be connected up all

being some sort of quality cliff-edge. The 4°C sample

the way from the producer to the consumer (see boxout).

tasted fresh, and the 12°C notably degraded but quite

Why 4°C? At the most basic level the choice of 4°C

drinkable, at 20°C it had become something I called

comes down to food handling standards. The fact

“onion water” (the beer I have in mind here was a mid 4%

is that there is simply a lot of existing infrastructure

pale dry hopped “session IPA”.) In the associated diagram

and equipment set up for this temperature - “fridge

I have used the Arrhenius equation to show relative shelf

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April 2019

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life at 4°C, 12°C and 20°C. Beer aging is a complex and many faceted chemical, and biochemical, process — the key observation is the exponential nature of the rate of

The Coldchain

chemical change versus temperature.

Another way to think of coldstorage is as preventing

Brewery Coldstore @ 4°C

heat exposure. Every bit of additional heat a beer is exposed to will push its chemical reactions a little further along that taste spectrum from “fresh” towards “stale”. By coldstoring beer we reduce this exposure and prolong

⇒

the “fresh” life of the beer.

⇒

In the UK coldchain does not really exist for beer. There

⇒

Transport @ 4°C Distro Warehouse @ 4°C Transport @ 4°C Retailer Coldroom/Fridge @ 4°C Consumer

are a handful of cases where breweries both large and small have chilled vehicles. Stalwarts of British cask ale Timothy Taylor has curtain-sided lorries with chiller units.

The complex flavour nuances of traditional cask benefit from coldchain stability, not just the latest NEIPA juice bomb. And when Iron Pier brewery bought a dray van they took the plunge on getting a properly refrigerated vehicle. But these rare cases are an exception to standard UK practice.

Things get worse when you look at the wholesale distribution tier of the beer industry in the UK. Most distributors rightly have some cool-storage for cask ale, especially the larger well established ones. However there are many small distribution businesses, and surprisingly some large ones too, that don’t even have this for cask.

Figure 1, Relative freshness of beer

It’s entirely the norm for all keg and smallpack beer to be kept at ambient temperatures.

I learnt this after I started my own distribution business.

of promoting this missing link in British beer quality and

I started out by talking to brewers and asked them

ultimately to trying to achieve real coldchain for beer.

how I should do things. Every single one of them said I

The choice was to promote doing it right, or stop doing it

needed to get cold-storage for stock. So back in April

right - because unfortunately the higher cost overheads

2014 that’s what I did - and that’s where Jolly Good Beer

make it a competitive disadvantage if the difference is not

started. It wasn’t until months later I began to discover

understood.

that what I was doing was unusual. This put me on a path

brewersjournal.info

Coldstorage is not coldchain however - it’s just a link

April 2019

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needed to create the chain. To achieve a chain we all

Bamforth states “Ultimately, substantial responsibility

need to move to refrigeration on the road as well as at

lies with consumers if they are to enjoy a beer with the

brewery, warehouse, and retail.

characteristics that you expect them to appreciate”. The

A serious issue

phrase “vote with your wallet” comes to mind - although how do you do that without re-tailers to buy from who take beer quality seriously? I firmly believe this is a natural result of caring for beer better and businesses that take

T

here’s a combination of lack of knowledge and

quality seriously will benefit. So what can we do to even

inertia. A lot of the problem at the retail and

give consumers access to the better option?

distribution level is simply a case of not knowing

One approach is to encourage better practices and

any better. Historically, UK keg and small-pack beer has

push that message whenever possible — this very article

been predominantly the domain of stabilised products

for example. The use of good marketing, with the right

with simple flavour profiles — pasteurised and sterile

amount of educa-tion. BrewDog have done the UK a

filtered lagers for example. Even these beers are not

fantastic service by educating many bar staff to Certified

immune to the depredations of time and heat, but a lot of

Ciderone® level - arming them with a degree of beer

work has been put into extending their shelf-life. I don’t

quality knowledge practically non-existent at retail level

think I need to convince brewers on the technical issues

before.

of beer stability - but if you’re unsure then look up the

Interestingly this meant enough knowledge to

work of Dr Charles Bamforth, for example in his books

realise that BrewDog’s own bars and process-es were

“Freshness” or “Beer: A Quality Perspective.” These should

not equipped to US quality and coldchain standards.

both be mandatory reading.

It’s a powerful indirect endorsement of everything UK

It’s not the brewers who need convincing - it’s

coldchain advocates been doing, that BrewDog is now

everyone else. A common sort of challenge I hear is

rolling out chilled central warehousing and properly

“everyone else is doing it this way, why should I do it any

chilled direct-draw dispense in bars. Ultimately we’re all

differently”. Which is a sort of defeatism really. “Why try

taking lessons from the top standards of the American

any harder?”

craft beer industry.

If we all took that attitude, where would British beer be now? (See also: food and coffee.)

The fundamental problem is that doing beer better costs more money. At retail the start-up costs and running

When you own the whole process from brewery to bar you can properly solve these problems. What about all the independent operators?

That’s where the brewers come in and ultimately the

overheads of a warm shelf are a lot less than a fridge.

responsibility for their product rests on the shoulders

In distribution a large shed costs a lot less than a large

of the brewers. It’s massively in their best interests to

coldstore. And if you're already operating with beer at

encourage better standards to ensure their beer reaches

ambient, it is a big jump to upgrade to full coldstorage.

the consumer at its best. The better a beer is the more

Significant inertia exists within the established retail &

consumers will come back to it - and to your brand.

distribution sectors — which is why most of the fully

Ultimately this is a matter of brand protection for the long

chilled operations in the UK are new businesses.

term. It can only take one bad beer to drive a customer

I know many great breweries who really care for the beer they produce and have full cold-storage at the

away from your brand forever - how tragic it is when fantastic beer is brought low by bad keeping.

brewery… when traveling around the country I am often

So what now?

saddened to see their beers sat on a shelf in an 18C room - heated in winter, not cooled in summer. Kegs under a counter or in an ambient back room, often actively being heated by a nearby integral flash cooled. It’s a sorry state of affairs. (There are also very good business reasons to do keg dispense better in terms of yield as well as quality.)

Where does the responsibility lie

R

ight now there’s very little chance you can have your beer distributed via a coldchain. Typically beer is moved around the country by ambient

pallet networks and vans. Breweries need to encourage better practices - and give recognition to businesses that take this duty of care more seriously. They also need to bite the bullet and plan for investing in refrigerated

E

veryone in the chain has a part to play - everyone

vehicles and shipping. Take the case of Gravesend-

needs to really care about getting the product

based Iron Pier brewery - unwilling to compromise, they

to the consumer as good as it can be. This

acquired a refrigerated van.

includes the consumer! In his book “Freshness” Charles

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April 2019

“For us refrigerated delivery was something we knew

Brewers Journal

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we wanted to do from day one, and it will become more

to time and temperature that awareness of the need for

important as we grow and as our delivery area, and

better practices is growing - and I’m talking session IPAs

therefore transit time, grows. We try and control every

and West Coast IPAs, not just NEIPAs. It’s all starting off in

process we can in the brewery to ensure consistency

ones and twos. One of the first fully chilled retailers to be

batch to batch, so I just see controlled temperature in

fully coldstored was The Stoneworks bar in Peterborough

storage and delivery as an extension of that. It’s effectively

- somewhat unsurprisingly one of the partners in this

a chain of custody, we’ve treated this beer as well as

business is from the US. Steve Saldana looked around

we can, and we would like to expect the same from the

and wasn’t happy with what he saw so in opening the bar

publican.

decided to do something about this.

“In the keg market we see a lot of places with kegs at

“There was no other place doing it right. It angered

room temperature, often under the bar, and just running

me that when asking people why beer was being served

through a flash cooler of some kind. That beer is going to

this way (bad dispense) they said it was the best way and

age so much quicker than even a beer kept in a regular

there were no other options... I wanted to prove them

10c cellar, let alone if it was kept at 4c like some of the

wrong,” says Saldana.

direct draw systems. Any instability in package is going

The bar is going strong, now well into its third year of

to show up much more quickly for these people than

trading, and I use it as a prime example of good practice.

someone with a cold cellar. Refrigerated delivery for us

This year, via Jolly Good Beer, they will start receiving

is about taking the best care of our beer, but also setting

beers from key brewers via a full coldchain on a regular

an example to our customers of how they should be

basis - I believe this may be a UK first.

looking after beer,” explains James Hayward from Iron Pier

I have started building a map of UK “coldchain-ready” retailers. I tried this two years ago and decided a map with

Brewery I think this is key all the way down the chain. If you’re

just 3 pins on it wasn’t much use to anyone. Today, not

delivering beer “warm” to distributors, then why should

including brewery taps, I am up to 9 - which is certainly

they see any reason to do better after that point? If you’re

an improvement but it’s a miniscule proportion of the total

delivering beer warm to retailers - same again. At Jolly

number of beer retailers in the UK.

Good Beer we have convinced several trade cus-tomers

The most positive thing right now is simply that

to improve simply by the fact the beer we deliver arrives

people are actually talking about coldstorage and

cold and it feels somehow wrong to then let it warm up.

coldchain more. It is becoming “a thing”, per se. Our

But ultimately a larger industry change needs to come

fellow wholesalers The Bottle Shop also moved to full

top-down from breweries.

coldstorage at their warehouse in 201X(?), and last year

That doesn’t mean the rest of us should sit back and

BrewDog announced they were moving their central

wait for them mind - at Jolly Good Beer we’ve started

distribution warehouse over to full coldstorage. Through

working from the middle to implement coldchain where

the work of businesses like The Bottle Shop, importers

possible, having deployed our first refrigerated HGV this

Cask International, and ourselves we’re seeing more

March. Coldchain is an achievable goal. One of the most

importance put on imports being fully coldchained to

shocking things to me is that in five years of trading I have

UK coldstorage facilities. It is a bit of a joke that we don’t

only ever had a single brewery request a site inspection,

show British beer that same level of respect. It’s even

albeit many others have visited on my own invitation. I

reassuring, albeit disconcerting, that people have been

would welcome more inspections with open arms. If I was

caught out lying about having coldstorage and coldchain

a brewer I’d be much more interested in how my beer is

… it means the right questions are being asked, and those

being cared for down the supply chain than seems to be

without the correct answer are feeling compelled to lie.

We have discussions in place to help four venues

the norm.

There is probably call for a brewery-backed scheme

this year launch coldchain-ready, and a long-term goal

to verify supply chain standards. A more modern-beer

of connecting up coldstore dots to form a chain to all

targeted version of Cask Marque? There’s nothing like

these sites. My hope is we can encourage more people

getting a check-mark of approval to motivate people to

at all levels to move in the right direction, for the sake of

up their game.

awesome beer.

The future is brightly flavoured: the future is chilled. u

A changing landscape About the author: Yvan Seth owns and runs Jolly Good

I

Beer. The business supplies beer, fits out cellars and installs

t's pretty much coming hand-in-hand with industry

and supports draught lines at establishments carrying

adoptions of other aspects of American “craft beer”

beers the company provides.

practices. The popular new beer styles are so sensitive

brewersjournal.info

For more information, visit: http://jollygoodbeer.co.uk/

April 2019

39

Brewery Vessels Quality Vessels for Quality Beer

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

refr i gerat i on

fo cu s

The Cold Store Conundrum There’s no point in creating a great beer if cold storage, or rather the lack of it, will prove detrimental to your product.

For those where reliable cellaring is a challenge along the supply chain, their site doesn’t allow for it, or can’t justify large upfront financial investment, portable cold storage may be the solution, explains Lisa Rowbotham head of UK sales at Blue Cube Portable Cold Stores (PCS). by lisa rowbotham

I

Portable cold stores: An opportunity for brewers

t is widely reported that the enemies of beer

business and every site is slightly different. Whether

are time, oxygen, light, and heat. Numerous

you’re looking for a small, space saving option to fit into

solutions and precautions are in place to ensure

a confined site, or a large temperature regulated storage

time optimisation, oxygen prevention, and light

facility, options will be available to you.

protection, but consistent heat regulation can often

be overlooked.

To keep beer as close to brewery fresh as possible,

Units are available as small as 10 accessible pallets, or linked units to allow hundreds of pallet units. We’re also able to offer tailor-made designs, which for some

heat needs to be controlled throughout the cold chain

businesses is vital, in order to link to current facilities, for

until it reaches the consumer. Studies have found that

use internal or external.

beer which is kept at a consistent cold temperature has

The rental opportunity

significantly less degradation than those kept at higher temperatures, or those which fluctuate from warm back to a cold temperature.

Most beer deteriorates from the moment it leaves the brewery; heat accelerates chemical reactions causing beers to have the unsatisfactory ‘cardboard’ like taste.

B

uilding your own cold storage facility, or increasing your current size, can often take significant upfront financial inputs, as well as

Many statistics are quoted, but in general a beer stored at

the implications of planning permission. However,

37oC for one week tastes as old as a beer stored at 21oC

investigating renting can often provide a flexible solution.

for two months, or as old as a beer stored at 4oC for one

There is no minimum hire term, contracts can be as

year.”

flexible as you need them to be.

Finding a suitable solution for your business is key.

Both our standard sizes and tailor-made builds are

Traditional cellaring can be difficult to regulate, and isn’t

available on rental terms, so can provide bespoke

always a possibility on every brewery site. Brewing has

solutions without the large financial inputs.

seen a huge influx of new productions, which is fantastic,

Rental also ensures a high quality product, along with

but finding suitable sites can be a challenge, but one

the security of knowing that all service and breakdowns

option could be portable cold stores. Despite being

are covered. We offer 24 hour, 365 day support which

called ‘cold stores’ they are able to provide regulated

many of our customers find the most reassuring element

temperature control from -26oC to +26oC, and allow

of their decision making.

greater flexibility to businesses.

It may seem simple, but finding the right solution for your business should always be top priority. Every

brewersjournal.info

Within the cold storage industry different options are available from portable and non-portable cold stores to containers. Make sure you consider the cost of

April 2019

41

fo cu s

refr i gerat i on

Portable cold storage

Making the most efficient use of your units is key to improving efficiency, which is why we provide training on delivery for all users.

temperature control per pallet of goods, as those offering

Regulation changes

cheaper deals may not provide the best value for money.

You also need to consider the energy efficiency of units, as your energy consumption will be impacted. It’s important to find a company that will consider all the different ways it will impact your business to find the best solution for you.

It’s important to find suppliers who will support your business needs now, but also think about where you’re heading and provide you with options that will facilitate

M

any refrigerants and air-conditioning (RAC) systems used in the food and drink manufacturing sector use HFC refrigerants. The

most common of these are R-404A, R-134a, and R-410A, which all have a high global warming potential (GWP).

Regulations have been implemented in 2014, 2016,

your plans for growth. Making your beer is a passion, so its

and 2018 to reduce the use of these gases, which has

key to find a supplier who supports your passion by giving

had a significant impact on the food and drink industry.

you the best knowledge and support available.

The industry is now working towards January 2020 where there will be a ban on using virgin HFCs to service

Don't take cold storage for granted

refrigeration equipment that uses a refrigerant with a GWP about 2500. We’re lucky in that we have always had a programme of reinvestments and are highly conscious

J

ust like any well brewed beer, cold storage units

of our environmental impact so have kept ahead of

need care and consideration. Just like your fridge

regulation changes in our new highly efficient units,

at home, the doors need to be left open as little as

but it could catch some out and should be a significant

possible; to help reduce heat loss, all good suppliers will supply air curtains. Make sure the unit isn’t loaded above

consideration for business owners.

Overall, for those where reliable cellaring is a

the load line. Check for debris blocking airflow such as

challenge along the supply chain, their site doesn’t allow

shrink wrap or packaging labels.

for it, or can’t justify large upfront financial investment,

Ice can build up on the evaporators which can have

portable cold storage may be the solution to ensuing

huge efficiency impacts, so once any ice is visible on the

highest possible quality for your beer. With you working

evaporators then run a defrost cycle, defrosts need to be

so hard to create a fantastic product, this may provide a

run no less than once a day.

great solution to ensure your hard work isn’t lost. u

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April 2019

Brewers Journal

CDR BeerLab – Quality Control & Process Analysis in your Brewery l ABV, IBU, colour & pH in one analyser l Quick & easy to use l No calibration needed l Other tests available for liquor, wort & beer

Want to improve Quality Control in your brewery?

Contact: Lee.Walsh@qclscientific.com

01342 820820 Brewers Journal BeerLab July 18.indd 1

www.qclscientific.com/beerlab 07/06/2018 16:53:41

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fo cu s

Keeping their cool When BrewDog needed eco-friendly CO2 refrigeration solution for its new cold storage and distribution centre in Scotland, it called on Star Refrigeration to step up to the task.

customers take their business to the next level.”

The CO2 Refrigeration Solution Star’s proposal was based on the use of a direct expansion CO2 refrigeration system in conjunction with six off-air coolers within the chamber. The CO2 plant is designed for a duty of 480KW based upon a chamber temperature of +50C and a design ambient temperature

by euan duncan

of +300C. The CO2 refrigeration package is a standalone system

S

within the warehouse where it evaporates, removing

presenting the energy efficient, cost effective cooling

vapour. The use of CO2 means that smaller pipework can

solution to BrewDog among a range of bidders.

be used to distribute cooler around the facility, helping to

located on the exterior of the building and connected

tar Refrigeration has recently successfully

to the coolers via pipework. It includes reciprocating

delivered an eco-friendly CO2 refrigeration

compressors, an air-cooled gas cooler with variable

solution for a new cold storage and

speed fans, an interstage vessel, subcooler and electrical

distribution centre at BrewDog’s recently

panel with PLC controller.

purchased Eurocentral warehouse in

Motherwell, Scotland.

The manufacturer was awarded the contract after

The centre forms part of a 80,000m3 warehouse at the Eurocentral complex which offers strong access to Scotland’s central road network.

Liquid CO2 from the package is supplied to coolers the heat from the room, before returning to the pack as

save installation and steelwork costs.

The pipework was fully insulated to Star’s standard specifications and feeds each of the six air coolers,

Having acquired the new warehouse to use as a

which are controlled by a panel located in the adjacent

distribution centre, BrewDog commissioned Star to

ambient area. The air cooler casework has a galvanised

deliver a brand-new plant capable of chilling to +5oC at a

steel finish and honeycomb air straighteners have been

price that was cost-effective for the company.

designed with a five degrees angle upwards, to achieve

BrewDog also specified the use of natural refrigerants to avoid harmful F-gas solutions, thus safeguarding the

the necessary air throw and make full use of the beneficial attributes of the Vortex building.

site against future regulations and enhancing its overall

The advantages

safety and environmental credentials.

Star was responsible for every aspect of the plant’s development from the design and supply, through to installation and commissioning. Given the proximity of Star’s branch in Bellshill just five miles away, the company was uniquely positioned to rapidly respond to BrewDog’s requirements and queries at all times.

BrewDog was already familiar with Star Refrigeration

C

O2 was deemed safer and more cost effective at this particular site and application. It is already present in our atmosphere and it is futureproofed

against the f-gas environmental legislation. Also, it does not carry the hazards linked to other refrigerants such as

after the company enlisted the help of Star Technical

ammonia and can directly cool the building without the

Solutions (STS) back in 2017. Star consultants determined

addition of a secondary fluid such as glycol, which would

the brewery’s current refrigeration load and spare

have required a lower evaporating temperature, thus

capacity ahead of increasing production with the

reducing efficiency.

construction of a new £20m brewery in Ellon.

Euan Duncan, technical sales engineer at Star

The reduced dimensions of the equipment involved and the lightweight nature of the coolers and pipework

Refrigeration, explained, “We’re delighted to be working

meant that the CO2 plant was significantly lighter and less

with BrewDog once again. We’ve demonstrated how

intrusive than alternative solutions. Given the building’s

Star are committed to pushing the boundaries of what

structural restrictions, the limited weight impact proved to

is possible in the refrigeration industry and helping our

be a key USP in the eyes of BrewDog.

44

April 2019

Brewers Journal

refr i gerat i on

Overall, Star’s solution translated into financial savings as the chosen setup resulted in a price per kilowatt of just one pound, or around a 30% cost reduction in comparison to a traditional ammonia glycol system.

The outcome

T

he successful design, supply, installation and

fo cu s

Whitby Tanks BREWERY TANKS BOUGHT AND SOLD

commissioning of the plant offers BrewDog the capability to take full control of their beer’s

temperature controlled storage and distribution, allowing them to service the craft beer industry in a manner not currently being offered by their rivals.

With the plant now able to maintain optimum temperatures within the distribution centre, BrewDog’s craft beer will be delivered to the consumer without losing quality or flavour.

Niall Murphie, engineering manager at BrewDog, added, “Star Refrigeration delivered an energy efficient, financially viable and environmental responsible solution.

This allow us to remain uniquely placed to serve the needs of beer lovers all over the country and beyond, helping to spread our passion for craft beer to every

Contact Toby Taylor

sales@whitbytanks.co.uk | 01947 606 237

corner of the globe.

brewersjournal.info

April 2019

45

water

s e c to r

Optimise your process The control of industrial processes can be a complex operation involving multiple valves, sensors and controllers which means there are many considerations when looking for opportunities for process optimisation, explains Greg Wainhouse, of BĂźrkert. And by using best practice and ensuring control protocols are updated when process changes are implemented however, ensures the process remains efficient and effective.

and labour intensive. In addition, it is a reactive process, more often used when the consistency of the dried sludge doesn’t meet expectations. During the time taken to observe the change, complete the test and alter the settings, the centrifuge has continued to discharge a substandard end product.

Dealing with solids in suspension

I

n the first instance, assessing the percentage of solids using a turbidity sensor located on the intake to the centrifuge will significantly increase the response

time to any changes. These sensors look at refracted

by Greg Wainhouse

light to provide an approximation of the solids loading

O

of the incoming sludge, but they can suffer from fouling

ne of the major challenges in the water

problems, and the calibration process can be interpreted

treatment sector involves the sludge

differently by various operators.

dewatering process, which in many cases

By constantly monitoring the inlet of the process,

involves high speed centrifuges that

adjustments can be made quickly and the amount of

separate the solid and liquid fractions.

processed sludge that falls below the required standard

To assist this process, a polymer is added to the sludge

is minimised. Further improvements can be made by

to help bind the solid particles together. The goal is to

adding a flowmeter, or better still a device that provides a

produce a final product that has the right consistency that

mass flow measurement.

makes transport efficient, without moving excess water to the fields, where it is spread as agricultural soil enhancer.

The process has a number of variables, including the

By creating a pro-active system that makes adjustments based on data from the inlet, as opposed to a reactive system that observes the results before

percentage solids of the raw sludge, the flowrate of the

implementing a change, process engineers will be

sludge, the amount of polymer being added and the

following best practice. Furthermore, this setup reduces

speed of the centrifuge. Of these, the solid content of the

the amount of operator intervention and delivers a more

sludge is crucial to determine the settings for the rest of

stable output.

the process.

Brewing perfection

There are several ways in which this can be determined, including a process where a sludge sample is placed in a petri dish, and the water is evaporated off to obtain the mass of the solids.

This is not a very efficient process and can take 45 minutes to complete. Once the results are available, the centrifuge and polymer settings can be adjusted and an improvement in the consistency of the dewatered sludge should be apparent.

However, changes in the solids content can occur frequently, which makes this process quite ineffective

46

April 2019

A

n important part of the brewing process is adding oxygen to the wort to allow the yeast to thrive and create the alcohol and carbon dioxide. After the

boiled wort has been chilled to fermentation temperature, oxygen is used to start the fermentation process.

If air, which contains 20% oxygen, is added, then the process can only achieve an O2 concentration of eight parts per million (ppm). For higher levels, around 10

Brewers Journal

water

ppm, typically used by commercial breweries for higher

s e c to r

Precision control of cleaning processes

strength beers, pure oxygen is required.

However, the ability of the wort to absorb oxygen is affected by its specific gravity, which is measured on

levels of dissolved oxygen which have a major impact on

the Plato gravity scale. This measures the concentration

the quality of the final product.

of dissolved solids in the wort. Furthermore, each yeast

pH in water

strain has an optimum oxygen level and if this is not achieved precisely, the optimum fermentation rate will not be achieved.

Some of the most important flavour contributors to beer are fermentation products such as esters, higher alcohols and sulphur compounds. The concentrations of these flavour compounds will be altered if the growth characteristics of the yeast are less than perfect.

Achieving the optimum O2 level in the wort for each beer therefore is very important in terms of product quality, so an effective process to control the oxygen

C

arbon dioxide (CO) is used to reduce the pH of the water for a number of reasons. Primarily, it is a gas that is easy to handle, non-corrosive and its most

appealing feature is that it will not lower the pH of water below 7.0. In addition, the only maintenance required for the dosing system is to replenish the gas cylinders periodically.

The control structure for this dosing system needs

levels is essential. Using a mass flow sensor to establish

to cope with variable flow as well as decreasing gas

the concentration of dissolved solids, and total volume,

pressure as the volume in the cylinders deceases. Using

coupled with a mass flow controller to deliver the gas, is

a mass flow controller that is calibrated for the gas

an efficient starting point.

and delivers accurate measurements independent of

To improve the accuracy of the system even more, the signal from a dissolved oxygen (DO) probe in the

temperature and pressure, is very important.

Many will use a pH sensor after the dosing point and

fermenter vessel can provide feedback to adjust the

use this information to adjust the gas flow rate. This

setpoint and obtain the exact level of dissolved oxygen

reactive process can be optimised by adding a pH sensor

required. This offers the opportunity to maintain precise

to the input side and using the readings from this sensor

brewersjournal.info

April 2019

47

s e c to r

water

to set the CO2 dosing rate. The second sensor then acts as validation of the process setting. This offers a quicker

Oxygen levels accurately controlled during fermentation to ensure optimum product quality.

response to changes in the pH levels at the input.

For those working in hygienic applications, clean-inplace (CIP) is a very important process that maintains

can therefore offer many benefits.

Correctly positioned pH sensors for example can

the cleanliness of equipment. Using a combination of

provide data on the effectiveness of the process,

chemicals, water and heat, the process offers a very

while conductivity sensors can provide a measure of

efficient method of cleaning vessels and pipework

contamination – once this figure has reached almost zero,

without dismantling them.

the procedure can then be concluded with minimum

However, time taken for cleaning is time lost from

delays to production.

production, so this needs to be kept to a minimum

Streamlined processes

whilst also ensuring that the process has been effective.

Optimising the control of CIP reduces costs as well as minimising chemical usage and improving productivity.

The CIP process can involve a range of chemicals that are used to clean and disinfect the equipment. The concentration of these chemicals is very important in achieving an effective cleaning cycle without wasting

U

ltimately, improving data collection, interpretation and analysis can offer many advantages. Working with experienced process

control manufacturers, such as BĂźrkert, can yield benefits

expensive materials. Also, using control systems

across the board. From designing new installations to

that are purely timer-based offers no confidence in

improving the efficiency and effectiveness of existing

the effectiveness of the process and also retains no

equipment, getting the right sensor in the right place will

meaningful data, which may be required for regulatory

have a significant impact.

compliance.

By examining the temperature and the conductivity

Process optimisation is primarily about acquiring the correct data and using it as effectively as possible. This

of the cleaning fluid it is possible to determine if too

requires experience in the application as well as with the

much energy or too much chemical is being used. Any

equipment itself to ensure a cost-effective and reliable

reductions in energy consumption or raw materials will

installation.

have a beneficial effect on operational costs.

Working with sensor manufacturers that have

This expertise in manufacturing and expansive knowledge of numerous applications helps customers to

experience in this application to create a more

reduce operating costs, improve productivity and ensure

sophisticated control and sensor feedback-loop system

compliance with regulatory bodies where necessary. u

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Brewers Journal

WHY RENT WHEN YOU CAN

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31.01.2019 14:27:45

water

s e c to r

Influencing the water market There is a quiet revolution taking place when it comes to water procurement.

This movement was spearheaded by Greene King with Whitbread, Heineken UK, Marstons and Stonegate Pub Company following suit. This group now has real influence in the open water marketplace. How? Through obtaining a self-supply licence, explains Neil Pendle, managing director at Waterscan

by Neil Pendle

A

self-supply licence for water and sewerage

business operations, any opportunity to act on this

services uniquely enables an organisation

precious resource should be embraced. Self-supply

to be active participants in the de-regulated

offers this opportunity and it builds on work already

‘open’ water market across England.

undertaken at company-level to implement water cost

It offers licence-holders the ability

to deal directly with wholesalers (instead of through retailers), to gain an unrivalled view of their cost and

and consumption controls - it really takes their efforts to the next level.

With nine organisations now eligible to self-supply, we

consumption data enabling them to drive down water

can begin to realise its benefits at scale and demonstrate

usage in support or sustainability targets, and to give

how it can bring about positive impacts to their

the hospitality industry as a whole the ability to shape

sustainability and financial agendas.

the future water market through direct liaison with retail

First to market

market operator MOSL and economic regulator Ofwat.

In the longer term, it promises to fuel innovation and resilience across the sector.

In all cases, independent consultant we act as the companies’ managing agent and provides technical support and services for the operation of the licence (including meter reading, central market operating system

G

reene King was the first of 1.2 million eligible organisations to apply for and obtain a selfsupply licence. With our support, the company

switched all of its 3,000+ supply points on 1st April 2017

(CMOS) transactions, wholesaler management and

(the day the water market opened), representing 30%

finding further water efficiency savings). The companies

of the total market switches on this day. This proactive

themselves build direct relationships with wholesalers

approach to the water market overhaul protected

and pay water and sewerage charges through the

Greene King from some of the market teething issues

settlement process.

and generated significant additional benefits, not least in

The granting of self-supply licences to these leading

terms of water efficiency.

breweries was an important step in realising the ambitions

In its first year of self-supply, the company saved in

of all concerned. Importantly, it signalled Ofwat’s support

excess of 140,000m3 of water. This equates to 384.32m3

for innovative approaches to challenge the status-quo in

per day in consumption savings: the equivalent of

the water sector as a whole.

676,313 pints. Further benefits being realised are site level

With water being such a key component in their

brewersjournal.info

engagement which is driving efficiency and improved

April 2019

51

s e c to r

water

savings, greater control over supply and a single point of contact across its entire estate leading to exceptional customer service.

This was highlighted during the ‘Beast from the East’ cold snap. Communications from Waterscan were sent to each Greene King site advising of need to be on alert from higher than usual consumption, which could indicate a cracked and leaking pipe.

In addition, impromptu meter reads were taken across the Greene King estate to verify usage and pinpoint any unexpected spikes in consumption. This proactive approach to water management is not commonly associated with the service levels seen in the water industry and is an example of what customers should be experiencing.

Gavin Worthington, senior purchasing manager at Greene King, told us: “We are looking forward to building on this successful experience to date, which we believe delivers competitive advantage in both corporate social responsibility and commercial terms.

"We have seen reports of a slow customer response

the application process for self-supply.

Based on the conversations that we are currently

and questionable impacts of the open water market, but

having, we expect interest in self-supply to continue

this has not been our experience. While self-supply was a

to rise as organisations find the approach to be a good

leap into unchartered waters, it has delivered better than

solution to their issues in the new market and an effective

expected results in a short timeframe.”

way to improve water management.

Discussions at the Self-Supply User Forum indicate

Looking ahead

that there are multiple drivers moving forward. Enhancing sustainability and resilience from service interruptions is one of the community’s key focus areas. There’s an

S

o, what does the future hold for self-supply?

immediate requirement to cleanse and analyse CMOS

Certainly Ofwat is encouraged. In a recent

data and, longer term, achieve better usage visibility with

consultation on the matter, the industry watchdog

automated meter readings.

stated: “Contrary to our initial expectations, recent trends

This will ensure 100% accuracy and more informed

suggest that we can expect to see the number of self-

decisions on investment and resource allocation. Driving

supply licensees increase significantly over time.

down costs through efficiency initiatives and close

The entry of self-supply licensees has been one of

working relationships with wholesalers and also working

the most innovative aspects of the business retail market

collaboratively to achieve beneficial terms for the self-

that we have seen so far. The regulator subsequently

supply community also features prominently amongst

announced measures to cut the cost and complexity of

priorities.” u

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Brewers Journal

Great Beers

begin with F O R

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c ro s s i n g

co nti n e nt s

S hort

F i nger

Best of Both Worlds When Rob Hern helped launch Canada's Short Finger Brewing Co back in June 2015, it was a statement of intent. A concerted move away from his experiences in large-scale brewing, Rob, along with his wife Kat RogersHern, started their business with the aim of educating, aiding and enabling the homebrewers of Waterloo and beyond.

It’s something they’ve gone on to achieve, and it should just so happen that Short Finger brews its own great beers, too.

building, when you’re heading up a business that has no comparable peers for the government and other bodies to match you against.

The Short Finger Brewing Co story began when Hern and Kat Rogers-Hern launched the business as an online store from their home in Waterloo, Ontario back in June 2015. Equipment was stored in their den, and raw ingredients in the basement. The kitchen fridge was stocked with yeast.

Hern considers himself a beer lover, Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) certified judge, and avid homebrewer who has been working in the beer industry for nearly ten years.

Before that, he attended Trent University, where he spent his days dreaming of one day opening a small

by Tim Sheahan

brewery. While there, he managed to pay most of his bills by throwing parties. The quality of his beer has come

I

a long way since the days of pitching yeast at the local

hopeful of getting a few well-earned days off. Whether

Belgian beer importer, which had a real impact on his

he’ll get them though, is a different matter. The launch of

current brewing style. Since starting Short Finger, he

their own nano brewery earlier in the summer has been

has collaborated with several breweries including: Great

followed with plans to offer drinkers the ability to imbibe

Lakes, Bar Hop, Indie Ale House, Sawdust City, Half Hours

on-site and take out Hern’s beers. And with that, comes a

on Earth, Block Three, Barncat Ales, TWB, and more.

don’t think there’s anyone like us in Canada, that I know of. So we’re definitely unique, but being

brew-your-own facility.

He got his first real taste for brewing under the

unique has given me a lot of headaches, too!”

guidance of Mike Lackey during his time at Great Lake

laughs Rob Hern, co-owner of Kitchener, Canada-

Brewery, where he managed LCBO sales and worked on

based Short Finger Brewing Co.

the 25th Anniversary rebrand.

It’s less than a week until Christmas and Hern is

raft of hurdles to overcome.

“When you are a home-brew supply business, but also

Hern also spent time working at Horizon Beers, a

The company’s co-founder, Kat Rogers-Hern can be summed up as an educator, librarian, and beer

one that makes its own beer, nobody really gets what

lover. While she was late to the party and didn't start

type of company you are,” he explains. “There are many

appreciating beer until her mid-twenties, Rob's passion

regulations, licences and instances of being categorised

and enthusiasm for it were contagious.

the wrong way. It took 15 months to get our business

As with any good teacher-librarian, she took the

license when starting out, and then you have to do it all

academic approach from Day 1, reading everything she

again when you want to actually sell beer. It’s like opening

could and taking every sensory training course to be

a new business all over.”

found; the more she learned - and sampled - the more

But don’t mistake Hern’s comments as negative, though. You get the impression such tricky obstacles were expected and are seen as almost character-

54

April 2019

she loved it.

Rogers-Hern is a Prud'Homme beer sommelier and certified BJCP judge, and is plunging into the Cicerone

Brewers Journal

Team Short Finger: Rob and Kat

c ro s s i n g

co nti n e nt s

S hort

certification program.

In these early days of Short Finger Brewing Co, the

F i nger

The answer was a cautiously optimistic yes.

With 28 days to renovate and move in, it was a tight

duo would fulfil orders that were placed online and

turnaround. Drains were cut, floors sealed, walls painted,

customers had the option of shipping or local pick-up.

and a massive warehouse party - called Short Can - was

Pick-ups happened from the house, which was in the

thrown on February 9th to help raise money for the

middle of serious renovations. Rather than grab-and-go,

transition. Short Finger Brewing Co. closed it’s doors for

it was the norm for homebrewers to stick around for a

one extra day over the Family Day weekend to make the

beer on the back porch or in the kitchen. Homebrewers

move, reopening in its new 6500 square foot location on

would also bring bottles by to get feedback from the duo

Wednesday, February 21.

- particularly if they were faced with an off flavour they couldn’t identify.

Wasting no time, the company’s first ‘Homebrew Hangout’ followed a month later at the Bent Elbow in Kitchener. These events were drop-in community building

Come June, and much to their relief, all permits were finally in order and Short Finger Brewing Co. launched its bottle shop on the same day as their second annual Solstice is Coming bulk grain sale.

Three barrel-aged styles were released in 375ml

and education events for regional homebrewers. Free

bottles, and six beers were offered for growler fills and on

to attend, and coupled with a featured talk along with a

draught.

collaboration brew made by Rob + the night’s speakers,

Hern is particularly proud of the beers he produces

brewers from aforementioned names such as Abe Erb,

on his modest, and in his own words, “rudimentary" 4hl

Block Three, Wellington, Great Lakes, Four Fathers, Barn

system. At the time of writing, brews available to take

Cat, TWB, and others have spoken on a wide variety of

out include Lando - Batch VB, a blended Sour Saison,

topics.

which contains a small amount of Lando (A), blended

In the following weeks and months, the company

with fresh saison and then matured with mixed field

hosted home brewing classes, competitions and

berries harvested from Steckle Heritage Farm. Secondary

hands-on sessions designed to raise the standard of

fermented with a mixed Brett culture from Omega Labs.

homebrewing in Ontario.

“After a year of hunting for the right space, we

Also on offer is Maus, a 3.8% Conditioned Mouse Melon Gose, where Short Finger teamed up with Steckle

moved into a 1200 square foot retail space just south of

Heritage Farm to produce a Gose that incorporates

downtown,” says Hern. “The shop was a small addition on

fresh-picked coriander seed then aged with freshly

the back of a much larger unit, which was then-occupied

picked mouse melons and lemon cucumbers. The beer

by a major construction company.”

is conditioned with a special Brett from Escarpment Yeast

Short Finger secured first right to that space, should it become available down the road. Local pick-ups slowly

Labs.

“I’ll be honest, I’m glad with the system I use. It’s small

transitioned down to this new spot while renovations were

but I know how much work goes into producing these

happening (in its previous life, the shop was a storage

beers and if you’re making beer at whatever volume, you

garage). Later that summer, the shop officially opened its

need to know where and how you will be selling it,” he

doors for in-store shopping.

explains.

With an eye on growth, Hern convinced the property

Through the business, Hern has seen a cross-section

owner to let him rent said owner’s connected private

of the Ontario brewing industry, from established

storage unit, adding an additional 600 square feet to the

operations to the professional brewers of tomorrow. And

shop’s footprint. This was renovated for the purpose of

with that, he’s developed a fair idea of what constitutes a

building a small brewhouse.

solid business plan.

He worked with Greg Smith (working owner at TWB

“You see people that are dead set on building 15 or

Co-op) to build a custom 3-barrel brewing system. Kat

20bbl systems, or they’re producing a 15bbl batch of

was able to move the Beginner’s Guide to Homebrewing

Kölsch. That’s fine, but how is that style fairing for other

classes and sensory training sessions out of borrowed/

breweries, who will be buying your beer, and where will

rented spaces and into the brewhouse.

you be selling it?” He asks. “It is a lot of work to sell beer.

Fast forward to early 2018, Rob and Kat were

I don’t have a taproom or a sales team, so you have to

presented with more good news, even if it was a little

put the effort in. Everyone has their own approach to

earlier than they would have anticipated…

business, but if you don’t know where the beer you’re

While the main building at 20 Hurst Avenue was not originally slated to become available until Spring 2019,

brewing is going to go, then I’d worry.”

While Short Finger has undergone steady growth in

AMICO construction decided to move out early and we

these last three years, Hern is keen to steady the ship,

had to decide pretty much on the spot if they wanted to

once their tasting room is complete, of course.

expand.

56

“We have 7,500sqft of space and that’s three times

April 2019

Brewers Journal

c ro s s i n g

co nti n e nt s

S hort

F i nger

bigger than I ever said this business would be,” he

if that’s my perspective, then you can expect many casual

explains. “But I’ve experienced the far greater scale of

drinkers to adopt a similar attitude. There is so much

things when working at Great Lakes, so I’m comfortable

choice around, why stick with mediocrity?”

with what we have and knowing we won’t grow much

With that. Hern believes breweries should no longer be expecting any form of commendation for opting

more.”

What Hern wants is an environment for people to

against putting out sub-standard beer.

enjoy their beers, to engage with other drinkers and grow

“If you’re turning to social media to show consumers

as a result. Ensuring everything was right before opening

that you’re pouring out a bad batch of beer, then there’s

the business up to others has, partly, come from Hern’s

something very wrong with that,” he says. “It doesn’t

experiences drinking at other brewing operations.

happen in any other industry, so why should it happen in

“I’ll be honest, my old rule was to give a new brewery six months to dial their sh*t in. I’d swing by an opening and if there were obvious faults in that brewery’s beers,

beer? If I have to do that, I’m too annoyed that I messed up to be thinking about gratification from social media.”

And with the opening of its tasting room due in 2019,

I’d forgive that and give them time to improve things,”

Hern is looking forward to sharing his beers with drinkers

says Hern. “But that approach has changed. With so many

of all kinds, growing in the same way Short Finger has

breweries opening, there is no need to be so patient. And

helped others over these last three years. u

58

April 2019

Brewers Journal

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fermentat i on

s c i e n c e

The impact of fermentation on your beer Fermentation and yeast have always been key drivers when it comes to innovation in beer production. However, that role is even more pronounced today, explains JoAnne Carilli-Stevenson, global key account manager at White Labs

Sour beers

T

he evolution of natural acidity develops a balanced complexity. The acidity present is usually in the form of lactic, acetic and other organic acids

naturally developed with acidified malt in the mash or in fermentation by the use of various microorganisms

by Joanne Carilli-Stevenson

C

raft Brewing is a global phenomenon and not just because of the growth or

including certain bacteria and yeasts. Acidic character can be a complex balance of several types of acid and attributes of age.

The trends and opportunities with these beers are

number of new breweries. It’s because of

various production methods - kettle sours, primary and

the new styles of beer being created due

secondary fermentation, new bacteria and yeast isolation

to innovation and creativity in the area of

to produce acidity.

fermentation.

Mixed culture & Brett beers

Fermentation and yeast have always driven innovation

in beer production, but today it is even more than it has been in the past. Just look at the number of new beer styles in The World Beer Cup. In 2008, there were 91 categories and by 2017 there were 101 including Experimental Beers categories for Wild Beers, Sake-Yeast Beer, Field Beer, Wood & Barrel Ages Sour Beer and Mixed Culture Brett Beer.

When reviewing the style guidelines for these types of beers, it is apparent the impact of fermentation on these

A

cidity resulting from Brettanomyces fermentation results in a complex flavor profile. Brettanomyces character, at low to high levels, should be present

and expressed as horsey, goaty, leathery, phenolic, fruity and/or acidic aromas and flavors. Here, primary fermentation is more common with usage in common beer styles like saison and IPA

styles and you can identify the trends.

brewersjournal.info

April 2019

61

s c i e n c e

fermentat i on

Experimental beers

“Brew Culture was thrilled to be able to expand on our product line this spring when we partnered with White Labs Pure Yeast

E

xperimental beers are any beers that are primarily grain-based and employ unique and unusual techniques and/or

ingredients. A minimum of 51% of the fermentable carbohydrates must be derived from malted grains.

& Fermentation to become their distributor.

Brewers now have access to White Labs' entire portfolio domestically,” explains Daniel Collins, president and founder of Brew Culture.

“Our cold storage facilities in Ontario and British

The overall uniqueness and creativity of the process and/

Columbia allow us to receive weekly bulk shipments

or ingredients should be considered when evaluating

to distribute across the country. This alone saves our

these beers.

customers hundreds of dollars on freight each shipment,

These beers are brewed with sake yeast or sake (koji) enzymes. The unique byproducts of sake yeast and/or

and entirely eliminates any customs fees or headaches.

Sam Corbeil, brewmaster and co-founder of Sawdust

koji enzymes should be distinctive and in harmony with

City Brewing, added: “Having Brew Culture as the main

other elements. Sake character may best be described

supplier for White Labs in Canada has been great for

as having mild fruitiness and mild earthiness, with

Sawdust City.

mushroom and/or an umami protein-like character. A

"Their Ontario warehouse is just down the road, so

high amount of alcohol may be evident. The trends and

accessing yeast when we need it has never been easier.

opportunities are mainly cultures from other cultures and

It’s also opened up new partnership and collaboration

other beverages.

avenues for us.

As the yeast craze continues, we also see more

“We’ve already been able to work with White Labs

breweries working with wild yeast and spontaneous

on two unique and very fun projects. It’s only been

fermentation and we definitely cannot forget the haze

a few months, so hopefully we’ll be able to grow this

craze, New England IPA

relationship further in the future.

White Labs, a global yeast supplier since 1995

“To have the opportunity to purchase yeast from

supplies breweries around the world with the yeast for all

the Canadian representative of a fantastic producer is

of these beers and recently signed a distribution deal with

exciting, and the added cost savings are a great bonus

Canada's Brew Culture to be able to supply these to the

for our business. Dealing with a trusted supplier like Brew

local market. By making these strains more accessible to

Culture is always a pleasure.” - explained Matt Tweedy,

the breweries there, they have the opportunity to be put

brewmaster and founder of Tooth and Nail Brewing

their own mark on these beer styles, and that is exciting.

Company. u

62

April 2019

Brewers Journal

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April 2019

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April 2019

Brewers Journal

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65

date s

&

e v e nt s

events 31 May 2019 - 3 June 2019

FyneFest Cairndow, Argyll fynefest.com 12 June 2019

Brewers Lectures Nottingham Canalhouse, Nottingham lectures.brewersjournal.info 15 June 2019

Beer day britain Various venues, UK BeerDayBritain.co.uk 4 April 2019 - 7 April 2019

We Are Lager Festival Upper Campfield Market Hall, Manchester wearelager.com 25 April 2019

Tate Tap Takeover Tate Modern, London www.tate.org.uk 10 may 2019

Stewart Brewing Mayfest Loanhead, Midlothian stewartbrewing.co.uk 17 may 2019

Venue TBC lectures.brewersjournal.info 19 July 2019

Birmingham Beer Week Various venues, Birmingham birminghambeerweek.uk 18 July 2019 - 20 July 2019

hawkshead brewery summer festival The Beer Hall, Hawkshead Brewery www.hawksheadbrewery.co.uk 6 August - 10 August 2019

great british beer festival

Castle Rock Brewery, Nottingham castlerockbrewery.co.uk

Olympia, London gbbf.org.uk

Cambridge Beer Festival Jesus Green, Cambridge cambridgebeerfestival.com 24 May 2019 - 25 May 2019

Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival Leith, Edinburgh edinburghcraftbeerfestival.co.uk 31 May 2019 - 2 June 2019

Marlow beer festival Marlow Football Club www.marlowbeerfest.co.uk

April 2019

Brewers Lectures glasgow

Castle Rock Yard Party

20 may 2019 - 25 may 2019

66

July 2019

October 2019

Brewers Lectures Bristol Watershed, Bristol lectures.brewersjournal.info 26 September 2019 - 29 September 2019

falcon beer festival The Falcon, Huntingdon falconhuntingdon.co.uk 28 November 2019

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

Brewers Journal

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