11 minute read
Technology | Equipment insight The latest installs and product launches
THE LATEST GEAR
IN THIS PART OF THE BREWERS JOURNAL WE PLACE THE SPOTLIGHT ON SOME OF THE LATEST PRODUCT LAUNCHES AND INSTALLS TAKING PLACE IN THE WORLD OF CAPITAL EQUIPMENT. WHETHER IT’S KIT THAT HELPS YOU BOOST EFFICIENCIES, IMPROVE QUALITY, CUT WASTAGE OR INCREASE OUTPUT,
LOCKDOWN DRIVES CANNING LINE DEMAND
YOU’LL FIND IT HERE Innovus Engineering has cited a growing appetite to invest in capital equipment behind the drive in demand for its canning machines and systems.
EQUIPMENT
It has identified two key areas for growth during the last 12 months; pubs, bars and tap rooms deprived of customers now use its 10BEVM table-top can seaming machine to offer takeaway or delivery service; and breweries have tackled the loss of keg sales by pivoting to small pack format and investing in a CF10 or CF25 on-site canning line. Managing director, Matthew Day, explains: “We use 316 stainless steel throughout our machines, which means they’re extremely hardwearing and safe to clean with caustic or any other cleaning agents.
“The other big advantage is the completely mechanical seaming mechanism, with a vacuum hardened cam, to ensure repeatability and consistent seams that pneumatic seamers simply cannot achieve. Changeover between can heights is quick and easy with our change part lifters. You can swap between a 330ml and 440ml can in just a few seconds on our semi-automatic machines.”
The semi-automated 10BEVM Can Closing Machine is a mechanical bench top seamer that packs the power and seam integrity of a high-speed rotary seamer. Letting the cam do the work, the 10BEVM removes operator error from the equation to deliver high quality seams that meet can maker specifications. The CF10 Can Filling and Closing Machine, also semi-automatic, is frame mounted and supplied on castors for ease of movement around the brewery. It has independent modules for filling and sealing cans, with simple push button control and a touch screen for easy filling adjustment. Filling on the CF10 is controlled by weight to avoid under or over filling and wastage. The load cells are repeatable to within a couple of grams, ensuring a consistent fill weight, and calibration is easily done via the touch screen.
Schäfer Container Systems has launched draft2go, a new mobile unit that can dispense draft beer without the need for electricity or gas for cooling and dispense.
The beer is dispensed from a reusable keg with a standard flat fitting. Schäfer said this makes draft2go a genuine alternative to fixed, stationary dispensing equipment, owing to its mobile capabilities. A 10-litre keg with stainless steel liner and integrated CO2 supply operating on the proven dual-chamber principle forms the core of the draft2go unit.
A 3-part EPP insulator jacket shields the keg from thermal influences: at an ambient temperature of 25 °C and a beer temperature of 3 °C, draft2go will keep the beer chilled for at least eight hours (max. 8 °C). Once the keg is opened, the beer quality is maintained for up to 30 days.
There are also benefits in the details: for instance, the tap handle, insulator jacket and the keg are ideal for branding and the unit’s practical handling comes without any additional cleaning. This was very important for the manufacturers and is why the draft2go dispense head is connected to the standard flat fitting by a one-way supply line.
This line also allows the keg to be filled manually as well as mechanically on existing filling lines, by attaching an adapter. In addition, the draft2go-keg can be drained of its contents in conventional dispensing systems. Rounding off the mobile unit is a dishwasher-safe drip tray and stainless steel drip tray grille.
Tobias Wirth, head of sales at Schäfer Container Systems KEG, explained: “You can always serve full draught flavour anywhere. “The product is aimed primarily at breweries that want to offer their customers a highly mobile, self-sufficient dispensing unit. “That’s something that both breweries and enterprising commercial customers can benefit from equally.”
COUNTER PRESSURE CANNING TECHNOLOGY
Wild Goose Filling has introduced a new canning system designed for versatile, fully automated canning for craft drinks across a wide range of product types and conditions, including higher carbonation levels, pressures and temperatures. The Wild Goose fusion counter pressure canning system is an all-purpose beverage packaging system engineered with innovative, new counter pressure filling technologies.
Unlike conventional counter pressure systems on the market, the Wild Goose fusion protects packaged product quality without requiring a pressure bowl or drum. This unique design delivers a light-weight, agile canning machine with fast fill cycles, low dissolved oxygen to preserve beverage shelf life, safe operation, minimal cleaning time and low operating costs.
“Our goal is to provide filling systems able to handle the unique challenges of every craft beverage maker,” said Aaron Gomolak, president of Wild Goose Filling. “The progressive Fusion Counter Pressure system, the most innovative filling system in the industry today, was developed internally and is exclusive to Wild Goose.” He added: “Whether our customers need canning or bottling, from our smallest Gosling to our fastest Evolution Series WG10, we can accommodate any customer. “We are proud to offer the best equipment solutions, backed by our unmatched global team of service experts.”
The Fusion canning line accommodates virtually every craft beverage, including seltzer, beer, RTDs, soda, kombucha, wine, cannabis drinks and more. Beverage producers can also switch between can sizes and lid types on the adjustable machine to expand their product portfolios.
BREWERY BOOSTS PACKAGING CAPACITY WITH IRELAND FIRST
Carlow Brewing Company is to install Ireland’s first Visitron AllIn-One line GEA Vipoll.
The brewery has opted for GEA’s combined rinser-filler-seamer block, which offers brewers maximum production flexibility and reliability.
The All-In-One rinses, fills, seals and seams cans, glass and even PET bottles with just one machine in the smallest possible space. Manufacturers can switch between bottle and can formats without tools in just 20 to 30 minutes.
The family-owned brewery produces the O’Hara’s craft beer brand range, Falling Apple cider plus a range of canned and bottled private labels for international customers.
To meet growing customer demand and interest in canned beer, Carlow Brewing decided to invest in a fundamentally new facility. Canning is a first for the brewery. However, no Irish contract packer could provide the required capacity.
“Taking canning into our own hands is a big step for us”, said Seamus O’Hara, founder and CEO of Carlow Brewing Company.
He added: “We only wanted to take this step with an experienced partner. So, in addition to the technology, the track record of similar installations and an established local support, which we now have with GEA Ireland, were very important to us.”
Having already installed a GEA beer separator in the past, the brewery was familiar with the technology group’s expertise in the market, and subsequently became aware of the GEA Visitron Filler All-In-One which won the comparison with competing technologies.
PUMPS ERADICATE YEAST HANDLING ISSUES
A German brewery has eliminated gassing issues and boosted pump efficiency after replacing existing rotary lobe pumps.
Hoffman Brewery experience the improvements in process after opting for Certa Sine pumps from Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group.
Gas locking had serious and ongoing effects for the lobe pumps at the Hofmann brewery, including a reduction in flow rate. This effect was particularly noticeable due to the need for long suction lines between multiple yeast tanks and the pump station.
To overcome these challenges, Hofmann invited WMFTG to assess the application and make its recommendations. Several stipulations were involved, including the requirement to handle various yeast viscosities, the need for self-priming, and no gas locking.
With these thoughts in mind, Hofmann was advised to adopt a MasoSine Certa 200 series pump. A combination of offering both high suction capability and high flow, as well as low-shear pumping, led Hofmann to install Certa 200 pumps, which duly led to successful and continuous yeast harvesting. The brewmaster has since stated that ease of maintenance by the brewery’s personnel, and rapid CIP cleaning, are added advantages. Here, the simplicity of the Certa pumps reduces CIP cycles and the amount of water and cleaning agents required.
NEW KEG LINES SET FOR SUMMER INSTALLS
Dorset-based Hall and Woodhouse and Manchester’s Marble Brewery are set to bolster their packaging options with the installation of new keg lines.
Hall and Woodhouse has opted for a Monobloc machine from Lambrechts, the same design as a system recently installed at Fourpure in Bermondsey and Healeys Cyder.
ACCELERATE AND FACILITATE DRYHOPPING PROCESS
A new stand-alone unit for medium size breweries accelerates and facilitates the dry hopping/cold hopping process.
The Alhop dry-hopping system from Alfa Laval offers fast and efficient extraction rate owing to dynamic agitation, high product throughput while no risk of clogging thanks to the cross flow process, and minimal introduction of hop solids into the tank.
Following their introduction in the Alhop, the hop pellets are disaggregated in the beer and kept homogenized in the cross flow recirculation loop.
While the Alhop is continuously fed with beer, dry hopped beer flows continuously out through the specifically designed strainer.
Once the extraction process is over, the beer trapped in the system is recovered by concentration and diafiltration process.
For alpha acids recovery, the hop slurry is further washed off with deaerated water (DAW) to end with a pumpable suspension of hops in DAW.
The Monobloc is an all-in-one keg washing and filling line designed to minimize the footprint required to install a complete keg line. The acid, caustic and mixed water tanks are built into the frame, as is the optional external keg washer.
The plug and play Monobloc install time can be kept down to a few days providing all services have been brought to the machine prior to install. Included in the package is a remote service and diagnostics system taking all the stress out of a running a plant even 24/7, as every part of the process is being monitored.
For these breweries looking for a semi-automatic washer filler, the popular Omni Compact machine which allows the brewer to fill any type of one-way keg irrespective of design currently on the market, as well as washing and filling returnable 30/50 litre steel kegs at 34 per hour.
On prewashed rented steel kegs, a rate of 63 kegs can be filled per hour. Manchester-based Marble Brewery will take delivery of a new Omni Compact during April.
The Compact range shares the same service valves and titanium 316 process heads as the larger fully automated machines, also the media tanks are all manufactured in 316 stainless steel. The range can comfortably wash 9-gallon firkins at 25 per hour.
CLASSIFIED
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BOTTLING & CANNING
www.enterprisetondelli.co.uk info@enterprisetondelli.co.uk
BREWING DESIGN AND BUILD
6ix Fabdec Ltd offer a full range of high quality brewery products, designed and manufactured right here in the UK.
www.6ixfabdec.com sales@6ixfabdec.com +(0)1963 205 001 +(0)7375 448 118
BREWING EQUIPMENT
Gravity Systems was formed to meet the growing demand in the craft beer market for a single source for all brewhouse, fermentation, services generation and distribution. www.gravity-systems.co.uk +44 (0)1733 834264 enquiries@gravity-systems.co.uk
Bottling | Canning | Kegging Contract Brewing | Blending
CONTRACT PACKAGING FOR THE CRAFT DRINKS MARKET
CASK & KEG CLOSURES
Since 1774, Rankin continues to supply reliable closures that help seal, protect and add value to your brands.
www.rankincork.co.uk sales@rankincork.co.uk + 44 (0)1844 203100
CONTRACT BREW & PACKAGE
Whether you are an existing brewery or starting your own brand we have the perfect contract solution for you. Brewing, bottling and kegging services - we are the ‘secret’ behind our customer’s great beer.
ben@hambletonbrewery.co.uk +44 (0)1765 640108
COOLING SOLUTIONS
www.galxc.co.uk +44 (0)23 8086 7168
Realtime fermentation gravity and temperature monitoring with graphing, optional remote temperature control and our new CO2 purge device.
www.dotmatix.net 020 3475 1420
HOPS SUPPLIERS
American hops from the Pacific Northwest hops@yakimachief.com +1 509-453-4792 @yakimachief
HUMIDITY CONTROL
INGREDIENTS
info@kanegrade.com +44 (0) 1438 742242
Fruits, citrus, heat treated dried spices UK supply year round
FREE SAMPLES
Tel.+44(0)1200 449833 www.bowlander.co.uk
MALT
www.bestmalz.com
www.crispmalt.co +44 (0)1328 829 391 info@crispmalt.com
FAWCETTS
TOPQUALITYMALTEst 1809
www.fawcett-maltsters.co.uk +44 (0)1977 552490 sales@fawcett-maltsters.co.uk www.simpsonsmalt.co.uk +44 (0)1289 330033
PACKAGING
We supply the finest quality kegs & casks in the world, manufactured to the highest industry specifications. We provide 50 litre kegs, 30 litre kegs, 4.5 gallon Pins & 9 gallon Casks.
www.keglogistics.com/united-kingdom +44 (0)7734 035562 SHorrox@keglogistics.com
PACKAGING HANDLES
PakTech designs and manufactures 100% recycled, recyclable and reusable packaging handles. PakTech is the smart and sustainable packaging solution. www.paktech-opi.com handlesales@paktech-opi.com Phone: +1.541.461.5000
PACKAGING AUTOMATION
skafabricating.com +1 (970) 403-8562 Bringing Quality Control To Your Brewery
Analytical Products for Beer Chemistry and Microbiology
01342 820820 www.qclbrewing.com
RECRUITMENT
www.carlingpartnership.com +44 (0)1483 893 100
YEAST
www.lallemandbrewing.com +44 (0)7930 451687
Fermentis is an expert in the art of fermentation. Our active dry yeasts and yeast derivatives cover almost all professional requirements: from safeguarding production to expressing sensory characteristics. Discover our products on www.fermentis.com Contact us at fermentis@lesaffre.com
