The Brewers Journal July~August 2020, iss 6 vol 6

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE PROFESSIONAL BREWING INDUSTRY

BREWERS

J O U R N A L

JULY~AUGUST 2020 | VOLUME 6, ISSUE 6 ISSN 2059-6669

LONDON BEER FACTORY Craft in the capital 15 | BREWERS CHOICE: THE LOWDOWN ON 2020 AWARDS

43 | INDIGENOUS BREWING: BEERS FROM AFRICA

55 | ENZYMES: THEIR ROLE IN THE BREWING PROCESS

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WE GO AGAIN

W

hat a month. And

took part and watched our inaugural

we’re only halfway

online Brewers Lectures. It was valuable

through.

to hear from the brewers, suppliers, and

Hospitality is

associations on how they’ve navigated

emerging from its

this challenging time but more impor-

enforced hibernation. Breweries and the

tantly, the next steps we can collectively

other countless businesses that make

take to ensure brewing thrives once

beer tick have had to pause, reassess

more. To rewatch the event visit: bit.ly/

and work out where they go next.

VirtualBrewersLectures

At government level, Chancellor Rishi

I’d also like to draw your attention to the

Sunak has just announced a package of

Brewers Choice Awards, which return in

jobs and job creation for young people.

2020 and, of course, they’re bigger and

There are also VAT cuts for the pub and

better than ever!

hospitality sector, though beer has disappointedly been excluded from this.

The Brewers Choice Awards are split into eight categories: Brewery Of The Year,

On the job front, a new £2 billion Kickstart

New Brewery of The Year, Young Brewer

Scheme will also be launched to create

of The Year, Brewer of The Year, Beer of

hundreds of thousands of new, fully

the Year, New Beer of The Year, Branding

subsidised jobs for young people across

of The Year and Lifetime Achievement

the country.

Award. And to crown these worthy winners, we need you.

LEADER

Elsewhere, businesses will be given

brewersjournal.info

£2,000 for each new apprentice they hire

There is a wealth of incredible beer being

under the age of 25. This is in addition

produced in the UK. The best beers

to the existing £1,000 payment the

deliver fantastic flavour and awe-inspiring

Government already provides for new

aroma, they’re consistent and leave a

16-18-year-old apprentices and those

lasting impression whether it’s a one-off

aged under 25 with an Education, Health

brew or a year-round number that offers

and Care Plan.

up that sought after reliability.

On VAT, the rate of applied on most tour-

The awards that recognise these beers,

ism and hospitality-related activities will

and the peope behind them will be pre-

also be cut from 20% to 5%.

sented during the industry party taking place at The Brewery on 8th December

While wet-led pubs, at the time of writ-

and also announced online and in the

ing, seem to have been left out of these

print edition of The Brewers Journal.

latest measures, the new Eat Out to Help Out Scheme will hopefully help catalyse

Tim Sheahan

demand for our beloved drink.

Editor

On a side note, thanks to everyone that

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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3

JULY~AUGUST 2020

CONTENTS

Brewers Lectures | Rebounding from Covid-19 We look back at the online Brewers Lectures, featuring a cross-section of industry professionals discussing how beer bounces back from Covid-19.

10

Dear John | Life after lockdown

20

John Keeling reflects on the new way of life we have all adopted during lockdown and his plans for when normality resumes.

Comment | Insurance Moving forward securely with evolved businesses in a post-pandemic world.

22

Brewery Tour | London Beer Factory Based in the England’s capital, but drawing on global influence and expertise, London Beer Factory are excited about the road ahead.

24

Sector | Design It might seem like a crazy time to even think about rebranding your beers. But, it might just be the best time to do it as well.

34

Focus | Beer characteristics The role appearance plays in the beers you brew, and the testing methods available to your brewery.

38

Focus | Indigenous brewing There is more to African beer than cold, fizzy lager.

Here, Kieran Aylward takes us on a journey to discover a world of innovation and invention.

43

Science | Enzymes To understand enzyme activity is to understand more about the process of brewing. Tim O’ Rourke, founder of The Brilliant Beer Company, tells all.

55

20

Dear John | Life after lockdown

John Keeling reflects on the new way of life we have all adopted during lockdown and his plans for when normality resumes

4

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

BREWERS JOURNAL

38

CONTACTS Tim Sheahan Editor tim@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 592

Focus | Beer characteristics

The role appearance plays in the beers you brew, and the testing methods available to your brewery

Velo Mitrovich Deputy Editor velo@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 591 Josh Henderson Head of sales josh@rebymedia.com +44 (0)1442 780 594 Jon Young Publisher jon@rebymedia.com Reby Media 42 Crouchfield, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP1 1PA, UK

36 Focus | Design

It might seem like a crazy time to even think about rebranding your beers. But, it might just be the best time to do it as well.

43 Indigenous Brewing

There is more to African beer than cold, fizzy lager. Here, Kieran Aylward takes us on a journey to discover a world of innovation and invention.

brewersjournal.info

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UK & IRELAND ÂŁ29 INTERNATIONAL ÂŁ49 The content of The Brewers Journal is subject to copyright. However, if you would like to obtain copies of an article for marketing purposes high-quality reprints can be supplied to your specification.

Please contact the advertising team for full details of this service. The Brewers Journal is printed at Manson Group, St Albans, UK.

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.

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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SUPPORT BRITISH HOPS OR RISK LOSING THEM

H

op merchant Charles Faram has implored brewers to support the UK hop sector or “risk losing it completely”.

The company has used its mid-season report to update consumers on the progress of its hop-growing activities in the UK, the Czech Republic, Germany both in Hallertau and Tettnang, Poland, Slovenia and the USA. “Contracting for British hops has been understandably slow and many growers are very concerned about over-production.

Most have taken the decision to reduce inputs and single string plants (this could reduce the yield by up to 40%),” they

Powdery and Downy mildews as well

high humidity in June and plants are now

explained.

as aphids and spider mites, which were

ahead of expectations, reaching their top

The company added: “It’s incredibly

controlled.

wires early.

British growers and we are encouraging

Tettnang experienced a mild, even hot,

In the USA, focusing on Washington, Ida-

brewers to buy British hops or risk losing

winter with temperatures well above

ho and Oregon, spring has been cooler

our hop industry completely.

average, which have been compensated

than normal, with the forecast for a hot

“Reduced food miles and supporting

for by plenty of rain. There has been sig-

and dry summer.

local industry should be important to all,

nificant humidity which normally causes a

They explained: “Growers are pleased

and if it’s part of your brewery’s values we

problem with disease but so far these are

with the progress of plants but con-

should be shouting about it!”

under control.

cerned about potential forest fires which

In the Czech Republic, spring was hit by

“Growth is strong and the plants are

have blighted crops in the past. Field

labour shortages. To counter this, Czech

ahead of where we would expect them

work was completed by mid-May. There

hop growers started work in the hop

to be. Additional rain is forecast,” they

are concerns about availability of labour

fields two-to-three weeks early. All the

explained.

and Yakima County in particular is cur-

field work was completed on time but

In Poland, Charles Faram said a warm

rently a hot spot for the COVID19 virus.

using local labour rather than Slovakian

and dry winter was causing great con-

“There has been powdery mildew

has pushed growers’ costs up.

cern to growers who have experienced

pressure in Washington and Oregon but

“Cooler weather in June has led to slower

repeated droughts in recent years. During

these outbreaks have been controlled.

growth of plants, but this is being viewed

May the weather became wet and warm,

Pest pressures have been few so far. Ida-

positively by growers. So far there is

plants have caught up and are looking

ho growers are working with cover crops,

nothing to be alarmed at,” they said.

good without too much stress.

which are improving fertility, reducing soil

In Hallertau, June has been a little cooler

And in Slovenia, contrary to most of the

erosion and also creating a friendly envi-

than average but fortunately they have

other hop growing areas in Europe, they

ronment for predatory species of aphid

had significant rainfall and higher temper-

had a mild spring with temperatures

and red spider mite.

atures are forecast.

closer to long term averages than in

“It’s expected that the plants which were

Growth is slightly behind expectations

recent years.

babies in 2019 and underperformed will

and there have been outbreaks of

Warm conditions and rain have meant

produce full yields in 2020.”

important that we continue to support

brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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7

YORKSHIRE BREWERIES LOOK TO THE FUTURE

T

wo of Yorkshire’s brew-

ing. But we just accepted the situation for

eries have reflected on a

what it was and cracked on.”

challenging few months,

As time pressed on and word spread,

but also the ways they are

Great Newsome was slowly able to bring

looking to the future.

its brewers, dray-men, and salesforce

Lockdown has been especially tough

back into work. The brewery focussed on

on small businesses. Making a colossal

optimising their website and, compared

investment before-hand doesn’t exactly

to the same period in 2019, online sales

help, but that was the situation Great

during lockdown actually increased by

Newsome found itself in.

13,000%.

“We’d upgraded to brand-new equip-

“The biggest lesson we’ve learnt is the

ment back in February, and it had twice

importance of staying in touch with our

the brewing capacity of our original,” said

customers,” Hodgson said. “Something

Matthew Hodgson, director of the brew-

new we’ve been doing is livestreaming

ery. “It was a big venture for us, and we’d

beer tastings and Q&As. So, whenever we

only had about a month to use it before

bring out a new beer, it’s now accompa-

lockdown!”

nied by a couple of us going on camera

furloughed. Not only did revenue col-

The family business relied on pubs and

and chatting about it. They’re a lot of fun

lapse overnight because of government

exports for 85% of its business. Addition-

to do, and it’s been a great opportunity to

enforced pub closures but hundreds

ally, many shops stocking the brewery’s

talk to our customers again”.

of thousands of pounds of cask beer

bottles had shut overnight. It would have

He concluded: “We’re obviously excit-

has had to be thrown away as it was no

to find a way to survive, and fast.

ed that the pubs and bars are finally

longer in-date.

“If we’d taken the easy way out and

re-opening, and we’re getting behind

A silver lining has been bottle sales,

closed until the pubs re-opened, we’d

them 100%. For those that are choosing

which have meant that brewing has been

need to rebuild our entire customer base

not to go out: we’re certainly not aban-

able to continue throughout this period,

from scratch,” he added. “This simply

doning you. I can see us doing home

protecting the health of Taylor’s 40 year

wasn’t an option for us; we had to stay

deliveries for a long time to come.”

old yeast and bringing in some much needed revenue.

open, and it had to work.

Hodgson said: “The furlough scheme was

At Timothy Taylor’s in Keighley, the com-

The company explained: “Despite its

a real life-saver for us; we formed a skel-

pany has been significantly increasing

own financial pressures, the brewery

eton crew and tried to work out how we

brewing capacity at their Knowle Spring

has taken the lead in supporting its pub

could actually get our beer to people”

site ahead of the reopening of hospitality

partners, initially offering a four-week rent

They quickly decided that their best (and

earlier this month.

free period ahead of the lockdown and

only) chance would be delivering directly

At the beginning of March 2020, the

then, following the lockdown, a contin-

to their customers’ doorsteps. Bottle

Timothy Taylor’s brewery was thriving,

ued period of free rent.

sales would need to increase massively,

with Landlord proving more popular than

“Although pubs reopen in July, Taylor’s

all while having minimal staff and grap-

ever; a growing interest in other tradi-

will not be charging rent at this time

pling with the pandemic’s massive uncer-

tional beers such as Boltmaker (CAMRA

either, giving licensees a chance to invest

tainty. Still, they took a chance.

Champion Beer of Britain 2014); and more

in their outlets and judge the level of

“The days became much longer, be-

modern style beers, such as Hopical

trade without the added pressure of rent

cause we had to package everything by

Storm, finding new audiences.

payments.”

hand with a very small staff,” explained

Enter the coronavirus, which found

The big unknown, they add, is to what

Hodgson. “It was the toughest, scariest

the brewery, from April, working with

extent demand will return as consumers

period we’ve had in our 13 years of brew-

a skeleton crew of 16 peo-ple with 90

return to the on-trade.

8

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

BREWERS JOURNAL

INDUSTRY PLATFORM LAUNCHED TO PROMOTE GLASS RECYCLING

A new industry action platform has been launched to unite the glass collection and recycling value chain, and to establish a material stewardship programme that will result in more bottle-to-bottle recycling.

Close the Glass Loop is setting out to boost collection rates to 90% by 2030, and they are aiming to have every player in the glass ecosystem, no matter where they fit into the loop, to join them.

The bottom-up, collaborative, public-private partnership gathers twelve European federations representing glass manufacturers, processors, brands, Packaging Recovery Organisations and municipalities.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner of the Environment, Fisheries and Oceans, said: “Glass is a great example of a circular material. You are already achieving outstanding results in collection and recycling. But you show that you want to do more, that you are determined to bring levels up and seek the room for improvement along the chain.”.

NEW INSTRUMENT FOR BEER SPOILAGE ORGANISMS A new real-time instrument can simultaneously detect more than 30+ beer spoilage organisms Biotecon Diagnostics’s PCR Cycler Dualo 32 in combination with the company’s foodproof beer screening kits and food-

and introducing kits and instruments to

performance and reproducible results,

proof spoilage yeast detection kits can

the market that alleviate the impact of

the Dualo 32 is perfect for maintaining

detect more than 30 of the most impor-

contamination.

consistent quality control at all stages of

tant beer spoilage bacteria and several

“Our new Dualo 32, with its small foot-

the brewing process. It has everything a

spoilage yeasts.

print, is capable of dealing with the

brewer needs and can run multiplex kits

Dr. Kornelia Berghof-Jäger, CEO of

entire complexity of our PCR diagnos-

with up to four channels.

Biotecon Diagnostics, said: “With the

tics portfolio for the brewing industry,

“The full spectrum optics of the us-

ever-expanding brewing industry, there is

which includes all relevant beer-spoiling

er-friendly Dualo 32® enable the flexible

a definite need for quality management

bacteria, spoilage yeasts, Legionella and

use of hydrolysis as well as hybridization

and early preventative controls to reduce

Alicyclobacillus.”

probes, so it is able to identify all the

the risk of product spoilage. We have

They added: “Operating with high end

main beer spoilers by melting curve

long been in the business of developing

technology for outstanding instrument

analysis.”

brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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9

REBOUNDING FROM COVID-19 WITH THE ENGLISH HOSPITALITY SECTOR REOPENING, WE BROUGHT TOGETHER A CROSS-SECTION OF BEER INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS TO DISCUSS AND DEBATE HOW BEER BOUNCES BACK FROM COVID-19.

DURING AN EVENT HOSTED BY MELISSA COLE, AND SPONSORED

BY LALLEMAND BREWING & MUNTONS, CREDIT TERMS, COMMUNICATION AND THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCE WERE THE ORDER OF THE DAY.

10

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

T

he government’s announce-

having focused on small pack for so long

ment that the hospitality

that chance will require a real shift.”

sector in England could

Pressure Drop’s O’ Rourke added that the

reopen earlier this month

brewery will continue to place an empha-

was the green light much of

sis on its canned output in the coming

the beer industry had been waiting on.

weeks and months.

But it’s far from straight-forward.

“We were in the lucky position because

The beer industry has been, and some-

we had an e-commerce system in place

what remains, in a state of flux. The

long before lockdown,” she explained.

COVID-19 pandemic has affected change

“Demand meant that we moved from

in all, and recent months have proven to

weekly dispatch to a daily operation, and

be a tumultuous period not only for the

what was an ancillary part of the business

brewing industry, but the global econo-

before will be a major part of it going

my.

forward.”

Breweries and the other countless businesses that make beer tick have had

At Northern Monk, Dickson said there

to pause, reassess and work out where

was a rise in consumers ordering strong-

they go next. So with that in mind the

er IPAs at the beginning of lockdown but

Brewers Lectures went online for the first

as things settled, demand for the brew-

time. To not only hear from the brew-

ery’s core range, especially in four- and

ers, suppliers, and associations on how

12-packs won the day.

they’ve navigated this challenging time

“People want familiarity in their fridge,

but more importantly, the next steps we

and that’s nice to see,” he said. “We’re

can collectively take to ensure brewing

finding our feet on the keg front so that

thrives once more.

will take a little while for things to pan out.

As a result, we’ll still definitely be pushing

The first of two sessions featured input

take-out and delivery.”

from Brian Dickson, head brewer at

While there’s been a wealth of ways to

Leeds-based Northern Monk, Adnams’

procure take-home cask beer through-

head brewer Fergus Fitzgerald, Sienna

out lockdown, there has also been a real

O’ Rourke, head of sales and marketing

sense of longing for a “proper” pint of

at Tottenham’s Pressure Drop, Robert

cask.

Percival the regional sales manager for

Adnams head brewer Fitzgerald said

Europe at Lallemand Brewing and Jaega

consumers should expect breweries

Wise, the head brewer at Walthamstow’s

to play it safe as the hospitality sector

Wild Card Brewery.

emerges from hibernation.

On the subject of how breweries have

“We will be keeping our range low. Our

been selling their beers during the pan-

pubs that would normally serve five or

demic, Wise said the focus on small pack

six cask beers will open with two and see

had been a “major effort” and also one

how it goes,” he explained. “With the usu-

that will take some undoing.

al rule of aiming to finish a cask in three

“It will take time to figure everything out,”

days in mind, it’ll be very difficult for many

she said. “We’re looking again at keg but

pubs to work out where they stand. It’s

BREWERS JOURNAL

brewersjournal.info

BREWERS LECTURES

Before you write anything or anyone off, you need to pick up the phone and communicate,�

Christian Barden, Kegstar

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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11

better to start small, build up and grow in

And going forward, there was the

“Generosity or credit, however you dis-

confidence.”

consensus that industry peers will have

cuss it, can only be given where you’ve

An overriding theme of the session was

to continue demonstrating this level of

got it,” said Hudson. “We’ve fielded calls

the importance of communication; with

understanding in the uncertain months

from pubs desperate for beer but then

your team, suppliers, and customers.

that lie ahead.

walk away when you can’t offer them 30

“Communication has been key through-

“The market has changed,” added Wise.

days because they don’t want to take

out,” said Lallemand’s Percival. “The

“We’re in a position where lots of brew-

that risk. Well you know what, neither can

whole supply chain has found itself in

eries are selling direct to the customer

we. It’s a case of talking more and being

similar positions so with that, transpar-

when they weren’t before. So if we do

transparent with everyone.”

ency is all-important. If you’re struggling

have a second spike of this virus, I feel as

McKinlay added: “Looking at things on a

at all, it’s better to be honest. And that

if we’re in a better position as we poten-

case by case basis is important. If some-

applies to everyone.”

tially know what’s coming. The element

one hasn’t paid a bill from December but

of surprise has gone and you’ll have to

is then doing £10k work on their pub then

ensure that you are better prepared.”

you need to question that. But if some-

Dickson added: “We’ve found that every-

one tapped a beer just before lockdown,

one we’ve dealt with has shown a great

then that’s obviously different.”

deal of flexibility and patience. The can

The event’s second session involved

suppliers and labellers of the world have

Christian Barden, UK managing director

obviously been swamped, but our ex-

of Kegstar, SIBA chief executive James

For Barden, it’s important that business

periences have been great. I can’t praise

Calder, Miranda Hudson, co-founder of

are both cautious and optimistic.

them enough.”

Norfolk’s Duration Brewing, Yeastie Boys

“Before you write anything or anyone

“I think there has been a strong level of

co-founder Stu McKinlay and Charlie

off, you need to pick up the phone and

understanding across the industry,” said

McVeigh, founder of The Draft House

communicate,” he said. “That way you

Wise. “It doesn’t feel that anyone has

chain and also Project Pint.

can keep your operation at the right level,

shown a great deal of negativity, instead

In a challenging trading environment,

one that protects the business and pro-

they’ve showed positivity and willing.”

credit proved to be a hot topic.

tects your team. We are building the cost

12

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

BREWERS JOURNAL

A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS...

Lallemand Supported by decades of long-standing indus-

The whole supply chain has found itself in similar positions so with that, transparency is all-important,” Robert Percival, Lallemand Brewing.

try experience, an extensive support network, and strong technical expertise, Lallemand Brewing is perfectly positioned to help breweries achieve their growth and quality goals by offering products, services, and education. Lallemand Brewing’s premi-um brewing yeasts and bacteria deliver unmatched consistency, reliability and purity, allowing brew-ers to take full control of the brewing process. For additional information please visit us at www.lallemandbrewing.com.

Muntons Muntons manufacture and supply globally a wide range of malts that have been developed through our experience to satisfy the exacting needs of today’s creative brewers and distillers.Muntons passion for malt embraces both tradition and innovation, their technical support and onsite brewing facilities allow Muntons to help customers who are looking to develop existing recipes or the addi-tion of something new and exciting to their range. Muntons are not only passionate about malt but also sustainability. Sustainability lies at the heart of everything Muntons aim to achieve and they are proud to boast the claim of manufacturing 100% sustainable malt. The Muntons team are always on hand to help where they can, so for more information or if you have any questions, please give them a call.

Great beers begin with Muntons.

base in demand with our customers.”

ers selling goods against the company

purposes. However, Calder says he

McVeigh acknowledges that a dangerous

they are selling to defaulting on pay-

understands such measures are for guid-

trading environment exists and he ex-

ment, giving businesses the confidence

ance, only. Despite this, there are options

pects most operators would have insol-

to trade with one another. But due to

for establishments wanting to take part.

vency practitioners appointed to advise

Coronavirus and businesses struggling to

“There’s a sense of empathy driving this.

them on options for every scenario.

pay bills, they risk having credit insurance

It’s like wearing a mask. It’s important to

“Minimising exposure is key. There’s no

withdrawn, or premiums increasing to

tell the customer that it’s not necessarily

doubt a lot of operators suffering, espe-

unaffordable levels.

to keep you safe, but others you may

cially when it comes to issues like rent.

SIBA’s Calder highlighted the news that

pass the virus on to,” he said. “ You need

If they are not sorted then businesses

to prevent this from happening, the gov-

to be smart with your messaging. Speak

will suffer and go bust, and who knows

ernment will temporarily guarantee busi-

to your customers about why you are

where a brewery’s debt falls in that case,”

ness-to-business transactions currently

doing this and the benefits of doing so.”

he said.

supported by Trade Credit Insurance,

Hudson concluded: “We’re in a position

McVeigh added: “In times like this, rules

ensuring the majority of insurance cover-

where the gloves are off and there’s

are important. They allow you to say ‘I

age will be maintained across the market.

nowhere to hide. There is a shared

wish I could but I can’t’ so consistency is

This will support supply chains and help

trauma in this industry, and that’s a

key. It’s an opportunity for good business-

businesses to trade with confidence as

powerful force. It has shown that we have

es to look inwards and ask what the ideal

they can trust that they will be protected

something worth saving, so lets save it

state of the company is. So when you

if a customer defaults on payment.

together.

emerge, you can ask yourself how you

With the reopening of hospitality, the

“Now is not the time to get divisive. We

can become that knock-out business.”

Government is asking such venues to

can rebuild, do things differently, and do

collect information for contact-tracing

them better.”

For many businesses, Trade Credit Insurance provides cover for business to business transactions, It insures suppli-

brewersjournal.info

TO WATCH THE FULL VIRTUAL BREWERS LECTURES ON YOUTUBE, VISIT: BIT.LY/VIRTUALBREWERSLECTURES JULY~AUGUST 2020

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2020

Brewers Choice ENTER FREE AT:

awards.brewersjournal.info Deadline: 31st August 2020 Winners announced 8 December 2020 Full terms and conditions available at awards.brewersjournal.info

L

ast year we launched the Brewers Choice Awards; designed to recognise the

ENTER THE BREWERS CHOICE AWARDS FOR FREE AWARDS.BREWERSJOURNAL.INFO

pinnacle of UK brewing, and to put the best of the best in

the spotlight.

We’re proud that the Brewers Choice Awards return in 2020 and of course,

New Brewery of the Year

New Beer of the Year

A

I

of The Year and Lifetime Achievement

IPA, some mixed-fermentation sours

Some riff on classic styles, some attempt

Award. And to crown these worthy

and some a mix of each. Regardless,

to refine them, some forge their own

winners, we need you.

each tread their own different path in the

path. But it’s that variety that makes

There is a wealth of incredible beer being

industry of brewing.

everything so exciting. In this category,

produced in the UK. The best beers

We want to hear about those early

we want to recognise the beer that has

deliver fantastic flavour and awe-inspiring

landmark points for the business. Maybe

made its mark on the landscape in a

aroma, they’re consistent and leave a

you’ve offered employment to local

relative short time.

lasting impression whether it’s a one-off

people, it could be the investments

In your entry, you should tell us the name

brew or a year-round number that offers

you’ve made, securing deals for your first

of the beer, the style of the beer, ABV%,

up that sought after reliability.

beers with pubs, bars or restaurants. It

and overview and also any tasting notes.

These beers are being produced by

could be all of the above.

brilliant breweries of all shapes and

Tell us about your brewery’s approach to

sizes, some new and some older. Some

facets of business such as its work in the

employ an individual and others offer

community, commitment to training and

employment to dozens, or more.

developing its staff, relationships with the

If you you’re doing to shouting about,

broader industry and your approach to

tell us. You can enter one, or all of the

issues such as sustainability.

they’re bigger and better than ever!

The Brewers Choice Awards are split into eight categories: Brewery Of The Year, New Brewery of The Year, Young Brewer of The Year, Brewer of The Year, Beer of the Year, New Beer of The Year, Branding

raft of excellent new breweries have opened in the last 36 months. Some of these outfits

have focused on the art of Lager, some

categories. Or nominate a brewer for the Lifetime Achievement Award.

These awards will be presented during the industry party taking place at The Brewery on 8th December and also announced online and in the print edition of The Brewers Journal.

SUPPORTED BY:

Brewery of the Year

T

n a matter of seconds we can think of a dozen, nay dozens, of truly fantastic beers that have been produced in

recent months.

Beer of the Year

B

eer is a thing of beauty. That’s something we can all agree on, as we wouldn’t be here

otherwise.

We want to celebrate the very best the UK has to offer. We’re not looking at dozens of different categories here,

o contend this award, we want

instead recognising one beer: The

to see a detailed overview of the

Brewers Choice Beer of The Year.

business success you’ve had in

It could be a new beer you’re super

the last 12 months. This will include full

proud of, or an existing beer that is its

financials or your trading figures for the

finest form to date following months

last year and your predicted future year

or years of working on the recipe and

figures.

dialling it right in.

Please showcase any key moments for

With a panel of industry experts, we’ll

the business such as new investments

be judging the beer on Aroma, Taste,

you’ve made, perhaps new distribution

Appearance and Marketing. In your entry,

deals you’ve struck or successes you’ve

you should tell us the name of the beer,

had in exporting your beer to other

the style of the beer, ABV%, and overview

countries.

and also any tasting notes.

As last year’s winners Northern Monk did so effectively, tell us about your brewery’s approach to facets of business such as its work in the community, and its commitment to training and developing its staff.

What investment have you made in the

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

Young Brewer of the Year

I

t comes as literally no surprise that there are some incredibly talented young brewers working in the UK

brewing industry. In a tightly-fought

laboratory side of the brewery, and tell us

category in 2019, Alice Batham of

about your relationships with the wider

Thornbridge aptly demonstrated why she

industry and approach to sustainability.

deserved such an accolade.

BREWERS JOURNAL

The winners of two accolades in 2019, Northern Monk

Some young brewers are running their

beers they create, expansion they’ve

own operations, others are cutting their

overseen or a team they’ve built. Maybe

teeth working at established outfits.

it’s all of those. We’d like you to provide

Regardless, these brewers are making

a maximum of two references from

their mark on the industry and are certain

employer(s).

to have a long, successful career in the field.

Young is, also, a subjective term. You are only as old as you feel, of course. But for the purpose of this category, a young brewer is anyone under the age of 30.

Branding of the Year

L

et’s be clear, great branding helps sell beer. Now we have that revelation out of the way, we want

John Hatch accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award

Tell us about your responsibilities and

this category to showcase the stunning

successes in last 12 months.

array of design that breweries leverage

Maybe a recipe you developed, or the

to brand their beers. From the striking to

impact you’ve had on the company’s

the subtle, modern beer is blessed with

packaging operations, or improvements

some truly impressive branding; from the

to quality and consistency thanks to the

work that graces bottles and cans to keg

Young’s brewery. A passion project that

work you carry out in the lab. We’d also

founts, cask badges and beyond. Show

came into being upon the news that

like to you provide a maximum of two

us what you got!

Young’s was to shutter it’s London brew-

references from employer(s).

Brewer of the Year

O

ne of the finest qualities many brewers boast is humility. So this

ing business back in 2006, John Hatch

Lifetime Achievement

T

ensured that although the brewery would be leaving the site, brewing wouldn’t.

he inaugural Brewers Choice

In 2020 we want to shine the spotlight

Awards featured an accolade of

on another great of this industry. We’ve

designed to recognise lifetime

seen fantastic brewers retire and move

achievement. It recognised a brewer

on. We’ve seen brewers do what they’ve

convincing/persuading/forcing when

that has played an integral role in the

always done and that’s play their part in

it comes to ensuring these excellent

UK brewing industry and the brewery he

producing excellent, reliable beer that

brewers are considered. We want to

brews in. The Ram Brewery is no normal

forms such an important part in many

acknowledge a brewer that is truly an

brewery.

people’s lives. It will recognise a brewer

industry tour de force. What sets you,

Instead, it’s a truly unique operation

that has played an incredibly important

or them, apart from the rest? Is it the

housed on the grounds of the old

part in the UK brewing industry.

category is likely to need some

brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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17

BREWERS CONGRESS SUPER EARLY BIRD TICKETS ON SALE TWO DAY PASS

DAY ONE

DAY TWO

FULL PRICE: £200 EARLY BIRD: £150 SUPER EARLY BIRD: £120

T

E

The 1950’s Prom themed evening will

the UK brewing Calendar. More than

see UK brewers and their partners dress

300 breweries come together to share

to impress as they indulge in a cocktail

their knowledge of brewing, industry

reception, a lavish three course meal and

trends, developments in methodology,

unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks as

technology and ingredients.

DAY TWO ONLY FULL PRICE: £105 EARLY BIRD: £79 SUPER EARLY BIRD: £63

he Brewers Congress 2020 kicks off with an industry wide Christmas Party and Brewers

Choice Awards celebrations!

is at the heart of the Brewers Congress mission. Day two is

the largest gathering of breweries in

they dance and celebrate into the early hours.

Registration from 8am Session 1 starts at 9am

Cocktail reception starts at 6pm

(PRICES EXCLUDE VAT)

ducation and team development

Ends 5pm

Carriages at 1am

SUPPORTED BY:

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

BREWERS JOURNAL

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06/07/2020 10:13

DEAR JOHN

LIFE AFTER LOCKDOWN

W

ell there are

St. Austell and have a beer in memory of

positives in

Roger Ryman who I regard as the best

everything, so

of my generation of brewers. I also want

I told myself.

to visit Palmers and hope to bump into

Where are the

Darren the head brewer.

positives in lockdown, then? I can find

Now I have visited both of these

lots of negatives, chief of which are the

before so it will bring back some good

loss of friends but also when I look at the

memories however the idea behind my

world outside my personal bubble I see

trip is to try the new as well.

everything has changed.

The travel industry, music, theatre,

I think Utopian Brewing are within an easy

cinema and of course, the one I have

drive of Exeter so why not give them a

spent my life in, the brewing industry.

visit? Sounds a good idea to me.

They are all linked by the transmission

Of course, I will have to do some sight-

of this dreadful disease through human

seeing too, just to keep my driver and

contact. So, let’s be positive and imagine

baggage handler Symone happy. Glad

a world where there is a free vaccine for

she never reads these articles.

all and mixing with people does not risk a

THE NEW WAY OF LIFE WE HAVE ALL ADOPTED DURING LOCKDOWN HAS CHANGED OUR WAY OF BEING, AND HOW WE VIEW THE OUTSIDE WORLD. JOHN KEELING IS NO DIFFERENT BUT, WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT, HE’S RARING TO GET BACK ON THE ROAD, MEET FRIENDS BOTH OLD AND NEW, AND SEE WHAT PLEASURES THE UK HAS TO OFFER.

death sentence.

The next base camp will be Shrewsbury,

Well, I for one will be down the pub

somewhere I have never visited but

drinking a pint of cask and maybe having

having been a fan of Cadfael, it’s

a pie and chips, too. Looking up all my

somewhere I have always wanted to visit.

friends and living life to the full. However,

I definitely want to visit Charles Faram,

I want to do more. I have been inspired

the hop merchants to see my old friend

to take a road trip around Britain, to meet

Paul Corbett. Fuller’s have always been

new friends, and try new beers in their

a big user of Worcester/Hereford hops

own local habitat (where naturally they are

and I remember many a visit to the Teme

at their best).

valley.

Shrewsbury is a good location from

So, as soon as lockdown is over and the

which to explore Wales and I am

risk of Covid-19 has been diminished, I’ll

strangely drawn to Monty’s Brewery

be off. I am planning to stay in locations

and that will be a nice drive too, with

which I can use as basecamps for

hopefully a good lunch as well. Just

little trips into the local area. The first

like I am strangely drawn to breweries

basecamp of the first leg of my trip will

Symone is strangely drawn to scenic

be Exeter, then Shrewsbury, Liverpool

railway trips. She is always watching

and Glasgow before returning to London

them on the TV, and I know there is one

via Manchester to wash some clothes to

in Wales she wants to go on, I just have

get ready for the second leg. I will stay

to find out which one it is.

in each basecamp for about four days giving me ample opportunity to visit local

I can also get into one of those kill two

breweries, pubs and do some sight-

birds with one stone situations by visiting

seeing, too.

The Bailey Head pub, which has some great reviews but is also situated next to

My first stop will be Exeter, I intend to visit

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

a heritage railway.

BREWERS JOURNAL

My third base camp will be Liverpool. On

pub nearby. Glasgow is a place I have

my list to visit is definitely my old friend

visited but never stayed overnight so a

Allan Rogerson from ABM. ABM were

fun four-day exploration is in order. One

the first company we used to computer

place I definitely have to visit is Simple

automate Fullers brewery starting in the

Things Fermentations who have been

late 80’s. Theirs is and still is the best

kind enough to invite me.

software I have come across for brewery

Finally, we’ll stop off in Manchester. I

automation. I have known Julie and Les

will be visiting brothers and friends for

O’Grady for some time now. But I have

a catch up. I definitely want a pint with

never visited their brewery, Neptune.

Tandleman and I need to meet Edd

I think I will put that right on this trip.

Mather to talk about Wilsons brewery

We can also use Liverpool as a base to

with him. I’ll try to pop into J. W. Lees, too.

explore North Wales. There are obviously some classic pubs in Liverpool, and it is

Once we have had a brief rest at

the home of the Beatles, so some music

home, we will set off for the second

nostalgia is in order. I won’t be short of

leg hopefully visiting Brighton, Kent

things to do.

then into East Anglia, looking in on

I have been inspired to take a road trip around Britain, to meet new friends, and try new beers in their own local habitat.”

Lincoln, definitely visiting Newcastle and On the way to our next basecamp,

Edinburgh. I have got to fit somewhere

Glasgow, we will stop in the lake district

in Yorkshire as well. Looks like I will have

for a day, we both have visited in the past

to do some thinking. How do I fit in the

so we will spend some time revisiting

Highlands and Northern Ireland, too.

old favourites. Now I know Symone

Blimey, that looks like I’ll need a third leg?

wants to visit the Kelpies whilst we are in Glasgow. I think I might need a beer after

So much to do and only the rest of my

visiting them, so I hope there is a good

life to do it.

brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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21

INSURANCE

OPERATING IN A POST PANDEMIC WORLD area which will hopefully be resolved, or at least provide some clarity, by a legal test case being brought against some insurers by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority).

For those that thought that BI could offer a financial lifeline, it was a blow when realised that, for most, their policy was neither designed or intended to cover the circumstances created by the pandemic. Most policies covered very standard scenarios that could affect loss of income due to, for example, damage to property from fire that rendered business premis-

HOW DO THOSE OPERATING IN THE BREWING AND DISTILLING SECTORS MOVE FORWARD SECURELY WITH EVOLVED BUSINESSES POST PANDEMIC? MIKE DICKINSON, SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR AT INDEPENDENT INSURANCE BROKER AND SPECIALIST SERVICES PARTNER RUSSELL SCANLAN, TELLS ALL.

22

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

R

es inoperable and the cost of mitigating that disruption.

ussell Scanlan first devel-

Extensions to BI were available, includ-

oped its bespoke insurance

ing cover for non-physical damage

offer, Masterbrew, back in

such as closure of premises or denial of

2007, one of the first brokers

access, or cover which explicitly related

to do so. Since then the offer

to infectious or contagious diseases,

has evolved with the changing needs of

but most were costly and beyond the

the indus-try and the Masterbrew team at

reach of most. Saying that, and as widely

Russell Scanlan stay close to the industry

reported in the media, some insurers are

and the needs of its client base - start-

being challenged on the wording used

up and artisan brewers, larger breweries,

in their policies by customers believing

and distilleries.

they have had valid claims rejected. It is a

Despite universal support for measures

complex situation, unlikely to be resolved

needed to get the coronavirus pandem-

quickly.

ic under control in the UK, the decision

As brokers, we have scrutinised po-

when it came, to order a nationwide

lices in detail and advised clients on

shutdown of pubs, clubs and hospitality

their contents. We will follow the legal

venues at the end of March was still a

proceedings carefully to provide updates

shocking moment for the industry.

and analysis and work with our teams

We took calls and emails from almost all

and clients to follow through with the

of our Masterbrew customers over the

outcomes.

following days. Some faced with excruciating and unforeseen business decisions,

We know that our brewery and distillery

most needing to talk through what

businesses are founded and grown by

options were available to them, all forced

people who have a particular profile in

to explore crisis management strategies

common. Usually passionate, proactive,

and invoke survival plans.

creative, entrepreneurial, resourceful,

One of the bitterest pills to swallow

with close links to the communities they

for these businesses at that time was

operate in. Those characteristics real-

the controversy sur-rounding Business

ly became evident as we entered full

Interruption Insurance (BI) – a complex

lockdown.

BREWERS JOURNAL

We had Masterbrew clients that respond-

Others may retain new production prac-

experience, but for some businesses

ed in the first two weeks of lockdown,

tices and look to diversify further.

new opportunities will have pre-sented,

looking to diversify and adjust their busi-

We know that we will emerge post pan-

diversification that could lead to a secure

ness models, offering take-outs, deliver-

demic with a more hygiene conscious

future.

ies, online orders, new beers and then,

public and that the use of alcohol-based

using WHO formulas, switching to hand

hand gel will remain high. There are glob-

sanitiser production. Many donated to

al forecasts of continued growth in this

their local communities, some supplied

area, which could mean a stable revenue

at cost and others, capable of larger pro-

stream for many breweries and distiller-

duction, took on more significant orders.

ies – even at a local level.

We’ve adjusted cover for some, argued

Similarly, those that established new

the case with insurers for these new

ways to get product to customers di-

production plans, and rebuilt bespoke

rectly, shopping by App, Social or Online,

plans for others. Interestingly, some of

may adopt and develop these sales

these new ventures look likely to be built

routes permanently. At which point, we

into growth plans post lockdown – and

would strongly recommend reviewing

for us that means we will go back to the

how they collect, store and protect any

insurers in order to evolve Masterbrew to

personal data collected and look at what

cover these areas with an affordable level

cyber cover they will need in place.

of premium.

The advice is always, pick up the phone

As we look at the full easing of lock-

and discuss plans with your broker. Look

down, now on the near horizon, it is time

at the oppor-tunity, consider the growth,

for these businesses to consider future

manage the risk, evaluate the cost of

strategies and business growth plans.

insurance cover required.

For some, plans to open leisure and

Like most industries, certainly the insur-

hospitality venues aligned to the original

ance industry, the brewing and distillery

business may be postponed indefinitely.

sector will emerge changed from this

As we look at the full easing of lockdown, now on the near horizon, it is time for these businesses to consider future strategies and business growth plans,” Mike Dickinson.

Quality Control In Your Brewery Beer Chemistry Multiple beer and water chemistry tests with the BeerLab including ABV, bitterness, colour and VDK’s.

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brewersjournal.info

www.qclscientific.com/brewing 26/03/2020 11:11:07

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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23

BASED IN ENGLAND’S CAPITAL, BUT DRAWING ON GLOBAL INFLUENCE AND EXPERTISE, LONDON BEER FACTORY HAS GROWN BOTH IN STATURE AND ABILITY SINCE STARTING OUT SIX YEARS AGO. AND IN 2020 ITS COFOUNDERS ED AND SIM COTTON ARE CONFIDENT AND EXCITED ABOUT THE ROAD AHEAD.

LONDON CALLING W e’ve all been there.

armed with a course in Oenology - the

You know, when

study of wine and winemaking - from the

you have to lather

University of Brighton.

yourself in fake tan

“I’ve come into beer from a different

to convince your

background,” says Ed. “But I feel that my

colleagues that you’ve been celebrating

circumstances complement Sim’s beer

your brother’s wedding in Singapore

experience well. And let’s be honest, we

when, instead, you’ve actually spent

both love beer.”

three weeks up in Sunderland.

No?

From 2011, Ed would find himself working

Well, thankfully for beer fans, that’s

in the London wholesale market supply-

exactly the decision that Sim Cotton,

ing beer, wine and spirits.

co-founder of London Beer Factory,

“London-based breweries were on the

made back in 2013 in order to follow his

scarcer side, but you could see and feel

dreams of getting into the world of beer.

this gradual buzz in the sector. Slowly

He just needed to be creative about how

and surely, more of these businesses

he did it.

started trading and the appetite for craft

“The first thing my boss said to me when

beer was very much on the up.”

I came back into work on Monday was ‘Hey Sim, nice tan’. The funny thing is, it

And by the Summer of 2014, Ed and Sim

was his idea in the first place! He knew

would become part of that fabric.

going to my brother’s wedding was the

Working alongside existing jobs, before

only way for me to get the annual leave approved by the powers that be,” laughs Cotton.

The less said about the tan mysteriously disappearing in the following days, the better…

Rather than basking in the balmy glow of the Far East during those three weeks, Cotton would be soaking up something different; knowledge.

Enrolled in a three-week course at Brewlab on the banks of the River Wear, he would learn a raft of valuable information designed to give aspiring brewery owners the leg-up they need to go on and start their own business.

Prior to making his passion for beer professional, Sim was an avid homebrewer, producing beers on extract kits before treading the well-worn path to all-grain brewing. While he had a degree in physics and astronomy, brother Ed was

24

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

Slowly and surely, more of these businesses started trading and the appetite for craft beer was very much on the up,” Ed Cotton, London Beer Factory BREWERS JOURNAL

brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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25

leaving them to concentrate on their

beer scene was markedly different to

new profession full-time, the duo utilised

how it is now. But it remains a fan-tastic

funding through a Seed Enterprise In-

and exciting sector to be part of, too.”

vestment Scheme (SEIS) to raise money

fermented by British Ale V yeast.

The beer has been a major hit for the brewery since its launch in 2018, per-

for the brewery.

Much of the brewery’s early focus cen-

forming incredibly well in small-pack and

“We wanted to open this business in an

tred on core beers. However, as capacity

also on draught throughout the on-trade.

area that was nice to work in, but also in

has grown and the team caters for grow-

It accounts for 50% of the company’s total

a community the brewery could become

ing demand, its own release schedule

output.

part of,” explains Ed.

swelled to diverse 40 new beers in 2019.

They settled on Gipsy Hill in South Lon-

“It’s rewarding to make a beer that so

don, opening in the same business park

London Beer Factory output more than

many people enjoy,” explains Sim. “I’m

that Gipsy Hill Brewing Company would

7,000HL last year, with a near 50/50

really, really pleased with it and I think it

go on to call its home three months after.

split in the volumes that go to retail and

stands among many of its peers.”

draught consumed by the on-trade, A 20bbl brewhouse was installed, kit that

which includes their own Bermondsey

He adds: “Experimenting with so many

still produces the brewery’s beers today.

taproom; The Barrel Project.

different styles is great fun, and it’s im-

However, fermentation capacity has

portant to try your hand at variety. But it’s

increased massively in the last six years,

A significant portion of the beer London

also important to have that beer that can

with the brewery housing 14 FVs ranging

Beer Factory supplies to off-trade is sold

perform on a volume basis, too.”

in size from 40HL to 60HL.

by Tesco. The retail chain offers four of the brewery’s beers in the form of Hazey

“Securing the listing with Tesco was a

The outfit’s production capacity has

Daze, Sour Solstice, Big Milk Stout and

big deal for us,” says Ed. “They’ve been

grown in that period, much like the num-

Fuzzy Recall.

incredibly supportive in the three years

ber of fellow London breweries playing

we’ve worked with them, but you’ve got Hazey Daze is a 4.6% Session IPA avail-

to be at your best to meet their stand-

able individually in 330ml cans or in

ards.”

“I recall pouring our beers at a festival

four-pack. It features a malt bill of Low

He adds: “We already had SALSA accred-

held at The Strongroom bar in Shoreditch

colour Maris Otter, Pilsner, Oats & Wheat,

itation, which gives the buyer confidence

shortly after we opened,” says Ed. “The

Mosaic and Citra on the hop front and is

regarding the beer with produce, but

their trade.

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

BREWERS JOURNAL

Tesco take that to the next level. It was a

to take in the ways these beers are pro-

rewarding experience for us to be part of,

duced, stored and conditioned up-close.

and it helped make us better as a result.”

“Each of these breweries had such a Elsewhere in the off-trade, newer re-

strong identity, and it was something we

leases include West Coast IPA Big Sur,

truly wanted to recreate in our own way

Imperial Stout Zia and Business Decision,

back in London,” says Sim.

an 8.5% collaboration with Basqueland of Northern Spain.

Equipped with a passion for wild beers, and armed with Ed’s background in

These beers, brewed in South London,

wine, they reached out to Alex Sakon, a

form one major part of London Beer

renowned figure in the world of barrels.

Factory’s output. Because since 2018 the

With the London unit on Druid Street

team have also been able to call Druid

secured, the duo would visit Bordeaux

Street in Bermondsey home, too.

to source the all-important vessels that

Opening early in that year, The Barrel

would help make a Bermondsey arch

Project acts as a joint blendery, condi-

something truly special.

tioning area, and tap-room for the brew-

London Beer Factory, June 2020: (From left) Sim Cotton, Brett Moore and Brayden Lew (Below right) Ed Cotton

brewersjournal.info

ery. Located on the Bermondsey Beer

Three lorries accommodating close to

Mile, it serves a comprehensive selection

200 oak barrels would eventually make

of their beers across 24 taps and allows

their way to London, but it was that early

the team to express themselves through

meeting earlier in the process that lives

beer in a different way.

long in the memory.

“Back in 2016 we missed our Christmas

“We met Alex to cast our eyes over the

staff party, so we took a trip to Belgium

barrels we were procuring,” says Sim. “We

the following January to visit fantastic

visited Bordeaux with the aim of bringing

names such as Cantillon, Brouwerij 3

some back with us. We bought 12 there

Fonteinen and Brouwerij Boon,” recalls

and then, and off we went.”

Sim. “If you’re planning to do something even remotely similar in that space, then

Ed adds: “So here we are, approaching

why not learn from the best?”

the Channel Tunnel. Sim passes me the

The trip would prove to be an eye-open-

tickets for the journey. I thought he was

ing experience for the team. First and

having me on, they were for the following

foremost as fans of great beer, and also

day!”

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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27

ration with friends of the brewery, Little Monster, the Oude Bruin base was brewed in October of 2018 spending the subsequent 12 months maturing in oak with several strains of Brett, Lacto and Pedio before add-ing 300g/l of cherries at a ratio of 80 to 20 - sour and sweet.

The beer was left on fruit in oak for a further six months before naturally carbonating with wild yeast in package.

There is a shared satisfaction between Ed and Sim regarding their ability to furnish each of the bar’s 24 taps with diverse beers produced in-house. But more so, Thankfully for the brothers, the staff un-

Brett IPA w/Idaho 7. The third release in

the sense of reward stems from the team

derstood their predicament and let them

their Brett IPA series, the 7.6% beer fea-

producing, packaging, marketing and

on the early service. And with that, The

tures a malt base of pale, wheat and oats

selling those beers.

Barrel Project’s story could truly begin.

the same, Idaho 7 hops and a ‘Brussels

“We’re really, really proud with the team

Brett Blend’ from The Yeast Bay.

we have here. And I’m truly excited with

In 2020, the Bermondsey venue is far

The base beer was heavily dry-hopped,

what we can do collectively going for-

closer to that original vision than two

aged in oak for five months and then dry

ward,” says Sim.

years ago. A vast portfolio of oak adorns

hopped again in stainless steel prior to

the walls, alongside a fully-fledged bar to

packaging. This beer has a firm bitterness

Co-founders Ed and Sim act as sales

satiate drinkers. Several on-site FVs are

upfront that mellows into a blend of ripe

director and managing director, respec-

also in frequent use to help condition the

stone fruit, rock melon and white grape,

tively. Head of operations Brett Moore

team’s latest creations.

before finishing dry and oaky.

oversees production at both sites. Joining from Beavertown in 2018, he helped get

Recent beers to emerge from The Barrel

Elsewhere, Tokoloshe is an Oude Bruin

The Barrel Project off the ground from a

Project include Abaza, a Barrel Aged

with Sweet & Sour Cherries. A collabo-

standing start.

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

BREWERS JOURNAL

Head brewer Will Earl leads the brewing

Decadent beers like the Zia Imperial

operation at the South London produc-

Stout and fiercely-hopped Business De-

tion brewery while Brayden Lew joined

cision have been a hit on the webshop,

the company from Wildflower in Mar-

alongside core stapes and its barrel-aged

rickville, New South Wales to head up

beers, both in 375ml and 750ml bottles.

The Barrel Project. Following a stint at

Ed is hopeful the brewery will maintain

Ballistic Brewery in Queensland, James

its strong online showing, enabling it to

Leaver returned to the UK to handle

complement recovering draught sales

design and branding for London Beer

following the reopening of hospitality in

Factory.

early July.

“Everyone has their own expertise and

“We’ve obviously lost sales of keg beer

we’re very lucky to have them on board.

these last months but we’re grateful to

They each come from a different back-

come through it,” he says.

ground and the brewery is all the better for it,” adds Sim.

Sim adds: “You find yourself stopping every so often. The whole situation is

And like all around them, that team has

intense and surreal, which I think is the

had to pull together in recent months as

same for everyone.

Everyone has their own expertise and we’re very lucky to have them on board,” Sim Cotton, London Beer Factory

the Covid-19 pandemic took hold.

“It has been incredibly gratifying to hear

“But beer is resilient and I’m confident

from customers that couldn’t get the

we’ll collectively come through these

beers they wanted due to the closure of

uncertain months ahead. You just need to

pubs, or an inability to visit the shops,”

be able to adapt, show flexibility, and not

says Ed. “It started slow and before we

be afraid to work hard.”

knew it, we were fulfilling more than 100 orders a day. I suddenly had to become an expert in e-commerce. It was a real eye opener.”

brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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29

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GETTING YOUR BEER ONLINE W

ONE THING ALL BREWERIES HAVE IN COMMON RIGHT NOW IS TRYING TO KEEP EXISTING CUSTOMERS AND FIND NEW. YOU MIGHT BE KICKING YOURSELF FOR NOT GETTING AN ONLINE PRESENCE, FOR NOT CREATING A CUSTOMER LIST AND FOR NOT FIGURING OUT HOW TO SELL YOUR BEER THROUGH CHANNELS LIKE AMAZON PRIME, ALL BACK IN THE PREVIRUS DAYS WHEN YOU HAD TIME. BUT, IT IS NOT TOO LATE AND IT IS A LOT EASIER THAN YOU THINK. TBJ REPORTS

brewersjournal.info

hat if somebody

ing to their own T&Cs, typically 30 days,

told you right now

while Amazon’s terms are typically a lot

that they would

longer, which we manage. It really is as

help distribute

simple as that.”

your beer on Am-

azon Prime and not only would they do

While there is no catch, there is the

this – taking care of every hassle involved

reality. You need to look at Amazon Prime

– but they would pay you wholesale for

as a new market you are venturing into.

your beer, regardless if Amazon sells it

Just like if you were given supermarket

or not.

space, you wouldn’t expect to see your

Would you call the fraud squad? Check

beer flying off the shelf in the first week,

to see if their email address belonged to

you need to have this same expectation.

a fictitious prince? Pinch yourself awake?

Comer says you need to look at this as long term if you want to be successful.

Dedicated Amazon distributor, Rosetta

“We have had a few exceptions, just

Brands, is doing just this, representing

recently a toffee-flavoured vodka sold

over 175+ food and drink suppliers across

5,000 bottles during their first week on

the UK. In regards to beer, Nick Comer

Amazon, but we’ve haven’t seen that fast

of Rosetta Brands tells TBJ that they are

of response before for an alcoholic bev-

representing big beer down to small craft

erage. You start off small in volume, but

brewers.

each sale helps you climb the rankings,”

“The way Rosetta works with its suppli-

he says.

ers is transparent and straightforward.

“We recommend suppliers give it a full

We pay suppliers wholesale prices to

12-month cycle to analyse the results.

purchase products and then we sell

We’ve not yet had one supplier stop once

them direct to Amazon,” says Comer.

they’ve realised the sales volume we can

“Using official supplier information, we

help unlock. Amazon is a long-term pro-

create a professional product page and

ject and year one is about gaining market

storefront on the Amazon platform – the

share, climbing the rankings and estab-

end consumer sees only the supplier

lishing the brand/products on its forever

and Amazon brand names – and handle

expanding platform. We see exponential

all communication, disputes and tech

growth year-on-year with brands as we

issues, including remittance and charge-

move into years two, three and four.”

back.

“Amazon handle Prime delivery, including

Hold it, years two, three and four? By that

returns, and we pay the supplier accord-

time the virus will be nothing but a bad

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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31

We’ve not yet had one supplier stop once they’ve realised the sales volume we can help unlock,” Nick Comer, Rosetta Brands.

memory and life will be back to normal.

you can order it tonight and have it deliv-

Unfortunately, all bets are off in regards

ered to your door by tomorrow?

to the Covid-19 disappearing, and

Once people get used to the convince

second, most marketing experts believe

of Amazon’s next-day delivery – and are

there will be a lasting, fundamental shift

they ever during the lockdown period –

as to how people shop.

they are never going back.

According to marketing research company Mintel, the online grocery market is

In 2004 Chris Anderson, editor of Wired

expected to grow by nearly 35 percent

Magazine, published an article about the

this year. Before Covid-19 entered the

long tail. Anderson, who later expand-

scene, there were four years of slow

ed this article into a book, developed a

growth with online grocery shopping.

theory that with the rise of the Internet,

Nick Carroll, associate director of Retail

niche products would gain in importance

Research at Mintel, says that online gro-

and, taken as a whole, would make more

cery market sales had plateaued, with a

profit than mainstream products.

struggle attracting new customers. How-

Although Anderson came up with this

ever, the corona virus outbreak has been

idea to explain the music industry, it is

the catalyst in bringing in new shoppers

easier to picture this with the internet

and this is expected to grow by over 40

bookseller giant, Amazon.

percent during the next five years.

Prior to 1994 and the birth of Amazon, you’d go into your local bookstore look-

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

While some breweries are trying to take

ing for a new mystery novel, something

advantage of this themselves and sell

different, like from Matsumoto. However,

online, almost nobody can beat Amazon

due to limited shelf space, the store only

Prime’s next-day delivery service. Why

stocked mysteries from the top five au-

wait five to seven days for a beer when

thors: Michael Crichton, James Patterson,

BREWERS JOURNAL

Sue Grafton, Nora Roberts and Tom Clan-

You’re a craft beer brewer in Worksop.

Comer says that they first got the idea for

cy. These are authors that the bookstore

You think you make a pretty unique beer

doing something like this in 2013. It wasn’t

knew would turn an easy – but not very

that deserves a wider audience, but big

until 2018 that they figured out how to do

imaginative – profit.

beer has the pubs and supermarkets in

it efficiently in a manner that would make

the entire region tied up. There is abso-

a profit for both their clients and them-

Consider this store the top of the food-

lutely no way your beer in going to get on

selves.

chain book monster, one with a huge

the shelf of Tesco’s in Chesterfield.

Getting on Amazon is not something that

body made up of nothing but best sellers and having a tiny little niche-market tail.

However, by utilising the power of Ama-

can happen overnight and Comer says

However, you go to Amazon’s website

zon’s long tail it means you can compete

from the time you contact them to prod-

and because they have unlimited shelf

directly against any brewery on a level

uct at Amazon, it can take anywhere from

space – a monster with a very, very long

playing field. A course you need to realise

four to eight weeks. While Amazon does

tail – they can stock over a half dozen

that Amazon Prime is a two-edged

some marketing,

mysteries by Matsumoto and a zillion

sword. Your usual customers in Work-

TBJ recommends highly that you are

more by other obscure authors. What

sop might not be in love with your beer

proactive. Inform fans where they can

helped to turn Amazon from a loss-gen-

as much as you think they are. Amazon

find your beer. Some breweries are using

erating company to a profit-making one

Prime has now made the entire UK their

Facebook and other social media ads to

was realising the importance of these

local.

get people onto their Amazon sites.

and mortar had the room to stock them.

As with everything, you need to do your

Regardless if Covid-19 disappears off

Today, the majority of Amazon’s book

own research but as far as TBJ can tell,

the planet tomorrow, this year will be a

sales come from those found in the long

Rosetta has to be the easiest and fastest

massive game-changer as to how people

tail – not from the mainstream ‘best sell-

way to get onto Amazon. You can do

purchase groceries.

ers’ found in the body.

it yourself, but you will need to create

If all of us have learned one lesson from

a vendor’s account and jump through

the Year of the Virus, it’s that you need to

various other hoops.

take advantage of every market you can.

niche publications and the fact no brick

So, why should this tale of a tail interest you?

This includes Amazon Prime.

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+44 (0) 1733 834264 | www.gravity-systems.co.uk brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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33

TO REFRESH OR REBRAND? AS THE FIRST QUESTION SHOWS, THIS MIGHT SEEM LIKE A CRAZY TIME TO EVEN THINK FOR ONE SECOND ABOUT REBRANDING YOUR BEERS. BUT, IT MIGHT JUST BE THE BEST TIME TO DO IT AS WELL. TBJ REPORTS

I

f you don’t make beer, then at least

You have the opportunity to redefine who

work with beer.

you are. And you may have to—there’s

For 10-years, US-based CODO has

a good chance that your positioning,

worke with a raft of craft brewer-

product mix, services and business mod-

ies, food and beverage artisans,

el may change drastically as we make

distilleries, cannabis startups, and others

our way into a post-COVID economy.

on everything from positioning, branding

Everything will be on the table. And re-

and re-branding, naming, web design

branding can (will?) be key to communi-

and internationally-recognised print &

cating these changes to your community.

package design work.

In this article, Issac Arthur, co-founder of

What message do brewers need to get

CODO, explains that despite the tumul-

out there and how would rebranding

tuous business environment, now could

help?

be the time to look at shaking up your brewery’s branding.

The pervasive mood is one of triage at this point. Even a couple months in

TBJ: To rebrand at this time seems

at the time of this writing, everyone is

to make as much sense as if Captain

scrambling around to figure out what the

Smith of the Titanic called an all-hands

immediate future looks like. It’s difficult

meeting to discuss renaming the

to see beyond that. For the short term,

shipping line from White Star to White

focusing on safe ways to get product in

Berg, while the ship was going down.

people’s hands has been the challenge.

Why is now a good time to think about

We’ve seen breweries switch to recy-

making that move?

clable growlers, contact-free carryout, start-up home delivery services, and

Issac Arthur: The thought of investing se-

other creative pivots along those lines.

rious money in your branding right now,

But in the longer term, it could make

when so many things are up in the air

sense for breweries to double down and

(including your ability to generate mean-

refocus messaging on why we buy and

ingful revenue), is untenable. But there

love craft beer in the first place. For ex-

does seem to be a path to reopening

ample, spending money locally contrib-

the economy. If you have weathered the

utes to a more resilient economy overall.

storm thus far and can continue to do so

So the challenge becomes: How do we

for a few more months, it would be wise

convince people that craft beer matters,

to begin looking ahead to what the world

or more specifically, that your craft beer

will look like post COVID (or at least, post

matters? How do we help people see

first wave).

the big picture amid all this uncertainty?

There isn’t a single person or business

Branding and rebranding efforts can

on the planet who hasn’t been affected

certainly help address this.

by this. If your craft brewery can hang in there, you may be rewarded with less

How important is it to tie a rebrand into

competition when everything opens back

what is happening right now or is better

up. And beyond this, your brewery can

left unsaid?

look at this entire ordeal as a big reset.

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

BREWERS JOURNAL

I’m hesitant to tell a brewery to shape its

This includes easy to use responsive

branding and messaging solely around

websites. Breweries who have gotten by

what’s going on right now because this

with a small splash page over the last

will eventually pass. I do, however, think

several years, or no website at all, are

you have to look at how the pandemic

going to have to shift gears and tool up

can shape your business and service

something with more functionality and

model moving forward—packaging for

capability.

Craft Beer, Rebranded and its companion workbook are a step-by-step guide to help you map out a successful strategy for rebranding your brewery.

the firm. So when it comes to investing

carry out, touchless hospitality, a bigger focus on e-commerce, etc. But brand

Money is tight; some workers have

money, sometimes that tough decision is

messaging should remain focused on a

been furloughed. First, how can I afford

the right decision. I don’t want to be the

core truth and a differentiated story no

rebranding and second, how do I ex-

local car dealer of design firms and tell

matter what the universe throws at us.

plain to furloughed workers that this is

people that the cure to their woes is a

the time to do this?

brand refresh. But, if you have the capital and the time and the need, a compelling

Before the virus hit, many craft brewers felt that social media was at the bot-

I received a mailer from a local car deal-

(re)brand will help you survive where

tom of their to-do list. How important

ership recently that said something along

others won’t.

is a strong social media presence for a

the lines of, “We know times are tough

rebranding effort?

and the future is uncertain. But we’re here

We have all seen some amazing

to help. Here’re several great deals on

rebranding; we have all seen some

Most breweries use social media to build

BRAND NEW CARS!” Tone deaf doesn’t

horrible. I know this question is like

brand awareness, get out timely infor-

begin to describe it.

asking how long is a piece of string but,

mation (beer releases, tap lists, events,

As a leader, you have to be cognizant of

generally, is there a direct correlation

etc.) and interact with fans. Now that you

optics (driving one of the above men-

between rebranding and an increase in

can’t guarantee an immersive tap room

tioned FANCY NEW CARS to work, when,

revenue?

experience, your social media—all of your

for example, you just laid off 20 percent

digital touch points—become critical for

of your team). However, you also have

Short answer, yes. And we think that this

survival.

a responsibility to do what is best for

needs to be the most important goal of

brewersjournal.info

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35

Left: Some of the work CODO Design has carried out for outfits such as Atlanta Brewing Co and Left Field Brewery.

to unite all of a brewery’s brand (identity, packaging, web, interior design, marketing, merch) under one unified voice. And this can extend to improvements in sales programs for on and off premise. Another reason we see breweries rebrand is some large change—the addition of packaged beer, or transitioning from one form to another (e.g. bottles to cans).

An effective rebrand can set the stage for all of these channels, both on- and off-premise to be consistent and reliable.

This extends to the internal, behind the scenes, B2B stuff that the general public will never see as well.

Tied into this, is part of rebranding figuring out what you’re really good at? any rebranding initiative. There can be

to their opening 1 new market which will

For example, one brewery I visited said

any number of qualitative and quanti-

help them further bolster this improving

that after flapping about, they came to

tative project goals, but they should all

position. And this number is still trending

realize that what they did best was to

drive towards and support increasing

upward to-day.

produce an extremely strong range of

revenue.

core beers that their customers want-

Assuming a rebrand was handled cor-

ed. When they dipped their brewing

rectly, there is usually a quick, euphoric

Probably most craft brewers do one bit

toe into sours or milkshake stouts, they

bump in sales that comes after launch.

of marketing/selling extremely well.

fall on their face.

But the true test of whether or not a re-

They have either an amazing taproom,

brand is successful is a sustained and up-

or get their beers into pubs/bars, or

Definitely. One of the most important

ward trajectory of sales over the course

get shelf space in supermarkets. Rarely

things you can frame during your rebrand

of several years following the project. In

do they get all three correct. Is this

is your core positioning. That is, what do

terms of a business and ROI standpoint,

something rebranding can help with?

you do? Who is your ideal audience? And

this ensures that the value (YOY revenue

What strikes me in reading your book

how are you, not necessarily better, but

increases and profit) far exceeds initial

is that in many ways, now would be a

different from your competition?

investment.

great time to evaluate what your brew-

It’s important to realize that you can’t

Our rebranding work with Atlanta Brew-

ery is doing well, what is it failing in,

be everything to everyone. If you make

ing, for example, saw a 26.6% increase

and do those failures actually matter?

one thing really well, and that thing is in demand, and you like making it, then you

in core beer sales YOY, plus a 113% increase in merch sales. It was also key

36

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

A common goal of rebranding projects is

should hone that thing until it is perfect

BREWERS JOURNAL

and repeat it forever. This doesn’t mean

A brand refresh is more of an update—

I’ve watched customer after customer

you can’t experiment—maybe the thing

call it a fresh coat of paint. Your core

looking at an end-shelf loaded down

you do well is make a variety of solid

brand values and positioning still hold

with craft beers from 20 different brew-

beers. Then do that. But know that there

true, but your brand identity may be

eries, a screaming kid in the shopping

will be a specific audience for whatever

showing its age. Maybe your beer isn’t

trolley, a wife casting daggers, and

you make. Find them and serve them

selling as well as it used to. Do your

they have less than 20 seconds to

and you will have a much more sustain-

marketing materials and other communi-

decide. The entire sale depended on

able business than if you were trying to

cations seem a bit tired? Often, problems

successful branding.

make something for everyone.

like these can be solved with a subtle update that builds on what you currently

A potential client told us that back in

In your book you show examples of

have.

2010. And while it was a painful blow to

some logos that have been rebrand-

The difference between a full rebrand

our egos (we had just graduated from

ing, with most just having the slightest

and a refresh can seem semantic. If you

college and founded CODO), he was

tweaks that end up making a giant

feel like you need to make substantial

probably right. Branding wasn’t as impor-

difference – I’m thinking of Left Field

changes—your brewery’s name, mes-

tant when there were 1,800 breweries

Brewery. But I think with most of us,

saging and positioning along with your

in the US. Being local and independent

when we think of rebranding, we pic-

visuals (identity and packaging), then

was enough to hang your hat on. But

ture somebody going in with a sledge

you’re looking at a rebrand. If you’re

that number swelled to more than 8,000

hammer. In your experience, are most

simply tweaking some of the elements

breweries at the start of 2020.

companies about 80% of the way there

of your brand identity but maintaining the

Beautiful branding and packaging are

already, or do they need somebody to

same general theme, you’re refreshing

objectively linked to higher sales. A 2016

take a sledge hammer to their existing

your brand.

packaging study conducted by Nielson

branding?

A brewery’s context will drive which

reported as high as 71% of shoppers

approach is called for. There’re no hard

buy purely based on package design

We call this balance “Evolution vs. Revo-

and fast rules. The biggest consideration

aesthetics. And the off-premise beer

lution.” And exploring this idea is the core

here is to think about what problems and

packaging study we piloted for our 2020

reason we wrote Craft Beer, Rebranded.

pain points you deal with that lead you to

Craft Brewers Conference seminar put

Are you building on existing brand equity

undertake this process in the first place.

the number at 88%(!).

and goodwill in a subtle way, or, are you

If they’re grueling and cumbersome

Assuming you have the highest quality

jettisoning everything and starting fresh?

enough, maybe you should consider a

beer and customer service possible,

Are you using a scalpel or a hatchet?

full rebrand.

branding can be like a cheat code to growing your business. It helps people

Quick definitions:Rebranding represents a shift in your core messaging. This can

At the very beginning of your book you

understand who you are, why you exists

include refocusing your positioning and

quote somebody who told you: “Brand-

and why they should support you. Com-

brand essence and manifests in a new

ing is for breweries who don’t know

pelling branding doesn’t just pull people

name (optional) and an updated look and

how to make great beer.” I’ve heard the

in for a pint; it makes customers into

feel, starting with your core logo, pack-

same thing over the years along with

lifelong fans.

aging, website and extending to all your

many similar lines, none very flattering

touch points.

about branding. However, in San Diego

brewersjournal.info

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37

COLOUR CHEMISTRY I AS ANY RESTAURANT OWNER WILL TELL YOU, CUSTOMERS TASTE FIRST WITH THEIR EYES AND THE SAME HOLDS TRUE WITH BEER. WATCH ANYONE WITH A GLASS AND NINE TIMES OUT OF 10, THEY WILL HOLD IT UP FOR A FEW SECONDS AND LOOK AT THE BEER’S COLOUR, GIVING THEM AN EXPECTATION WELL BEFORE THEY TAKE THE FIRST SIP. SO, HOW IS A BEER’S COLOUR ACHIEVED AND, IF YOU’RE MAKING BEER WITH FRUIT, YOUR BREWERY’S COLOUR TESTING METHOD COULD BE WAY, WAY OFF. TBJ REPORTS.

f you have ever seen a professional

matching it to a set of coloured glass.

olive oil taster in action, you’ll notice

Hold up a beer in a clear glass to a white

they use a glass that is a dark green

background and hold up the coloured

colour. The last thing they want is

glass un-til you found a match. This was

to see the colour of the oil which

created in 1883 and is still used today in

could cloud their judgement. With beer,

the whiskey, honey in-dustry and other

however, it is a different story. The brewer

like-industries.

and the drinker all want and expect a certain colour to the beer.

As absolutely fool-proof as this method

The difference between brewers is that

was in basic execution, there were a few

Big Beer expects each tank to conform

problems. With different manufacturers

to exact colour specifics, day-in, day-out,

producing the coloured glass, there

month after month, while many craft

could be a bit of variance. Also, nearly 10

brewers tend to go more for the ‘some-

percent of the male population is either

where in the ballpark’ approach to colour

completely or partially colour blind, with

consistency.

those who are partially colour blind not always aware of it. Due to these incon-

Even for customers, the different colours

sistencies, this standard of measurement

of beer come as no surprise. Have any

was eventually abandoned by most

decent pub with a full range line-up pints

medium to large producers.

of all their beers and it is obvious the depth the colour beer has, ranging from

Beer colour is now routinely analysed

pale straw – also known in less polite

and assessed using a specific scale

circles as morning piss – to jet-black im-

known as the Stand-ard Reference Meth-

perial stouts. The reasons for the different

od. Major breweries have a more strict

shades we’ll get into later.

colour requirement than craft brewers,

Although beer has been around for thou-

but also have less instances of colour

sands of years, it wasn’t until the glass

changes since they continually manufac-

mug came about that colour and clarity

ture the same beers.

started to be noticed by drinkers, forcing

In order to determine the SRM of a beer,

brewers to filter and brew for consistent

a spectrophotometer is used to measure

colour. In the UK, the first locally pro-

the depletion of light at 430 nm through

duced glass mugs for beer were made in

a cm of beer. The beer is then assigned

1639 – half the price of those expensive

an SRM degree ranging from 2 to 40+ to

ones from Venice. Still, most pub goers

grade its colour intensity, with 2 as the

drank out of pewter mugs until the 1920s

lighter spectrum of beer and 40+ as the

when glass beer mugs became mass

very darkest of beers. For small craft

produced, followed by the pint glass.

brewers without a spectrophotometer,

For a long time, the beer’s final brew col-

a visual reference card was created to

our was given a number that correspond-

match the beer, which most of you are

ed to something known as the Series 52

familiar with.

Lovibond Scale, which was achieved by

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No matter which way the colour number

beer was surprisingly good, around a

and yellow placed directly above the

is achieved, this is still a lot of work for

quarter of the participants could not get

products, making them see riper and

something that tells you very little about

their heads around purple beer and didn’t

sweeter looking than they actually are.

how the beer will taste, giving the drinker

taste it. It was most definitely not what

Big business has realised for a long time

a lot of probabilities, but no absolutes.

they were expecting an IPA to look like.

that a variety of colours can stimulate eating – if the product is something

Although usually a dark coloured stout or porter will have coffee and chocolate

Again, should this matter what colour the

that consumers are not expecting to

flavours, a brewer can play around with

IPA was? Spence would say yes.

be in one colour. In experiments with

types of roasted malts and adjust colour

“Expertise has been shown to modu-

M&Ms, people ate more M&Ms when the

without adding or effecting flavour. Dur-

late the psychological impact of food

assortment was in a variety of colours,

ing the mid-1970s, some of the US Big

colouring on flavour perception,” he says.

as opposed to be just one. This is why

Beer companies were producing a dark

In Bordeaux, France, and in a follow-up in

candies such as Skittles, M&Ms, Smart-

version of their main seller.

New Zealand, wine students, wine mak-

ies, and some children’s cereal come in a

Although the dark version definitely lived

ers, and wine taste experts were served

variety of colours, although the flavour is

up to the colour and gave the drinker the

a white wine which had been artificially

the same.

illusion of being a beer expert – an early

coloured red with an odourless/tasteless

Perhaps the most convincing evidence

version of the today’s beer geek – the

food dye. In a clear glass, the wine drink-

published to date concerning the in-

dark version’s taste was very similar to

ers believed they were smelling red wine

fluence of food colouring on ratings of

the brewery’s regular beer. Nobody was

aroma. Interesting, while the wine experts

taste intensity came from research that

fooled for long and the dark versions

were told to ignore any colour clues, they

showed the addition of food colouring

disappeared.

couldn’t ignore what their eyes saw and

can deliver as much as 10 percent per-

Much how some coffee drinkers seem

were still fooled.

ceived sweetness.

Participants were given two pairs of

to believe that the darker the roast, the more caffeine is in the coffee (usually it is

In a study published in the Journal of

strawberry-flavoured drinks to compare

the opposite), some beer drinkers believe

Food Science, researchers found that

and to rate in terms of their sweetness,

that the darker the beer, the higher the

people confused flavours when a drink

using nine-point scales.

ABV is. However, it is possible to produce

did not have the appropriate colour. A

4% ABV – and lower – porter or stout by

cherry-flavoured drink manipulated to

One pair of drinks was light and dark red,

using small doses of roasted malts, while

be orange in colour was thought to taste

whereas the other pair was light and dark

making a pale gold Belgian Tripel that

like an orange drink, and a cherry drink

green. The drinks were equally physical-

is 10% ABV or higher by using only pale

manipulated to be green in colour was

ly sweet, varying only in terms of their

malts.

thought to taste like lime.

colour. Those adults who took part in this

Published in Fast Food Nation, a more

study rated the dark-red and light-green

So, in beer we have something that

extreme study dating back to the early

drinks as tasting sweeter than the light-

doesn’t really impact the flavour, which

1970s offers some insight into how colour

red and dark-green samples, respective-

leaves you thinking: Why bother? As a

affects our appetite and perception of

ly. By contrast, colour intensity had no

tool, it is a quick way of checking brewing

food. Subjects in the experiment were

effect on the responses of children so it is

consistency, but do punters’ care? They

served what appeared to be a normal

a learned response.

do.

looking plate of steak, chips and peas.

The absence of colour can result in neg-

Researcher Charles Spence, author of

The room, however, was installed with

ative expectations as well. Pepsi came

‘On the psychological impact of food

specialty lighting that changed how the

out with their famous Crystal Pepsi which

colour’ (Flavour, volume 4, article number

colour of the food looked. Under this

was completely clear. The first month its

21, 2015), says: “Colour is the single most

lighting effect, the participants thought

sales soared, and then took a complete

important product-intrinsic sensory cue

the steak and fries tasted fine.

nosedive. People were willing to try it

when it comes to setting people’s ex-

Once the effects were turned off and

once; not twice.

pectations regarding the likely taste and

lighting was returned to normal, it was

In the end, it cost Pepsi around $20 bil-

flavour of food and drink.”

revealed that the steak was dyed a blue

lion for the experiment.

At a beer tasting event last year in Not-

colour, the chips were dyed green and

Different cultures and nationalities have

tingham, people were sampling Black Iris’

the peas red.. Upon seeing this, many of

different expectations of colour. In the

Blueberry IPA – or at least some people

the subjects lost their appetite and some

UK, a drink or ice lolly that is blue is

were sampling it, others were just starring

became ill.

expected to have a raspberry flavour; in Asia it is expected to be mint flavour. In

at it. The beer was a very dark purple, looking similar to blueberry pancake

Supermarket fruit and vegetable sections

the Philippines, purple yams are ex-

syrup you’d find in an American Interna-

in the States are normally dimly lit, with

tremely popular and the colour purple

tional House of Pancakes. Although the

lighting projecting warm reds, orange

ends up being used in numerous dishes.

brewersjournal.info

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39

Westerners looking at the same dish are

our by the big brewers (for whom most

that coordinates to 20 degrees Lovibond,

put off.

research is conducted) are quite different

and is lighter than Crystal 80, according

from those of craft brewers. Most com-

to Popular Science magazine’s article

Different culture expectations with colour

mercial brewers make the same product

‘Beer Science’. Most pale base malts

has even been applied to camera film. In

day after day, year after year. Because

such as 2-row barley are less than 5

the USA and Europe, the preferred pro-

they produce the same recipe all the

degrees Lovibond. But because crystal/

fessional film for landscape and portraits

time, they have little need to predict the

caramel malts are processed differently

was Kodachrome. Paul Simon’s song was

likely colour of a new recipe formulation.

than toasted malts, Crystal 20 will have

correct, Kodachrome does give you the

When they do, it is all worked out in the

a very different character than a toasted

colours of summer, emphasising reds,

pilot brewery,” says Daniels.

malt that’s also 20 degrees Lovibond.

oranges and yellow tones. Fuji film, on

The majority of a beer’s colour comes

the other hand, emphasises blues and

from the grain and the two chemical

According to Josh Weikert, writing for

greens. This was obvious back in the film

reactions that make grains go from pale

The Beer Connoisseur, far and away, the

days if you compared, for example, a US

yellow to jet black – Maillard reactions

malts chosen and their ratios within the

Playboy and a Japanese edition.

and caramelization.

recipe are the most important aspect of

Ray Daniels, founder and director of the

The Maillard reaction is a chemical

or the more pale malts used (the color

Cicerone Certification Program, writes

reaction between amino acids and

builds, making the aggregate color

that the existing science of beer colour

reducing sugars that gives browned food

darker), the darker the beer will be. Even

deals only with ingredients and finished

its distinctive flavor. Seared steaks, fried

small amounts of chocolate (roasted)

products and makes little if any attempt

dumplings, cookies and other kinds of

malt will bring on rapid color shifts, while

to predict the colour of a beer based

biscuits, breads, toasted marshmallows,

pale malts in sufficient quantities can still

upon its recipe and brewing processes.

and many other foods undergo this

make for a very dark beer.

“The reason for this is easy enough to

reaction.

Along with malts, Weikert says that boil

understand: At least a dozen factors

The colour that a malt contributes to-

length, pH level, yeast strain, hops usage

influence colour, and none is a reliable,

wards the final beer is typically indicated

and specialty ingredients all play a factor

precise predictor of finished beer colour.

in degrees Lovibond. For example, Crys-

in your beer’s colour.

Further, the demands placed on col-

tal 20 is a crystal malt kilned to a colour

beer color. The darker the malts used,

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What can throw off the best colour evalu-

results in their case as they have other

would be reasonable to be developed for

ation methods is the addition of ingredi-

colouring components besides caramel-

more objective and accurate beer colour

ents such as fruit into the beer.

ization, pyrolysis and Maillard reaction

determination.

In a recent study – ‘How to objectively

products.

determine the colour of beer’ – conduct-

From these results, it can be clear-

ed by Daniel Koren, Beata Hegyesne

The colour of the final product is mainly

ly seen that the traditional method of

Vecseri and Gabriella KunFarkas of

due to the different raw materials used

colour measurement is in many respects

Hungary’s Faculty of Food Science, Szent

during the brewing process. It is primarily

incapable of objectively determining the

István University, it was found that new

depending on the grains and the pro-

colour of specialty beer products that are

methods need to be created to measure

cesses, mainly kilning or roasting, these

becoming increasingly popular today.

the colour of fruit beers.

grains have undergone. The secondary

This is due, among other things, to the

The authors state that the biggest prob-

contributor is the oxidation of polyphe-

different ingredients used in brewing

lem is that colour measuring methods

nols, originating from malt and hops,

(such as fruits).

based on absorbance were developed

during the storage and ageing.

Colour space parameters calculated

decades ago for traditional beers, but

However, beer-based mixed drinks and

from transmission spectra measured in

lately with the revolution of craft brewing

fruit beers contain various colouring

the whole visible wavelength-range can

and with the broadening of the palette of

components dissolved from fruits which

differentiate beers more objectively than

the international brewing companies’ fruit

have influence on the results of ab-

methods based on absorbance.

beers and beer-based mixed drinks are

sorbance based methods (e.g. the main

In case of fruit beers and beer-based

getting more popular.

colouring compounds of blackcurrant

mixed drinks, the traditional colour

and sour cherry are anthocyanins while

measuring methods cannot differentiate

There is only limited information about

lemon and grapefruit contains naringin,

between products very well, which are

them and about their comparison to tra-

hesperidin and eriocitrin).

visually different, because these products

ditional products. They are represented

Absorption-based methods are not able

have different absorption or transmission

in many different colours and traditional

in many cases to differentiate between

spectra than traditional beers due to the

colour measuring methods like Standard

products which have nearly the same

different raw materials which contain

Reference Method (SRM) or European

EBC or SRM colour but visually are

various colouring compounds, say the

Brewery Convection (EBC) may give false

different. A multi-wavelength method

researchers.

brewersjournal.info

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y b e R

Brewers J o u r n a l

p o d c a s T

Listen online at brewerspodcast.reby.media On Spotify - Stitcher - Apple Podcasts - Google Podcasts Podcast Addict - Acast - or wherever great podcasts live

AFRICA’S ART OF BREWING THERE IS MORE TO AFRICAN BEER THAN COLD, FIZZY LAGER. MUCH MORE. HERE, KIERAN AYLWARD TAKES US ON A JOURNEY THROUGH KENYA, TANZANIA AND ZAMBIA TO DISCOVER A WORLD OF INNOVATION, INVENTION AND INGREDIENTS. brewersjournal.info

F

or most, probably all, a journey

universally, the taste of an ice-cold,

into Africa will indelibly stamp

factory-produced beer at the end of a

the travellers’ psyche. It will

hot, dusty and exciting African day.The

leave them with a kind of pre-

condensateing bottles are labelled with

mature nostalgia, yearning for

names like Tusker, White Cap, Summit,

the continents addictive character even

Mosi oa Tunya, Serengeti, Ndovo and

before they have left it. It could be for the

Kilimanjaro.

damp smell of the smouldering fires pro-

But if the names are diverse, the beer

ducing charcoal, or the sight of bicycles

really isn’t. With the exception of some

groaning under an impossible weight

rare outliers like Bia Bingwa, a 7% pow-

bringing that carbon residue, slowly, from

erhouse from Tanzania, all are light and

the bush towards the towns.

pilsner-esque, at or near 4% and fizzy.

The view of water rising, smoke-like into

(Actually, there some examples that

the atmosphere from one of the conti-

inconveniently disrupt this narrative, like

nents great waterfalls. The sound and

the Namibian beer Windhoek, brewed in

sensation of a grunting hippo. The big

Windhoek and following a regime close

fish at the end of a line stretching into a

to the German purity laws. But let’s leave

terrifying abyss. The warm Indian Ocean

those for another day)

lapping at your weary feet. But perhaps

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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43

Kilimanjaro and Tusker are two of Africa’s popular mainstream lager brands

It’s strange that, even for the most ortho-

But African drinking culture is far richer

the tree, and it seems wise to follow the

dox craft beer follower, the uninteresting

than purely the satisfyingly homogenous

rules. Murtatina fruit is said to be poison-

nature of the beer itself detracts nothing

beers produced by brewing titans like

ous and cause blisters when inexpertly

at all from the joy of its consumption

SAB Miller, AB InBev and Diageo. Long

prepared. However, Chaka suggests that

– if consumed in the rightful setting. It’s

before commercial brewing began,

the risk could be exaggerated to protect

common to hear IPA producers from

indigenous beers were brewed and con-

the jobs of the brewers. The fruit is cut

all over the world talk about how a high

sumed for all the same social and cultural

and left to dry in the sun. It is then boiled

bitterness and ABV helped the beers of

reasons that beer still enhances today.

before being added to honey or sugar-

the past stay fresh on their journey to the

You won’t find indigenous brews in the

cane juice. The pieces are removed and

tropics. The implication is that the beer

hotel bar, so to learn more you would

dried again before being added back

was drunk in the form that it travelled,

need to find an insider, somebody

with more honey or cane juice.

but for anybody used to drinking beer

like Chaka Maina. Born in Nairobi and

in the tropics, it seems more likely that

schooled in Tanzania and the UK, Maina

Fermentation takes between one and

these IPAs were destined for dilution. But

is now a full-time banana farmer. To find

four days depending on how strong you

perverse as it seems, there is evidence

him you need to try two places, the first

like your Muratina, and then served, as

that strong beer was enjoyed in the heat.

being his farm on the river Sagana, a

you may guess, in a cow horn. Not only

Winchester Cathedral’s graveyard has a

tributary to the mighty Tana.

is the cow horn a show of the Kikuyus

tombstone which seems to support this.

The second being one of his watering

agricultural prowess, it serves to moder-

It reads;

holes in Nairobi. Maina is a Kikuyu, one

ate the dose. Because of its shape, you

of the 42 or so tribes in Kenya and the

can’t put down a cow horn, meaning its

THOMAS THETCHER

largest tribe in terms of number. So while

always in your hand – and so you have to

a Grenadier in the North Reg

he is no stranger to the big Kenyan beer

keep drinking – enlivening the dance. Of

of Hants Militia who died of a

“In Memory of

brands, Tusker and White Cap, he is also

course, eventually your Muratina-misted

violent Fever contracted by drinking

a connoisseur of the traditional Kikuyu

brain will misstep as you reach to rest the

Small Beer when hot the 12th of May

brew - Muratina.

horn on a table, the ignominious spillage

Muratina is the name in Kikuyu of Kigelia

being your cue to call it a night.

1764. Aged 26 Years.”

africana, or the Sausage tree, whose And it goes on to offer what seems like

fruits are used to make the brew. As well

Muratina is brewed mainly for ceremonial

bad advice;

as being the main ingredient in Muratina,

use like weddings but also for Ruracios

“Here sleeps in peace a

the tree, or parts of it, have numerous

– the traditional meeting of the inlawas,

Hampshire Grenadier,

other medicinal uses. This leads most

and Mugithi nights which is a kind of Ki-

Who caught his death by

drinkers to, logically, conclude that the

kuyu county music dance. But for a while

drinking cold small Beer,

brew itself is something of a health tonic.

its existence was under threat when it

Soldiers be wise from his untimely fall

It’s traditional that the fruit used to make

was caught up in a government drive to

And when ye’re hot drink Strong

the brew should be those gathered from

eradicate illicit alcohol. The government

the ground, and not those hanging on

drive started at a time when Kenyan pol-

or none at all.”

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Muratina is the name, in Kikuyu, of Kigelia africana, or the Sausage tree

Eventually your Muratina-misted brain will misstep as you reach to rest the horn on a table, the ignominious spillage being your cue to call it a night,” Kieran Aylward brewersjournal.info

itics was dominated by tribes other than

and I would travel to Kiambu, which is a

the Kikuyu, making matters all the more

village on the outskirts on Nairobi where

complex. But given that the Kikuyu made

some old guys made good Muratina.

up the majority of the Mau Mau freedom

We would sit eating Nyama Choma,

fighters who eventually won Kenya its

(Barbeque goat) drinking Muratina and

independence in1963, the struggle for

talking. Muratina played a big part in us

the right to brew by comparison probably

connecting and continuing our Kikuyu

seemed a fairly trivial skirmish.

traditions. Also, when I was married we

In any case, the Kenyan constitution

had Muratina on the bar. We had plenty

codifies protections for the cultures of all

of Tusker, White Cap and wine too, but it

Kenyas tribes and no new law is allowed

was important that Muratina had a place.

to undermine these protections, so eventually Muratina won the day. The victory is

The best selling beer in Kenya is Tusker,

limited to brewing for ceremonial use so

but on non-Muratina days Chaka prefers

commercial brewing is still a grey area.

White Cap and a conversation on the

So where does Muratina fit into the Ken-

subject exposes the aforementioned

yan beer scene? Maina explains: “Kiyuys

homogeneity of African beers to likely be

have a tradition of drinking alcohol, it’s

an insensitivity to nuance.

sometimes said that coming from Nairobi

“The other beers taste of chemicals but

at altitude (1,795 meters above sea level,

for me, White Cap is crisper. Also the oth-

10th highest Capital city in the world)

er brews tend to be inconsistent during

makes us harder to intoxicate. I’m not

busier sales periods. They taste rushed

so sure about that, but it’s certainly true

and the yeast is incredibly prominent.”

that a lot of Kikuyu enjoy a beer. And any

Chaka admits that having Mount Kenya

kikuyu who drinks will have Muratina at

on the White cap label helps too. Mount

least once a year .”

Kenya is an important place for the

On his own relationship with Muratina

Kikuyu, where God lived when he came

he adds: “As youngsters, my friends

down to earth.

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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45

The exact method behind Muratina is quite guarded, partly by secrecy, but mainly by geography and language,” Kieran Aylward

Craft beer has arrived in Kenya too, with

ing, mashing and yeast propagation, all

and the remaining mash brought to the

brands like 254 Brewing, which brew all

with wooden pots, calabash and an open

temperature range most brewers would

the styles you would expect to see in any

fire. The exact method is quite guarded,

recognise – lingering between 65 and

UK taproom, Brew Bistro and Lounge

partly by secrecy, but mainly by geog-

70 degrees C. After mashing, the liquid

whose beers have the names of the big

raphy and language. If you can’t get to

drawn off is added back, presumably to

FIVE (animals that charge) in Swahili, like

the foothills of Kilimanjaro, and you don’t

reduce viscosity. It’s then left to cool and

Nyati (buffalo) and Simba (lion). But even

speak the worlds purist Swahili, you’re

then mixed with the Nyalu.

with the new varieties, cold and fizzy, ac-

in the dark. Luckily, Chaka remembers

We now have Togwa, which contains

cording to Chaka, is still the order of the

some of the details.

all of the vigorous micro fauna of the Nyalu and the simple sugars of the Mso.

day. These comprise lagers and pilsners, with the occasional highly-carbonated

It all starts with bananas, not commercial

The Mso was never boiled and so the

“English ale”.

varieties like Cavendish (above) which

enzymes in the millet will survive intact

To Tanzania.

Chaka grows, but varieties like Bokoboko,

and will, like in a distillers mash, continue

Chaka suggests another African brew,

and Ndishi. Some of these bananas can

to be active during fermentation.

not Kenyan, but from his schooldays

be eaten when picked – like the ones

Consumption begins at the Togwa

in Arusha. You can get from Nairobi to

on the supermarket shelf - but some

stage, where the alcohol level is low and

Arusha in a number of ways, the quickest

are starchy cooking bananas, others are

the sugars high, balanced by the tart

being to jump on a light aircraft at Nairobi

suitable only for brewing.

lactic acid excreted by the lactobacillus

Wilson Airport, but the most usual is the

The bananas are cooked until soft and

bacteria. After six hours or so the Togwa

5 hr (average) coach ride. Arusha is in

porridge like, then left to cool and stored

becomes Mbege, 3% ABV and still semi

across the border in Tanzania and is at

open to the air in wooden barrels until

sweet. After 48 hours the ferment is at its

the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro.

spontaneously fermenting Its a cross

terminal ABV of 4% and a gravity of 1.024.

The brew is Mbege (overleaf), a banana

between a coolship and a sourdough

This nomadic fermentation and the high

beer, brewed by the Chagga, a large

starter. Once fermenting, after around

finishing gravity are recurring features in

ethnic (3rd largest) group native to

10 days, this porridge becomes “Nyalu”,

indigenous brewing, where the imbiber

northern Tanzania who are considered to

its quite low in ABV but with a high yeast

is able to pick the brew by age based

be economically very successful, mainly

(saccharomyces) and bacteria (lactoba-

on whether they most desire ethanol or

because they are good agriculturists.

cillus) cell count. Nyalu is a effectively an

carbohydrate.

exercise in yeast isolation and propaga-

So far so intuitive for the craft brewer, but

Where Muratina could be called a brew,

tion.

there is an interesting quirk in the Mbege

it has no grain and would struggle to

When the Nyalu is ready, it’s time to cook

method, and that’s the use of an adjunct

win the name “beer”, Mbege is brewed

up some Mso. Mso is a mash made using

called Msesewe. Msesewe is the bark of

with germinated finger millet and so the

germinated finger millet using a kind of

a tree called Rauvolfia caffra, or, the qui-

translation to Banana Beer seems more

decoction method. The millet is added to

nine tree. For a long time it was assumed,

apt. Mbege production is complex and

water and the constantly stirred mix-

by the ignorant observer, to be just a

very skilled, it involves aspects of malt-

ture is heated. Some liquid is drawn off

flavouring. To the expert native brewers,

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it was known to accelerate fermentation and recent studies have found that the tannins in the bark give an environment with a bias favouring the yeast and suppressing the bacteria, which indeed does give a faster and more complete fermentation.

We move East, to the Usambara Mountains.

To the east of Mt Kilimanjaro, in the Eastern Arc Mountains that run from the Kenyan border south through Tanzania, yet another brew is fermenting and that’s Pombe. “Pombe” is the Swahilli word for beer in general, but in this corner of East Africa it means only one thing – ferment-

strange, but in the UK there is a tradition

so experienced they have hand crafted

ed palm sap. Actually, fermented palm

of tapping Birch trees to make a country

pombe straws, the compost/funk line

sap is common throughout the tropics,

wine. It makes you wonder what would

gets blurred as the day blurs into night.

under names like Matango and Poyo

happen if you left the sweet sap from

On first glance in Zambia there seems to

elsewhere in Africa, Htan Yay in Asia and

Canadian maple trees in a warm place for

be a gulf between indigenous brewing

Tuba in Mexico, but the people of the

a week or two.

and commercial brewing in Africa. But

Tanga region of the eastern arc have a

there are also instances where the gulf is

particular fondness for it.

The best way do describe the taste of

breached. Indeed there are places where

Pombe drifts back away from “beer” defi-

Pombe is “variable”. Its another living

the global brewers are investing big in

nition and towards the wine camp. The

fermentation, where the ABV changes in

traditional African brews.

brewers of Pombe are arboreal, not ter-

pack over time, but unlike Muratina and

To find out more, Lusaka in Zambia is

restrial like a craft brewer. Where a craft

Mbege where the low yeast count gives

a good place to aim for. Lusaka is over

brewer tends to their mash from the safe-

a slow change, the rate with Pombe is

2000kms from the Usambara Mountains,

ty of the ground, or at the highest from

rapid.

but if you can get from the mountains

a stainless steel platform, the pombe

The taste goes from sweet, to funky/

south to Dar es Salaam (Dar), Tanzanias’

brewer works whilst tethered to the top

dry to compost/dry quite quickly. But

capital, the rest is pretty easy. In 1970 the

of a palm tree. The Tapper collects the

like with most drinks, the flavour is not

TAZARA railway was built to link land-

sweet sap of the tree which is so rich in

independent of the experience and

locked Zambia and its copper mines to

wild yeasts that in the tropical heat it will

setting. So as you relax in the East African

Tanzania, its port and Capital Before the

begin fermenting almost immediately.

sun under the shade of a thatched hut,

railway was finished, Zambias ore had to

Tapping trees for sap might seem

chatting all things Pombe with company

travel through Rhodesia and South Africa,

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47

which in the 1970s had governments who

brew has a shelf life previously unseen

unaged, like a new make whiskey. Who

were unpopular – to say the least.

with Chibuku, and makes long distance

knows though, Pantelis may one day

logistics feasible, but sterility puts some

release Zambia’s first Bourbon.

Zambian ore travels by road once again

customers off. This leaves a market for

and the railway runs less reliably, but it

smaller brewers supplying fresh beer to a

Waka is packed in paper cartons but also

will take you, over two to four days on

local market.

delivered by tanker, which drives fully

average from Dar to Kapiri Mposhi, close

This include brewers like Pantelis Anasta-

laden through the villages close to Lu-

to Lusaka. Patience is a virtue, and al-

sio from Joma breweries with his Chibuku

saka making ad hoc deliveries as it goes.

though slow, the ride into Zambia snakes

brand Waka Beer. Anastasio is from a

These arrive in bulk to the makeshift

through numerous national parks and the

Greek family, but hails from Zambia and

taverns which are as common a sight in

train canteen is, naturally, stocked with

studied in the UK. When he travelled

the villages as the churches; much to

the omnipresent cold and fizzy factory

home after his studies he believed that

the long-gone missionaries’ dismay. The

brews. Zambia’s commercial beer is Mosi,

traditional brewing was worth investing in.

taverns are simple, and consist of a tin

short for Mosi oa Tunya - the smoke that

Joma is a small brewery by comparison

roof where the beer sits shaded from the

thunders. That’s the old local name of

to the SAB Miller but they are not playing

harsh sun, and a few of the older drinkers

the legendary Victoria falls, on Zambias

around.

can rest, but most drinkers sprawl into

southern border with Zimbabwe. The

Joma have large fermentation capacity

the countryside, drinking and chatting

main traditional brew is called Um-

and modern equipment such as their

under the trees close to the tavern and

qumbothi, with the more modern name

centrifuge, which is used to reduce the

listening to the tinny baseline of the

Chibuku. “Chibuku” is corrupted trans-

heavy solid load in the ferment. It also

tavern’s stereo.

lation of “Little book” and a reference to

needs to be a well organised affair, keep-

Multiple cereals can be used to brew

the compulsive note taking by the first

ing the beer fresh and unpasteurised

Chibuku, and as we get geographically

commercial brewers of Umqumbothi.

removed the convenience of a long shelf

closer to the bread basket of Africa, it’s

The biggest brand is Chibuku Shake

life - so an organised brewing schedule

now possible to find barley in the brew,

Shake, which is what you need to do to

and a tight grip on logistics is essential.

where further north it wouldn’t grow. But

homogenise the gritty brew, and it’s now

Waka beer is popular, so Joma are busy

barley is expensive and usually finds its

owned by the SAB Miller/ AB InBev con-

and aren’t yet tempted to branch into

way to other industries and the most

glomerate, which demonstrates the con-

making craft beer. Diversification in Africa

common cereals to use are Maize and

fidence there is in traditional beer growth.

is always on the cards however, and trials

Sorghum, with malted sorghum contrib-

But the SAB brand is not for everyone,

have started to distil a stronger version of

uting the enzymes.

the pasteurised and force carbonated

the Waka beer. The distillate will be sold

The investment from SAB miller has

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BREWERS JOURNAL

These arrive in bulk to the makeshift taverns which are as common a sight in the villages as the churches; much to the long-gone missionaries’ dismay,” Kieran Aylward

SOUTH AFRICA & PINEAPPLE BEER

A

strict March COVID 19 lockdown in South Africa, which prohibited sales of alcohol, cigarettes and takeout food, has led to a huge rise in the production of homemade pineapple beer.

According to Nick Dall, writing for Atlas Obscura, the country saw a tenfold leap in daily pineapple sales from 10,000 to nearly

100,000.

Even in normal times pineapple beer – technically more of a wine or cider – is a popular drink in South Africa. But due to the absolute ease in making it, many have turned to home brewing.

According to Samantha Nolan, president of SouthYeasters – a Cape Town-based homebrewing or-ganisation – they’ve seen a surge in enquiries across all their social media platforms. Business Insider SA reported that by late March, Google South Africa, saw overall search teams related to South Africa’s alcohol ban spiked by over 500 percent. Popular search queries included ‘homemade beer recipes south africa’, ‘can homemade pineapple beer make you drunk’, ‘homemade gin’, ‘homemade alcoholic pineapple beer’ and ‘how to make alcohol at home fast’.

Nolan says that pineapples are high in sugar, and yeast naturally lives on pineapple skins, which makes it easy. Adding sugar and/or additional yeast adds to the alcohol content. The drink is simply made by removing the spiky leaves from three large pineapples, chopping up the rest of the fruit, and putting it into a plastic container to which a gallon of water is added. Most add around one kilo of sugar and some will add a packet of brewers yeast.

Cover the container with muslin cloth and let it set. It will start fermenting within two days and can be strained and drunk then. Leaving it ferment longer will result in a higher alcohol content. Due to the explosive nature of the drink, it is recommended highly that plastic containers are used to store your pineapple beer. YouTube is filled with videos showing exploding pineapple beer containers.

bought with it, indirectly, research by

the familiarity of the fizzy beer, and to

affordable when they arrive.

the likes of the Institute for Brewing and

shun the complicated and sometimes

Factory beer, apart from copious C02 and

Distilling and the process that has been

challenging flavour of the local brew.

some ethanol, is bereft of nutrition. Local

researched and documented is complex.

And for several generations now, most

beers can be alcoholic and attenuated

It starts with boiling sorghum and maize

Africans themselves have been familiar

too, but can also be high in carbohy-

with lactic acid to gelatinise the starch at

friends of the factory brews. But where

drates and nearly as nutritious as a pint

a low ph, then various steps of mashing,

these brews can offer consistency, shelf

of porridge. The flip side is the low abv,

separation (by centrifuge) before fermen-

life and drinkability, it’s pleasing in an ever

making the no/lo movement in the west

tation. Some accounts call for the malted

more unvaried world to see indigenous

look like fairly old news.

sorghum to be added on two occasions

brews surviving.

Perhaps the the most interesting function

throughout the brew. It can’t be that com-

It’s not hard to see why. Factory beer is

of indigenous brews is how they reinforce

plicated in the villages where brewers

expensive, and out of the daily reach for

cultural ties and traditions. As globalisa-

still make Chibuku, and the complicated

most of the continents’ rural people But

tion tries to smudge cultures together,

steps probably find efficiencies invisible

like the mild drinkers of 1970s in indus-

brewing seems to be one last bastion of

to all but the huge brewers.

trial England, the African workers are

heritage.

For a visitor, it’s all too easy to reach for

drawn to the tavern and need something

brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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49

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HYGIENE

CONTROLLED HUMIDITY IMPROVES PRODUCTIVITY BREWING IS A COMPLEX, MULTIFACETED CRAFT, AND A CONDITIONSSENSITIVE BUSINESS. CAREFULLY CONTROLLED TEMPERATURES AND CONDITIONS ARE OFTEN CRUCIAL FOR THE MANY DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BREWING PROCESS, FROM INGREDIENTS MIXING TO END-PRODUCT STORAGE, EXPLAINS JOHN BARKER, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HUMIDITY SOLUTIONS.

brewersjournal.info

T

he air outside the brewery is, inevitably, laden with invisible water vapour that is constantly fluctuating in both quantity and specifi-

cations due to weather, season and time of day. When this enters the buildings in which the many tanks, pipes and structures used in brewing are housed, condensation and moisture can quickly form which, in turn, can lead to issues including: u Condensation forming and pooling on vessels, pipes, equipment, cold surfaces and floors u Corrosion and other damage to build-

with any steam cleaning, which means

ings, structures, fittings and equipment

there’s even more uncontrolled moisture

u Bacterial growths and mould that

present in the air, though things look

result in hygiene and compliance diffi-

clean immediately after.

culties

Fans, ventilation and air conditioning are

u Problems attaching labels to bottles

rarely the answer, because they basically

due to excess moisture

just replace one body of air with uncon-

u Higher service and maintenance costs

trolled humidity with another – with just

as a result of uncontrolled humidity

as little control.

Desiccant dehumidification technology

If mould develops in the brewery’s stor-

enables breweries to maintain control

age rooms, the consequences are stains,

over air conditions at every stage – both

unpleasant smells and material damage,

during production and while the resulting

and in some cases mould infestation can

beer is being stored.

also lead to health problems for the room

This specialist technology is used to

occupants.

determine the dew point of the air so that

Whilst mould is not acutely harmful, it

condensation – and all its many resultant

should nevertheless be taken seriously.

problems – simply cannot arise. When

In addition to damage and destruction

the relative humidity is brought below

of the labels in the brewery, mould is a

65% at 20oC, condensation problems will

sure symptom of moisture problems and

be eliminated.

a sign of a bad indoor climate, as a very

We offer specialist humidity control ad-

high level of humidity is required in the

vice and equipment for a wide range of

room for the mould to grow.

industrial and commercial applications.

This unhygienic situation only gets worse

The company is the exclusive UK distrib-

JULY~AUGUST 2020

|

51

utor for Cotes AS, a Danish manufacturer

We chose the Cotes range of desiccant

of high-quality desiccant dehumidifiers.

dehumidifiers to promote in the UK

These systems have been designed

due to their reputation for quality and

and installed in a number of brewer-

reliability. Compact and robust units are

ies throughout Europe, where master

available with automated precision con-

brewers have previously tried different

trol systems, comply with good hygiene

solutions to alleviate these problems,

practice, and are energy-efficient, with

until deciding upon dehumidification to

minimal operating costs. Furthermore,

control the air humidity.

a unique add-on heat recovery module

“We had major problems with the forma-

makes them the only humidity man-

tion of condensate and the tanks started

agement solutions able to comply with

to ‘sweat’ after filling. Our steel tanks are

the most stringent energy requirements

coated on the inside but have shown cor-

currently in force anywhere.

rosion due to the moisture in the outside

In Conclusion

area” reported Dirk Stapper from the

The consequences of excessive humidity

Ernst Barre private brewery in Germany.

in breweries are far-reaching and costly

Before the desiccant dryer was installed,

for the master brewer. With a humidity of

the air humidity in the pressure tank cel-

over 80%, mould growth is often an issue

lar in the brewery sometimes reached

in basements and warehouses. Although

values of over 80% relative humidity,

it rarely leads to direct health damage,

which was also evident in the masonry of

mould must be taken seriously, because

the building:

it is a clear sign of a bad indoor climate

“Before we installed the dehumidifier,

due to excessive humidity in the interior.

mould always formed in the room which

The problem can be solved temporarily

we naturally wanted to prevent……We tried

by removing mould in individual cases.

different vaporizers to distribute the air in

However, if you don’t focus on the source

the room and it was a big effort that didn’t

of the problem and the control of the

work in the end”.

humidity, you run the risk of moisture-re-

With the desiccant dehumidification

lated problems reappearing.

technology, however, an improvement

By dehumidifying the air through the

was visible after just a few days, and

desiccant technology, the brewer not

the relative humidity in the brewery’s

only avoids condensate, corrosion and

pressure tank cellar quickly reduced from

mould, but also ensures a good indoor

over 80% to below 60% RH.

climate, better hygiene conditions and a

A Cotes dehumidifier installed in the pressure tank cellar in the Zwiefalter brewery in Germany

healthy working environment.

52

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

BREWERS JOURNAL

Condensation?

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Service & Maintenance

UNDERSTANDING ENZYME ACTIVITY TO UNDERSTAND ENZYME ACTIVITY IS TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THE PROCESS OF BREWING. HERE TIM O’ ROURKE, FOUNDER OF THE BRILLIANT BEER COMPANY, EXPLAINS ALL.

T

he brewing process is based

(binding site) leading to the lock and key

on a series of biochemical

explanation of enzyme activity.

reactions, principally the

This means that the structure of the

extraction and breakdown

substrate must match the shape of the

of nutrients particularly con-

enzyme and explains the remarkable

version of starch to simple sugars, and

specificity of most enzymes. Generally, a

the “fermentation” of the wort nutrients

given enzyme can catalyse only a single

into alcohol and other flavour com-

chemical reaction.

pounds which make beer.

This is best represented by the “lock

Enzymes can catalyse the reactions by

and key” model where the substrate fits

temporarily binding with one or more of

into the shape of the enzyme and the

the substrates required in the reaction

chemical bonds to be altered are exactly

they catalyse.

aligned with active co enzyme site.

In order to do its work, an enzyme must

Chemical reactions require initial energy

combine - briefly - with at least one of

to start, called “Activation Energy”. This

the reactants. In most cases, the forces

energy is then released on completion.

that hold the enzyme and its substrate

The amount of activation energy required

are weak. In order to react the substrate

determines how easily and fast the

and the enzyme come together very

reaction will proceed. Enzymes lower the

closely with a specific area of the enzyme

activation energy for the reaction they are

Enzyme Co-factor Enzymes are globular proteins with a defined structure which can capture the substrate and ensure it is presented exactly to the Coenzymes (cofactor) which usually made up of a metal ion or vitamin so that it can interact at a very specific location to either synthesise or breakdown the substrate.

Above: Figure 1 Globular enzyme protein structure showing an active coenzyme site

Enzyme + Substrate

Enzyme/Substrate complex

Enzyme + Product

Substrate

Product Enzyme/Substrate complex Enzyme

Enzyme Above: Figure 2 show the “lock and key” mechanism of enzymes reactions

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55

catalysing allowing them to proceed at much lower temperatures.

Most activation energy is supplied in the form of temperature with many of the biochemical reactions in brewing requiring very high temperature, greatly in excess of range acceptable to normal living organisms. Enzymes are essential in reducEnergy

ing the activation energy required for the reaction to take place in living systems.

Like most chemical reactions, the rate of an enzyme-catalysed reaction increases with temperature. Ten-degree Celsius rises in temperature will generally double the rate of enzyme activity. However, because of the specific structure of the enzymes and the need to be a perfect fit with the substrate, when the temperature

Reaction Coordinates

exceeds its optimum enzymes rapidly

Above: Figure 3 shows how enzymes reduce the activation energy of a reaction

loses activity due to the loss of structure.

When using enzymes, it is necessary to

Stability

Activity

ensure that the reactions occur near their optimum temperature to avoid losing activity.

The optimum range of conditions for an enzyme can be extended by external

Activity

factors such as mash thickness (water to grist ratio) and ionic composition (particularly Ca2+ ions). The rate of reaction will also be affected by the concentration of substrate, which in mash is usually in excess. In malt the enzyme concentration is measured and represented by the diastatic power of the malt.

Optimum reaction temperature

Enzymes are affected by changes in pH. Extremely high or low pH values generally result in complete loss of activity for most enzymes. pH is also a factor in the

Temperature Above: Figure 4 Interaction between enzyme stability and increased rate of reaction with increased temperature

stability of enzymes. As with temperature activity, there is also an optimum range of pH for each enzyme.

TABLE 1: TYPICAL OPTIMUM TEMPERATURE VALUES FOR COMMON MASHING ENZYMES DERIVED FROM MALTED BARLEY

from one enzyme to another and is often related to the origin e.g. plant, fungal or

Optimum Temperature 0C

Effect

Alpha amylase

68 - 72

Liquefy starch produce long chain dextrins

range 5 to 6 which is the operating range

Beta amylase

62 - 66

Produce fermentable maltose sugar

In addition to temperature and pH there

Limit dextranase

50 – 55

Break down branch starch amylopectin

45 – 50

A range of enzymes which hydrolyse protein & polypeptides

physical and chemical parameters must

40 – 45

A range of beta glucan enzymes which break down endo-sperm beta glucan cell walls surrounding the starch granules

an enzymatic reaction to be accurate and

Enzyme

Protease Beta glucanase

56

The optimum pH value will vary greatly

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JULY~AUGUST 2020

bacterial enzymes. Most of the brewing enzymes have an optimum pH in the of brewery mashes. are other factors, such as ionic concentration which can affect the enzymatic reaction and stability. Each of these be considered and optimised in order for reproducible.

BREWERS JOURNAL

Activity

TABLE 2: TYPICAL OPTIMUM PH VALUES FOR COMMON MASHING ENZYMES DERIVED FROM MALTED BARLEY Enzyme

Optimum pH

Effect

Alpha amylase

5.3 – 5.8

Liquefy starch produce long chain dextrins

Beta amylase

5.4 – 5.6

Produce fermentable maltose sugar

Limit dextranase

5.0 – 5.5

Break down branch starch amylopectin

Protease (family)

4.5 – 7.8

A range of enzymes which hydrolyse protein & polypeptides

Beta glucanase

4.7 – 5.0

A range of beta glucan enzymes which break down endosperm beta glucan cell walls surrounding the starch granules

pH Above: Figure 5 The effect of pH on enzyme activity

Breaking down carbohydrates During the malting process the protected starch in the endosperm of the barley is released as the barley germinates, at the same time the growing barley produces the natural enzymes required to break down that starch during mash conversion.

In the brewhouse, the grist consisting of ground malt and if used, solid adjuncts, is mixed with water (brewing liquor) at a defined temperature and with a defined volume to produce a fully hydrated “mash”. The mashing process allows the natural enzymes produced during malting to continue their activity in breaking down the malt starch.

Above: Figure 6 A schematic representation of activity of the various starch degrading enzymes

The principal enzymes involved in the hy-

TABLE 3: EFFECT OF MASH TEMPERATURE ON WORT FERMENTABILITY (WELL MODIFIED ALL MALT)

drolysis of starch to sugars are alpha-and beta-amylases. Before enzyme hydrolysis can occur, it is necessary to open the

Mash temp 0C

% Extract

% Fermentability

Attenuation limit for a 1040 wort (100P)

60

75.6

76.2

2.7

65.5

74.2

69.7

3.2

68.3

74

65.3

3.7

starch granules by exceeding the starch gelatinisation temperature rendering the starch accessible to the enzymes. It is also necessary to select the optimum operating conditions for saccharification enzymes, converting polymeric starch and polysaccharides to short dimers or monomers of sugar. This is achieved by stabilising the enzymes in several ways: most of the fermentable sugar in wort.

u Optimising pH of the mash (usually

and amylopectin to produce a mixture of

between pH 5 and 6)

glucose, maltose, maltotriose and higher

u Adding calcium ions to reduce wort pH

molecular weight unfermentable sugars,

By varying the temperature, it is possi-

and to stabilise the enzyme

called dextrins, Thus, the enzymes pro-

ble to preferentially favour one enzyme

u Using thick mash (high concentration

duce an all malt wort (malt derived sugar

reaction over the other and influencing

of substrate to insulate the enzymes

solution) with around 75% fermentability.

the fermentability of the wort. Lower

against denaturing)

u alpha amylase randomly hydrolyses

temperature produces worts with higher

u Optimising temperature to favour the

starch to dextrins

fermentability as illustrated in the table

activity of enzyme systems.

u beta-amylase attacks the starch and

above and right.

dextrins from the non-reducing end,

Neither beta-amylase nor alpha-amylase

The amylase enzymes are able to

stripping pairs of sugar molecules disac-

can break the branched 1, 6-bonds which

hydrolyse the alpha-1,4 links in amylose

charides, producing maltose which forms

requires a debranching enzyme.

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57

THE MAIN STARCH HYDROLYZING ENZYMES Beta-amylase is an exo-amylase hydrolysing the 1,4-alpha links of the starch and dextrin molecules from the non-reducing end.

It acts optimally at 62 to 66°C, but is quickly inactivated at higher temperatures and is rapidly inactivated above at 70°C. The optimum pH is 5.4 to 5.5. In all cases the breakdown stops 2 to 3 glucose residues away from the 1, 6-bonds in amylopectin.

Beta amylase as a saccharifying enzyme and produces mainly maltose sugars and with the associated activity of an endo enzyme such as alpha amylase it cannot move past the branched structure due the alpha 1-6 bonds leaving large chains maltodextrins.

Alpha-amylase is an endo enzyme breaking 1,4- alpha links in the inner parts of the starch molecules (amylopectin and amylose) thereby creating dextrin molecules containing 7 to 12 glucose residues.

It acts optimally up to 70 °C but it has good effect at the 63 - 65 ºC if a single saccharification stand is employed. It is rapidly destroyed at or above 75°C. The optimum pH is 5.6 to 5.8.

Alpha amylase is described as a liquifying enzyme as it rapidly breaks down long chain

NEITHER BETA-AMYLASE NOR ALPHA-AMYLASE CAN BREAK THE BRANCHED 1, 6-BONDS WHICH REQUIRES A DEBRANCHING ENZYME Malt contains a debranching enzyme, Limit Dextrinase which unlike alpha and beta-amylase breaks the branched 1,6-bonds in starch. However, it has an optimum temperature of 55°C and an deactivation temperature of 60°C which is around the gelatinisation temperature of malt starch, so it has little effect during mashing.

The action of Limit Dextrinase is to debranched the alpha 1,6 bonds in amylopectin to give straight chains capable of being fully hydrolysed by alpha and beta amylase during mashing make a much more fermentable wort.

This effect can be observed in both malting and mashing, but temperature and development of the enzyme usually has a minor impact in brewing. Extending Germination time can allow enzyme activity to produce malts with higher fermentability.

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BREWERS JOURNAL

As a result, not all the starch is broken down to sugar leaving branched polysaccharides: the action of alpha and beta amylase combine to produce wort with around 75 - 80% fermentability.

Although malting and mashing are physi-

Above: There are 21 different amino acids with the structure shown above and these combine into long chains to form proteins.

cally separate processes and usually take place in different locations, malting has a profound influence on the subsequent release of sugars during mashing. The degree of breakdown of the barley cell structure or modification will determine the mashing profile required in the brewery.

Protein breakdown

Above: Figure 7 Structure of an amino acid and the location of enzyme degradation.

There is a portion of large molecular weight protein and polypeptides in malt which contribute to properties of the beer. These protein/polypeptides: u Provide beer with the essential amino

TABLE 4: PRINCIPAL GROUPS OF ENZYMES INVOLVED IN THE BREAKDOWN OF MALT PROTEINS Type of protease

Endopeptidase

Carboxypeptidase

Aminopeptidase

Temperature optimum

45 – 50 C

50 C

45 – 50 C

Inactivation temp

70 C

70 C

55 C

pH optimum

3.9 – 5.5

4.8 – 5.2

7.2 - 10

Location of activity

Attacks in the centre of the chain

Attacks the proteins from the carbonyl end

Attacks the proteins from the amino end

Action

randomly attacks large protein molecules into relatively large polypeptide chains.

present in raw barley and is released during the initial stages of steeping and germination and

less active at mash pH and does not play a significant role in protein breakdown during mashing.

acids for yeast growth u Precipitate with calcium ions to decrease the pH of wort and beer u Hydrophobic polypeptides are attracted to carbon dioxide bubbles to produce stable beer foam u Acidic polypeptides combine with malt polyphenols to produce haze u The protein/polypeptides contribute to the texture and mouthfeel of the beer.

There are 21 different amino acids with the structure shown above and these combine into long chains to form proteins.

Proteins are made up of a chain of amino

Most of the proteolysis occurs during

insufficient free amino nitrogen (FAN)

acids which all have the basic structure

malting. It is only partially possible to

levels in the wort.

shown above with an amino terminal and

compensate for a nitrogen deficiency in

Nitrogenous materials account for 5-6%

a carbonyl terminal. During malting and

malt by introducing a prolonged pro-

of wort solids, which is equivalent to

mashing the protein chains are broken

teolytic mash stand at 50°C. However,

around 30-40% of the total nitrogen

down by a series of enzymes call “pro-

adding exogenous enzymes enables

in malt. Good yeast growth and rapid

tease” which attack at different points in

further conversion of the available amino

fermentation requires 150-240mg/l of

the chain.

acids during mashing and corrects for

free amino nitrogen (at 10°P wort) but is

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59

of cell wall material (even in the most well modified malt), and this will be exacerbated if adjuncts such as raw barley or wheat are also used.

Some of the beta glucan material remains bound to the part of the protein matrix and is insoluble in lower temperature mash conditions below 55C when Above: Figure 8 Structure of alpha and beta links in carbohydrates – a long molecule of mixed beta 1 – 3 and beta 1 – 4 bonds

the malt beta glucanase enzymes are active. As the mash is heated above 63C the malt beta glucanase are deactivated,

TABLE 5: OPTIMUM TEMPERATURE OF BETA GLUCAN ENZYME ACTIVITY Enzyme

pH Optimum

Optimum Temp.

Inactivation Temp.

but Beta-glucan Solubilase will release beta-glucan from the protein matrix contributing soluble beta glucan to the wort resulting in increased wort viscosity.

The results of the different mashing tem-

Endo beta 1-4 Glucanase

4.5-4.8

37-45°C

55°C

peratures can influence the viscosity and

Endo barley Beta Glucanase

4.7-5.0

40°C

63°C

If the large viscous beta-glucan mole-

Beta Glucan Solubilase

6.3

60°C

73°C

filterability of wort and beer. cules which are not broken-down during malting or mashing other process problems can also occur: ▪u Reduced extract recovery u Higher wort viscosity u Poor wort filterability - run off performance u Beer filtration problems The high molecular weight beta-glucans released by Beta-glucan Solubilase contribute to wort viscosity and poorer extract recover. Most Brewers are very careful in selecting malt with low beta-glucan levels, and higher beta-glucanase enzyme activity.

Many initial mash temperatures are at or

Above: Figure 9 Schematic of beta glucan degradation during malting and mashing

above the maximum stability temperature of the malt beta glucanase enzymes and it is common practice in breweries to add exogenous beta-glucanase to

dependent on the yeast strain.

with roughly 70% beta1,4 linkages and

decrease wort and beer viscosity and

Excessive proteolysis in malting and

30% beta1,3 linkages.

to improve beer filterability. The effects

mashing will reduce foam stability. The

The beta links between the glucose

of enzyme addition on the breakdown

pH of a normal mash is not optimal for

molecules are more difficult to break and

of beta glucan can be shown by an in-

malt derived Aminopeptidase proteolytic

require a family of specialist enzymes

creasing in filter flow rate and decrease in

enzymes.

called beta glucanase.

wort viscosity. The effect will be more noticeable with higher concentrations of un-

Reducing beta glucan and other gums Beside starch-based oligosaccharides

Most beta-glucan is water soluble, but a

broken beta-glucans for example when

with the standard alpha 1-4 bonds be-

proportion is bound covalently to cell wall

using raw (un-malted) barley adjunct.

tween the glucose monomer there are a

proteins if there is insufficient degradation

While beta-glucans accounts for a

number of structural non-starch poly-

of the cell walls, then enzymic access to

substantial part of the troublesome

saccharides. The most significant non

the protein and starch will be restricted,

polysaccharides in barley and malt,

starch polysaccharides in barley and malt

and the extract from the malt reduced.

there are other polysaccharides such

are beta-glucans which make up more

Although much of the necessary

as pentosans, comprising of xylose and

than 75% of the endosperm cell wall. The

beta-glucanase activity occurs during

arabanose which can also contribute to

molecule has a distinctive linear structure

malting, there is inevitably some survival

filtration difficulties, and are present in

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TABLE 6: EFFECT OF ADDING EXOGENOUS BETA GLUCANASE ON THE FILTERABILITY OF WORT

Beta glucanase as % of grist weight

All malt mash

60% barley + 40% malt

Wort filtration rate vol in 30 mins

Wort viscosity cp

Wort filtration rate vol in 30 mins

Wort viscosity cp

0

260

1.73

200

1.82

0.01

283

1.73

218

1.81

0.05

288

1.6

236

1.65

0.1

325

1.43

290

1.43

0.2

325

1.43

290

1.44

TABLE 7: TYPICAL GELATINIZATION TEMPERATURES OF VARIOUS STARCH SOURCES Cereal – source of starch

Gelatinisation temperature 0C

packed structure which determines the conditions under which the cereal is processed.

Many adjuncts require investment in a cereal cooker to reach high enough tem-

Maize

68 – 80

peratures to gelatinise the starch.

Rice

68 - 80

gelatinises through the action of heat and

Sorghum

68 - 75

can increase so much that it affects the

Wheat

52 - 60

may fail to operate properly. This will

Raw Barley

53 – 62

in worse cases preventing any move-

Malted Barley

58 – 62

cooker.

The starch become very viscous as it swells as it takes up water. The viscosity stirrers (agitators) in the cooker that they lead to scorching of the starch slurry and ment of the (now gelled) slurry out of the There is no single temperature at which starch instantly gelatinises. Much depends on the grain and consequently the

higher concentrations in other cereals.

beer are water, malted barley, hops and

amylose: amylopectin ratio. The lower

yeast. In some traditional beers these are

this ratio the lower the gelatinisation tem-

The total hemicellulose content of the

the only ingredients used and permitted

perature. Starch lipid complexes will also

different cereals indicates the potential to

under the Reinheitsgebot (the German

affect the temperature of gelatinization as

give process problems, but only soluble

purity law of 1516).

will the size of the starch granules.

carbohydrates have a direct influence the

For many reasons brewers outside Ger-

It is advisable to boil the starch slurry for

viscosity of wort and beer. In barley most

many supplement their extract by using

more than15 minutes as there are always

of the soluble hemicellulose is beta-glu-

un-malted grains to replace some or all

some starch granules which are extreme-

cans and pentosans remains insoluble.

of the malted barley. These grains or sol-

ly resistant to gelatinisation. Keeping the

In contrast to barley, the predominant

id adjuncts are typically maize (corn), rice,

higher temperatures require high energy

hemicellulose in wheat is pentosans,

sorghum, wheat, barley. The use of differ-

and contributes to the operation costs

and when using high proportions of

ent adjuncts in different beer markets has

and energy footprint of the brewery.

wheat in grist, it is recommended to use

led to the development of unique brands

xylanase or pentosanase enzymes or a

or styles of beer.

On cooling the viscosity of the starch

beta-glucanases enzyme which has high

The most important consideration when

slurry will increase dramatically as the

pentosanase activity to improve both the

using adjuncts is the starch gelatinisa-

gelatinised starch will revert to (almost)

wort separation and beer filtration.

tion temperature which is the temper-

its natural form. This is called retrograda-

ature at which these starch granules

tion. To prevent this barley malt contain-

irreversibly lose their crystalline, tightly

ing alpha amylase or an exogenous heat

The main ingredients required to brew

brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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61

a number of beer styles. Fortunately,

100oc

healthy yeast normally breaks these compounds down to naturally less flavour active compounds during warm

Temperature degree C

maturation sometimes also called 76 c o

72oc

Cereal Cooker

diacetyl rest.

However, there is an exogenous enzyme available called “alpha acetolacate

64oc

decarboxylase� which if added at the beginning of fermentation will convert

52oc

the diacetyl precursor into less flavour active compounds and reduce the level

Mash Conversion Vessel

Lauter Tun

of diacetyl developing in the beer.

Once the desired flavour profile has been achieved the yeast has largely complet-

Time in minutes Above: Figure 10, A typical mash profile for mashing with a cereal cooker

ed its activity and can be removed. The brewer now must make sure that the beer is stabilized to prevent the formation of colloidal haze and to promote the settling of suspended solids ready for filtration.

Traditional processes involved the cold storage of beer at below zero degrees for periods of several days up to several months to allow the chill haze which is a complex between protein/polypeptides and polyphenols to form and be removed. Cold storage alone is usually not enough to provide all the stabilisation required for small pack and export beers and is usually augmented with proprietary stabilisers. Most brewers apply one or more methods of beer stabilisation.

One stabilisation treatment involves the addition of the enzyme Papain (collupulin) derived from Papaya which is a blend of protease activities and which breaks

Above: Figure 11 Showing natural reductions of diacetly and how it can be reduced through the action of exogenous alpha acetolactate decarboxylase

down the structure of the protein fraction thus avoiding haze formation. The risk with this enzyme is that it is not protein specific, resulting in a possible loss in

stable alpha amylase can be added to

maltose or glucose for fermentation. The

foam active proteins and reduce the

allow the enzyme to liquefy the starch

conversion of these dextrins to ferment-

foam potential of the beer.

reducing viscosity thus preventing retro-

able sugars is completed by natural malt

gradation and reducing viscosity of the

enzymes. Normally the beta amylase

A recently developed enzyme process

liquid slurry which can be pumped into

derived from barley malt will produce

uses a specific haze reducing enzyme

the main malt mash.

adequate maltose for fermentation to

which only attacks the site adjacent to

proceed normally.

the amino acid, proline. Since foam active protein has a low proportion of proline

The more effective the liquefaction of the starch into dextrins the easier it is to

The whole basis of fermentation is to

there is no damage to foam active poly-

break the dextrins down into simple (fer-

feed yeast with a balanced nutrient

peptides and hence no observable loss

mentable) sugars during saccharification.

solution

in foam.

After liquefaction starch still contains

A few compounds notably acetaldehyde

large dextrins units, these have to be

(green apples) and diacetyl (butterscotch)

The Protein specific enzyme is added di-

broken down into simple sugars such as

are considered to be an off flavours in

rectly into the fermentation vessel where

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BREWERS JOURNAL

it breaks down the haze sensitive protein

alpha 1 – 6 bonds in maltodextrins to pro-

may be necessary to use exogenous en-

compounds so that they no longer form

duce more fermentable sugars. This has

zymes to supplement the malt enzymes

large (visible) protein/polyphenol haze

the effect of increasing the amount of al-

if there is insufficient activity, and in some

complex in the beer.

cohol produced and reducing the texture

cases to provide additional activities not

or mouthfeel in the beer which has been

inherently present in the malt.

Coeliac disease (CD) is an autoimmune

used to produce a range of easy drinking

This is particularly necessary when using

condition which is mostly characterised

refreshing “lite” beers.

under modified malts, which are often characterised by having higher beta-glu-

by the destruction of the small intestinal villi reducing nutrients absorption and

The use of exogenous enzymes in

can content due to lower beta-glucanase

causing various symptoms from diar-

brewing.

activity during malting and lower be-

rhoea to headaches including fatigue and

Most exogenous enzymes are added to

ta-glucanase and amylase activity in the

neurological symptoms.

help with starch extraction and break-

finished malt.

Gluten is a storage protein found in

down.

wheat, barley and rye and is composed

u Several factors influence the enzymic

Worts produced unaided from poor qual-

of two fractions: prolamins and glutenins.

performance of malt, including:

ity malts often have a higher viscosity,

The prolamin fraction (termed gliadin in

▪u The variety of barley, the method of

slower run off and lower extract recovery

wheat; hordein in barley) is composed

cultivation and vagaries of seasonal

as a result of the presence of higher

of mostly proline and glutamin amino

weather etc.

concentrations of un-hydrolysed glucans,

acids. The proline-specific enzyme which

u The method of malting and any treat-

together with lower soluble nitrogen

is used to stabilise beer has also been

ments in the malting, particularly kilning

components and poorer fermentability.

found to cleave the toxic epitopes of the

▪

These various shortcomings can be ad-

glutenigure 2 significantly reducing the

The method and temperature of mashing

dressed by the selection of appropriate

effects of gluten on health.

The brewer select the malt from the crop

exogenous enzymes which can be used

available, not only in terms of its suitabil-

to improve the breakdown of unmated

By adding a carbohydrate debranching

ity for brewing, but also on cost. Brewers

adjuncts, improve extract recovery and

enzyme such as amyloglucosidase or

may find themselves using poorer quality

beer and wort filterability.

pullulanse it is possible to hydrolyse the

malts than they would ideally like, and it

TABLE8.1: ENZYMES DEGRADING STARCH IN MALTING & MASHING Name of Enzyme

Nature of Action

Product

Source of Enzyme

Stability on kilning

Optimum pH activity

Alpha amylase (E.C.3.2.1.1)

Endo alpha 1 – 4 link

Mixed oligosaccharides

Synthesised during germination

Increase during kilning up to 800C for 5 hrs.

5.5

Beta amylase (E.C.3.2.1.2)

Exo alpha 1 – 4 link

Maltose & dextrins

Released from sub aleurone during malting

55% of activity survives drying at 800C for 5 hrs.

5.2

Limit dextrinase E.C.3.2.1.10)

Hydrolyses alpha 1 – 6 links in dextrins

Straight chain alpha 1 – 4 dex-trins

Synthesised during germination

70% of activity survives drying at 800C for 5 hrs.

4.5 - 5

Mash temperature stability Destroyed after 2 hours > 670C Stabilised by Ca2+ Destroyed in mash > 650C For 1 hour

Destroyed in mash > 550C

TABLE8.2: ENZYMES DEGRADING BETA-GLUCANS IN MALTING & MASHING Name of Enzyme

Nature of Action

Product

Source of Enzyme

Stability on kilning

Optimum pH activity

Mash temperature stability

Beta glucan Solubilase Acidic carboxypeptidase

Breaks bonds between beta glucan & peptides

Soluble beta glucan

Present in high activity barley

86% Sur-vives kilning 850C for 5 hrs.

6.3

Survives mash-ing > 650C for 30 minute

Exo beta 1 – 4 bonds adjacent to beta 1 – 3 bonds

Tri & Tetra saccharides

Released from sub aleurone during malt-ing

34% of ac-tivity sur-vives at 450C for 5 hrs.

4.7

Beta glucanase (E.C.3.2.1.73)

brewersjournal.info

Destroyed in mash > 600C for 2 minutes

JULY~AUGUST 2020

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63

TABLE8.3: ENZYMES DEGRADING PROTEIN IN MALTING & MASHING Name of Enzyme

Nature of Action

Product

Source of Enzyme

Stability on kilning

Optimum pH activity

Endo peptidase (E.C.3.4.4)

Endo

Peptidase

Released from sub aleurone during malt-ing

40% of ac-tivity sur-vives drying at 820C for 1 hrs.

4-7

Carboxypeptidase (E.C.3.4.2)

Exo peptide links

Amino acids

Released during steeping depends on barley variety

40% of ac-tivity sur-vives drying at 820C for 1 hrs

Neutral amino peptidase (E.C.3.4.1)

Exo from amino end

Amino Acid

4.8 – 5.6

Mash temperature stability Destroyed after 15 minutes > 700C Destroyed 60% activity in mash > 650C for 1 hour

7.0 – 7.2

Rapidly deac-tivated in mash > 500C

In addition, enzymes can be used as a useful diagnostic tool to help with prob-

FURTHER READING & CITATIONS

lem solving. For example, it is possible to

➢u DSM Enzymes in Brewing Presentation – Health & Nutrition

use enzymes to discover the source of

➢u O`Rourke T “Mashing” Brewers Guardian December 1999

haze in beer. Method - take a sample of

➢u Handbook of Brewing by William Hardwick

the beer and bottle and pasteurize it to

➢u Industrial Enzymology Second Edition Edited by Tony Godfrey & Stuart West –

ensure there is no residual micro-organ-

published Macmillan press 1996 - Chapter 2.6 Brewing by T. O’Rourke

isms then treat each bottle as follows:

➢u Technology Brewing and Malting by Wolfgang Kunze ➢u O`Rourke T Brewer International Volume 2 2002 – “The Function of Enzymes in

Incubate the sample for two days at 300

Brewing”

C and observe if there is any reduction

➢u Craig H & van Roon Brew Distill Int 3: 35-38, 2007.

in haze or particles compared to the

➢u Guerdrum & Bamforth J Am Soc Brew Chem 70: 35-38, 2012.

control. This data can then be used to

➢u Sylvie Van Zandycke Brewer and Distiller International July 2014 Gluten free

investigate the problem and develop

beers made with barley and Brewers ClarexTM

solutions which may of course involve

➢u O`Rourke T Brewer International October 2015 – “Enzymes in Brewing”

treatment with enzymes.

Nutrients and Neutralisers For all types of wastewater treatment pH Control Solutions

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Call 01553 770 092 Visit www.omex.co.uk @OMEXCompanies 64

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