The Brewers Journal July~August 2022, iss 4 vol 8

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE PROFESSIONAL BREWING INDUSTRY

BREWERS

J O U R N A L

JULY~AUGUST 2022 | VOLUME 8, ISSUE 4 ISSN 2059-6669

WHIPLASH BEER Ripping up the rule book in the Republic of Ireland 32 | JOHN KEELING: WE ALL NEED GOOD FRIENDS

47 | BREWING IN BELGIUM: A BEER ODYSSEY

62 | PHANTOM BREWING: BRILLIANT BEER IN BERKSHIRE

2022: CHAPTER TWO

H

ello and welcome to the

In this edition we feature our profile

latest edition of The Brew-

on Whiplash Beer. It was a pleasure to

ers Journal. If you needed

visit the team in Ballyfermot in April. A

any reminding, it’s now

brewery born in the Republic of Ireland

July. It feels as the year

but very much of international standing,

has just started, but no, we’re halfway

Whiplash has become a byword for qual-

through. Festival season is in full-flow

ity in the world of modern beer. Found-

and schedules and plans are no doubt

ed by Alex Lawes and Alan Wolfe, and

already turning to the autumn and winter

backed by a team from across the globe,

months that lie ahead. I know that’s the

Whiplash has made its name thanks to

case for the team here.

beers of countless styles all underpinned by a meticulous pursuit of quality.

In the first half of 2022 we’ve hosted our Brewers Lectures in Leeds, Edinburgh,

Whiplash is a brewery that is having a

Birmingham and Brighton. A huge thank

stellar 2022 and one that’s only getting

you to the speakers, sponsors and every-

better. But they’ve worked immensely

one that came along. We have another

hard to get there, and it’s great to have a

Brewers Lectures event in Cardiff this

brewery from the Republic of Ireland on

September, but from the start of this year

the cover of this publication for the very

the focus has also well-and-truly been

first time.

LEADER

on the Brewers Congress. Taking place at

brewersjournal.info

The Business Design Centre in London

In addition to a wealth of articles, we also

on the 8th and 9th December, it will be

have the lowdown on Phantom Brew-

the biggest event we’ve ever done.

ing. A brewery founded by two lifelong friends bonded by a love of sport, Blink

This year, The Brewers Congress is big-

182 and brilliant beer, Phantom Brewing

ger than ever, with two days of exhibition

has swiftly become one of the breweries

and talks, and one massive Christmas

putting Reading on the map for fans of

Party where we will crown the winners of

this beautiful beverage. And they’re not

the 2022 Brewers Choice Awards.

stopping there.

In 2022, we have nine categories you can

“Producing many different beers keeps

enter or nominate in. These are, as fol-

things enjoyable for us as a team. We

lows: Brewery of the year, New brewery

are always learning, exploring new

of the year, Brewer of the year, Young

techniques and trying different things. It

brewer of the year, Beer of the year, New

keeps things interesting and keeps things

beer of the year, Branding of the year,

diplomatic. too,” co-founder Dom Gemski

Lifetime achievement and Global ambas-

told us.

sador. Entries for this year’s awards close on the 31st July, with full information

Until next time!

available via this address: www.brewersjournal.info/awards/

Tim Sheahan Editor

JULY~AUGUST 2022

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3

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JULY~AUGUST 2022

CONTENTS

Comment | US beer trends Lotte Peplow, Brewers Association American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe, shares highlights of the recent Craft Brewers Conference and World Beer Cup in Minneapolis, and what that means for the rest of the world.

27

Dear John John Keeling has brewed many beers and visited countless countries during his career in beer. But for John, the most valuable asset has been the friends he has made in that time.

32

Crossing Continents | Belgium Paul Davies is no stranger to Belgium and the beers, revered around the world, produced across the country. In this article he pays homage to the fine producers of Oud Bruin before making the journey to Dag van de Oude Geuze and the stunning breweries and blenderies he’d visit along the way.

47

Case Study | Finance When a Plymouth-based brewery was targeting expansion, it turned to a local business that provides viable SMEs and start-ups with access to finance through dedicated business loan funds in the South West.

56

Ingredients | Stabilisation Silvateam on what tannins have long been a traditional route for beer stabilization and embraced today by many breweries.

59

Science | Fermentation control In the latest instalment of the series, Tim O’ Rourke, the technical editor of The Brewers Journal places the spotlight on fermentation control.

68

18 Talking Point

Tim O’Rourke, technical editor at The Brewers Journal, shares his experiences on beer judging across the globe, and the knowledge he has gained along the way.

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JULY~AUGUST 2022

BREWERS JOURNAL

CONTACTS Tim Sheahan Editor tim@reby.media +44 (0)1442 780 592 Velo Mitrovich Deputy Editor velo@reby.media +44 (0)1442 780 591

34

Tim O’Rourke Technical Editor tim.orourke@reby.media Josh Henderson Head of sales josh@reby.media +44 (0)1442 780 594

Meet The Brewer | Whiplash Beer

A brewery born in the Republic of Ireland but of international standing, Whiplash has become a byword for quality in the world of beer.

Jon Young Publisher jon@reby.media Reby Media 6 Grove Road, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP1 1NG

62

Brewery Tour | Phantom Brewing

A brewery founded by two lifelong friends, Phantom Brewing has swiftly become one of the breweries putting Reading on the map for fans of this beautiful beverage. And they’re just getting started.

27

Comment | US beer trends

Lotte Peplow, Brewers Association American Craft Beer Ambassador for Europe, shares highlights of the recent Craft Brewers Conference and what that means for the rest of the world.

brewersjournal.info

SUBSCRIPTIONS The Brewers Journal is a published 1six times a year and mailed every January, March, May, July, September and November. Subscriptions can be purchased for six issues. Prices for single issue subscriptions or back issues can be obtained by emailing: subscribe@reby.media

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without the express prior written consent of the publisher. The Brewers Journal ISSN 2059-6650 is published bimonthly by Reby Media, 6 Grove Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 1NG. Subscription records are maintained at Reby Media, 6 Grove Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 1NG. 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 2022

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S P E C I A LT Y TA N N I N S

NEWS

NEW BOILER TECHNOLOGY UNVEILED

B

rewers could cut their carbon footprint using a new type of electric

HONESTBREW FALLS INTO ADMINISTRATION Online beer retailer HonestBrew has fallen into administration.

Allister Manson and Steven Parker of Opus Restructuring LLP were appointed joint administrators of the company on 17 June, with the company having ceased trading on the 14th June.

storage boiler. The patented technology, developed by British startup Caldera, can generate process heat or steam for brewing without

In a statement, the company said: “Since

the use of carbon-emitting gas or oil.

the beginning, HonestBrew has been on

Caldera storage boilers use a solid material which is heated up using

a mission to get the world to drink better

surplus energy from wind farms and on-site renewables such as solar PV. This

beer. We have brought you styles from

energy is then stored with very high efficiency and released when required as

all over the world, including some that

high-pressure steam.

many of you have never even heard of.

The Southampton firm is already producing a domestic scale heat store, which is

Including some that many of you wish

currently being rolled out in a number of trial homes countrywide. They are now

you’d never heard of.

seeking to scale up their product for industry and have secured a £295,000 grant from the Department of Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to investigate

“It has been our job. It has been our pas-

the design and build of a UK factory capable of rolling out Caldera storage boilers

sion. It has been our lives. Like so many

at scale.

others, we worked hard to overcome the challenges of the last couple of years.

We didn’t always get things right, but we tried to approach every problem with honesty and best intentions. However, the current trading environment has proved to be one challenge too far, and on the 14th of June, we made the difficult decision to stop taking new orders.

“We are very keen to ensure that all of our customers are looked after, particularly those of you with unused cash deposits.

We have been working closely with a fellow craft beer pioneer to work out how best to do this, and you will be contacted in the coming days with more details.

Caldera CEO James Macnaghten, said: “Industrial steam makes up 31 percent of

“It just remains for us to say a big thank

the UK’s total industrial heat requirement and is a major element of the brewing

you to everyone who has supported us

process. This is normally provided by multiple steam boilers and accumulators that

over the last nine years, whether as a

burn gas or oil. Banks of solid-state electric storage boilers can be charged up by

customer, supplier or investor – some-

off-peak renewables and on-site solar PV and can hold this heat for hours, ready

times all three. We hope that we have

to deliver high pressure steam as required at temperatures up to 200C. This will

been able to inspire you to try things that

enable brewers to switch off fossil fuels as their primary fuel source, enabling an

you’d never have imagined you would

easily adopted route to low carbon electrical power.

like, and if we could choose our own leg-

“In addition, industrial steam boilers and steam accumulators store large quantities

acy, it would be for you to continue that

of superheated water, which brings significant cost and safety implications requir-

journey of discovery.

ing continuous manning and detailed annual inspection. The adoption of electric storage boilers avoids these risks due to the low quantity of water used without

“Wishing you all the best, Frank and the

combustion.”

HonestBrew Team.”

brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2022

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NEWS

OAKHAM’S BYRAN RETIRES

Pure Booch supports the brewers move

pandemic and continue to do to support

away from conventional plastic labels, in

the sector I am so passionate about.”

favour of a new sustainable wood-based alternative.

Oakham Ales’ head brewer John Bryan has retired, after more than 26 years at the pioneering Peterborough-based brewery.

An innovative and hugely influential figure in UK brewing, John joined Oakham in October 1995. Within weeks he was promoted to Head Brewer on the retirement of Oakham’s founder John Wood.

A 2009 visit to US hop fields was to go down in brewing history. He was intro-

VOCATION BREWERY LAUNCHES DUO OF BEERS INTO SAINSBURY’S

duced to a remarkable new hop varie-

BIG SMOKE BREW CO LAUNCHING TWO NEW LHR SITES Independent Surrey-based brewer, Big Smoke Brew Co, and Airport Retail

ty – Citra. He was so excited by Citra’s

Vocation is launching a duo of new beers

Enterprises (ARE) are launching two new

potential that he sent his share home

into Sainsbury’s stores nationally in time

independent craft beer and food destina-

by air in order to brew with it as soon as

for the summer, called Day Trip and Sun-

tions at Heathrow’s Terminals 3 and 5 this

possible.

set Overdrive.

summer.

Blown away by the variety’s powerful cit-

Day Trip is a new Pale Ale which is

The Oceanic in Terminal 3 and The Globe

rus and tropical fruit aromas and flavours,

brewed using Mosaic and Galaxy hops to

in Terminal 5 will serve Big Smoke’s core

John’s initial idea was to brew a strong,

produce a hop-forward, full-bodied beer

range of beers and gins, accompanied by

single-hop Citra IPA. The legend that is

with a hint of citrus, peach and passion-

seasonal food and friendly service.

Oakham Ales Citra was born.

fruit flavours. At 5% abv it is suitable for

Opening in June 2022, the pubs will fea-

Upon retiring, brewing will be left in the

everyday summer occasions.

ture Big Smoke’s modern design aesthet-

safe hands of newly appointed head

Sunset Overdrive is a Piña Colada sour

ic and warm and welcoming atmosphere.

brewer Mark Tetlow. He has more than

beer which provides the perfect cocktail

As a nod to the past, “The Oceanic”

30 years of experience in the brewing

of bold fruity flavours with its notes of

references the original name of Terminal

industry. He is overseeing the Oakham

pineapple, coconut and tangerine. At

3 which opened as the Oceanic Terminal

team including lead brewer Ed Sharman

5.5% abv, it is a beer to be enjoyed with

in 1961. “The Globe” is an acknowledge-

and quality brewer Stewart Poulter.

friends on warm summer days.

ment of the breadth of international destinations to which Heathrow’s Terminal 5

EMMA MCCLARKIN AWARDED OBE

connects.

Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub

Leeds-based Amity has appointed three

Association Emma McClarkin has been

new starters and has promoted two team

Purity Brewing Company has launched

awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday

members as it continues its expansion.

Pure Booch, a range of authentically

Honours List, for services to the beer and

The new Head Brewer, Tom Summer-

slow-brewed ‘pure’ kombucha drinks,

pub industry.

scales, was educated in Brewing and

and the brewer’s first foray into a cat-

The award recognises Emma’s service to

Distilling at Heriot Watt university before

egory outside of the beer market in its

the industry since joining the British Beer

gaining experience from well-known

18-year history.

& Pub Association in 2019, in particular

Yorkshire breweries Vocation Brewery

Authentically slow brewed Pure Booch

her support and championing of the

and Kirkstall Brewery.

is low in sugar, naturally flavoured and

industry throughout the pandemic.

free from preservatives, and from launch

In response to receiving the award she

Joining Tom are new bar team members

is available in four flavours – Original,

said: “I am delighted and humbled to

Sam Farrer and Malika Dennis-Winfield

Ginger and Lime, Cranberry, and Grape-

receive this honour. It is truly wonderful

along with promotions for current bar

fruit, across three strikingly designed

to receive this recognition on behalf

team members Jake Green moving to

formats – 330ml cans, 250ml bottles and

of the beer and pub sector and for the

assistant brewer and Tina Rimmer as a

1l bottles. In line with the Purity’s strong

incredible work the British Beer and Pub

marketing executive.

environmental ‘Pure ECO’ credentials,

Association have done throughout the

PURITY DIVERSIFY WITH KOMBUCHA OFFERING

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JULY~AUGUST 2022

AMITY BREW CO EXPANDS

BREWERS JOURNAL

Geterbrewed is launching a brand-new range of brewing yeasts.

They’ve partnered with AEB as their distributor of brewing yeast for brewers in UK & Ireland.

AEB Brewing is a leader in yeast, fermentation, and biotechnologies in brewing and winemaking.

Headquartered in Italy, AEB’s heritage dates to 1963 with the founding of the Agency of Enology of Brescia - hence AEB! Today, as an innovator AEB looks to continually develop new applications and enhance sustainable process technologies, bringing their knowhow from oenology to the world of brewing.

Geterbrewed was established in 2013 and we’re expanding at an unprecedented rate as the number one choice for brewing ingredients. We’re a true One-Stop Shop for brewers and we boast a diverse portfolio of products, distributing brewing ingredients and equipment for leading global suppliers.

“We are delighted to welcome Geterbrewed as our UK based distribution partner. It makes perfect sense to partner with an established and reputable distributor, one that shares our values when it comes to product quality and customer support.” says Elena Guglierame, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer

Geterbrewed is an independent family business, and we pride ourselves in fulfilling our customers’ expectations, building long-term relationships, and making sure our customers have access to the finest brewing ingredients - backed by a personal service and full technical support.

We supply from two purpose-built distribution centres: from our HQ in Northern Ireland and from our distribution warehouse in Dundalk, Ireland. Our warehouse team pack and dispatch orders 12 hours per day, 7 days per week, so you can expect the fastest dispatch and delivery in the industry.

The AEB - Geterbrewed Partnership means we can offer our customers a unique portfolio of brewing yeast as well as tap into AEB’s vast knowledge of developing aroma and flavour in winemaking so that brewers can create beers with distinct tastes.

Winemakers have been light years ahead in terms of expressing aromas and flavours with yeast, and we’re excited to see what delicious beers brewers will create with this new range of AEB Brewing yeast that Geterbrewed will be supplying.

“We are very excited by this new partnership – with this joint commitment we can now offer our brewing customers AEB’s high quality yeast while continuing to provide our customers with exceptional service.” says Jonathan Mitchell, managing director of Geterbrewed.

Checkout the new range of AEB Brewing Yeast now available from Geterbrewed at

WWW.GETERBREWED.COM (£) WWW.GETERBREWED.IE (€)

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BREWERS CONGRESS 2022 TWO DAYS OF LECTURES

TWO DAYS OF EXHIBITS

PLATINIUM SPONSORS

ONE NIGHT OF CELEBRATION

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BREWERS CONGRESS SPEAKERS KEYNOTE | JAMIL ZAINASHEFF

DR DAWN MASKELL, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, HERIOTWATT UNIVERSITY

Jamil Zainasheff is an award-winning

acclaimed brewing books, Brewing

brewer, author, beer judge, and

Classic Styles and Yeast: The Practical

podcaster. He is the only person ever to

Guide to Beer Fermentation.

achieve the goal of a first place medal in

In 2011 Jamil and Liz launched Heretic

every recognized beer, wine, and cider

Brewing Company. In 2017, they added

style.

a distillery to the mix, featuring uniquely

Jamil has published more than 90

flavored vodkas, gins, whiskeys, and a

articles and has co-authored two highly

line of ready to drink cocktails.

FERGAL MURRAY, HEAD JENN MERRICK, BREWER, DUBLIN CITY MANAGING DIRECTOR, BREWING CO BIG SMOKE BREW CO

ANDRES FURUKAWA, MATT GIFFEN, BREWING TECHOLOGIST, FOUNDER, BENCH AEB GROUP BREWING COMPANY

JAMIE JURADO, CONSULTANT MASTER BREWER

The Brewers Congress has outgrown its old venues and has found a new home in the heart of central London at the Business Design Centre.

Over 2,500 square metres of space to entertain, educate and celebrate the very best of British brewing

Two day congress tickets from £39 inc VAT. Tickets include talks, exhibition and beer.

Upgrade to a Full Access pass for the Christmas Party.

FOR TICKETS AND MORE GO TO: BREWERSJOURNAL.INFO/CONGRESS

TALKING POINT

HOW TO JUDGE BEER

WHAT BRINGS US ALL TOGETHER IS A COMMON LOVE OF BEER. HERE TIM O’ROURKE, TECHNICAL EDITOR AT THE BREWERS JOURNAL, SHARES HIS EXPERIENCES ON BEER JUDGING ACROSS THE GLOBE, AND THE KNOWLEDGE HE HAS GAINED ALONG THE WAY.

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JULY~AUGUST 2022

W

e use all our

style hoppy lager. Usually this is avoided

senses to evaluate

by grouping similar beers into flights for

and taste beer:

judging. Occasionally experienced beer

Sight, smell, taste.

judges may find themselves required to

Everyone is

decide between a wide range of styles

different, and has different sensitivities

when deciding “Best of Show” or the

to different flavour compounds. Don’t

Champion Beer of Great Britain.

be surprised if some tasters can detect flavours you cannot, they may just

Also, as far as consumers are concerned,

be more sensitive to those specific

grouping beers makes sense. If someone

compounds. Whilst our individual

likes a US style hoppy IPA it is helpful to

ability to detect flavours are based

be able to recommend similar beers to

on our genetics, we can improve our

drink.

ability to recognise and identify unique compounds through training.

Ale styles can be listed in six families including spontaneously fermented

THE LANGUAGE OF FLAVOUR

beers. They have been principally grouped around their heritage and

Having tasted the beer, it is necessary to

history. Probably some of the newer

share the flavours detected with other

styles are under-represented, but many

members of the judging panel. This is

are just variations on styles from the past.

where it is useful to have a common language to describe key beer flavours.

Like all families some are non-

In 1972 the major Beer Associations

conformists or “black sheep” which do

collaborated to develop a Flavour Wheel

not fit neatly into any one category,

which was designed to describe all the

making them difficult to classify and

flavour notes found in beer.

has led to an explosion of beer styles.

The most comprehensive style guide

However, for most situations it is over

currently used for competitions is

complicated, and so most companies

published by the BJCP (Beer Judging

use only a small selection of flavours

Certification Programme), the scheme

identified from the beer flavour wheel.

is designed for American Beer Competitions and is an invaluable

DEFINING BEER STYLES

reference but does not always do justice

It is often necessary to organise beers

to UK beers particularly cask conditioned

into similar groups for advertising

& live beers.

descriptions and Beer Judging to

It is important for brewers submitting

compare similar products.

beers for judging to allocate them to the correct style otherwise it will be difficult

It is very difficult to fairly compare the merits of a strong dark beer like an Imperial Stout with a delicate tasting Pils

Figure 1: The biology of taste

BREWERS JOURNAL

TALKING POINT Figure 2: The beer flavour wheel, developed by Dr Morten Meilgaard is an industry standard around the world.

TABLE 1: POSITIVE FLAVOURS Flavour

Description

Malty

Biscuit through top roast from malt grist

Caramel

Toffee, Sweet, Candy

Burnt

Typical of dark malts/Toffee during wort boiling

Spicy

Foind in wheat beers -clove phenolic - 4VG

Hoppy

Hop aromas from late or dry-hop additions

Citrus

Fruity usually from hops or yeast growth

Floral

From hops or esters fiving floral notes

Sweet

Sugary or honey - fault if too high

Bitter

Contribution of iso apha acid to beer

Carbonation

Tingle mouthfeel of carbon dioxide

EVALUATING A BEER Most competitions award beers based on quality (principally absence of flavour faults and presence of positive attributes) and how well they represent the given beer style.

In some competitions this is achieved by comparing beers, but increasingly this categorisation has been replaced by the “trueness to type” or comparing the beer with an ideal flavour standard for the particular style under scrutiny. This is done by a points-based system with the combined score of the panel deciding if the beer is worthy of a Gold, Silver or Bronze or no award at all. Not every beer submitted deserves an award.

CHOOSING A WINNER to judge and may not receive the fair

allow sufficient time for cask beer to

recognition that the beer deserves.

fine and drop bright and all containers

Being a Beer judge can be rewarding but

Beers should be received in a timely

to equilibrate. Professional dispense

requires the judge to evaluate the beer

manner and stored appropriately to

systems are essential.

against a standard style profile rather

brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2022

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TALKING POINT

TABLE 2: NEGATIVE FLAVOURS Flavour

Description

Aldehydic

Raw green apple/varnish by-product of poor yeast growth

Butterscotch

Diacetyl by-product of poor yeast growth

Chloro-Phenolic

Medicinal TCP from water chlorination

Sulphidic

H2S or rotten eggs found as fermentation by-product

Sulphitic

SO2 - burnt matches

Sunstruck

Cooked vegetable from UV light acting on iso alpha acid

Acidic/Sour

Lactic acid - needs balance

Astringent

Harsh aftertaste often confused with bitterness

Stale

Oxidised papery - old beer & poor oxygen control

Beer judging is a team activity and judges should Listen as well as share their opinions. It is based on consensus and conformance to a style, not your personal opinion An appreciation of the main beer styles is necessary, and you should read and consult beer style guides before awarding medals. Remember it is not your preference but how well it matches the style guide.

Receiving a medal is important to the Brewers, it gives peer recognition of their “craft” and may help with sales. Make sure every award given is deserved. ➢The Brewer enters the beer competition with expectation of success. If the beer

than whether you like the beer or not.

flavours you cannot recognise and just

does not win it is important to give

Drinkability (how sessionable it is) and

accept the fact. Everyone can taste beer

honest and constructive feedback to

commerciality are really important.

but some people don’t know the typical

the Brewer so he can appreciate the

There are several key factors to consider

terms used to describe the flavours.

judges’ decision. Judging provides an

when judging beer. Human sensitivities

Enthusiastic judges should consider

opportunity to sample and appreciate a

to flavour compounds vary and almost

attending flavour recognition courses to

range of beers. The most important part

everyone is anosmic (blind to certain

improve their skills and become familiar

is to enjoy the experience

flavours), it is helpful to be aware of which

with the beer flavour vocabulary.

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JULY~AUGUST 2022

BREWERS JOURNAL

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COMMENT

POST-PANDEMIC HYGIENE LESSONS

HYGIENE EXPERTISE CAN - AND SHOULD - BE BUILT INTO THE NEW NORMAL. HERE HANCE MCGHIE FROM CHEMISPHERE UK TAKES US THROUGH FIVE LESSONS THAT SHOULD CRAFT NEW PROCEDURES AND OUTLOOKS FOR VENUE OWNERS AND MANAGERS.

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F

irstly - and most importantly cleaning and hygiene should no longer, and never be, an afterthought or something that is taken lightly. Taking a

casual or slapdash approach to cleaning simply isn’t good enough, no matter how relaxed the venue.

Taking the time to craft procedures and protocols for staff members to learn and follow is critical to the success of the venue.

At a basic level, drawing up a plan and schedule to say how often different surfaces and areas are cleaned - and (importantly) what with - is a good start.

Have an opening up routine, clear rules for cleaning during opening hours and a closing/night time plan too.

collateral such as old table menus, but

Print out plans with tick boxes or room for

you can also investigate tech that can

initials, use a wipe clean board to keep

help behind the scenes.

abreast of your schedule, or even use an app and take the time to train staff.

Our sister company, Beer Piper, uses a

Every venue is different, so your schedule

cloud-based mobile app alongside its

and your plan will be unique to you, but

market-leading BP4 beer line cleaning

taking the time to think about it is key.

system. The app logs how often the lines are cleaned ensuring full transparency

If you’re unsure where to start, speak to

and traceability, and the system itself

a cleaning professional for advice or - if

cleans the lines automatically to a very

you’re using Chemisphere’s products

high standard, saving both time and

to ensure your venue is hygienic and

money.

sparkling - we are always on hand to

We have also developed new products

answer any queries and advise as to

that have become critical to venues post-

how best to use each one to get the

pandemic, such as our BlitzAll antiviral

best results and ensure cleanliness at all

and antibacterial fogger, which is a great

times.

solution for venues for both back of house and front of house. The foggers kill

UTILISING NEW CLEANING TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP

99.999% of bacteria, yeast and enveloped

Pandemic restrictions resulted in tech

EMPLOYEE TRAINING IN HYGIENE IS A MUST

being given centre stage in hospitality,

viruses, including COVID19.

and venues have already got to grips with apps and systems for booking,

Investing in staff and their training has

checking in and ordering. These systems

never been more important, and hygiene

all help to minimise the need for too

is absolutely part of this mix. When

much physical contact or tangible

you have developed your cleaning

BREWERS JOURNAL

COMMENT procedures and schedules, take the time

nervous customers, taking the time to

to individually train staff and managers

do this can put their mind at ease and

to complete each task with the correct

ensure they have a pleasant experience.

products and chemicals. Informing and teaching them why different products

EMPLOYEE HEALTH MATTERS

are used for each task is crucial, and will eliminate the possibility of mistakes

The pandemic has taught us that we are

and ensure that they understand the

nothing without our staff members, so

importance of your high standards.

anything that you can do to make sure staff members are healthy and happy

On top of this, investing time and money

is key. Good hygiene practices and

in staff training can only be a good thing

procedures in the venue are important,

when it comes to employee retention,

as they will reduce the risk of any drop in

as it will educate and upskill them and

standards that could result in employee

make them feel like valued and integral

sickness.

members of the team.

If your staff members are customer facing, consider the use of face

COMMUNICATION IS KEY

When your plans and schedules are complete, ensure that you communicate them to customers,” Hance McGhie

coverings, and ensure handwashing is kept up at all times so it becomes

When your plans and schedules are

second nature.

complete, ensure that you communicate them to customers. Whether it’s a

Lastly, prioritise staff wellness and

statement on your website or social

wellbeing by ensuring that team

channels or a notice on the bar,

members go home if they feel unwell

communicating your cleaning policies

and stay off until they are better.

to punters lets them know that you’re taking hygiene seriously. For some more

CUSTOM PRINTED MINI KEGS – A WORK OF ART www.europeanmalt.com

brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2022

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23

COMMENT

WHAT YOU LEGALLY NEED TO KNOW HOW HARD CAN IT BE TO BECOME A PUBLICAN? HERE PIERS WARNE, A LEGAL DIRECTOR SPECIALISING IN LICENSING AT TLT SOLICITORS AND PART OF THEIR SPECIALIST HOSPITALITY TEAM, OUTLINES SOME OF THE QUESTIONS YOU MAY WANT TO ASK YOURSELF.

S

o, you have decided to sell your keg and cask directly to an eager beer-drinking public. The first decision is: Do you take on an existing

pub, or convert something into one? The former may seem simplest. After all, it is all there and ready to go. But consider the following: If you are leasing a pub from a landlord (especially if you are taking an assignment of an existing agreement with a pub company), will you even be allowed to sell your own beer e.g. are you likely to be ‘tied’ into buying the landlord’s products?

to put on door supervisors, or adhere to

What are the terms of the lease? Are

restrictive conditions that require you to

you responsible for repairs as well as

either spend money or change how you

rent? What will be expected of you when

want to operate?

returning the pub to the landlord at the end of the term?

It is worth thinking about whether you are changing the style of operation

Will you have the right to put up your

of the premises, such as taking a pub

own branding and if so, would any rights

known for live music and turning it into

to that branding revert to the landlord at

a craft beer and a pizza place, as this

the end of the lease?

might indicate whether you will want to

Whether you are buying the freehold

change conditions on the licence. If you

or an existing lease, make sure that you

do, early consultation with the police,

do proper due diligence and searches,

environmental protection and licensing

especially around planning, to ensure

authority will give you a good indication

that the permitted use is properly

as to whether they will support such

covered and there are no hidden

changes- which if they are, will make the

conditions restricting use or hours of

whole process much easier.

operation.

It is also worth checking whether you will

CURRENT PREMISES LICENCE

hold the premises licence, or whether your landlord will. If it is the landlord, you

When taking on an existing premises,

might be responsible for costs of making

it is essential that you obtain a full copy

changes, such as change of layout or

of the premises licence, including the

changes to the designated premises

plan attached to it. Ensure the plan

supervisor. If you are, make sure you

matches the layout, in particular that

know what you will be charged for.

any external bars or function rooms are properly shown on the plans and

A BLANK SLATE

licensed where necessary. Secondly,

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check the conditions on the licence

There is a lot to be said for putting

are acceptable and you can work with

location at the heart of what you do and

them. In particular, will you be required

if there isn’t an existing pub that you can

BREWERS JOURNAL

COMMENT take on, converting another premises

things like where a cellar would go and

in life (except the quality of what you are

for that purpose. Firstly, there is a much

how will you fit sufficient toilet provision

brewing) there is often a compromise to

larger stock of buildings and sometimes

into the premises. Is the premises is a

make.

more interesting ones than the pubs in

conservation area where there may be

the area. Secondly, if you are renting the

issues in terms of putting up signage

space, landlords may be more willing to

outside the premises?

offer rent-free periods or help with works

SEEK GOOD ADVICE This is one area where trying to limit

if you are re-inventing a space for them.

Just so it is said, none of these things

costs at the start can backfire. Leasing

That being said if you go down this route,

may be insurmountable, and indeed the

or buying buildings for use as hospitality

consider the following:

fact that you are willing to invest in an

premises requires specialist knowledge.

What planning permission does the

area can be a very strong draw for the

Having someone who understands what

building have and will it need changing

local authority and residents. However, it

is needed to protect you from problems

to allow for it to be used as a pub? Is the

is good to go in with eyes open to avoid

further down the line will pay dividends

building listed?

issues in the future.

later. Remember, this is a long-term investment, so the consequences of poor

Are there residential properties in the

TIMING CAN BE KEY

area that might take exception to a new

decisions early on may not be obvious until much later. Likewise, planning (if

pub opening near them?

One of the likely factors, should you find

needed) and licensing advice (essential)

Are you looking in an area where local

yourself in a position to choose between

will help you to ensure that by the time

council policies clearly state that they do

options, is how quickly do I want to be

you pour that first pint of your latest brew

not want any new alcohol led premises in

up and running? Often buying an existing

in your new pub, it tastes all the sweeter.

the area- either in their planning strategy

pub, even if you need to do works to fit

or in their licensing policy?

it out, is much quicker than starting from scratch. However, ask the question: what

Is the building suitable in terms of

is more important? Moving quickly or

structure for what you are looking to

getting the right premises. Sometimes

do? For instance, don’t overlook simple

you can find both; but like with everything

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brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2022

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25

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COMMENT

THE FUTURE OF US BEER

LOTTE PEPLOW, BREWERS ASSOCIATION AMERICAN CRAFT BEER AMBASSADOR FOR EUROPE, SHARES HIGHLIGHTS OF THE RECENT CRAFT BREWERS CONFERENCE AND WORLD BEER CUP IN MINNEAPOLIS, AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD.

brewersjournal.info

T

hat are many aspects about

America for concentrated, affordable

the USA that are big – the

brewing education and idea sharing

country itself, the people

to improve brewery quality and

and, of course, the craft

performance, and the largest industry-

beer scene. So when the

only gathering in the States. Attendees

trade association representing small and

can choose from eight educational tracks

independent American craft brewers, the

led by the top minds in the beer and

Brewers Association, puts on the annual

business worlds (all 184 of them!).

brewing industry conference it doesn’t

One of the many highlights is the general

do so by halves! The Craft Brewers

session on the first morning which

Conference® and Brew Expo recently

included a welcome speech from Bob

took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota and

Pease, CEO/President of the Brewers

attracted over 10,000 industry delegates

Association and a State of the Industry

from all over the world.

address by Chief Economist, Bart Watson.

Pease kicked off proceedings by

Here at last was a chance for the industry

touching on the disruption caused by

to get back together after two brutal

the pandemic, supply chain issues and

years caused by the pandemic. Many

inflation but stressed that the American

attendees welcomed the chance to

craft brewing industry had improved in

finally network with long lost international

the last year and the BA was in a strong

colleagues, learn from the wealth of

position to represent the 5,600 craft

information on offer and seek out the

brewery members going forwards.

latest and best products and services

There are now 9,247 craft breweries in

among the 637 exhibitors on the Expo

the USA and openings continue, albeit

floor.

at a slower pace than previous years.

Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) is

In 2021 American craft brewers saw 8%

the number one environment in North

growth, increasing craft beer’s overall

JULY~AUGUST 2022

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27

COMMENT market share by volume to 13.1%, up from

prestigious international World Beer

12.2% in 2020. Retail dollar value was

Cup was the largest competition to date

estimated at $26.9 million representing

with 10,542 entries from 2,493 breweries,

26.8% market share in 2021, 21% growth

representing 57 countries. Medals

over 2020.

were awarded to 17 different countries

The always insightful chief economist,

and highlights included Ireland with

Bart Watson was up next and suggested

the highest winning rate of 16.67%, who

2022 was going to be a make-or-break

won gold in the American Style Stout

year for many breweries but there was

category, and Colombia who medalled

nothing in the numbers that indicated

for the first time ever in the Speciality

the demand for craft beer was waning.

Saison category.

Instead, he argued that the industry is

Somewhat predictably, but also

reaching a phase when demand for the

reassuringly, California swept the board

segment as a whole does not guarantee

for medals in the American style IPA

demand for individual businesses.

category, while breweries on the East

The craft beer market is maturing and

coast cleaned up in the juicy/hazy IPA

with it new opportunities but also new

style. German brewers won handsomely

challenges. In order to differentiate

in the majority of lager categories.

themselves breweries need to look for

Chris Swersey, Brewers Association

niches to grow that are outside the IPA

competitions director was given a

category.

standing ovation as he took to the stage

There are now 9,247 craft breweries in the USA and openings continue, albeit at a slower pace than previous years,” Lotte Peplow

to helm his very last competition having They need to re-invent and refresh

overseen and managed the last 30 – 20

themselves in order to stay relevant and

Great American Beer Festival and 10

find new people, new preferences and

World Beer Cup - competitions. He

new places for craft beer. He cited the

leaves the Brewers Association to move

small but rapidly growing no and low

to Australia. I’ll wager there was barely

alcohol sector as an example of success

a dry eye in the house in a poignant,

and proposed that the industry will see

and deeply moving tribute to many

growth where brand meets innovation.

outstanding years of service.

Driven by imperial IPA and hazy/juicy

As the winners were read out certain

IPA, the IPA sector continues to grow

sections of the thousands in the audience

because it continues to evolve and take

screamed with delight, hugged one

on new iterations, but IPA on its own is

another and bounded onto the stage to

not enough for the market to thrive, and

collect their medal, their faces beaming

greater innovation is needed in up-and-

with pride and happiness. The unbridled

coming sectors such as fruit beers, sours

passion for the craft beer industry

and lighter/lower ABV lagers and lighter

amongst the audience was palpable and

ales for beer to stay relevant.

I couldn’t help marvelling that American craft beer has come a long way in a short

Demographics are worth paying attention

space of time and continues to lead and

to as there will soon be more legal

navigate the choppy waters of the global

drinking age Gen Z (born 1996-2010)

craft brewing industry with relentless

than baby boomers (born 1945-1965) in

skill, creativity and innovation. Around

America and 15million more millennials

5% of medals were awarded to American

than either of those two generations.

craft breweries in export markets which

In the last 10 years the average age of

means beer lovers around the world

the craft beer drinker has gone up by

will be able to discover and experience

1.5 years and if that trend continues

world-class winning, high quality

we’re going to be drinking what our

examples of their favourite style.

grandparents drank and seeing a very

It was also announced that the WBC

different marketplace to today.

competition will move from a bi-annual to

The culmination of CBC was the World

annual event beginning in 2023. Brewery

Beer Cup® (WBC) awards ceremony

registration opens in October 2022 with

held on Thursday 5th May at the

awards presented on 10 May 2023 during

Minneapolis Convention Centre. Often

the next Craft Brewers Conference in

called the ‘Olympics of Beer’ this year’s

Nashville, Tennessee, 7-10 May 2023.

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BREWERS JOURNAL

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M U N TO N S . C O M

COMMENT

STANDARDISING DATA COLLECTION IN BREWERIES

MARTYN WILLIAMS, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT COPA-DATA UK, ARGUES THE CASE FOR CROSS-FACILITY DIGITALISATION IN THE BREWING INDUSTRY, AND HOW DATA COLLECTION IN BREWERIES IS VITAL FOR THIS PROCESS.

A

ccording to McKinsey &

company’s bottom line. IoT technologies

Company, Industry 4.0 can

will prove crucial as the beer industry

deliver tangible operational

penetrates into new markets. For

benefits for manufacturers,

instance, a large multinational brewer

one example being

might install sensors throughout its

inventory cost savings of 20 to 50

production line to monitor OEE, and

per cent. Meanwhile, the US National

upgrade its manufacturing execution

Institute of Standards and Technology

systems (MES) to analyse the brewery

predicts smart manufacturing could save

data collected by these sensors.

businesses $57.4 billion yearly in energy, materials and labour.

This process is where some larger

Breweries are no exception, and are

breweries are encountering problems.

increasingly turning to automation and

Managing these large reams of data

the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies

consistently across multiple international

to become more efficient, lean and

sites simply isn’t feasible without

scalable in light of increasing production

software.

and energy costs.

Fortunately, industrial software, like

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This is more challenging for brewing

our zenon can play a vital role in

companies that operate different sites

supporting larger manufacturers with

worldwide. For breweries, as with any

data management. zenon makes it

type of manufacturer, poor or outdated

possible to analyse data more efficiently

data management can negatively impact

and effectively within individual plants,

overall equipment effectiveness (OEE),

and new and legacy systems can be

cause unplanned downtime, decrease

integrated into the software platform to

throughput and ultimately damage the

allow overall system improvements.

BREWERS JOURNAL

COMMENT Features of zenon, like its Industrial

origin. A brewing company may find that

operators at other international facilities,

Performance Analyzer, can present

production issues are caused by pressure

who can then investigate if they have the

statistical analysis of equipment faults.

and temperature imbalances, and

same problems or opportunities. Don’t

Production issues, like bottlenecks, can

resolve these issues accordingly within a

underestimate the scale of the benefits

be identified and resolved quickly to

predictive maintenance strategy.

manufacturers can achieve with software.

stop them affecting the bottom line. Take

Industrial software can also support

Going forward, there also is potential to

the case of a brewery that, according

massive improvements in production

combine zenon with other management

to a study by the American Council for

output. A brewery might use digital

systems, like control charts, to make data

an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE),

twinning to compare its actual line

management even more integral to the

was losing up to 10 per cent of its overall

capacity, of 100,000 cases of beer a

production process.

product. Even worse, the cause was

week, against a desired capacity of 2,000

unknown.

cases. Once the digital simulation has

Brewing companies should turn to

identified performance improvements

industrial automation software to avoid

To solve the problem, the brewery used

that can be made to the line, the

falling behind in the competitive global

software and installed 40 sensors at key

manufacturer can link its software to an

market. Automated data collection in

points throughout its production line. It

MES and leverage this data to improve its

breweries will be crucial for preventing

was able to spot exactly where on the

production capacity.

downtime and managing data across multiple international sites, helping

production line losses were being made, and address the issue. This put an end to

MULTISITE IMPROVEMENTS

breweries expand globally.

the manufacturer’s 10 per cent loss.

Solutions like this rely on better data

Once an individual brewery has

capture. By linking sensors to software

used data capture to spot flaws or

platforms like zenon, it becomes

improvements, this information can

possible to evaluate the frequency and

be shared with other multinational

duration of problems, and source their

sites. Zenon analyzer can relay data to

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brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2022

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31

DEAR JOHN

FRIENDS LIKE THESE F

JOHN KEELING HAS BREWED MANY BEERS AND VISITED COUNTLESS COUNTRIES DURING HIS CAREER. BUT FOR JOHN, THE MOST VALUABLE ASSET HAS BEEN THE FRIENDS HE HAS MADE ALONG THE WAY.

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riends and family are the

was Brendan Bray, Joe Barima and Geoff

most important things about

Warrington who carried me in those days.

life. I was particularly blessed

Then when I became head brewer, my

to work for a company

first decision was to hire Georgina.

like Fuller’s, which really

generated a family-like atmosphere in

Now in many ways she is opposite to me,

the business.

she is hardworking, good on detail, great on the science and controls her temper.

Why did I start the article like this?

An ideal person I thought to carry me in

Because last night there was a Fuller’s

the next stage of my career. Later, I was

reunion party and I was not invited.

fortunate to work with Derek Prentice

In fact, I was told that under no

who is a brewing legend. But it is always

circumstances could I attend. Well, it was

the supervisors and those on shop floor

a Fuller’s ladies reunion night!

who really do the work.

Symone, my partner, was of course

Many people who have worked in

invited. She actually was one of the

other industries have said to me that

main instigators. The event was held at

the brewing industry is the friendliest

the Hydrant, which is located next to

industry. I have never worked anywhere

the Monument in London. Among the

else so who am I to pass judgement on

invitees were Georgina Young, my old

this. However, how many industries have

brewing co-conspirator from Fuller’s

the equivalent of the head brewers group

and now brewing director at St Austell.

where we got together to pass on tips for

Georgina now lives in Bath, so we asked

solving brewing problems and visit each

her to stay in our spare room which she

other’s breweries and socialise?

gratefully accepted. I managed to get all my brewing awards arranged on the

How many would have an organisation

bookcases in the room just before she

like the old Brewers Guild whose

arrived. I thought that was a nice touch.

must important work (in my opinion, of

It was delightful to chew the fat with

course) was to organise social events for

her and hear all the new stuff about the

brewers? I myself was social secretary

industry I love, particularly the part I

for the London Section of the Guild and

worked in - The Family Brewers.

organised many a boat trip upon the Thames. I made many lifelong friends by

I remember reading that Napoleon

being on that committee.

always wanted lucky generals. Well, as a head brewer I always wanted to surround

I now sit on the advisory board for

myself with good brewers and I was

Heriot-Watt University and have made

lucky enough to do this. Starting when I

good friends there, too. There is an

joined Fuller’s to work for the then head

annual reunion dinner for former Heriot-

brewer Reg Drury. At my level though it

Watt brewers held usually every year

BREWERS JOURNAL

DEAR JOHN

in Edinburgh in February or March.

Unfortunately, COVID did interfere, and we had no dinner for two years, so the decision was made to hold a dinner in May. I did attend the dinner at the Royal Scots Club, where there was about 40 people in attendance. Usually, we get around 80 but I think it was a good decision to hold an event after such an hiatus. However, there was at least 10 students in attendance all of whom seemed twice as knowledgeable as I was way back in the seventies. So, the industry is still in good hands So, if you can measure your career in terms of the friends you have made, rather than the awards you get, then I have had a truly great career.

brewersjournal.info

“I managed to get all my brewing awards arranged on the bookcases in the room just before she arrived. I thought that was a nice touch,” John Keeling JULY~AUGUST 2022

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33

WHIPLASH

A FORCE OF NATURE

A BREWERY BORN IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND BUT VERY MUCH OF INTERNATIONAL STANDING, WHIPLASH HAS BECOME A BYWORD FOR QUALITY IN THE WORLD OF MODERN BEER. FOUNDED BY ALEX LAWES AND ALAN WOLFE, AND BACKED

BY A TEAM FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE, WHIPLASH HAS MADE ITS NAME THANKS TO ITS METICULOUS PURSUIT OF QUALITY.

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W

hat canapés do

The festival, featuring venerable

you most enjoy

breweries from across the globe such

with your beer

as Barrier, Deya, Finback, Lervig, Lost &

festival pour?

Grounded, Other Half and Stigbergets,

Avocado toast

was the chance for many outfits to

with the Double IPA? Prawn Cocktail to

pour their beers in Ireland for the first

complement that Gose? Or maybe we

time. Not only that, they’d have their

can interest you in a sharp cheddar for

creations imbibed within the resplendent

that viscous Imperial Stout.

surroundings of The Mansion House.

While a world-class beer list was busy

Located on Dawson Street, The Mansion

being curated for the inaugural Fidelity

House, as Lawes explained, has been

festival, held at The Mansion House

the official residence of the Lord Mayor

in Dublin back in early 2019, the team

of Dublin since 1715. Nestled between

behind the event were facing decisions

the picturesque St Stephen’s Green and

of a different kind.

the world-famous Trinity College, Fidelity would take place in the venue’s Round

“The Mansion House is the Mayor of

Room. And it was in these very confines

Dublin’s residence, and as a result they

that in 1919 the first Dáil Éireann was held,

do really great silver service black-tie

making the first definitive parliamentary

events,” recalls Alex Lawes. “We had

move for home rule.

asked what food we could offer from small stands around the venue. We were

Fast-forward a little more than a century,

thinking maybe a burger or hotdog. Stuff

and following a three-year absence,

like that…”

Fidelity returns this month and is, onceagain, a sold-out affair bringing together

Wrong! The only option the fine venue

an acclaimed selection of breweries

could provide were lovely canapés for all

along with an equally-stellar soundtrack

attendees.

to boot.

“They were proposing smoked salmon,

But before then, there are other matters

scallops, mini wellingtons and fine

at hand for team Whiplash. Taking

cheeses…. we did briefly consider it,” he

place at the Glendalough Estate in Co.

laughs. “But it would have more than

Wicklow, Beyond the Pale is a brand new

doubled our ticket price, so we opted

music festival. Not only that, it’s the first

out. Maybe another year we can make

of its size in Ireland to offer patrons local,

Fidelity a black-tie event. That would

independent craft beer exclusively at the

really be a first!”

event’s bars.

Fidelity is the brainchild of Big Romance,

As you’d expect, that has kept the

a self-confessed audiophile pub on

brewery incredibly busy. And Lawes

Dublin’s Parnell Street and Whiplash

couldn’t be happier.

Beer of Ballyfermot, also based in the city. Taking place for the first time in July

“I’ve been smiling from ear-to-ear with

2019, the euphoric sold-out event was an

the amount of Pils coming out of the

opportunity for Lawes, business partner

brewery,” he explains. “It’s been great

Alan Wolfe, and the team to briefly kick-

to have so much of a focus on our core

back following the best part of 18 months

range for a month. It’s the most lager

that “knocked lumps out of us” building

we’ve ever brewed.” Not only that,

their brewery and to formally introduce

attendees can also imbibe the brewery’s

their baby to world.

Body Riddle Pale Ale, the Rollover

BREWERS JOURNAL

Alex Lawes (top left), Alan Wolfe (top right) and members of team Whiplash - April 2022

WHIPLASH it was time for this new outfit to show it

Session IPA or Slow Life, its Nitro Stout.

meant business. And over the course of While 2022 is already panning out to be

some six months Wolfe and then Lawes

a year of progression and celebration for

would depart Rye River to fully focus on

Whiplash, they’ve worked hard to get here. Very hard. Some seven years ago back in 2015, Lawes would be introduced to his now business partner Alan Wolfe. The former, who already briefly had dipped his toes into the world of beer production thanks to a role working at the Guinness Storehouse at St James’s Gate, had gone on to become captivated and enamoured with homebrewing and the community that came with it.

Had we not filled those tanks then we wouldn’t have survived the pandemic” Alex Lawes, Whiplash Beer

their new business. But what could they call it?

“Whiplash,” Lawes would tell his business partner. “Sounds deadly, why Whiplash?” he asked. “The pain in me neck with this kip man,” Lawes replied. “You’re such a w*nker. Whiplash it is,” Wolfe muttered.

The level of encouragement from fans of great beer is something that gave Lawes and Wolfe confidence in their abilities

Wolfe, also an alumni of Guinness, was a

from an early stage. That support is

manager at Rye River Brewing Company

something that would also eventually go

based in Celbridge, Co. Kildare. As Lawes

on to help ensure Whiplash would make

explains, Wolfe was running operations

Lawes’s response? “F*ck it, go on so,” he

it through those early months in their own

while he was “a jumped-up shift brewer

said.

premises, months that coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

with f*ck-all commercial experience and a reckoning that homebrews would get

Aged 26, Lawes found himself as head

me through.”

brewer at the helm of some of the

But before securing their own site

country’s finest kit with the license to

became a reality, it was down to Wolfe

Lawes wanted to join the business but on

brew what he wanted. In the time under

to help establish commercial channels

his own terms.

his stewardship, Rye River was an award-

for their beers. While during 2018 Lawes

winning outfit, but with annual output

would continue down the path of

Such was his desire to pursue his own

growing nearly eight-fold during that stint

keeping gruelling hours brewing. Just

path in beer, he wanted to make beer

it would take its toll, not only on Alex but

this time out it was at partner breweries

full-time but styles he loved, produced

Alan and the team at large.

across Europe with Whiplash starting out as a nomadic brewing operation.

in the manner he desired. The young brewer would become part of the team

It was time for Lawes to follow his own

at Rye River on the proviso that he would

path once more and this time, he meant

Lawes’ creations would continue to

honour the contract for a year before

it. There were just some hurdles to

garner praise from consumers, retailers

going on his own journey. And along with

overcome along the way and now, it was

and ratings websites alike. But as

that, his contract would outline that there

Wolfe that needed to be the one con-

Whiplash’ reputation grew, so did the

could be no conflict of interest issues to

vinced of a new challenge.

demand for its releases from the ancillary world of beer. “Although we didn’t have

arise with his eventual departure, either.

But like many plans in beer, it didn’t quite

Although Lawes had already

our own place, people knew that we

turn out like that.

trademarked the ‘White Label’ moniker

were working with reputable outfits,

for the potential beers he’d make under

and they appreciated the quality of

As the end of that first year drew close,

his own steam, this would swiftly be

the product,” he says. “But negotiating

Rye River found itself needing a new

knocked down by an international

brewing, selling and delivering was

head brewer and Lawes would help

spirits business that made it abundantly

mentally and physically taxing. It became

Wolfe by putting out calls to potential

clear they would fight any attempt by

a battle to have beer at every festival you

applicants for this great role, a great role

the brewer to create beers under this

wanted to be at.”

Lawes knew that he himself couldn’t

designation in the courts. Lawes would

commit to. But that didn’t stop Wolfe

instead set up a new independent

The duo knew they needed premises

asking.

operation in the hope it could become a

of their own which in itself, predictably

reality. And thankfully for drinkers far and

presented a whole new set of challenges.

wide, it would.

Lawes and Wolfe initially approached

“You can pick all your materials and start

Whiplash with the premise of it being

from scratch,” he would tell Lawes at the time. “Beers stay in as long as you like,

Early beers such as Scaldy Porter and

a brewpub operation with the majority

f*ck it brew what you want. Fix the beers

Double IPA Surrender to the Void were a

of beers produced for sale on-site.

as you see fit, make new ones, have fun,

hit with consumers and demand for more

They would also cater for some export

sort the place out.”

frequent releases would grow. By 2017,

and utilise contract brewing at partner

36

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JULY~AUGUST 2022

BREWERS JOURNAL

Whiplash founders: Alex Lawes and Alan Wolfe

Members of the brew team purging wort with CO2 for their latest kettle sour

WHIPLASH pretty quickly. We’re here now.”

breweries for larger batches. But the form

in Europe, it’s a space that’s hosted live

which Whiplash would take would soon

acts such as U2, Robbie Williams and

start to alter.

Ed Sheeran. It also calls itself the spot

Following conversations with brewery

‘Where Dublin goes to breathe’. Fitting

manufacturers, Lawes said it was quickly

“Dublin is a fast-changing city these

then that down the road would become

apparent that they could offer a 500l kit

days,” muses Lawes. “There are lots of

the new home of where discerning beer

to cater for all of the beers he wanted to

good but also lots of bad things to be

fans go to drink.

produce but it would never be possible for Whiplash to make its money back

said about the development in the city centre. Land is picked up for offices,

Following nearly two years of searching,

from such a system size. “They were

hotels and the like when there is not

the duo would settle on a unit located on

right,” he said. The solution? “DIY – Design

nearly enough housing. And unlike the

the Cherry Orchard Industrial Estate. It’s

It Yourself. A truly terrifying prospect

north of England, we don’t have a lot

an impressive facility where no element

for any brewer – nobody to blame if it

of old industrial spaces that can be

has happened without consideration.

doesn’t work. So what are we building?

repurposed and brought back to life as a

There’s a hugely satisfying flow to the

It’s the most over-engineered pilot kit

brewery or similar.”

premises, premises that were worth

ever imagined,” he said. And that would

waiting for.

manifest itself as a five-vessel and mash filter custom brewhouse.

The closest such option the team could entertain was the Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market. Head some 500

The kit would comprise a mash mixer,

metres north from Temple Bar over the

decoction vessel and cereal cooker,

River Liffey and you’ll find the Victorian-

mash filter, wort receiver, boil kettle and

era structure, which was built in 1892 by

whirlpool. Kit that makes Whiplash the

the then Dublin Corporation. The site was built as a dedicated market space for local farmers and traders to sell and buy fresh produce. Constructed from a wealth of materials such as redbrick, steel and wood, the area has been a mainstay in the city for the best part of 150 years.

“I love that part of Dublin. I feel connected

Dublin is a fastchanging city these days,” Alex Lawes, Whiplash Beer

smallest brewery, as Lawes explains, capable of producing “the most flexible and fastest high-quality wort in the world”.

And its prized mash filter plays a major part in this equation. Having dabbled with such kit while working on the Guinness pilot plant, he had fond memories of wort that presented as the cleanest and most complex he had tasted. Following a

to it there,” Lawes ponders. But

period of research, which included a visit

conversations with the businesses still plying their trade would swiftly put pay to

When it came to shifting their focus for

to Spanish manufacturer Landaluce that

the idea of Whiplash calling it home.

the brewery build, the plan was to build a

could offer such kit for a microbrewery

kit that could produce a few small brews

operation, the team went ahead with the

“They told us that the whole area was as

of around 20-30 cases and a couple of

investment.

good as gone five years before. It had all

kegs every week. This would enable the

been snapped up for redevelopment,”

business to be nimble enough to cater

For Lawes, there are three key benefits

he says. “It stopped us in our tracks.

for everything from tap takeovers to

the mash filter offers their production

We had focused too much energy on a

festivals and more. Speaking at the time

setup, namely in extract, with time and

taproom model and it was time to shift to

Lawes said that from his experience,

ease of use. “On a mash filter you use

a production brewery mindset.

500L of a test brew would be perfect

cereal flour instead of the coarse grist

amount.

you’d need to mill for a lauter or a mash tun. Getting rid of all of that flour during

“We found ourselves asking what’s the best way we can flip a brewery idea we

“It’s a perfect volume to take proper risks

separation allows you to get at 100%

can just about afford to a production

with and experiment with flavours you

of that malt goodness,” he said at the

brewery that will be a much larger

might not even associate with beer. If it

time. “It’s not a huge concern on cost

operation.” And that journey would lead

works there’s just enough to sell cases

when making beer but it really helps

them to the Dublin suburb of Ballyfermot

and not p*ss too many people off, and

when you’re making really big beers like

and kit that Lawes would describe at the

if it’s rubbish then it’s down the drain,”

barleywines and imperial stouts when

time as “the most over-engineered pilot

he said. “It’s R&D and that’s going to be

compared to a mash tun the efficiency

kit ever imagined”.

expected. What I hadn’t planned for, but

can go as low as 60%.” The filter always

Alan could apparently see a mile off, was

works more efficiently than a lauter tun,

Ballyfermot is located south of the

I’d get over-excited by the possibilities,

while Lawes says the kit rarely blocks.

famous Phoenix Park. One of the largest

over-engineer the entire thing and turn

“You can throw what you want at them

enclosed public parks in any capital city

this thing into being the main project

provided you’re operating the thing

brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2022

|

39

WHIPLASH “Lots of our brewers moved to Ireland to work for us and many of us have lived with each other. We are a very egalitarian unit.”

The output produced by team Whiplash spans the broad spectrum that exists in the world of beer. Lawes has a “master list” some 100 beers long and they are slowly and surely working their way producing them. Just don’t expect a red ale anytime soon. “It’s just a cynical style, isn’t it? he asks. “It’s a Pale Ale with 1% of the grain bill roasted barley. It was invented by macros in the 70s and I have a real distrust for it!”

Instead, patrons in the summer can expect more Grisettes, Tripels and Wits while decoction lagers will enter the fold correctly. We can brew with as much

of “scrambling in the cellar and turning

come early autumn. Attendees to the

oats, wheat and spelt as we want for our

to some barrel-aged ideas”. But as the

recent Hop City event in Leeds would

New England bangers without worry.”

COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the team

also have been able to imbibe a new

Looking back on the brewery build, while

could take slight solace in the taxing

beer in the form of Emerald Rush, an IPA

it was a challenging and intense time

brew schedule they undertook once the

showcasing Riwaka. “I love that hop,” says

for the team, Lawes said it was a phase

kit had been installed several months

Lawes. “We managed to get our hands

in the story of Whiplash that has been a

prior. “Two days before St Patrick’s Day,

on 10kg and knew we do a could job

positive in the long term.

Ireland shut down,” he sighs. “Our pubs

using it. You can create a supercharged

here were closed for the longest time.

beer with Riwaka, especially when you

“We drew the tanks in CAD, worked with

We had an insane amount of stock,

have some Ekaunot underneath it.”

a Chinese fabricator and they sent us

but it’s beer that wouldn’t have been

While the beers brewed are diverse in

everything to setup. Asking every little

available had we not brewed so much at

their nature they are underpinned by

question about each tank makes you a

Christmas.”

that almost obsessive desire to make the best liquid possible. “We never make

better brewer, he says. “We are a more While they had beer available to sell,

concessions as to what is a saleable

they had vastly reduced avenues through

beer. We make what is interesting to

And the beers the team outputs from

which to sell it. Step up the loyal beer

us,” explains Lawes. But they always

its facility are testament to that. And

fans that helped give Lawes and Wolfe

need to be of high-quality. And quality

following the exhausting brewery fit-out,

that early confidence to make a go of

is repeatability and the reduction of

which needed countless delays around

what would become Whiplash. “We were

variance. We strive for that each and

local installation issues overcome, there

contacted by the National Homebrew

every time.”

were other unprecedented challenges

Club in Ireland that wanted to buy our

on the horizon.

beer,” he says. “They reached out to

If this month’s sold-out Fidelity Festival

“When it came to local fabrication and

independent breweries like ours, which

is anything to go by, then Whiplash is

pipeworks, you could say there were

we truly appreciate. While there is strict

achieving just that. Because attracting

some delays on that front,” Lawes recalls.

legislation in the amount they could buy,

leading lights from the world of beer to

“But we did our first mash on the 1st

they’d get close to a pallet and split it

pour and collaborate with you doesn’t

November 2019 and knew we had to get

among themselves. They knew small

happen by accident.

to work.”

businesses needed support and it kept

qualified outfit as a result.”

us going.”

And if anything, things are more jovial than they were at the end of 2020 when

With 64 brews carried out in the first few days, he says the production rate

And that support was integral in

the team could mark one year since their

probably came as a shock to some of the

ensuring the brewery’s fledgling team

first official brew, when they joked: “This

team. “Had we not filled those tanks then

could remain employed and go on

brewery is now quite the pain in our neck.

we wouldn’t have survived the pandemic

to grow as conditions improved. It’s a

We’ve ruined our lives.” While they’ve

that was to come,” Lawes says. While FVs

team international in its composition

taken their far share of bumps and

were happily filled, a traditionally quiet

and a group that works as one. “It’s a

bruises along the way, those of us that

January would follow a Christmas period

respectable, cohesive team,” says Lawes.

enjoy fantastic beer are glad they did.

40

|

JULY~AUGUST 2022

BREWERS JOURNAL

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Brewers Journal June 2022.indd 1

S C I E N C E

www.qclbrewing.com 01342 820820 21/06/2022 08:37:02

WATER: THE CLEAR BUT INVISIBLE RISK

WATER

AS BUSINESSES CONSUME A LARGE PROPORTION OF THE UK’S AVAILABLE WATER, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT BREWERIES PLAY OUR PART IF WE ARE TO ACHIEVE A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE WATER SUPPLY, EXPLAIN WATERSCAN.

brewersjournal.info

E

veryone needs water. Water

competitiveness in their marketplace.

sustains life. It creates

u Becoming more resilient to the effects

growth and prosperity.

of climate change and water scarcity by

It’s the lifeblood of your

making them less dependent on external

business.

factors.

Think for a second... how long could your

u Building long-term reputational gains

business continue to operate without

by playing an active, collaborative role

it? Give it a day and you’re in crisis

in the communities within which they

management mode. Within a week,

operate.

customer confidence in you and your

u Acting on environmental sustainability.

financial targets are impacted, and the

It’s also worth noting that, while saving

reputation you’ve worked so hard to build

water is a success in itself, this will

is at stake.

also positively impact other goals like

Now think for a minute... when was the

emission reduction and progress towards

last time you analysed your organisation’s

net zero because supplying and treating

water data? Do you know how much

water is carbon intensive.

water you consume and how much it

If you are yet to instigate a water

costs your business? If you’re not sure,

resilience strategy, it may seem daunting

you’re not alone. For most businesses,

at first and perhaps not much of a priority

water plays second fiddle to gas and

right now. Rest assured though, that

electricity. It’s comparatively cheap, it’s

the benefits of doing so are numerous,

apparently readily available and there’s

usually resulting in a swift return on

traditionally been little stakeholder

investment and ongoing benefits to your

pressure to act.

business that will be realised for decades.

So, what’s the big deal?

As with most things, if you can’t measure

The big deal is that, roughly twenty years

it, you can’t manage it. The first step is

from now, water demand (which is rising

to benchmark your operation before

due to population growth and business

deploying the ten steps to water

development) is predicted to exceed

resilience that will help to safeguard your

water availability (which is declining

business.

due to climate change and aging infrastructure). At this tipping point, when water scarcity impacts our daily lives, everyone will sit up and take notice, but that is the point when it will be too late,

UK IN FOCUS

especially for businesses that rely heavily on water to operate.

Businesses consume 30% of our available water.

MAKE WATER WORK FOR YOU

u Amongst Waterscan customers, breweries average 722,000 litres of

As businesses consume a large

water every day.

proportion of the UK’s available water, it

u Leaky taps and pipes waste 2,954

is imperative that we play our part if we

million litres of water each day. That’s

are to achieve a sustainable future water

over 5.9 million bottles of beer.

supply and resilient companies.

u There are over 190,000 water

Businesses that are proactive on water

meters that have not been read in the

will futureproof their operations through:

last year and this means inaccurate

·Lowering their bills and increasing

invoices.

JULY~AUGUST 2022

|

43

WATER

DON’T FORGET THE WASTE

clear that in this unforeseen situation,

a nationwide scale required sound data

disposal would be necessary.

and processes as well as multi-layered

Of course, driving water efficiency

The challenges were well documented

collaboration at scale. Starting with

through consumption management is

but, in most cases, the focus was on

risk assessments, verification of stock

only part of the puzzle: a point that was

financial rather than environmental costs.

levels and analysis of environmental

thrown into clear focus during the first

Amid warnings from a myriad of sources

risks on a region-by-region basis, we

Covid-19 pandemic lockdown when

that wildlife would be harmed if large

helped customers to dispose of this

around 87 million pints were rendered

quantities of beer were washed away to

trade effluent safely. While this situation

out-of-date and unsaleable as a result

end up in rivers and waterways, however,

was quite unprecedented, the takeout is

of closures across the hospitality arena.

this waste disposal process needed

that responsible management of water

While waste prevention is always at the

careful consideration.

waste cannot be underestimated in an

top of the waste hierarchy, it became

Dealing with this level of trade effluent on

increasingly regulated environment.

44

|

JULY~AUGUST 2022

BREWERS JOURNAL

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www.wellhopped.com Hop Factors & Merchants Since 1865

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BELGIUM TOUR

A BELGIAN BEER ODYSSEY

PAUL DAVIES IS NO STRANGER TO BELGIUM AND THE BEERS - REVERED AROUND THE WORLD - PRODUCED ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IN THIS ARTICLE HE PAYS HOMAGE TO THE FINE PRODUCERS OF OUD BRUIN BEFORE MAKING THE JOURNEY TO DAG VAN DE OUDE GEUZE TRANSLATED TO DAY(S) OF THE OLD GUEUZE - AND THE STUNNING BREWERIES AND BLENDERIES HE’D VISIT ALONG THE WAY.

brewersjournal.info

I

first met Marc Coesens of

popped in to Brouwerij Verhaeghe in

Brouwerij Liefmans about three

Vichte where we met retired teacher

and a half years ago. While

and local historian Pol Ostyn for a history

enjoying his generous hospitality

lesson held in the old horse stables

and in particular the refreshingly

which is now a tasting cafe and tour of

quaffable Oud Bruin, Marc lamented the

this amazing brewery.

decline in popularity of this wonderful beer. Oud Bruin is a blend of old and

Founded in 1885 by Paul Verhaeghe, the

young beer which provide a harmonious

brewery became a popular supplier of

balance of mature malt aromas, sweet

beer to Brussels due to its location next

youthful flavours and a subtle refreshing

to the Vichte train station. The First World

sour backbone which is both thirst-

War ended the brewery’s association

quenching and addictive. He reflected

with Brussels and they focussed

that it was viewed as an old-fashioned

more regionally, producing their first

beer and that younger beer enthusiasts

bottom fermenting beer. Karl and Peter

overlooked it for more exciting modern

Verhaeghe now run the brewery, Karl on

beers.

the management side and Peter in the brewhouse.

A few weeks ago I took some industry colleagues on a tour of mixed

Today, Verhaeghe is better know

fermentation breweries in Flanders –

globally for its rood bruin Duchesse de

rood bruins – and lambic breweries and

Bourgogne, a blend of eight month and

blenderies in Pajottenland. I asked Marc

18th month old beers matured in oak

if he still wanted to update the Oud Bruin

barrels and name after Duchesse Mary

brand by renaming it Odnar which is a

of Burgundy who was born in Brussels.

heritage brand from the brewery’s past.

Locally Vichtenaar, another rood bruin, is

Marc pointed out that Odnar was named

the beer of choice. Of course the Foeder

after previous owners of the brewery and

Hall was the highlight of the brewery tour

was an abbreviation of the brewery name

before we settled back in the old stables

around the turn of the nineteenth century.

where Pol gave us a very generous tasting of Verhaeghe beers. Well,

Marc lamented that the younger beer

generous to the others, I was driving!

market wouldn’t get excited by a beer called ‘old brown’ and was hopeful of

BROUWERIJ RODENBACH

a re-brand in the future. I can see what he means about the name. But the beer

Our next stop just had to be Brouwerij

remains a delight and there is no better

Rodenbach in Roeselare and not just

place to enjoy it than the tasting bar at

because this year they celebrate their

Liefmans while Marc is in full storytelling

200th anniversary! In fact the anniversary

flow.

relates to when the Rodenbach brothers bought an existing brewery on

BROUWERIJ VERHAEGHE

Spanjestraat (one of two located there at the time). The site has been brewing

My colleagues and I were in Belgium

since the 17th century and back in the

for the Dag van de Oude Geuze festival

day they brewed lambic.

which was back after a Covid-enforced hiatus (more about this on a later post).

One can never get tired of visiting

On our way to our base in Halle we

Rodenbach, especially the majestic

JULY~AUGUST 2022

|

47

Bottles of beers from Brouwerij Liefmans

Brouwerij Liefmans

Rodenbach’s modern brewhouse

Today, Verhaeghe is better know globally for its rood bruin Duchesse de Bourgogne

Rodenbach’s Rudi Ghequire

Quality control at Brouwerij ‘t Verzet

Rodenbach in Roeselare celebrates its 200th anniversary this year.

BELGIUM Foeder Halls but this visit was to be extra

oud bruin, Koen and Alex also produce

1972. Madame Rosa still lives next door to

special as Rudi Ghequire was to give

a range of blonds, porters, IPAs and

the brewery and regularly pops in to pick

us a private tour, including the original

anything they find interesting. Their thirst

up a bottle or 2. A true beer legend.

brewhouse which was closed in 2002.

for experimentation has also taken the

It was quite an honour to walk in Rudi’s

oud bruin style to another level. Each

steps and experience the old brewhouse

year sees the release of their celebrated

– the mash tuns, kettles, lauter vessels,

range of oud bruin infusions, using

When you walk into De Cam

and possibly the largest koelship I’ve

additions of different fruits and even oak

Geuzestekerij in Gooik, the first thing

ever seen. And he’s been treading these

leaves.

that you see is a well-worn print of

steps for almost 40 years. The whole experience was a privilege.

WHO LOVES SOME LAMBIC?

The Peasant Wedding, a 16th Century And it doesn’t end there. Kameradski

painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder,

Balsamico is a Russian Imperial Stout/

painted just before his death. The

Of course, no visit to Rodenbach is

Oud Bruin hybrid at 13.5%, while Super

painting depicts a party with revellers

complete without a walk through the

Boil extends the time in the kettle from

eating and drinking along tables and

breathtaking Foeder Halls. Nearly 300

1.5 hours to 16 hours, producing a much

bowls of food being distributed. On the

of these magnificent wooden structures

richer and caramel-forward beer - a

bottom left of the painting, a man is

exist, some of which are 150 years old.

method that is rumoured to have taken

pouring beer into jugs. Karel Godeau is

It is from these foeders that beers are

place in the distant past. For their 10th

certain that this would have been lambic

matured to create Rodenbach Classic,

anniversary the team will also be hosting

beer, common around the Brussels

Grand Cru, Vintage, Charactere Rouge,

their first Oud Bruin Festival in Kortrijk

area where Bruegel moved to five years

Alexander and Rosso.

held over 2 days Friday and Saturday

previously. Karel is fiercely proud of his

10th/11th December. The event will

lambic and the style in general. And he

Rudi shared another special treat – his

feature 33 breweries and includes a

is committed to retaining its provenance

new beer which has been produced

number of masterclasses presented by

and isn’t too impressed with some

especially for the 200 year anniversary

the visiting breweries. Not to be missed!

producers’ more modern takes on the

Rodenbach Red Tripel is an 8.2% ABV tripel blended with a two year old beer.

beer style.

BROUWERIJ LIEFMANS DE CAM GEUZESTEKERIJ

Its an extremely clean beer and drinks way below 8.2%. Refreshing, malty, fruity

Brouwerij Liefmans was the last mixed

and lots of complex malt and wood

fermentation brewery of our trip.

A group of us had travelled across to

character. A little know fact is that Eugene

Experiencing Marc Coesens’ hospitality,

Pajottenland to attend the 15th edition

Rodenbach carried out some brewing

driven by his infectious personality is

of the Dag van de Oude Geuze and

training in England prior to taking over

a real delight. Marc clearly loves to

take in a number of lambic breweries

the brewery as manager in 1878. It is here

entertain guests with stories regarding

and geuze blenderies along the

where he learned the art of maturing

the brewery and his life in beer. After over

way. We also managed to fit in visits

beer in wooden casks and blending

21 years at Duvel in Moortgat, where he

to a number of mixed fermentation

young and old beers. You can learn

ran the brewery lab he moved close to

breweries which you can read about

all about it from the anniversary book

home to take over Brouwerij Liefmans in

here. The festival is organised by De

‘Rodenbach 200 years: History Poured in

July 2008 when Duvel bought the then

Lambikstoempers and takes place at the

a Bottle, History Written in a Bottle’

bankrupt brewery and brought it back to

Streekproductencentrum in Halle across

life. The history of the brewery began in

both days of the weekend.

BROUWERIJ VERHAEGHE

1679 in the centre of Oudenaarde.

Beers from 18 producers were featured

So Marc at Liefmans was lamenting

In 1750 Jacobus Liefmans relocated the

and being run by a not-for-profit

the decline of his beloved Oud Bruin

brewery to its current site on the banks of

organisation, prices are decent to say the

and reflecting that younger consumers

the river Scheldt and it took until the 20th

least. A must-have is the tasting flight

struggle to get excited by a beer called

Century before Liefmans began adding

of five Oude Geuze, a snip at 6.5 euros.

‘old brown’. This could be true but

cherries to their tanks and launched their

Producers in attendance were Angerik,

seems to have been lost on the team at

kriek beers. Things took off under the eye

Boerenerf Eylenbosch, Boon, Cantillon,

Brouwerij ‘t Verzet in Anzegem. This outfit

of Rosa Merckx who joined the brewery

De Cam, Den Herberg, De Troch,

first appeared on the scene as gypsy

in 1946. It was Rosa who recognised that

Eylenbosch, Drie Fonteinen, Girardin,

brewers 10 years ago – they were known

to increase their popularity, the mixed

Hanssens, Lambiek Fabriek, Lindemans,

as Brouwers Verzet back then as they

fermentation beers needed to be less tart

Mort Subite, Oude Beersel, Sako, Tilquin,

didn’t have a brewhouse of their own.

and she reworked many of the breweries

Timmermans and the Horal Megablends

That all changed in March 2016 when

recipes. She became the first recognised

from 2013, 2017, 2019 and 2021. Plus

their brewery produced its first beer.

female brewmaster in Belgium and took

further treats were to be found in the

Known foremost for their devotion to

over the management of the brewery in

Streekproductcentrum.

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BREWERS JOURNAL

The Peasant Wedding, a 16th Century painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, painted just before his death.

Five Oude Geuze for an agreeable 6.5 euro.

Oude Geuze in the garden was the perfect way to end a morning at the brewery.

Investigating the options at Dag van de Oude Geuze

BELGIUM

Ending the day in the only way possible.

weeks, a date that I couldn’t make, due

also picked up some five-year lambic

to judging commitments.

that was bottled in 2019. One of the beers of the year for me. Karel even arranged

It was also great to catch up with

for a friend to collect us and take us to

Frank Boon and take a look around his

Eizeringen and In de Verzekering tegen

workshop where he is busy as a cooper

de Grote Dorst.

these days repairing foeders. Frank even gave us some staves from a 115 year

Regularly voted the best beer cafe

old barrel, made from wood that was

in Belgium and worldwide In de

200 years old at the time. Some glasses

Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst

of Oude Geuze in the garden was the

dates from the mid nineteenth century.

perfect way to end a morning at the

For more than 51 years it was run by

brewery.

Marguerite who at 85 years old poured her last bottle of lambic at Christmas

So it was off to Den Herberg for lunch

1999. The Paneels brothers took over the

and after a few beers and a tasty meat

pub and after a 5 year restoration the bar

and cheese platter it was onwards to

re-opened.

Lambik-o-Droom. We were a very lucky group to visit the tasting room when a

It is an essential visit. Not only is it a

batch of Jerez y Frontera was launched,

perfect representation of a traditional

both the Oloroso and PX versions. And

Pajottenland cafe, it also boasts one

they didn’t disappoint. Midway through

of the best lambic cellars in the world.

tasting these delights we were also

Apart from certain events and church

offered a tour of the barrel store. One of

holidays, the pub is open only on

the highlights was the foeder featuring a

Sundays between 10am and 8pm. If you

hand-carved relief of Armand and Gaston

in the area this place is unmissable. If you

I’d wholeheartedly recommend this

on the wood. It is difficult to comprehend

are not, make the effort to visit. Bus 128

lovely little festival. You will bump into old

that Armand de Belder would tragicaly

between Brussels and Ninove will drop

friends and undoubtedly make new ones.

pass away less than five months later.

you/pick you up 200 metres away. With

Halle is also a great base with a number

The world of beer is diminished by his

our newly befriended driver we enjoyed

of high end B&Bs in the town such as

absence.

some delicious lambic from De Troch

DAG VAN DE OUDE GEUZE

and a couple of bottles of Bokkereyder. A

Kaai 16 where I have stayed before and the impressive Flemish Home five

Sunday saw us make our way to Gooik

perfect end to one of the perfect of days.

bedroom house. We stayed at the always

and a visit to Karel Godeau’s De Cam

Ever.

classy Les Eleveurs with its comfortable

Geuzestekerij. Founded in 1997 by

rooms, hearty breakfast and fantastic

Willem van Herreweghen, Karel took

restaurant where we enjoyed an historic

over in 2000 combining his day job at

beer tasting menu hosted by Andy De

Brouwerij Slaghmuylder in Ninove. He

Brouwer on the Saturday evening.

devoted himself full time to De Cam in 2019. I’d won a tour of De Cam at the

We also had a full day visiting Brouwerij

virtual Toer de Geuze earlier in the year.

Boon, Den Herberg for lunch and

After a detour to the excellent Cafe

Lambrikdroom at Drie Fonteinen. Boon

Den Haas, Karel welcomed us into his

had organised a schedule of brewery and

blendery. Immediately we were tasting a

foeder tours to launch their new shop at

fresh jug of his lambic straight from the

the brewery. While I always love to visit

foeder.

A hand-carved relief of Armand and Gaston

a brewery, the treat here is the barrel room where drinking fresh lambic from a

Karel was so generous and took us

foeder is a delight.

around the blendery, answered our questions and gave his honest opinions

Our guide joined us in a toast of lambic

on the lambic world in Pajottenland. More

from Vat 83 and I was delighted to locate

lambic followed, some Framboise, a new

Vat 31, winner of World’s Best Geuze at

unnamed and young fruit blend and his

World Beer Awards that year when I was

delicious Oude Geuze. Supplemented

on the judging panel for that category. I

with local cheeses and warm weather

had a peak at the new tasting room that

this made for a wonderful afternoon in

was due to be launched in a couple of

the company of Karel and his friends. I

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JULY~AUGUST 2022

BREWERS JOURNAL

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LABELLING

“The Vulcan on cue printing is great for us and reduces our wastage,” Kurt Fletcher, Fourpure

LABELS IN LONDON L

FOLLOWING ITS RECENT INVESTMENT DRIVE, LONDON-BASED FOURPURE NEEDED TO UPGRADE ITS LABELLING FACILITIES. THIS IS HOW THEY DID IT.

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JULY~AUGUST 2022

ocated on London’s famous

eight years previously, reported double

Bermondsey Beer Mile, the

demand for their canned beer. This

Fourpure Brewing Company

prompted the popular brand to invest

recently installed a flexible

£2.5 million in upgrading its SE16 canning

and moveable case coding

line. Fulfilling this swell in sales, Fourpure

system from Clearmark Solutions to

needed an ultra-reliable and fast print

complement its £2.5million expansion

and apply machine for its new purpose-

investment, which now comprises a fully

built packaging facility.

automated canning line.

Replacing a legacy ink coder on the

Three times faster than conventional

case packing line, the ICE Vulcan print

print & apply labellers, Fourpure’s ICE

and apply labelling system now fully

Vulcan was innovatively customised to

satisfies supermarket GS1 barcoding

streamline the labelling of packaged

requirements by ensuring every single

cans destined for British supermarkets.

SKU contains a clearly legible Grade A

Located on the outfeed of the case–

barcode and is positioned in a uniform

packer conveyor, Clearmark’s unique

way.

Direct Apply non-pneumatic application

Supplied with a modular conveyor,

ensures the ultra-reliable print and apply

engineered to address several specific

labelling system never misses a pack,

automation challenges, Clearmark

no matter how close together they arrive

designed, built and delivered the

and pass in front of the Vulcan. Even

print and apply labelling system to

when cases aren’t evenly spaced or

accommodate multiple pack formats, in

when the gap between two packs is as

less than 10 weeks.

little as 10mm.

In 2021, the Bermondsey business,

Kurt Fletcher, packaging manager at the

established by two brothers inspired by

Bermondsey brewery comments: “Before

the US West Coast brewing scene just

the Vulcan we were hand labelling boxes

BREWERS JOURNAL

LABELLING for a good percentage of our production

brewery intentionally selected a labelling

costs,” explains Clearmark’s Steve

runs. It was hard. Either we printed too

system that could clearly present all the

Hancock.

many labels which meant lots of excess,

traceability and GS1 information without

Clearmark’s ability to adjust the

or too few labels and were running

compromising the craft brewer’s modest

configuration of the packing line sealed

around to source more. The Vulcan on

case designs.

the deal for Fourpure. Supplying the

cue printing is great for us and reduces

Kurt explains: “For our products to be

labelling solution conveyor on high

our wastage. The physical application

heading to large retailers the labels

quality castors, the packaging team can

is seamless and places the label in the

need to be clear and legible. The Vulcan

easily manoeuvre the ICE Vulcan to print

same spot every time, keeping up with

prints perfectly every time ensuring a

and apply labels on both the smaller

our 30 packs per minute. This would

uniform presentation and label integrity.

pack configurations upstream, in addition

be a tiring and repetitive job for staff to

For all team members it’s so easy to use.

to the larger cases sealed for transit at

perform.”

Simple, yet brilliant. The team really likes

the downstream outfeed.

Irrespective of speed, Clearmark’s

the design ease of the Clarisoft drag and

“Our ability to reconfigure the line not

Intelligent Motion™ technology

drop software. It ensures that everyone

only future proofs the business, they also

automatically adjusts and maintains

is able to create top notch labels for our

have two solutions for the price of one,”

the label reel tension, eliminating label

products.”

exclaims Steve.

slippage. Simultaneously, the solid state printhead delivers the exact pressure

“Labelling on average 30 ppm with the

required for repeatable and high quality

highest precision with no compressed

print resolutions.

air requirements, the ICE Vulcan is capable of four times the current line

REFRESHINGLY SIMPLE

speed, which gives huge future proofing.

Additionally its maintenance free design

In keeping with Fourpure’s

reduces the printer’s total cost of

comprehensive but easily understood

ownership, equating to incredibly small

brand appeal, the award-winning

ongoing operation and maintenance

brewersjournal.info

JULY~AUGUST 2022

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55

FUNDING

FINANCING GROWTH

WHEN A PLYMOUTHBASED BREWERY WAS TARGETING EXPANSION, IT TURNED TO A LOCAL BUSINESS THAT PROVIDES VIABLE SMES AND STARTUPS WITH ACCESS TO FINANCE THROUGH DEDICATED BUSINESS LOAN FUNDS IN THE SOUTH WEST.

56

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JULY~AUGUST 2022

N

ick Palfrey started

behind closed doors, Steel Brew Co

brewing in his home

successfully navigated the pandemic by

garage in 2018, and two

adapting to offer takeaway, delivery, and

years later moved into

subscription services.

the Historic Melville

building in Plymouth’s Royal William Yard

The business returned to SWIG Finance

at the start of 2020. He’d commence

for further support in 2021 to help them

brewing large scale at the beginning of

relocate to larger premises and open

the pandemic, doing home deliveries

a vibrant and busy taproom, in which

every week and dropping 1000 free pints

they host successful collaborations and

off to keyworkers around the city before

brewing experiences, at the prestigious

opening its taproom in July 2020.

Royal William Yard development in the heart of Plymouth’s old naval quarters.

Along the way they turned to SWIG Finance, which helped the brewery

The move coincided with another major

through its expansion with a five-figure

announcement for the burgeoning

loan backed by the British Business

business, as its Plymouth Pale Ale was

Bank’s Recovery Loan Scheme.

crowned the title of Taste of the West Champion Beer 2021. Taste of the West

As a business that opened start of the

champions food and drink producers in

first lockdown, with production starting

the West Country, and its awards are a

BREWERS JOURNAL

FUNDING badge of honour for the best brands.

Co team have worked tirelessly to ensure

The entrepreneurial microbrewery has

that the brand continued to grow, even in

come a long way in a relatively short

the harshest business environment, and

time, and now employs a team of 10 with

that is a true testament to their dedication

plans to triple headcount over the next 3

to the business.”

years.

The company was established more Nick Palfrey said: “In the craft beer

than 30 years ago to support businesses

industry, it is very difficult to grow without

who are unable to secure funding from

as we grow, we can work to improve our

underserved businesses in the region

operational process, rather than working

to overcome their financial barriers, the

on specific components, which often

firm is working to create a more balanced

results in a disjointed process. We chose

financial eco-system.

fdi funding wallplanner 2021.qxp_Layout 1 20/11/2020 Page 2 working capital. This means that mainstream lenders. By14:00 empowering

to work with SWIG Finance because we knew that they would take the time to understand where our business is now and where we want it to be. Our business manager, Rachael, was so personal and helpful, we were grateful for her assistance throughout the process”.

This funding means that as we grow, we can work to improve our operational process, rather than working on specific components,” Nick Palfrey

SWIG’s Business Manager, Rachael Taylor, added “We were delighted to support Nick in 2019 and we were really pleased that he came back to us for further funding. Nick and the Steel Brew

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JULY~AUGUST 2022

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INGREDIENTS

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brewersjournal.info

A

s we all know beer is the

Brewery tannins, which are natural

oldest processed drink to

hydrolysable high molecular, glucose-

mankind, it can be traced

based polyphenols, are offered to the

back to about 13,000 years

market under the trade name Tan’Activ

BC. For many centuries

GT and are produced by Silvateam, a

beer was produced and preserved

global leading manufacturer of plant-

in oak barrels, an environment which

based extracts of different botanical

offered some stabilisation due to the

sources. These natural extracts are

tannins naturally present in the wood.

gaining popularity, becoming the

In fact, these polyphenolic substances

stabilisation processing aid of choice

were released in the alcoholic solution,

of many breweries, thanks to their

stabilising it while slightly modifying its

multifaceted functionality.

taste.

The Tan’Activ GT family includes Tan’Activ Beer colloidal stabilisation was not an

GTH and Tan’Activ GTC, offering solutions

issue till 1842, when the first lager was

to brewers to achieve both colloidal as

produced in Plzen, Czech Republic.

well as improved organoleptic stability,

The extremely rapid boom of lager

while increasing the efficiency of the

beer consumption across the globe

process. Tan’Activ GTH is particularly

led to the need for stabilisation, being

suitable for the hot part of brewing, as it

stored in bottles and transported over

can be added during mashing-in and/

long distances. In fact, this refreshing,

or at the end of boiling. Tan’Activ GTC,

enjoyable drink does not stay bright after

the best choice in the cold part, is used

production. It’s important to stabilize

beginning of maturation or before end of

it both from a colloidal as well as an

filtration, this in combination with various

organoleptic point of view, especially for

filter systems such as perlite, membrane,

export beers.

kieselguhr (Diatomaceous Earth - DE)

Several stabilisation processing aids are

and centrifuge filtration.

available in the market. Among these

For breweries wishing to move to perlite

silicagel and PVPP, which are probably

filtration, Tan’Activ GTC offers a unique

perceived as the most widely used, likely

solution to have a sharp filtration. If

due to German influences.

the filtration is done using membrane

Today, the industry is willing to reduce

technology, Tan’Activ GTC dosed at the

the amount of ingredients from synthetic

holding tank, in front of the membrane

origin, shifting to natural processing

filter, offers a good physical stability,

aids whenever possible. This makes it a

enjoying longer filter runs, reducing

perfect time to consider shifting to spe-

cleaning-in-process (CIP) cost and

cialty brewery tannins, for a long time

increasing the lifetime of the membranes.

the traditional way of beer stabilisation

The use of Tan’Activ GTH in the hot part,

and already embraced today by many

e.g. end of boiling, also has a substantial

breweries.

positive effect on membrane filtration.

JULY~AUGUST 2022

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59

INGREDIENTS

Natural extracts are gaining popularity, becoming the stabilisation processing aid of choice.

For breweries using DE, still the majority

from silicagel to Tan’Activ GT. This helps

earlier stages, dosing the product at

achieving substantial savings and leaving

end-of-boiling to enjoy further benefits

more polyphenols in your beer which

such as a more compact cone in the

are antioxidants and provide a more full

whirlpool, less trub carry-over, reduced

bodied beer.

tank bottoms, reduced maturation time, longer filter runs to name just a few

nowadays, using Tan’Activ GTC in the holding tank prior to the filter will prevent

WHAT’S THE MECHANISM?

advantages.

Tan’Activ GT has no effect on foam

any pick-up of iron from the DE, offering a good physical stability and an improved

Brewery tannins, dosed in a solution,

stability and is totally removed after

taste stability, as well as the lowest

react within minutes to form a complex,

filtration. Tan’Activ GT is supplied in a

stabilisation cost by far.

selectively, with haze forming proteins

high active powder which is dissolved at

From a dosage point of view, 1 g/hl of

(mainly proline), the complex precipitates

the brewery, depending on the dosage

Tan’Activ GTC can replace around 45 g/hl

and is removed after any filtration step.

point between 1 to 10 % w/w solution.

of silicaxerogel, one of the most common

This complex has the ability to bind to the

Tan’Activ GT solutions provide the most

protein side stabilisation processing aids,

free available Fe3+ ions, which are then

cost efficient stabilisation system for

in case of DE filtration. From a dosage

removed after filtration. Aside from iron,

your beer, both from a physical as well

point of view, at end filtration with DE

some other metals are co-complexed

as an organoleptic point of view. The low

filtration, 1 g/hl of Tan’Activ GTC can

and hence delaying the Fenton reaction

dosage levels of tannins allow to reduce

replace around 45 g/hl of silica xerogel,

and increasing the antioxidant potential

the amount of waste and CO2 impact.

generating less waste and no need for a

of the beer.

Dosed at end-of-filtration, Tan’Activ

silica gel trap filter.

When using Tan’Activ GT tannins early

GT tannins also prevent any possible

When having a combined stabilisation

on in the brewing process (hot part)

lingering aftertaste, thus increasing the

system, typically silicagel and PVPP,

the focus is more on organoleptic

beer drinkability even more.

the latter to reduce haze forming

stabilisation and pre-colloidal

polyphenols, one can reduce the PVPP

stabilisation. Some breweries achieved

dosage level by 30 to 50 % if transitioning

also a good physical stability during

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BREWERS JOURNAL

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PHANTOM 62

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BREWERS JOURNAL

PHANTOM

FEELING GOOD A BREWERY FOUNDED

BY TWO LIFELONG FRIENDS BONDED BY A LOVE OF SPORT, BLINK 182 AND BRILLIANT BEER, PHANTOM BREWING HAS SWIFTLY BECOME ONE OF THE BREWERIES PUTTING READING ON THE MAP FOR FANS OF THIS BEAUTIFUL BEVERAGE. AND THEY’RE JUST GETTING STARTED.

W

e’re taking this way

somewhere accessible for people to

too slow (I’m feeling

navigate to from the City Centre.

this).”

Next year will

“When you look at Reading

mark 20 years

geographically, it’s pretty hard to get too

since Blink 182, the US punk-rock band

much closer to the centre with a unit

released their latest hit ‘Feeling This’. How

of our size,” he says. “From day one we

it’s nearly two decades makes this writer

wanted the taproom to be a major part of

feel very, very old. But like any great

what we do so when it came to securing

song, it continues to resonate with fans

this place, it was very much a case of

far and wide many years on.

right place and right time.”

And Dane White and Dom Gemski, founders of Phantom Brewing, can count

However, before securing their dream

themselves members of that particular

spot, the hunt would take the duo

fan club. They’ve not only named beers

elsewhere. Other locations in Reading, as

after tracks from the Californian group,

well as Maidenhead, were investigated. A

but those lyrics above also do an apt job

property in Reading was settled on, the

of summing up their approach to opening

lease was negotiated and contractors

their beloved brewery.

were being lined up but then, no. The landlord decided against a brewery

“We’re not the most patient people,”

taking on the facility.

Gemski smiles. “The longer the process went on, the more we wanted to push

“It was a setback, and the type of

the button and get it all started!”

teething problem that countless breweries no doubt encounter. But that

Phantom Brewing officially opened its

period felt like a lifetime,” says Gemski.

doors in November 2019, some two

“We were probably a little wet behind the

years after registering the business on

ears, and just wanted nothing more to

Companies House. “We didn’t have your

just get going.

typical sort of brewery opening but then, who does?” he recalls.

“It took us that long to find the right location for what we wanted to do,” Gemski explains. “People familiar with Reading will know that we’re a really large town that’s begrudgingly not called a city by most people.

“We have a high street with all of the usual chain shops you’d come to expect.

But until the last couple of years, we didn’t have anywhere you could really enjoy good beer. Thankfully that’s changed and hopefully we’re playing our own part in that.”

Gemski and White were clear on their objectives. They wanted a production facility but were also minded that, armed with a major warehouse, they still wanted

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We are always learning, exploring new techniques and trying different things,” Dom Gemski, Phantom Brewing JULY~AUGUST 2022

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PHANTOM “When starting out you get excited about

Grainfather and temperature-controlled

“We went with Elite as they had made kit

one thing, and that’s making beer for

FVs. “We wanted better results in what

for breweries we respected and, quite

people. It’s easy to forget about securing

we were making, while those around us

frankly, had a really good price point,”

licensing from HMRC and setting up with

started to accept that Saturday became

says Gemski. The 12BBL kit would go on

the AWRS. Things that can bore you to

the brewday,” says Gemski. “Anyone that

to be backed up by wealth of tanks in

death but they have to be done!”

starts a brewery has probably heard the

the fermentation cellar. “They did a truly

story many times, but you often don’t

great job for us and it has served us really

Up until as late as July 2019, the duo had

realise it’s taking over your free time

well these last few years,” he adds.

planned for Phantom Brewing to start

because of the pure enjoyment you get

And following a successful stint on the

out from the former property. But as one

from it.”

Elite kit, the arrival of a new setup from SSV Ltd is imminent. Machinery that will

door closes, another opens…

As their love of brewing grew, they would

enable the brewery to capitalise from a

begin to look at their full-time professions

range of additional benefits.

I was involved in security technology

and question the pleasure they were

From day one, Phantom Brewing has

solutions.

gaining from it. “At one point over a few

made its name from producing a wealth

“We lucked out,” Gemski gleams.

“Another property came up and we were in a fortunate position where the landlord wanted to make it work for us. It needed a lot of renovation but they agreed to it. In a few short months we moved in to what felt like a brand new unit.”

He adds: “Because of all the work that we had done previously with regards to paperwork and also the facility specifications we wanted, everything moved at a really fast pace. A cold store was built, the brew floor had gone down, tanks were in and the all-important toilets fitted out. We had been contract brewing so all that was left was the brew kit to arrive.”

A soft launch for friends and family took place mid November 2019 and Phantom Brewing immediately made an impact with the great and good of Berkshire.

But let’s rewind a bit. Gemski has been friends with co-founder Dane White since “forever”.

“We started on that typical homebrew journey at a time we were both working corporate jobs,” he recalls. “Dane was working for an automotive engineering company that involved global travel while

beers we found ourselves asking ‘Could

of different beers with some 60 released

“But we stayed friends and our love of

we? Could we do this properly?’. We were

in those earlier, formative months. “That’s

homebrewing reached a point where

egging ourselves on and well…here we

been by design from the very start,” says

we made more and more beer. Our

are.”

Gemski.

something we like then we will absolutely

Phantom Brewing opened its doors

These have included Pales and IPAs

saturate ourselves in it. And in this case,

with kit from companies such as Elite

to Blackberry & Pomegranate Sours,

that was brewing!”

Stainless Fabrications, a Swindon-based

Oatmeal Stouts, Helles, and a lot more

firm specialising in the manufacture and

besides. “We meet every Tuesday and

installation of stainless steel equipment

discuss what styles are interesting us.

personalities are similar in that if there’s

Production swiftly moved up to a

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PHANTOM

Only a while back the idea of brewing a

other major passion Dane and I share,”

“It’s not something we can continue

Foeder-aged Red Lager was suggested,

says Gemski. “We played in the same

forever but we think it’s really cool that

so we did one. We also aged it on

bands growing up in the early 2000s, and

there’s probably fans of Blink 182 that

cherries,” smiles Gemski. “I was told, it’s

listened to pop punk bands like Blink 182.”

have been introduced to our brewery, and maybe craft as a whole, through

great we’re making it. Just good luck selling it.”

He adds: “So when it came to Phantom

those releases,” he explains. “And that’s a

Brewing, we reached the fun part of

great feeling.”

He adds: “I think producing many

naming beers. When we started out we

different beers keeps things enjoyable

liked the idea of our first tap pouring

With a burgeoning team, a growing

for us as a team. We are always learning,

‘Feeling This’, which is named after the

production setup and a relationship

exploring new techniques and trying

first track on Blink 182’s self-titled album

that flourishes in Reading and beyond,

different things. It keeps things interesting

released in 2003.”

Gemski is understandably excited about the path ahead.

and keeps things diplomatic. too.”

The following year a new IPA, ‘ Online Despite the wealth of releases, one beer

Songs’, track two on the same band’s

“Let’s make no bones about it,” he says.

that continues to resonate on a major

album ‘Take Off Your Pants and Jacket’

“Owning and running a brewery is a

scale is ‘Feeling This’, a 5% Columbus,

would mark the start of year two of the

great job. We’re very fortunate to have

Cascade, Citra & Mosaic Pale Ale. It’s

brewery. And into year three in 2022,

the team we do and we are grateful for

brewed, it comes on sale, it sells out.

‘Dammit’, the third track on the album

the support we continue to get from the

Repeat.

‘Dude Ranch’, would take the form of a 7%

community locally and further afield.”

IPA loaded with Citra, Mosaic Lupomax, “Alongside sport and beer, music is the

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Simcoe and Strata was launched.

BREWERS JOURNAL

BEERTEC SOLUTION-PROVIDER-INTEGRATOR

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BACK TO BASICS

FERMENTATION CONTROL

IN THE LATEST INSTALMENT OF THE SERIES, TIM O’ ROURKE, THE TECHNICAL EDITOR OF THE BREWERS JOURNAL PLACES THE SPOTLIGHT ON FERMENTATION CONTROL.

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D

uring fermentation sugars are consumed and converted to alcohol and carbon dioxide. The rate of fermentation can be followed by the decrease in apparent density (original gravity). Fermentation is an exothermic reaction; yeast generates heat during yeast growth and the rate of fermentation is controlled by temperature.

Figure 1: Typical fermentation chart showing the fall in apparent density and the control of temperature.

Although it is common practice to take daily or twice daily gravity checks to monitor fermentation performance, in the 1980’s & 1990’s inconsistent fermentations were seen as a major quality problem and many Brewers wanted to follow fermentation in real time so they could rapidly respond to any changes in fermentation rate. Methods used included: u In line density monitors based on oscillating tubes where higher energy was necessary to vibrate wort with higher density. u Passing ultrasonic beam through the fermenter to measure the fall in gravity. u Measuring the evolution of carbon dioxide which relates to the rate of fermentation u Measure the amount of heat (through cooling jackets) produced during fermentation.

Most methods suggested proved to be difficult to calibrate and unreliable often creating hygiene problems. Even when the process was seen not to be in control few Brewers did anything to rectify the problem, generally keeping “their fingers crossed” hoping it would sort itself out and when that did not work, blending beers to bring it back into specification.

Recently is has been accepted that most variations in performance are related to inconsistences in the inputs and that fermentation vessels could be considered as a “Black Box” where if all the inputs were controlled it would deliver the same outcome.

Setting tight conditions at the start of fermentation was made easier by modern equipment and instrumentation to ensure repeatable fermentation every time.

The starting conditions which must be controlled include: Temperature – modern chillers and cooling jackets make sure the wort is collected at the set temperature and the fermentation follow the required profile.

BREWERS JOURNAL

FERMENTATION

Fall in wort gravity

Fermentation temperature deg C

Fall in wort gravity

Yeast pitching rate g/L

Nutrient status –the consistency and modification of current malt using controlled

Above, left, figure 2: Rate of fermentation

mashing regimes produce a highly fermentable wort with all the necessary nutrients

at different temperatures for an Ale yeast

to support yeast growth. The inclusion of a high ratio of adjuncts may dilute some

straintemperature.

essential nutrients such as soluble nitrogen (FAN) and zinc salts which could limit yeast growth.

Above, right, figure 3 Rate of fermentation

Oxygen is a critical nutrient required by yeast for growth. It is sparingly soluble in

with different yeast pitching rates for an Ale

wort (around 8 to 10 mg/l from air) and difficult to measure and has often become

yeast strain.

the reason for inconsistent fermentation. Improvements with inline additions and gas control injected in line with cool wort and the use of pure oxygen in higher gravity beers has greatly improved fermentation performance.

Yeast is the star of the show giving best results from yeast in perfect condition: Yeast count (number) is a pre-requisite for an effective fermentation such that the pitching rate for a typical 5% abv beer is: u Ales pitched at between 18 and 200C will require around 8 million yeast cells per ml u Lagers pitched at between 10 and 120C will require around 12 million yeast cells per ml As well as pitching rate – (number of yeast cells added) the rate of fermentation will be affected by: u Yeast Viability which measures the number of living yeast cells. Dead yeast cells will not grow and represent under pitching. Viability is comparatively easy to measure with dead cells staining blue with methylene blue. u Yeast Vitality is a slightly more abstract concept which is used to assess the vigour or health of the yeast. Although there are a number of laboratory methods developed to measure vitality, few, if any are used in standard production brewing. The most effective way to maintain good yeast vigour is to avoid stress by good yeast handling practices (discussed in a later article).

By following yeast growth and metabolism through the various stages it is possible to gain a better understanding of the factors which affect growth and obtain an early indication of any problems.

LAG PHASE Breweries generally use dried yeast or recovered yeast which will have been stored cold (circa 50C) which is pitched into the warmer collected wort. Best results are obtained if the yeast is thoroughly mixed inline when collecting the wort.

The yeast prepares itself for growth during the lag phase by taking up nutrients.

Both the duration of the lag phase and the fall in pH can be used to follow the successful onset of fermentation.

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FERMENTATION

Time from start of fermentation in hours

Time from start of fermentation in hours

Top left: Uptake of wort oxygen (O2) Top right: Uptake of soluble nitrogen (FAN) Bottom left: Drop in wort pH during fermentation

Time from start of fermentation in hours

LOG OR GROWTH PHASE Below, left, figure 5a: Yeast cell growth during log phase.

The yeast exploits the rich wort nutrients to grow and reproduce. Healthy fermentations are followed by the fall in density as the wort nutrients are used up in cell growth. The success of the fermentation can also be followed by the number of

Below, right, figure 5b: Actively budding & smaller yeast cells

actively budding yeast (around 1/3 of yeast cells) which can be observed under the microscope.

Time from start of fermentation in hours

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FERMENTATION

SETTLEMENT PHASE At a certain point in the fermentation the fermentable sugars are exhausted and waste products (alcohol and carbon dioxide) built up. Yeast metabolism changes from growth to laying down energy storage compounds (glycogen) to withstand a period of starvation.

Most brewery strains are able to clump together (flocculate) and settle out no longer taking an active part in fermentation. The rate of settlement depends on temperature and time. A number of cells remain active during this time and reduces some of the unwanted flavour compounds during warm maturation or a secondary fermentation.

Left top and bottom,, figure 6: Settlement of yeast at the end of fermentation

Time from start of fermentation in hours

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FERMENTATION

TAKING BACK CONTROL By the time yeast reaches the settlement phase it has completed its growth cycle and attempts to rouse the vessel with inert gas to increase attenuation or remove unwanted fermentation flavours generally meets with limited success.

The best plan is to avoid this problem through good control of the wort conditions and healthy yeast, but problems can occur and are best resolved if spotted early. u A slow start to the fermentation should be observed by a longer lag phase and a slower fall in gravity. u Simple checks of wort yeast count, yeast viability and budding index should identify if it is a yeast problem. u A simple check of temperature and pH and possible checks on dissolved oxygen addition and addition of yeast food should ensure sufficient wort nutrients u Having identified the causes of the slow fermentation then early rousing (maybe with air) allowing the temperature to rise or re-pitching can restore the fermentation. u If prompt action has not been taken and there is a “stuck” fermentation, then there is little that can be done apart from splitting and topping the brew with fresh pitched wort or blending to achieve the required specification.

FERMENTATION SUMMARY Yeast does it “own thing”. The only way to achieve a consistent flavour profile for your beer is to create the conditions for yeast to thrive.

Fermentation is controlled by: u Nutrient status of wort u Number, type & health of yeast u Temperature - collection & top temperature u Time duration of fermentation The conditions during the fermentation determine many of the flavour characteristics of the final beer.

TABLE 1: BEER PROPERTIES Properties of beer

Low temperatures/ Slower fermentations

High temperatures/ faster fermentations

Fermentation temp

Lower esters, lighter flavours

High ester (fruity) flavours

Acidity or pH

Higher final pH with slower fermentations

Lower more acidic beers with rapid fermentation

Yeast flavour

Risk of yeast death (autolysis) & meaty flavours

Healthy yeast less risk of yeasty off flavours

Usually, higher pitching rate to offset slower yeast growth

Lower pitching rate more rapid yeast growth

Wort dissolved oxygen For a 1048 (12P) wort

Higher rate to stimulate more yeast growth DO = 10 – 12 ppm oxygen

Lower requirement for dissolved oxygen DO = 6 – 8 ppm oxygen

Yeast crop

Longer contact with wort may lead to lower viability Lager – 12 – 14 million cells/ml

Tends to have more viable crop Ale 6 – 9 million cells/ml

Butterscotch VDK notes

Slower uptake of VDK higher risk of off flavour

More rapid breakdown of pre-courser and rapid uptake

Yeast pitch For a 1048 (12P) wort

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TBJ directory.pdf 1 24/11/2020 13:28:48

BREWING AND PACKAGING

FERMENTATION MONITORING

C

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Bottling | Canning | Kegging Contract Brewing | Blending

CM

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CMY

01843 865000 sales@sebpackaging.co.uk www.sebpackaging.co.uk

K

Realtime fermentation gravity and temperature monitoring with graphing, optional remote temperature control and our new CO2 purge device. www.dotmatix.net 020 3475 1420

CONTRACT PACKAGING FOR THE CRAFT DRINKS MARKET

CASK & KEG CLOSURES

HOPS SUPPLIERS

BOTTLING & CANNING

www.enterprisetondelli.co.uk info@enterprisetondelli.co.uk

BREWING DESIGN AND BUILD

Since 1774, Rankin continues to supply reliable closures that help seal, protect and add value to your brands. www.rankincork.co.uk sales@rankincork.co.uk + 44 (0)1844 203100

CONTRACT BREW & PACKAGE

American hops from the Pacific Northwest hops@yakimachief.com +1 509-453-4792 @yakimachief

HUMIDITY CONTROL

6ix Fabdec Ltd offer a full range of high quality brewery products, designed and manufactured right here in the UK. www.6ixfabdec.com sales@6ixfabdec.com +(0)1963 205 001 +(0)7375 448 118

BREWING EQUIPMENT

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Brewing, bottling and kegging services - we are the ‘secret’ behind our customer’s great beer.

INGREDIENTS

ben@hambletonbrewery.co.uk +44 (0)1765 640108

COOLING SOLUTIONS

info@kanegrade.com +44 (0) 1438 742242

Gravity Systems was formed to meet the growing demand in the craft beer market for a single source for all brewhouse, fermentation, services generation and distribution.

www.gravity-systems.co.uk +44 (0)1733 834264 enquiries@gravity-systems.co.uk

brewersjournal.info

www.galxc.co.uk +44 (0)23 8086 7168

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INGREDIENTS CONT’D

MALT CONT'D

Fruits, citrus, heat treated dried spices UK supply year round

FR SAM EE PLE S

Tel. +44 (0) 1200 449833 www.bowlander.co.uk

www.simpsonsmalt.co.uk +44 (0)1289 330033

QUALITY ASSURANCE

Bringing Quality Control To Your Brewery Analytical Products for Beer

PACKAGING

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www.keglogistics.com/united-kingdom

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RECRUITMENT

PACKAGING HANDLES

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skafabricating.com +1 (970) 403-8562

Fermentis is an expert in the art of fermentation.

Our active dry yeasts and yeast derivatives cover almost all professional requirements: from safeguarding production to expressing sensory characteristics.

Discover our products on www.fermentis.com Contact us at fermentis@lesaffre.com

www.muntons.com +44 (0)1449 618300

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