Q: How can focusing on sustainability be profitable in a brewery?
A: “We all know how to optimize our processes – tweaking the grain bill to hit targeted ABV, optimizing steeping and mashing temperatures, buying the right length hoses to minimize transfer waste, being mindful of water and utilities consumption. When working in a larger brewery, you may also be looking at CO2 recapture and water reclamation/treatment as well. All of these actions have direct sustainability benefits.”
Q: What does it mean when you have an archive of data that can better inform your production decisions?
A: “In craft beer, many breweries aim a bit over the targeted ABV in order to satisfy the consumer (while staying within the regional taxation reporting requirements).”
“So, what does it mean when you can remove one 25kg bag of grain from your recipes, while still giving your consumers the beer they want at the ABV you promise? What does that savings mean over a month or a year? In short, you are then shipping less grain, using less grain, producing less waste, and having better extraction in your wort production. Each of those actions can decrease your carbon footprint. So here, you directly see profitability integrating with sustainability. It seems simple, but this is a sustainable way to approach brewing.”
Q: What does it mean if you can be sure that you are hitting the right ABV, regardless of who takes the measurement?
A: “This means that your teams’ work day is simplified, anyone can step in and support your QC team (or anyone can be part of your QC team).”
“It also means that the team can learn more together – data enables understanding and can help facilitate decision making. Having an instrument that helps you get the results in a way that makes sense for your team’s needs is helpful”.
“Much is asked from the operations and production team in a busy and literally pressure-filled environment (the best advice I received my first day working in a brewery, from the best of all Yorkshire men, was ‘never forget a brewery is always trying to kill you’. His advice certainly saved me a fractured foot from a steel keg incident, but I digress).”
Q: Can you raise productivity and reduce the environmental footprint at the same time?
A: “Yes. Technology is far from being able to solve all our problems, but it can help with some. Our best solution is the BeerFoss™ FT Go. It needs no sample prep, no sample degassing, nothing. It uses midrange infrared (FTIR) lasers to analyze wort, beer and hard seltzer, and it works very fast. You can take a sample from your tank, walk over to the instrument and press go. It doesn’t need sample prep since CO2 is eliminated by the instrument, and there is a 55micron particle filter included with the sample tubes.”
“BeerFoss currently measures ABV, density, SG, extracts, pH, calories, RDF, and ADF, and can be used to measure wort, fermenting beer, finished beer, and finished hard seltzer.”
“Because it is a turnkey solution, there is no chance for operator error, anyone can measure any beer on a BeerFoss. Being a former brewery GM, I joke that it is so easy that a GM can do it, and I stand by this.”
“It also is designed with the user in mind, meaning there is no need to calibrate it, it is self-cleaning, and of course, the instrument has highly repeatable and accurate results. It has received satisfactory results in LGC/BAPS ring tests, and is currently undergoing a full methodology accreditation with internationally-recognized standards.”
“There is a business saying that ‘you can’t manage what you can’t measure’. When it comes to achieving sustainability goals, measurements are key.”
“How much time is your team now saving since they don’t have to waste an hour preparing samples? How does this make their workday better? How much money are you actually saving when you trim your malt bill?”
“While BeerFoss can’t resolve the big industry problems, it certainly give you the data you need to make your decisions.”
This interview has also been published as a comment in The Brewers Journal: Comment | Sustainable Analysis – The Brewers Journal
