BREWING
Packaging details
A view of the cask washer by Brewology with keystone insertion on the right
The keg line from M+F; there is an external washer on the right, a six-head washer racker at the back with weighing and manual capping and labeling on the left
The beer and smaller isinglass nings meters on the cask lling line
KeyKegs which have a special aperture. Cask- lling involves a four-station washer, each operating the same sequence. New keystones are pressed in for a quiet operation as are shives on the two station ller. No quite totally silent as the old keystone is extracted manually. Primings, auxiliary and reseeded yeast are added in racking tank while beer and isinglass nings are metered into the cask. The line will cope with 120 rkins every hour. Full production At the time of my visit in September, there had been three months of full-on production. Final snagging was in progress, altering the bends in the spent grain route, increasing the size of the wort polishing lters – and there is a hop torpedo to commission to obviate
the need to throw hop pellets in through the top manway. There is no top access on the 250hL outside fermenters which at the moment limits exibility. There are 20 on the brewery payroll including the Head Brewer and there is automation only to support the ef ciency of the operation. “Hoses, swing bends and people,” summed up Dobson. For example, a CIP circuit is set up manually and the automation deals with the sequencing and control. Plant status is displayed on the usual screens throughout the plant but this has yet to be relayed to the brewers’ of ce – which keeps them on their feet. A very interesting visit - I’ll join Welsmen everywhere toasting the successful completion of a very com- plicated move. Cheers (iechyd da) to Brains.
movements both in and out.
Inside are six BBTs (two 50hL, two 100hL and two 150hL). Fermentation and maturation has a two week cycle. Pitching is at 16°C rising to 20° for four days before chilling back to 3° to drop the yeast. Cask beer is held at this temperature while keg and small pack is chilled to -1°C. Brewery conditioned beers are held cold on a 14-day turnround and only smallpack beers are treated with silica hydrogel and PVPP. The M+F keg line will ll 80 x 50L units an hour. There is a manual on and off container feed with an external washer leading to a six-station washer/ racker before a check weigher, manual brand capping and labelling. I was told that M+F lines are particularly exible in allowing a rapid changeover to lling
Brains people
Head Brewer Bill Dobson pulls me a pint of Rising Sun in his sample cellar
Brewery entrance lobby with Catherine Baker at her desk
Senior Brands Marketing Manager David Knowles pulls me another pint of Rising Sun
november 2019 I BREWER AND DISTILLER INTERNATIONAL ● 49
i bd.org.uk
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