Page 67 - Food & Drink Magazine Nov-Dec 2018

CRAFT INNOVATIONS
✷ BRICK LANE BREWING CO.
✷ CROSS-FLOW
FILTRATION FACTS
Features of Pall’s Profi Membrane System, compared to traditional dead-end filtration methods:
• Low CO2 footprint
• Continuousoperationfora
smaller system & footprint
• No extra equipment needed
for particle & fine filtration
• Flexibleoperationtocutrequired
bright beer tank capacity
• Modular construction for lower scaling-up cost
• Lower energy, water and
chemical demands
• No purchasing of filter aids
• Reducedbeerretentatelosses
during swaps between products
• Reduced labour costs due to
full automation
• No filter aid waste stream to
dispose of
• No harsh chemicals needed
for cleaning
START with the new kids on the block. Brick Lane Brewing Co. is a new operation based out of the suburb of Dandenong on Melbourne’s outskirts. The brewery has been built on a greenfield site, with construction beginning in November 2017. Whereas other craft brewers must often make do with repurposed warehouse space, the Brick Lane team had the advantage of being able to tailor their site to fit their needs and reduce their environmental footprint.
A good example is their targeted use of concrete for the site’s foundations. The fermentation vessels used in brewing can be huge, weighing in at tens of tonnes once filled. As such it is necessary to make sure the concrete foundations where they stand are strong enough to support the additional weight. However, concrete is a very carbon intensive material to produce. The team at Brick Lane therefore chose to design their foundations such that additional concrete was only used in those areas where large-scale fermenters would ultimately be positioned. This
✷ HAWKERSBEER
ANOTHER firm looking to lower its material and energy inputs is Hawkers Beer, the largest independent brewer in Victoria.
For founder Mazen Hajjar, this is not just to improve his business’ bottom line.
“I have a responsibility to hand back this earth at least the same way as I received it, if not a little bit better,” he says.
He has put his money where his mouth is; Hawker’s brewery has got a raft of efficiency measures in place to improve its environmental credentials.
Start with electricity. Hawkers has fitted 192 solar panels to the brewery’s roof, which provide around 40% of its
has lowered Brick Lane’s environmental footprint with minimal effort.
A more impressive and innovative measure is the adoption of a cross-f low filtration system, developed by industrial filtration firm PALL. The PROFi Membrane System offers a number of benefits over traditional dead-end filtration systems (see box) that rely on filter aids such as diatomaceous earth. First and foremost is a reduced environmental footprint, with less energy and water required for its operation. In addition, it does not require the use of harsh cleaning chemicals, which, coupled with the lack of filter aids, reduces the waste output.
Further, the system is a single pass process with virtually no
electricity. To further improve efficiency, the brewer has kitted out its glycol cooling system with pre-insulated GF Cool-Fit piping. This easy to install piping reduces the loading on the refrigeration system, a significant electricity consumer, by limiting ambient heat transfer into the cooling system.
On the materials side of the process, Mazen has also sought to save on inputs and ensure his waste streams are repurposed. Dry hopping is used in place of wet hopping, lowering the number of hops required. Further, this reduces the load on the wort boiler (since less water needs to be boiled),
beer retentate. This reduces beer losses between batches and different brand runs. The site is set up for contract brewing, so it needs the logistical flexibility to swap between not only its own range of brews but also those of other brewers. The cross-f low filtration system enables this in a far more targeted manner with minimal losses while safeguarding product quality.
“Besides the operational benefits, we’ve also noticed that the beer quality has improved,” the head brewer at Brick Lane Jon Seltin says. “With the diatomaceous earth there is
a risk of getting iron or manganese in the beer, which messes up the flavour profile. The cross-flow system removes that risk.”
lowering heating requirements. Solid waste is also recycled, with 99.5% of the waste produced by the plant being repurposed. Spent grain, for example, is carted off to farmers to be used as feed for livestock.
Future developments include installing a more efficient cool room, as well as two silos out
the front of the brewery for storing fresh grain (eliminating the bags which were previously used for delivery and were another source of waste). As Mazen notes, it’s all about continuous improvement.
“We just keep chipping away little bits at a time, just trying to be more sustainable.”
www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | November-December 2018 | Food&Drink business | 67