Page 35 - Packaging News Magazine Sep-Oct 2018

September-October 2018
www.packagingnews.com.au
FOOD & BEVERAGE PACKAGING
35
Brewing up new ideas
A new craft bewery has joined the burgeoning brewpub scene and is introducing innovative end-to-end practices in processing and packaging. Lindy Hughson reports.
IDROPPED in on Urban Alley’s new premises in Melbourne’s District Docklands mid-construction a few months back to meet found- er Ze’ev Meltzer and see what this brewer was doing different- ly. At the time, the micro-brew- ery was close to completion, but
the pub area – which will house an impressive 550 people – was still an empty shell. The designs I saw prom- ised a ‘New York loft meets Mel- bourne warehouse aesthetic’, con- necting the production facility to the brewpub constructed from recycled brick and wood throughout.
While much of the beer production on site will be for in-house consumption, Meltzer tells me Urban Alley has inked a deal with Liquorland, which will be ranging its signature Urban Ale come September.
What catches my eye on the six- pack is the can holder, apparently the first biodegradable one on the Australian market.
Meltzer says Urban Alley Brewery has pioneered local introduction of the biodegradable six pack rings (called E6PR), which is made from spent grain, a by-product of brewing.
“E6PR is not only a great alterna-
tive to plastic, it is also edible to ma- rine life, which is great news for our oceans and environment,” Meltzer says, noting that Urban Alley Brew- ery is currently the only brewery in Australia and 5th brewery in the world to implement its use.
The 25 hectare-litre brewhouse, which opened early September, is set to produce two million litres per year through a combination of its Urban Core range as well as monthly and seasonal limited releases.
According to Meltzer, production has been challenged at every level to ensure that processes adhere to the brand’s strict sustainability bench- marks surrounding waste, energy con- sumption and gas emissions.
Key to Urban Alley’s eco-model has been the collaboration with local Victorian businesses to develop innovative and organic solutions to reduce its carbon footprint.
ABOVE: Founder Ze’ev Meltzer: sustainable brewer and innovator.
BELOW: Urban Ale sports a new biodegradable six-pack holder made from spent grain.
Partnering with a neighbouring distillery, for instance, has allowed both facilities to mitigate the need for the rapid heating-cooling-heat- ing process that requires up to 3000 times more gas than the average Australian home. The exchange of water at the desired temperature from the brewery to the distillery and vice versa has reduced gas emis- sions to now match that of residen- tial consumption.
The development of an on-site bio-waste plant allows for every- thing but the spent grain to be bro- ken down and repurposed as fertil- iser. This process also creates natural gas, which will be used to power the brewery. Waste water will be sent to the on-site water treatment plant where solids re- maining from the brewing process are settled out and the pH levels tested and corrected to achieve a neutral reading.
Meltzer says he is always looking for next the challenge, and next on the cards is a project to ensure the brewery’s waste water is captured, transported and reused in farm irri- gation. Brewery waste water, after the correction process, is high in minerals, salts and proteins.
While the company’s signature Urban Ale has been in market for over two years and is available in many of Melbourne’s iconic venues including Naked for Satan, The Smith Prahran and The Emerald Peacock, additional SKUs will be launching in September – Urban La- ger, Urban APA and Urban Dark. ■
E6PR is not only a great alternative to plastic, it is also edible to marine life, which is great news for our oceans and environment.”