Category: Equipment

By: Gerald Dlubala

Consistency in the craft brewing process is achieved through quality control. Quality control includes regular testing and monitoring of ingredients and processes to achieve consistent results over multiple batches, while also ensuring that all regulatory issues are followed and the risk of contamination is minimized. With new flavor profiles and textures being introduced seemingly daily, a craft brewer needs to practice exceptional quality control to make their beer the best they can, even if it’s a new and unique offering. Craft brewing starts with water, and as a major component, that is where the testing must begin. Quality testers and monitors are a necessity, but so is the willingness and discipline to use them diligently at the proper times.

Simplifying the Chore of Testing and Monitoring

  Milwaukee Instruments Inc., of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, operates on the belief that digital testing technology should be easy to use and available for every level of brewer. They focus on offering affordable, easy to use instruments manufactured from quality hardware. Milwaukee Instruments offers all the most widely and regularly used testing and monitoring products for the craft brewing and winemaking industries, and they do so without the use of test strips. Being known for outstanding capability while packaged in a smaller, more convenient size, their handheld meters can be kept conveniently in a pocket, and feature exceptional accuracy and lab grade performance.

  “Temperature probes, pH meters and a unit like a refractometer that measures Brix are must-haves when brewing craft beer,” said Jason Brown, Operations Manager, North American Operations. “Monitors and meters are used throughout every stage of the brewing cycle. Depending on the type of beer the brewer is making at the time, there are major factors to be controlled and monitored. The initial pH of your water plays a big role in the taste and profile of the beer, whether you’re brewing a lager or a stout, a smooth or a bitter, or anything in between. The Brix, or sugar content, is measured before and after fermentation by measuring density. We have the right testing and monitoring products available for every stage of brewing, as well as every level of brewer.”

  Included in that selection of testers and meters is their turbidity, or haze meter, used to measure clarity by the concentration of undissolved, suspended particles that are present in the beer.

  “All of our instruments are very precise and accurate when taking measurements within the specific applications of pH, temperature or Brix. Our testers and meters are manufactured to be small and wireless, yet durable and waterproof to give a brewer the most convenient and easy-to-use method for testing and monitoring applications. These instruments have withstood the test of time and generally fit all of the required needs of the craft brewer at all levels,” said Brown. “That being said, of course, there are always ways to improve on the current tools and instruments. Brewers haven’t asked for anything that we can’t provide, but faster processing and longer-lasting probes would always be welcomed. The average lifespan of a normal pH probe is 12 to 18 months, so maybe we can improve upon that. More manufacturers are heading towards data logging equipment so brewers can have a historical view of their pH, temperature and Brix levels during different applications.”

  Milwaukee Instruments’ automatic smart controllers continually monitor the required parameters set for the brewing process, including pH and ORP. These monitors dose and adjust the system as needed, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Automatic monitoring and control systems are nice additions because let’s face it, things happen, and measurements can and will get delayed or forgotten, allowing water makeup parameters to possibly get off track. Automatic smart controllers have your back when needed.

Quality Water Before Quality Beer

  Industrial Test Systems in Rock Hill, South Carolina, knows that water matters in craft brewing, and, no matter what type of beer, it’s best to know the makeup of the water source. Without quality water, there cannot be quality beer. The water chosen for brewing, depending on things like chlorine or other contaminants, affects the sulfide to chloride ratio, how the beer is expressed to the drinker’s palate, and, ultimately, the final taste of the beer. 

  Water hardness plays a significant role in the beer’s mouthfeel. Light beers tend to be noticeably smoother on the palate, and a lot of that has to do with using softer water for brewing. Dark beers can use harder water, producing that familiar stronger or crisper flavor profile.

  All-in-one kits, like the Smart Brew Starter Kit by Industrial Test Systems, can keep water testing on target. The self-contained kit tests for water hardness, calcium hardness, alkalinity, pH, chloride and sulfates. Once brewers get the hang of the basics and are looking to expand their testing, the Smart Brew Professional Kit provides the same testing plus the eXact pH+ Smart Meter System, a Bluetooth enabled, handheld multi-parameter pocket meter that works within their eXact iDip app for both iOS and Android smart devices. This unit can test pH, conductivity, salinity, Total Dissolved Oxygen, Temperature, and Oxygen Reduction Potential using two different probes. The data captured is useful for specific brewer formulas and brewing-specific calculations.

Temperature and pH Determine Results

  “A good pH meter and thermometer are used in all stages of brewing and are, by far, the best friend of the craft brewer looking to produce a quality, consistent brew,” said Casey Thomson, Application Sales Engineer for Hanna Instruments, a world leader in pH and titration science.

  Hanna Instruments is known for developing innovative products, and many are the norm throughout the instrumentation industry. Included in their product offerings are pH electrodes with built-in temperature sensors and waterproof, portable pH meters.

  “As a brewer, one of the most important things to test regularly is the water supply you’re using as source water. If you’re using your area’s general water supply on a year-round basis, chances are your source water is changing with the seasons, and that’s ultimately going to alter and change the taste of your beer. Inconsistency in the taste of your product is something you never want because that’s a good way to lose customer loyalty. Pilsners, for example, are all about the water that they’re brewed from. Guinness will never be exactly duplicated here in the states because of the water that is used as the base.”

  “Craft brewers also need to keep tabs on temperature over the entire process,” said Thomson. “Extra-long probes, like the one we affectionately call ‘The Sword,’ come in very handy to monitor the temperatures down deep into the mash to ensure consistent temperatures throughout. When you do that, you’ll know that you’re keeping the yeast happy enough to form alcohol from the sugars.”

  Thomson told Beverage Master Magazine that refractometers are useful for brewing reports and for measuring the sugars before fermentation. After fermentation, a refractometer measures alcohol content. Many brewers still like to use older style hydrometers, and that’s fine, but they have to use a larger amount of product for a sample. If the brewer offers hazy IPAs, a haze meter is a great addition to their testing instruments and can indicate the amount of concentrated, suspended particles in the beer by measuring the amount of transmitted light through the product.

  “Due to the growth in the popularity of sour beers, we are also seeing increased interest and requests from brewers for a tool to measure lactic acid,” said Thomson. “While we don’t currently have beer-specific units to do this, we do supply these types of testing units to the dairy industry, so the breweries can use those and expect quality, true results. Additionally, being able to measure the alpha and beta enzymes in hops is an area with some interest, so we’re learning more about the science behind as this is an area of business growth.”

  “All of our instruments are generally easy to learn and use,” said Thomson. “It’s more of a situation of having the time to get the measurements done as needed. I always like to show the users what the process is to take the measurements and make sure they know what they’re getting into as far as using our equipment consistently. We get users up to speed in about two hours tops, but we also provide web training through YouTube videos, our online training manuals, etc.”

  Hanna Instruments also provides testers and monitors for the wine industry. Consistent pH measurements are important throughout the process. Their Halo wireless pH meter provides direct readings on a phone or tablet. Their edge wine meter kit is their most popular unit, measuring pH, conductivity/cold stability and dissolved oxygen. It’s Bluetooth capable, able to be carried around and equipped with an eight-hour battery. A benchtop cradle transforms the unit into a tabletop wine lab.

  “Winemakers are more traditional with their processes, so the testing tends to stay more standard,” said Thomson. “Occasionally, you’ll get a winemaker with a science background that wants to play around, experiment and see what happens under different circumstances so that other tests can come into play. But pH is, of course, very important throughout the entire production process, as is the ability to stay aware of free acids and sulfur dioxide that affect both bouquet and shelf life.”

By: Cheryl Gray

Quality, efficiency and speed are but a few of the attributes assigned to best practices when it comes to end-of-line packaging.  Craft breweries and distilleries that make the change from manual to automatic or, in some cases, combine the best of both worlds, have a universal goal: to produce an attractively packaged and cost-effective end product that draws in consumers and keeps them coming back.

  When it comes to automation for end-of-line packaging, the best companies listen to the needs of craft brewers and distillers, rather than drive them to a product that won’t benefit their bottom line. Such is the case with WestRock of Atlanta, Georgia, which touts itself as the only company in the paper packaging industry with in-house machinery manufacturing teams designing full lines of automatic packaging systems. WestRock considers itself a leader in innovation and sustainable packaging practices. David Hayslette is WestRock’s Senior Director of Business Development for Craft Beverages.

  “Customers come to us because we create customized, sustainable and value-added solutions using the world’s most comprehensive portfolio of paper and packaging products,” says Hayslette. “Customers appreciate our partnership approach. They know that when they work with WestRock on a total automated solution, they have a single point of contact for paperboard, corrugated and machinery solutions that work together.”

  Hayslette points out that for many craft breweries and distilleries, automation comes into play when growth demands something beyond what a manual operation can handle.

  “Typically, end-of-line packaging automation decisions are driven by upgrades to filling capacity. In other words, if a brewery is filling cans at a rate of 45 cans per minute with a mobile filler and they decide to purchase their own filler with a speed of 100 cans per minute, they will likely not be able to keep up with the speed using labor, or their costs will increase prohibitively. Instead, with the investment in the faster filler, they also become interested in automated packaging to address their objectives.”

  There is a delicate balance, Hayslette says, between reducing costs for labor and materials, while working to maximize productivity.  

  “Automation brings a level of consistency in the packing process by the way cartons are erected and glued versus the manual approach, which can be subject to human variance. In a tight labor market like we have in the U.S., finding laborers to hand-pack cartons can be challenging, and the hourly pay rate is increasing in some jurisdictions. Automation also brings the ability to pack out more product in the same period. Manual packaging works best when there is no bottleneck created to the production process; there is readily available labor; and the rate of pay is reasonable, such that the total cost of packaging is reasonable. “

  Hayslette stresses that WestRock works with clients to help ease the burden of financing the capital investment costs tied to purchasing machinery for end-of-line packaging. He points to return-on-investment as one key consideration for breweries and distilleries thinking of buying automated packaging systems.

  “We encourage customers to think about their total cost of ownership and do a side-by-side analysis of the manual versus automated process. A manual process typically carries with it the cost of labor, a cost associated with the packaging materials to be used and a productivity rate. This would be compared to the automated option, which would typically reduce labor, reduce materials costs and increase productivity rates. However, there is the added investment in the machinery itself.”

  Minnesota-based and employee-owned Douglas Machine sold its first automation product in the 1960s to none other than the Curtiss Candy Company, makers of iconic candy bars that include Baby Ruth and Butterfinger. More than 50 years later, Douglas provides a vast array of what it describes as cutting-edge machinery for cartoning, case packing, as well as tray and shrink wrapping.

  Todd Welker, Beverage Sales Manager for Douglas, says top producers in brewing—both craft and legacy—along with distilled spirits, come to Douglas for their packaging machinery needs. The company, Welker says, designs and builds exclusively servo platforms in its Minnesota factory.  All come with nationwide sales and service support, backed by a three-year warranty and a parts price guarantee.

  “Typically, our customers come to us when either their speeds increase beyond their current low-end machinery, or when they are planning ahead to accommodate future outputs,” said Welker. “It is our clients who make the decision to automate based on labor costs, labor availability and safety of their personnel. Reducing labor or the concerns of safety due to manual processes generally drives automation, in addition to increasing line speeds, which reduces labor economies.”

  Welker says that switching from manual to automated end-of-line packaging takes output to new levels.

  “Manual packaging is extremely flexible. The human hand can do a number of things that are difficult with automation. Still, automation of packaging is by far more cost-effective, and it can reduce or eliminate repetitive motion injuries where one injury can potentially cost more than a fully automated line.  Automated packaging can also run much faster than manual work, thus increasing line speeds, reducing labor and driving up efficiencies.”

Welker says that his brewery clients work with a variety of end-of-line packaging options.

  “The carton and tray are the most accepted packages in the brewing industry when cans are run. Bottles are often run on older case erectors, drop packs and case closers, but more breweries are looking to eliminate the box-shop and utilize all-in-one wraparound case packing technologies. These greatly reduce footprint, labor, case costs, and can even potentially eliminate partitions in the cases for even more material savings.”

  However, for some craft beverage makers, the dollar investment of automated end-of-line packaging can be daunting. Meghann Quinn, co-owner of Bale Breaker Brewing Company in Yakima, Washington, says her brewery’s end-of-line packaging is all done by hand. 

  “We manually put the six-packs into the cases and palletize them.  We do both of those manually because end-of-line automated packaging systems are too expensive, and our speed doesn’t necessitate them.”

  Some breweries and distilleries deploy manual labor as a way to test the market to learn what are the best pack sizes and styles. Once the decision is made on what works and what doesn’t, many producers turn to automation to quickly get their products to customers.

Best of Both Worlds

  The marketplace had to wait nearly a century before Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, founded in the 1800s in Nashville, Tennessee, was resurrected by brothers Andy and Charles Nelson. The Nelson brothers worked to restore the landmark distillery built by their great-great-great-grandfather, Charles Nelson, and with it, a brand that many consider highly responsible for putting Tennessee whiskey on the map worldwide before Prohibition dried up production.

  Fast forward to the 21st Century, when the Nelson brothers have embraced many aspects of automation in their end-of-line packaging. However, just as they managed to re-create the family’s original whiskey recipe through meticulous, hands-on research, Andy Nelson says the distillery is just as careful not to abandon many of the manual end-of-line packaging techniques that make Green Brier’s products unique. A combination of automated and manual systems, Nelson believes, brings together the best of both worlds.

  “We have been utilizing both for quite some time,” Nelson says. “If you have all or mostly automated equipment, it’s important to have a good tech on hand to help when things inevitably go wrong.  And, with manual or semi-auto equipment, it’s necessary to have a staff that is attentive and detail-oriented.  It’s all about quality and efficiency!” 

  Sourcing suppliers for end-of-line packaging needs is as careful a process as deciding what products to order. Nelson says that his distillery relies upon a variety of options.

  “We’ve used a handful of methods, ranging from brokers to OEM directly. It can depend on how much I know about each item and how much I trust others to help me select equipment and coordinate maintenance.”

  For those embracing automation on any level, the opportunities are endless. While manual packaging renders what only a human approach can offer, automation addresses the future, boosting production and the bottom line.

By: Gerald Dlubala

While tastes for craft beer are as individual as each customer that walks into your tasting room, the reasons to package your craft beer in a bottle remain consistent whether manually capping a few bottles or running a high-speed bottling machine around the clock. You want that bottle of beer to retain its quality, compete with other breweries for on-shelf presence and present a consistent product to those consumers who look to packaged beer as their primary selection.

Flexibility And Versatility Are Key

“In a crazy industry like craft brewing, versatility and the ability to react to and meet changes are key. That includes your packaging system,” said Dan Komarony, President of DK Advanced Technologies, manufacturer of the MicroBottler filling machine. “When looking to purchase a packaging system, craft brewers should be aware of their projected volume, available floor space and the potential effects that adding additional equipment will have on their workflow. Most machines offer a sanitizer or pre-sanitizer and a filling and rinse function, but can they do it within the footprint that you can offer? Can they transition from canning to bottling across any product you offer without significant downtime during changeover?”

  “Breweries need to follow the trend of what their customers want, not what their equipment forces them to do,” said Doug Ernenwein, Sales Manager for DK Advanced Technologies. “Most new craft brewers operate on a small budget, but they still want and need the ability to get in on new trends without having to spend thousands of dollars on a new setup. One minute, cans are popular, next it’s bottled, then it’s specific closures to match the different styles of beer that they brew, so versatility is essential. A packaging system should support all sizes of bottles or cans and offer smooth bottling or canning transfers with minimal setup, configuration and maintenance requirements.”

  That’s why the team at DK Advanced Technologies is passionate about their MicroBottler system. Having initially built the MicroBottler for their private use and using it for three years before making it available to the public, they know it fills the needs for craft breweries requiring up to a 600 bottle per hour system. It’s on wheels for easy maneuverability and compact enough to maneuver through a standard doorframe. To get up and running, you need an operator, a standard 110-volt power supply and access to compressed air and CO2 supplies. Without changing the original footprint of the machine, operators can use modular options to fill bottles ranging from six to twenty-five ounces with enclosures ranging from corking, caging, capping, screw tops, or anything in between. The MicroBottler bottles carbonated or non-carbonated beverages directly from your bright tank, keg or vat, easily changing midstream if you want to package a batch of your craft beer in multiple ways.

  “The machine is built and engineered in-house to your specifications at our New York facility,” said Scott Lufkin, Engineer at DK Advanced Technologies. “Right out of the box, it’s fundamentally set up and assembled containing additional spare parts to replace those that are most needed or misplaced to minimize downtime. Parts that wear the most like O-rings and gaskets are standard, off the shelf components that the buyer can obtain directly from the manufacturer, saving time and money.”

  Technical support is always important when purchasing new machinery, and it’s also a major component of controlling downtime. When it’s needed, it’s usually needed right now.

  “Ours is unmatched,” said Jordan Wood, Technician at DK Advanced Technologies. “Every purchase includes a full machine manual and a short, eight-and-a-half-minute video to help complete your setup. For additional support, you’ll get our company phone number that a live person will answer, along with my number, and our engineer’s number. We are open to conversations by text, message, conference call, email and face time. We take the time to solve your problem, 24 hours a day. Our machines are very user-friendly, with setup and system changes able to be accomplished with only five tools to match the packaging job at hand.”

Specialty Brews And Bottles Are The Perfect Combo

  “We’re seeing bottles used mostly for specialized packaging,” said Andrew Ferguson, Product Manager for Wild Goose Canning – Meheen Manufacturing in Louisville, Colorado. “The need is still there. Craft brewers have to compete with national and international beers for shelf space. It’s sometimes easier to get that space in the warm storage areas using the popular 22 to 24-ounce bottles. Both glass and alumapak bottles are a great choice and work for water, wine, mixed drinks, kombucha and even cannabis mixes. Alumapak bottles are filled on the same bottling machinery as the glass bottles, just requiring a different cap enclosure.”

  Meheen is a bottling technologies company that prides itself on helping craft breweries deliver quality, consistent, packaged craft beer. They have become intensely focused on the filling technology of packaging, working with strategic partners equally focused on the other integral parts of the bottling system to fully outfit breweries to their unique specifications. With the help of these strategic partners, Meheen provides end to end lines for bottling and packaging.

  “Meheen bottling units are very responsive and easy to use,” said Ferguson. “We’ve traditionally sold two, four or six head fillers as standalone units based on the brewery’s fill rate and bottle format. With our updated bottle filling systems, we now can provide all of those format styles for use on one unified frame, so expenses are kept down by only having to buy the needed filler head.”

  Meheen units are fully integrated technologically for remote connectivity when needed. Ferguson tells Beverage Master Magazine that the filling units are touch screen operated with the ability to save format settings, so once successfully configured they can be retrieved with the touch of the screen.

  “Our tech teams stay on-site through the installation until the users are up to speed on the systems,” said Ferguson. “But should the brewer need help, Meheen technicians can remotely tap into, troubleshoot and run diagnostic tests based on your system’s error codes and current running information to keep downtime to a minimum.”

  “With packaging systems, there is always more innovation regarding the faster and easier transition between bottle formats and sizes,” said Ferguson. “From smaller, manual style bottling through fully automated, high-speed systems, our goal is to hit on all budgets and be a craft brewer’s one-stop-shop for bottling and packaging system acquisition and installation.”

Technology To Bottle Your Passion

  Randy Kingsbury, owner of XpressFill Systems LLC, knows that craft brewers want and need an affordable, well designed, low maintenance filler that will get their craft beer on the shelf. Since 2007, XpressFill Systems has been filling that need with their affordable, long-lasting, easy to use, premium bottle and can filling systems manufactured in America using only the highest quality components available.

  “When looking for a bottling or canning system, read reviews, check with others that are using the system and look for a good warranty with corresponding technical support and parts availability,” said Kingsbury. “For the craft brewer looking to fill up to 400 bottles or 600 cans per hour directly from their keg or brite tank, our XpressFill systems are a perfect choice.”

  The lightweight XpressFill system is a craft brewer’s dream, designed as a plug-and-play tabletop unit that needs only electricity, air and CO2 supplies to start filling bottles or cans using either a two or four head filler. XpressFill systems are sold worldwide and are routinely engineered specifically for each customer’s packaging and business needs.

  “We do customizations all the time,” said Kingsbury. “We tweak our machines in house to match brewery specifications whether it’s for different sized bottles or cans, including crowlers. The finishing setup is as easy and straightforward as possible, but we are available by phone to help or just for additional information. There are also YouTube videos, photos and manuals available. Honestly, the hardest part of the setup is finding your beer’s unique balance regarding the pressures that it can handle. You have to know your beers and how much pressure they need and can tolerate for proper filling. That balance is always dependent on the product, the environment, working conditions and bottling temperatures. It’s different in every situation.”

  Kingsbury tells Beverage Master Magazine that they are always working on simplifying the methods needed to verify and maintain proper filling measurements, including improvements in weighing systems. “It’s easy to see the filler results while bottling because you can see through the glass,” said Kingsbury. “But when canning your beer, it’s not so easy. You have to rely on your measuring systems and physical checks after the product is packaged.”

  “Craft brewers are usually budget and space-oriented, so you should start small and step up as needed,” said Kingsbury. “Recognize your place in your local craft brewing industry and proceed accordingly. You may have really big plans for the future, and that’s great, but it’s always best to manage your money wisely and cautiously. Design your system conservatively by focusing on getting an easy to use and maintain bottling or canning system that serves your present needs.”

Reliability, Speed & Innovation

  Krones AG is the world’s leading manufacturer of filling and packaging technology and is commonplace in many global sized breweries. They remain focused on keeping energy consumption low while offering efficient resource utilization. The Krones system can be found in many popular breweries regardless of size.

  “We’ve had our current Krones line for over a decade, and plan on upgrading our packing equipment, cleaning stations and inspecting and conveying operation this upcoming March,” said Dick Leinenkugel, President of Leinenkugel Brewing Company. “Our brewery workers manage, monitor, change or control our processes using available screens and PLC logic. It’s user-friendly with additional access to some functions by smartphone, laptop or tablet when needed. The training is pretty straightforward including both vendor and equipment manufacturer led classroom sessions and on the job training,”

  Leinenkugel told Beverage Master Magazine that although technical support is always important, they use Reliability Centered Maintenance as their approach to defining maintenance tasks and frequency intervals. “We currently run traditional 12-ounce, long neck, no-return bottles at a rate of 475 bottles per minute for both 12 and 24 packs, so we do have consumable or high wear parts readily available,” said Leinenkugel. “Then we use preventive or predictive tools to help us plan repairs or replacement tasks and retain the needed technical support to get those accomplished.”

  “The main thing when looking at bottling systems is to involve your brewery workers upfront in the design function,” said Leinenkugel. “Safety and ease of cleaning are important and welcomed. Look for reliable, simple and robust equipment that is easy to be trained on, use and maintain. Seek out manufacturers that design out waste and overproduction and design in energy efficiency to lower overall operating costs. In the end, your system depends on your unique situation.”

  Abita Brewing Company has used a Krones bottling line for over eight years. They currently run 400 bottles or cans per minute and are planning a new addition using manufacturers Garvey, Omni, PakTech and Switchback to improve efficiency and offer customers more variety in package types. 

  “All of our equipment uses a Human Machine Interface (HMI) to allow operators and maintenance to operate and repair the systems,” said Christopher Bradley, Sr Packaging and Automation Manager, Abita Brewing Company. “They are Automation PC powered touchscreens working with other Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC’s) and safety systems. A Line Data System (LDS) monitors our system via an internal network and server, providing real-time data to help us look for efficiency gaps or machine issues.”

  Bradley tells Beverage Master Magazine that while they have the ability, they don’t allow remote operation of their systems due to the risks and dangers involved. And because obtaining parts can sometimes be a challenge, they stock many replacement parts to prevent large periods of downtime. There is additional support available from their OEM and other outside sources.

  “Innovations allowing for speed and efficiency improvements are coming at a fast pace in this industry,” said Bradley. “Bottling systems are tailor-made for the needs of the customer. When designing your system, use an experienced firm to make determinations on present and future needs. Pay close attention to details. Things that may be simple to implement during the design phase can cost several times that amount if done post-production. Everything from the placement of a light fixture or a convenience outlet could save years’ worth of headaches and expenses.”

  With the 2009 acquisition of Kosme, an Italian based producer and developer of packaging and filling lines for lower output beverage industries, the Krones technology became more accessible to the craft beer industry.

  Brad Branco is the Packaging Manager at O’Fallon Brewery, a regional craft brewery in Maryland Heights, Missouri. They’ve used a Krones Kosme bottling line for about five years, including a depalletizer, a pressure-sensitive labeling system, a rotary filler head and rinser. It was in place when Branco joined the company, and definitely allows room for growth.

  “Honestly, it’s oversized for us right now, but it’s a very good machine, and I’ll always take faster processes over slower,” said Branco. “We use a 28 head rotary filler with a max speed of 9000 bottles per hour, which equates to about 150 bottles per minute or about 25 barrels per hour if speaking in volume. We can empty a 100-gallon brite tank in four to five hours.”

  The Kosme system is windows based and can be manipulated remotely, but Branco tells Beverage Master Magazine that at their facility, there is always an operator on-site, negating any need for remote operation.

  “The Kosme bottling and packaging system is Italian made, which brings with it a learning curve,” said Branco. “Initially it was a bit of a language struggle with the tech support being all Italian speaking. It was a challenge if you needed a proprietary part or something non-standard. We’re good now, and there’s a parts distributor in Wisconsin that carries the most common parts. But Google translate was our best friend for quite some time. You can still have an issue and have to wait for something, but through technical support and speaking with other breweries that have the same equipment, we’ve learned the best replacement parts to keep on hand. It’s all about planning. All in all, this is a great filler that doesn’t lend itself to failure. It’s all metric, with blocks and modules that are easily and fully accessible. In that sense, it’s what I consider a simple machine.”