Case Study: Balter Brewing Company
Since 2016, Balter Brewing Company has become one of Australia’s leading craft breweries with over 5,000,000 litres of beer brewed onsite each year. As demand for craft beer continually grows, the company was faced with several challenges heading into the next phase of their development.
Increasing output targets due to the brewery’s popularity had placed production limitations beyond what the DME Brewery Systems installation was designed to deliver. Wort knockout times were simply placing a limitation on the production outcomes of the brewery.
Matrix Process Solutions was asked to investigate if there was a way to increase throughput from the brew-house.
Project Objectives & Constraints
Matrix Process Solutions was tasked with the following key project objectives:
- Reduce wort knockout times by 10–20%.
- Preserve the cold liquor tank (CLT) temperature to allow for the next knockout.
- Preserve the hot liquor tank (HLT) temperature for the next brew.
- Increase production from 3–4 brews a day to 6+ brews a day.
- Improve the wort “in tank” temp profile to meet the breweries specification.
Upon further investigation, Matrix Process Solutions discovered several other elements that would place further stress on the project objectives. The solution would need to consider the following constraints:
- No extra glycol chilling capacity is available.
- No extra steam heating capacity is available.
- We have limited space.
- We cannot stop brewing, so the solution must slip in and be ready to run.
- We need the project installed and commissioned within a few weeks.
Our Products & Solutions
Our solution involved using the Alfa Laval portfolio of equipment to provide an elegant, simple and compact solution.
Alfa Laval offers the most advanced plate heat exchanger technology with an exact combination of temperature and holding time. This ensures precise regeneration to make even the most delicate food and beverages safe.
The GPHEs provide efficient heat transfer in a unit that is durable, easy to maintain and can withstand high temperatures and high pressure. The designs are easily adaptable for changing process requirements.
The Alfa Laval gasketed plate heat exchangers allowed us to increase throughput while working within limited space. There were no other products on the market that could fit into the space available while providing the same throughput we needed.
LKH pumps are used for evaporation, high-pressure, high-purity and self-priming applications. The centrifugal pumps are designed to increase productivity while providing high efficiency.
These LKH centrifugal pumps were able to increase Balter’s process productivity while providing high efficiency and gentle product handling. Designed for the food and beverage industry, LKH pumps were the perfect choice for Balter Brewery.
The brand new Alfa Laval V50ThinkTop control heads are the leading sensing and control units on the market today. These units provide unparalleled control of all Alfa Laval valves. Control and feedback are fast and intuitive with a setup that takes only seconds.
Balter Brewery was able to control their hygienic valves effortlessly with the V50ThinkTop valve control units. The composite material with a single sensor target control board can handle all valve functions and communications that the brewery needed.
The team at Balter now enjoy smart controls with 24/7 self-diagnostics, 360° LED visual status indicator that is visible from any direction, along with a long-lasting waterproof design that can withstand vibrations and thermal expansion.
Alfa Laval’s temperature instruments provide accurate and reliable measurements. The thermometer is made from corrosion-resistant materials and can provide a precise local indication of temperature along its 80 or 100 mm-diameter dials.
The Outcome
The bespoke nature of the solution required a close relationship between the Matrix engineers and the Balter Brewery team, and what was achieved was simply outstanding, a comment repeated many times onsite during the commissioning and production trials.
The process outcomes achieved in this project were well beyond the brief outlined in the scope:
- Wort knockout times were down by as much as 40% based on the end of day knockouts previously mentioned.
- CLT temps were preserved with no additional glycol capacity.
- HLT was heated for “FREE” — ready for the next brew after each knockout.
- In tank temps for the knockout, were now what was specified, with the system automation.
- The control interface was integrated into the existing brewer’s platform DME Control panel.
- ZERO interference to production during installation and commissioning.
Nick Loeve | brewery production manager
“The unique solution from Matrix enabled us to scale up the output of our existing brewhouse without having to compromise on product quality or workload“.
Andrew Raine | director and engineering manager
“The bespoke skid provides an elegant solution to a problem that many craft breweries experience as they reach the design capacity of their existing brewhouse systems”.
We Work With Breweries
At Matrix Process Solutions, we have worked extensively with breweries over the years with leading names such as CUB, Asahi Beverages, Balter Brewing Company and Cascade Brewery, to name a few.
We understand that innovation is key to staying competitive in a diverse market with established and emerging products. With many elements to consider from concentration to centrifugal separation, we believe our extensive product range can help your business.
We offer a wide range of sanitary pumps such as our centrifugal or rotary lobe pumps. Each pump was developed to meet the wide range of demands and standards for breweries, with high performance, reliability and flexibly of use.
Our comprehensive range of hygienic valves, such as our butterfly, single seat and mixproof valves are designed to meet any customer specification. They are the ideal choice for the beverage industry with the highest levels of hygiene and reliability.
Matrix Process Solutions offers several automation units, like our indication units or positioners, that provide exception surveillance and control over fluid handling. Our control units have been tested and are well-proven to provide maximum safety and accuracy.
Alfa Laval’s instrumentation tools, including our pressure instruments and level instruments, offer precise measurements of pressure, temperature and flow. These instruments were designed to help breweries analyse their equipment and production accuracy.
The tank equipment at Matrix Process Solutions, including our rotary jet heads and manways, meet the necessary hygienic applications of beverage and brewery business alike. Our equipment can improve your energy, water and cleaning costs while reducing waste.
When looking for a product recovery system like our purge valve, you will find no better option that provides maximum yield from your processes. Reduce your waste output and cleaning fluid consumption today.
The portfolio of mixing equipment at Matrix Process Solutions, such as our ISO-mix rotary jet mixer and agitators, cater to liquid mixing in vessels that require powder addition into liquid streams. Our equipment achieves quick and effective blending.
Our tubes fittings and complimentary installation materials – like our flexible and self-sealing pipetite, are pivotal equipment that is used to connect equipment and processes where hygiene is essential. Our products meet the tight tolerances suitable for breweries.
Contact Matrix Process Solutions Today
We have the largest stockholdings and range of Alfa Laval equipment in Australia, servicing a diverse portfolio of industries Australia-wide. We service Australia-wide, visit our contact us page to find your local Matrix Process Solutions contact details today.