Forward-thinking Alphabet Brewing Uses Siemens to Improve Processing
25/07/2017 Siemens plc
* Young brewery develops new twists on old favourites of beer, lager and stout* Siemens LOGO technology brings efficiency to the operation
Alphabet Brewing Company in Manchester is only in its third year of operation - unusual in an industry where many breweries are centuries old. Yet it already offers a dozen different beers, all with a modern twist.
The enthusiasm of its founder, Joe Fearnhead, has seen this young brewery go from strength to strength, helped in part by a growing fan base, fully owned retail outlets and pubs, and a regular food festival combined with tasting experiences at the Brew Yard.
Owner Joe is behind such new takes on traditional ales as Crate Digger Coffee Stout, packing a punch at 8.3% alcoholic content, or Bone Dry Ray's Amber Rye Beer, Hoi Polloi Pilsner and a raspberry and vanilla pale ale named Gogglebox.
With rapid growth and limited resources, computer science graduate Joe needed to improve some of the automation tasks at the brewery and a chance meeting with Siemens at a beer festival last year proved just the ticket: "Far from offering complex and expensive solutions, the Siemens team showed me a really simple automation option that would bring lasting benefits and improve the consistency of our fermentation processes. I was pleasantly surprised by the solution and it helped take us up a stage in our development."
LOGO is an intelligent logic module ideal for smaller scale automation tasks, like controlling the fermentation temperatures at Alphabet Brewing. It provided a low-cost solution for Joe's team, giving them accurate temperature monitoring and control, and data logging facilities that they previously did not have. Simple to install and easy to programme, with minimal wiring, LOGO replaces time switches, counters and relays, and has a large display (with HMI screen) and full communications options via Ethernet.
Joe had already invested in an in-house canning line, through which he is getting the brand recognised by an increasing number of retail outlets. This line has made a big difference to the more rapid expansion of the business as well as the affordable 'app' support from the Siemens LOGO system.
Manchester-based Siemens partnered integrator Intelligent Process Control installed the LOGO! 8 for Alphabet and Joe was delighted with the results. "We now have far greater accuracy over our fermentation processes and we need this as we are developing new brews all the time. LOGO is a really straightforward, effective solution for us going forward."
Future plans include implementing flow measurement using a Siemens flow meter mounted on a skid to accurately measure amounts of liquids being moved around the brewery.
Siemens account development manager Sara Nichols explained the benefits to smaller breweries: "Consistency and quality are vital to the end results in brewing, so being able to accurately control fermentation temperatures takes a lot of hard work out of the process."
For more information, please visit: www.siemens.com
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