Malt & Brewery

Craft beers, which started in the US, are becoming increasingly popular throughout the UK and Europe. They are brewed by small, independent breweries using traditional methods to give them a greater taste. These niche beers appeal to young professionals in particular, and the market for them is starting to take off in Barcelona. The Garage Beer Company is therefore well placed to benefit from growing demand in such a hip and vibrant city. In fact, the business is already attracting a lot of attention.

Customer:

Garage Beer Company

Industry:

Food, Beer & Barley

Materials:

Malt

Equipment:

M-75 Powderflight Conveyor

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challenges

When the Garage Beer Company took the decision to set up in Barcelona, the owners did not foresee the problems they would have in adhering to strict city regulations relating to noise disruption. The regulations specified that sound insulation had to be applied not just to the ceiling of the brewery but also the brew house floor. In effect the business was losing 45cm of ceiling height due to sound insulation, which left little room for the brewery plant.

At this point the owners had already formalised the agreement for the brewery plant so they had to work within the boundaries they were given. This meant they needed to find a way to transport malt into the mash tun without handling it too roughly, and without the conveyor taking up too much space.

David Welsh had experience of running a sizeable regional brewery and he was called in as the brewery consultant. David had previously dealt with Phil Booth at UniTrak Powderflight on another project and so he was familiar with some of the company’s machinery. He visited UniTrak’s Glossop factory where he met Nick Webber to discuss the equipment layout.

David’s initial idea was to opt for a flexible screw, but space in the brewery building is limited and flexible screws are flexible only to a certain extent. After being shown the Powderflight M75 Conveyor David, decided that it would be an ideal solution.

Custom -
Erization

The M75 Powderflight Conveyor transports 25kg bags of malt and lifts the malt to a point over the mash tun. It is then dropped into a hydrator where it is mixed with hot water to form a mixture called the mash.

The M75 Conveyor benefits from the following features:
• Minimal headroom requirement.
• A compact hopper and grille.
• A steep (adjustable) operating angle.
• Low noise level.
• Stainless steel contact parts.
• Powder coated non-contact parts.

As well as operating in restricted spaces, Powderflight Conveyors are suitable for a wide range of materials. They maintain low noise levels during operation, have low power requirements and are cost effective to use. If David hadn’t discovered the M75 Powderflight Conveyor, the Garage Beer Company would have had problems conforming to the noise regulations, as the remaining space would have been insufficient to function as a brewery.

The Powderflight Conveyor was delivered by road to the Garage Beer Company, and after a simple installation the conveyor was ready for use.

David found the UniTrak staff very supportive. The machine has performed well since it was installed and any minor detail has been quickly attended to by Nick Webber. UniTrak Powderflight provide spare parts and maintenance for all their machines and deliver the parts to customers worldwide.

Solutions

The Garage Beer Company is described as a brewery with a tasting room, and is a seven point five barrel plant. Use of the UniTrak Powderflight M75 Conveyor has been instrumental in getting the business up and running. David has been so pleased with his experience of dealing with UniTrak Powderflight that he has invited Phil Booth and Nick Webber to visit Barcelona so that they can see the machinery in action. They may also like to sample the end product that UniTrak Powderflight has played a key part in creating.

“COMING ACROSS THE UNITRAK POWDERFLIGHT CONVEYOR WAS A REAL BOOST. UP UNTIL THEN IT LOOKED LIKE WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO SETTLE FOR A NOISY AUGUR WHICH WOULD HAVE TAKEN UP TOO MUCH SPACE. THE UP CONVEYOR IS SURPRISINGLY QUIET AND HAS A SMALL FOOTPRINT.”

– David Welsh, GBC Consultant

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