Brewhouse equipment, systems and QA devices to see at CBC 2023

May 2, 2023CBB Editorial Staff

The Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America is next week, May 7-10, in Nashville, Tenn. Are you ready? No, you’re not. How do I know? Because you haven't yet skimmed these handy CBC 2023 previews from Craft Brewing Business! We reached out to all of the exhibitors to tell us what they’ll be showing off this year. Here is what they had to say.

Festo | Booth 261

Festo provides original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with components and systems optimized for every brewery challenge, including precise brew house control, low-waste/high-speed can and bottle filling, and efficient end-of-line packaging.

Festo I/O systems, including the new CPX-AP-I decentralized I/O, reduce wiring cost and time. Decentralized I/O makes it easier and faster to add sensors for precision control and quick response to minor issues before they become major ones. Festo shows for the first time at BrewExpo input/output blocks for its next generation control system CPX-AP-A. CPX-AP-A takes pneumatic and electric motion control to a new level of performance and capabilities.

Festo showcases IP65, IP67, and IP69 rated components, such as the IP69k-rated MPA-C valve terminal. Festo automation components, such as the MPA-C, lower wiring and panel building costs, and also bring control closer to the process for increased performance and a cleaner, more streamlined OEM solution.

The new Simplified Motion Series (SMS) combines the simplicity of pneumatic motion with the benefits of electric automation. SMS took proven machine mountable axes, such as ball screw, toothed belt, mini slide, and rotary, and integrated each of them with an onboard servo drive. Users commission two-position motion via onboard push buttons with no additional software needed.

ZIEMANN HOLVRIEKA | Booth 425

The focus of ZIEMANN HOLVRIEKA GmbH at the trade fair will be on wort preparation, tank construction and the realization of turnkey projects. Furthermore, DME Process Systems Ltd, Canada, which belongs to the same group of companies, will be presenting itself at the booth, rounding off the portfolio with solutions for smaller breweries.

In the field of wort preparation, ZIEMANN HOLVRIEKA's product range extends from the malt intake via grist mills, mash vessels, all currently available lautering systems, wort kettles and whirlpools up to wort cooling systems.

Tank construction is another proven core competence of ZIEMANN HOLVRIEKA. The world‘s largest tank manufacturer covers this segment with all types of stainless steel tanks and silos. Their hygienic design guarantees maximum biological product safety. The tanks are preferably delivered in one piece, otherwise they are assembled directly on site using the company's own technologies.

G&D Chillers | Booth 845

G&D Chillers added micro-channel condensers for improved efficiency and performance. The new condensers are designed for less power draw, lighter weight, and a more compact design. G&D Chillers’ range of custom glycol chillers, which are used by industry leading breweries like Guinness (owned by Diageo), are designed to draw less power with a lighter operating weight and more compact design. These chillers now use a fraction of the refrigerant over traditional chillers, which provides less opportunity for leaks and lower global warming potential.

"The chiller is the heartbeat of any brewery," says Justin Thomas, president and owner of G&D Chillers. "Owners invest a great deal of money on equipment, as well as hours and days making their final product. But if the chiller goes down, all of that is out the window. Our new micro-channel condensers show how we’re always innovating to bring exceptional technology and service to our customers so they can stay on top of their game."

Benefits of micro-channel technology include smaller horsepower fan motors for less noise and less power draw for more efficiency, 70% lighter condensers for the same performance with easier shipping and roof placements and up to 70% lower refrigerant charges.

G&D Chillers also offers piping design and consultation, where the company's team of engineers, designers and technicians will work together with a customer as a value-added service to ensure maximum efficiency.

Alfa Laval | Booth 1007

Alfa Laval's innovative craft brewing equipment and solutions – from individual components and process modules to turn-key projects — are designed and manufactured for independent local craft breweries to improve beer quality, optimize production, improve yields, and reduce costs, energy and environmental impacts. By enabling tight control over your brewing process and costs, they can help you craft exceptional beers. This year, they are showcasing several process solutions:

ROLEC | Booth 1025

ROLEC company is based in Chieming (Germany) and is specialized in the design and production of brewing equipment. ROLEC offers competent project planning, first-class technological solutions with technology at the highest level together with reliable project execution. Together with Comac and CFT, ROLEC is one of the very few true turnkey-suppliers within the brewing industry.

ROLEC breweries for brew sizes from 10 bbl up to 400 bbl are designed specifically and suitably for the respective technical and technological needs of the breweries – with the aim to put the beer in the center and to align the technology accordingly and not vice versa.

Gusmer | Booth 2513

This year at CBC, Gusmer has several new product offerings including Chr. Hansen's SmartBev Frozen Liquid Yeast (FLY), the CDR BeerLab, and Gusmer's MicroElements Hard Seltzer HG Nutrients.

The CDR BeerLab is a robust, maintenance-free LED photometer with built-in brewing software that provides brewers a reliable platform to perform rapid, enzymatic based wet chemistry. Reagents and cuvettes for specific tests are bundled together in lot controlled, process validated test kits, ensuring a high degree of convenience and analytical precision. Results are obtained in a matter of minutes, providing brewers key information to make rapid decisions.

GF Piping Systems | Booth 2717

COOL-FIT PE Plus pre-insulated plastic piping systems from GF Piping Systems make cooling applications more efficient at every stage of the project. Installation is far quicker than stainless steel systems, and COOL-FIT PE Plus piping weighs 65% less, making the product perfect for buildings with challenging load bearings. COOL-FIT PE Plus systems are 100% maintenance free, with fully plastic media pipe that is free of corrosion and scaling.

The equally corrosion-free jacket pipe is UV resistant. The vapor-tight system can even be power washed with no degradation of the closed-cell insulation due to water uptake. Thanks to the lower thermal conductivity of the plastic piping and the superior insulating properties of the foam insulation, COOL-FIT PE Plus is significantly more energy efficient than other systems as well, reducing both cost and carbon footprint. Offerings in the COOL-FIT PE Plus line include ball and butterfly valves, a wide array of fittings, and uncomplicated flange connections for connecting to existing metal systems.

Midwest Microbio | Booth 2854

Midwest Microbio‘s qPCR-based beer spoiler screening system was built from the ground up specifically for the beverage industry. The system really shines in some key areas:

Users are able to detect all beer spoilers down to a sensitivity of 1 cell / mL in under 90 minutes from raw sample to test report, without using any enrichment broths or plates.

Since they are using Quantabio's newest Q thermocycler, there's no maintenance contract or software licenses to worry about, and no tiny LCD screens to squint at, as everything is run on a computer and all data and test reports can be saved for future reference.

The team at Midwest Microbio trains their users to build their own test kits, saving them up to 95% vs the competition. Payback periods are as short as 3 months. All in, their users are spending less than $5 per sample to screen for all spoilers.

No PhD required! With workflows optimized for the modern brewery, pretty much anyone can learn to use the system. Start up and training is one on one and live with one of the team's US-based specialists.