“Craft” beer has the sound of a hipster trend, but the oldest known recipe actually dates back at least 3,900 years to ancient Mesopotamia (now Iraq).
That ancient Ninkasi beer, though, had a flavor profile that would be right at home in any craft brew sampler today. It had a dry, effervescent beer with an alcohol concentration of 3.5% by weight and a taste similar to a hard apple cider with the fragrance of dates, according to Dr. Solomon Katz, a bioanthropologist at the University of Pennsylvania, and Fritz Maytag, the owner of Anchor Brewing, who re-created the beer from the “Hymn to Ninkasi” in 1988.
Taste and alcohol content are where the similarities end, however.
Katz and Maytag didn’t try to re-create the beer using the exact raw material harvesting and production practices of the ancient Sumerians. They used the modern (at the time) production facility of the Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco.
Today, even small craft brewers can tap into the more advanced automation, real-time monitoring, and predictive analysis of the large-scale IoT production plants.
“The technologies that only the big breweries could afford have been scaled down to the point that any size operation can afford to use them,” notes ICC Controls Engineering Manager Jeremy McCormick. “That said, there has been a little bit of reluctance among craft brewers, who are very dedicated to the art of their craft.”
What IoT can do for craft brewers is automate the routine, mundane processes that eat up time and resources and literally keep them up at night, so they can concentrate on the unique alchemy that defines their brews while still getting product out the door.
Specifics, you ask?
Everything, from entire control systems down to a single-process device (i.e., flow meter, motor, valve, etc.) can be completely interconnected. Because it’s all connected and online, process optimization engineers can access real-time process key performance indicators that allow them to streamline the process.
This data can even be brought into predictive analytics to allow a control system to learn to optimize its own processes. “For example, typically a brewer can set up a fermentation batch to run at a set time and a certain temperature. Since fermentation occurs at different rates from one batch to the next, sensors in the system can alert operations managers if a batch is done earlier or will need more time than expected,” says McCormick. “The result is a more consistent product from batch to batch, along with more efficient production.”
Brewers can also get data analytics from individual batch reports, giving them feedback that can help brew masters improve or create new recipes.
Real-time visibility into a craft brewery’s operations allows brewers to manage equipment and processes from anywhere via their smartphone, rather than having to be onsite at all times to manually monitor and control temperatures and flows.
Less Guesswork Means Fewer Hats
It’s not as complicated or expensive as it sounds. IoT sensors for temperature, flow monitoring, and other crucial functions can be added easily to any existing infrastructure without significant alterations.
The payoff for craft brewers is cost savings and improved efficiency, by:
- Reducing use of on-site support staff for monitoring and troubleshooting
- Eliminating time-consuming staff training that cuts into production time and product quality
- Streamlining production processes for maximum output and quality
- Reducing losses from “bad” batches
- Reducing utility use and the overall facility footprint
Craft brewers wear a lot of different hats, but they can hang a few of them on IoT. Because IoT helps remove the guesswork from the production process, expect to see more craft brewers using it to full advantage to explore new recipes, expand their offerings, and bring more flavor to their communities.
About the authors: Alex Alexandrov is President of ICC Turnkey, an ICC Group company and professional provider of engineering and design-build services headquartered in St. Louis, MO. Jeremy McCormick is the Controls Engineering Manager of ICC Turnkey.
Edited by
Ken Briodagh
