28 BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS Bermondsey-based craft brewer Fourpure has announced a £2.5million investment into the development of its brewery, which has seen capacity increase by 400%. Investing in a state-of-the-art, four- vessel CRAFT-STAR™ brewing system from GEA, the company has positioned itself at the forefront of technological advancement within the UK beer industry. The new brewery also sees the implementation of 12 new 200-hectolitre fermentation tanks. In addition, Bulk Storage and Process Systems Ltd has supplied and installed two new 27t pale and lager malt silos, 4-roll Malt Mill, grist case and control system, enabling Fourpure to crush its own grain on site, giving greater control over production. As a result the team now brew up to eight times a day, which will increase output to over 14 million pints per year. “The addition of the bulk malt silos and milling has reduced manual handling and has given us control over the accuracy of our grist sample, this affords us better yields delivering accurate grist weigh directly to the new Brewhouse” said Sean Knight, Head of Operations at Fourpure Brewing Co. The cutting-edge CRAFT-START™ system, supplied by technology leading GEA, incorporates a mash tun, lauter tun, brew kettle and a whirlpool, facilitating the production of exceptional quality beer. CRAFT-STAR™ is GEA’s most compact brewhouse, ready-engineered, completely pre-piped, pre-wired and tested prior to shipping. Available in either a 2-, 3- or 4-vessel configuration, allowing for up to 7 brews per day, its vessels are oversized to handle high gravity recipes and the greatest versatility in beer styles. Fourpure also has the GEA ‘Plug & Win’ separator for craft brewers which reduces the production time by 30 percent while generating up to ten percent higher yields. Co-founder of Fourpure, Daniel Lowe, commented: “Coming from a technology background, I have always wanted to invest in this element of the business as much as we can, to keep innovating and to ensure we are best in class. This new brewing system is one of the best in the world and the first of its kind in the UK.” To support this crucial expansion, Close Brothers Brewery Rentals (CBBR) was able to provide a Hire Purchase facility to fund the new Brewhouse. In depth understanding of the industry and the equipment required enabled Fourpure and CBBR to arrange this complex deal in a time frame to suit the brewery. In addition to equipment, CBBR have also supported Fourpure by providing a further funding facility to assist with the future keg procurement requirements that they will continue to have as a result of this growth. The investment follows numerous initiatives, implemented by co-founders and brothers Dan and Tom Lowe, prioritising the quality of people, process and production from the ground up. Recently this included sending all employees on a beer sensory training programme and installing a top of the range canning line as well as a full chemical and microbiological beer-testing laboratory at the site in Bermondsey. The brewery’s latest development has also seen significant enhancements made to the customer taproom with upgrades being implemented to make the venue more comfortable, including family and wheelchair friendly amenities. Customers can enjoy up to 20 taps of the latest seasonal releases including Fourpure’s renowned flagship stable and with the construction of a viewing gallery, mezzanine and glass-walled meeting rooms (which will be available to hire), the brewery is well set up for more extensive hospitality. The brewery held a large public launch event on Saturday February 10th. The focus of the launch was to showcase its brewing capabilities as well as six very different and brand new small batch beers on show, in addition to brewery tours, street food, live music and talks. Fourpure announces landmark brewery extension with ‘UK first’ system PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT News gea.com www.closebreweryrentals.co.uk www.bulksystems.co.uk For more information visit: 28_Layout 1 12/02/2018 14:55 Page 1