Whilst the extraordinary growth in the UK microbrewing sector continues, many of the major players from the brewing industry and from outside come to that, are starting to invest. With them comes a degree of profession- alism and industrial process beyond the resources of the large majority in the business. As such craft brewers can’t afford to rest on their laurels, they need to work hard to get their product into that limited shelf and bar space. When considerable effort has gone into achieving a brew that meets the aims of its maker, getting it to the customer in the same condition is crucial. In a market where small pack products, bottles and cans, represents a strong and sizable proportion of production, the competition is fierce. Many brewers, therefore have the added headache of having to get their baby to their chosen packaging supplier in tip-top condition. The received wisdom in this area was always to opt for the bottle and cage ‘Schutz’ type IBC, able to hold 1000ltrs of product and designed for easy mechanical handling by shippers etc. For a number of years now however, there has been an alternative, and says Arlington, a far superior means of transporting ale in semi bulk quantities to the packaging plant, the bag-in-box IBC. An example of this is the Arlington Beer Combo, an all plastic bag-in-box returnable transport solution whose advantages over traditional methods represent one way in which the independent brewer can keep up with the processes of the larger players without breaking the bank. The number one reason why it is proving so effective is probably the single use liner bag. The Beer Combo itself is a large collapsible plastic box designed to be robust, easy to clean, store and transport. The clever part is the single use liner ‘bag’ which sits inside the Combo ‘box’. The liner is guaranteed clean (made in a food grade BRC IOP certified environment) and incorporates all of its own inlet/outlet features, thus removing all of the cost, time and uncertainty associated with the cleaning of traditional rigid containers (including tankers). Continued on page 20 18 BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS Beer Combo returnable transport solution Glass manufacturer Beatson Clark has introduced a new decoration service for brewers looking for an innovative and creative way to make their bottles stand out on the shelf. Beer bottles made by the long- established South Yorkshire company can now be spray coated black to give them an unusual and luxurious appeal. Beatson Clark showcased some of the black beer bottles at BeerX in Liverpool in March and they were extremely popular among delegates attending from the brewing industry. Black spray coating is perfect for the crowded craft beer market, where the choice for consumers is so varied that breweries are constantly looking for new packaging ideas that will catch the eye. The water-based spray coating is cured at around 195°C, which produces a very durable finish resistant to scratches and scuffs. Beatson Clark offers the spray coating decoration from only 50,000 units from its extensive range of stock beer bottles. Decorating beer bottles using this process can be much more cost-effective than creating an entirely new bottle made from black glass. Not only are they good to look at, but says Charlotte Taylor, Marketing Manager at Beatson Clark, the black spray coated glass is also excellent at protecting the beer inside the bottle. “Our amber glass already protects the product inside from a minimum of 90% of UV rays on average, but the additional black coating would enhance this protection by up to 100%,” said Charlotte. “We deliver the products ready sprayed, and we can also supply customised closures and other decorative options such as sleeving, labelling and screen- printing. To find out more about black spray coated beer bottles, or any other kind of glass container, call Beatson Clark on 01709 828141 Welcome to the Dark Side! CONTAINERS Showcase www.beatsonclark.co.uk For more information visit: 18_Layout 1 16/05/2018 13:04 Page 1