With new breweries and brewpubs popping up by the day, the competition to find quality brewers is fierce. One of the first things to do was to do some research with experienced brewers.
“I knew going into this project quality beer was going to be key, as obvious as it sounds,”
“I didn’t want an inexperienced brewer who was learning on the job or over-experimenting.
- Scalability is most certainly paramount
Many brewpub owners dream of getting distribution for their craft beers. It’s a key step in getting the exposure your brews need to find a home in other bars and restaurants. If you haven’t planned for the demand and don’t have room for storage and new brewing equipment, the dream will die very quickly.
- Your employees need to be passionate
Craft beer drinkers are aficionados. They’ll often want to know about the nuances of the brewing process, including specific ingredients. If your servers’ only response to a question about your pilsner is that it’s “the Bud Light of craft beers,” you won’t find purchase with critics or connoisseurs (cicerones, in beer-drinking parlance).
- Don’t neglect the kitchen
Putting out a quality food product — as well as having an efficiently run kitchen — is just as important as the beer.
“Correct pairing!!; is delightful!”.
If someone loves your brews but has a bad dining experience, they probably aren’t coming back.
“Running a restaurant can be a real bitch, from controlling food and labour costs to putting out a consistently good product,”
“If you’re going to serve food, it needs as much attention as the brewing.”
Permits and paperwork are going to take longer than expected, and unexpected costs will undoubtedly arise. One of these unexpected obstacles was for many installing an unforeseen water purification system.
“With water usage and the toxic chemicals used in the brewing process being a bigger concern these days, it’s important to talk with local municipalities to discuss these issues before getting married to a location,”.
“Installation of a significant waste water purification system and never mind high quality lighting equipment is going to be a part of the building process.”
Halogen lamps were once the standard choice for craft brewer’s vessel sightglass lighting.
However, a new generation of LED luminaires is growing in popularity for this application. Consider these questions to decide whether it’s time for your brewery to invest in making the switch to LEDs.
How hard is it to verify your vessels are thoroughly cleaned?
An improperly cleaned vessel can quickly lead to costly cross-batch contamination problems and unsellable products.
LED luminaires can provide twice the light output of halogens or more, so it’s easier to confirm the effectiveness of your cleaning process.
Measuring Light Levels – Vessel Lighting Measurement
What are the hidden costs associated with your halogen lights?
The output of a typical halogen bulb is 15% light and 85% heat, with the heat coming from the infrared light the bulb produces, which can’t be seen by the naked eye.
Unlike halogens, LED luminaires produce 55.6 lumens per watt of electricity consumed while producing little or no heat.
In contrast with halogen lights, which have fragile filaments, LED lights are vibration and impact resistant, offering dramatically longer lifetimes for lower maintenance costs and fewer process interruptions.
What colour do you think your beer is?
The yellowish light that halogens produce can be problematic if you need to check the beer’s colour to make process adjustments at various points. Their 2800K colour temperature also approximates dusk and can cause eye fatigue.
taste begins with the eyes………
LED luminaires typically produce a white light with a cool colour temperature that is optimal for illuminating stainless steel vessels.
Compare the perceived colour produced by halogen lights (left) with the more true to life colour when LED luminaires (right) are used.
A Reminder About the Benefits Of LEDs
If you thought that LEDs weren’t ready for industrial facilities, think again
Are your halogen lights a pain to keep clean?
Halogen bulbs are installed in a wide range of fixtures, which may or may not be optimized for food and beverage production, complicating the cleaning process. In contrast, some of the latest LED luminaire designs have a wash-down-safe, crevice-free design that is dust and waterjet tight and are constructed of food-grade stainless steel.
Does controlling your sight glass lighting require climbing a ladder?
Switching halogen lights on or off often requires climbing to the top of the vessel to access a manual switch on the light itself, raising the risk of injuries.
A growing range of LED luminaires support remote control over a broader array of operating modes, such as momentary, short timed and long timed. A variety of factory-programmable options are also available, including timer duration, initial brightness, and LED on at power up.
Do your customers prefer “greener” brewer’s?
LED luminaires provide optimal illumination while consuming just 1/10th of the energy of a conventional halogen light.
Lowering your brewery’s carbon footprint by switching to LED luminaires helps reinforce the message that you’re serious about your operation’s impact on the environment.
For more details on LED-based sightglass lighting options for craft brewing check out the luminaires that we supply.