Wiper and True Brewery makes savings in water, heating and CO2 usage

When a craft brewery set out to modernise its production process, boost sustainability and increase product yield without compromising consistency or quality, it turned to Alfa Laval for help.

Bristol-based Wiper and True is a quality-led craft brewery known for consistency and attention to detail. The company prides itself on creating beer with a reduced carbon impact by using cutting-edge technology to capture carbon dioxide produced during fermentation, preventing its release into the atmosphere.

However, as production ramped up and the business scaled to meet increasing demand, maintaining brew consistency, while limiting yield loss, became a critical priority for the company. Quality was non-negotiable, so it set out to find a solution that could improve its scalability without affecting the taste of the product.

Karl Gowing, Production Manager at Wiper and True, said: “Whenever we try to attack costs in production, the one thing we never touch is ingredients. We never buy cheaper malt, yeast or old hops because it creates a product that is cheaper in taste too. So, when we were looking to scale up our production, we were looking at how we could make sustainable efficiencies by introducing new machinery into our operation.”

Prior to approaching Alfa Laval for a solution, the brewery was using a UNI tank system in its brewing process, which meant the beer was fermented, chilled and then left to clarify in a single tank.

After speaking with the Alfa Laval team, Wiper and True decided to try the Alfa Laval Brew 80 unit, configured with the ProCarb system and feed pump. The Brew 80 separation system consists of a separator, a process and service liquid unit, and an electrical and control system. The liquid outlet is sealed mechanically by an axial hermetic seal that prevents oxidation of the clarified product, while the separator discharges solids intermittently at a fixed volume.

This system can be modified with an optional ProCarb feature – a patented inline carbonation technology that boosts productivity by combining rapid clarification with carbonation. This combination reduces the processing time from crash-cooling tanks to packaging from three days to three hours.

Alfa Laval had the Brew 80 unit available in stock in the UK, which allowed for a rapid turnaround. A team of engineers installed the ProCarb system ahead of delivery, which allowed the brewery to receive the Brew 80 and ProCarb fully prepared, ready for installation ahead of pump delivery.

Wiper and True requested on-site support for unpacking and installing the new system, so an Alfa Laval engineer attended the following morning to provide hands-on support.

Karl added: “Transitioning to a two-tank system by bringing the Brew 80 onboard has allowed us to get more beer out of a tank and move from losing 12-30% of our product to 8-9%. This means we are also achieving savings across water, heating, CO2 usage and overall energy consumption.

“Essentially, the new equipment met all the requirements for lowering our costs. It’s not simply about making things cheaper, it’s about doing them in a way that’s sustainable, using less energy and water.”

Marvin Lindner, Brewery Operations Director at Wiper and True, said: “I would consider the Brew 80 as one of the best investments we have ever made. I only have positive things to say about the kit, and I can’t imagine what brewing without the equipment would be like now.”

Mark Breese, Technical Support Specialist at Alfa Laval, said: “The compact, flexible solution suited to craft brewery operations, enabled Wiper and True to shift from traditional clarification to an efficient, sustainable, two-tank system that significantly improved beer consistency, boosted yield, and reduced environmental impact.”

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