Ontario District
One-Day Technical Conference
January 25 & 26, 2007
REPORT

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On Thursday January 25, the MBAC Technical Committee presented the topic on “Quality Control in the Brewery”. With 45 people in attendance, the presenter kept the session entertaining and very informative. Judging from the comments after the session, this format is worth keeping.

Later on in the evening, the attendees were able to meet and exchange tall tales with their friends at the Beer Stub. This event was very well attended also.

On Friday January 26, the day started with Jamie Jurado of Gambrinus speaking about “Optimal Beer Dispense Engineering at the Tavern”. Jamie provided an overview of the scope of draft beer sales. Then, he explored the key design aspects of beer draft dispense systems with a look at cleaning and dispense parameters. Finally, he reviewed the issue of loss minimization and reduction of shrinkage.

The second speaker, Mark Caramount of Rockwell expanded on the topic of “S88 for the Entire Brewery”. He elaborated on how it has evolved from ISA S88 standard in the early 1990’s. Mark highlighted some of the key concepts and proposed clarifications for some of these concepts. He looked at real world Brewhouse examples and methodologies. He discussed how they can be applied to the Packaging world and then in turn, illustrated how one design philosophy may be incorporated across the entire brewery.

The third speaker, Udo Funk of Tuchenhagen reviewed the “Impact of Different Tank Outlets at Fermenter Tanks on the Product Quality”. Ugo pointed out how horizontal tank outlet pipes at CCT’s pose problems for the fermented products while increasing the risk of microbiological contamination after tank cleaning. Due to the lack of insulation and temperature control, undefined fermentation takes place in the horizontal pipes. This contributes to limited foam stability and off-flavour.

The fourth speaker, Dr. Thomas Buehler of Huppmann enlightened us with the topic on “Efficient Energy Use in the Brewhouse”. Tom demonstrated how several possibilities could be easily implemented in the brewhouse with a very quick return on investment. He went on to highlight the savings and quality improvements achieved in individual projects.

The fifth speaker, Don Toporowski of EnviroTower explained “Non-Chemical Treatment of Cooling Tower Water”. Don demonstrated how these new technologies save energy and water while eliminating the costs and environmental hazards associated with traditional chemical treatment. He made everyone aware that there are government grants available if a company wants to pursue these new technologies.

The sixth speaker, Mike Fletcher of Iogen expanded on “Ethanol Manufacturing”. Mike provided us with an overview on the ethanol industry with a focus on the technology employed and recent growth. He demonstrated what parts of a brewery can become ethanol plants. He concluded the presentation by touching on environmental implications, comparisons to the petroleum fuels and government policy.

The Keynote speaker Dr. Terry Dowhanick of Labatt/Inbev provided an update on “Canadian Brewing Industry Issues”. Terry gave us an overview of Canadian regulatory issues as seen by the Product Quality Committee of the Brewers Association of Canada.

During the lunch break, Kirk Massey handed over the president’s gavel to Gary Matthews. At that point, Gary asked the membership to fill out the questionnaire that will be mailed out during the month of February. This is to ensure that the Technical Committee meets the needs of the MBAC members.

Angelo Tobia reviewed the upcoming 2007 events list. The first technical session for the year is at Springfield Golf & Country Club on April 26. This is followed by the first social event at the Granite Spent Grain Bread on June 9. The third event is the Barley Field Day in Elora on July 5. The fourth event is the golf tournament at Springfield Golf and Country Club on September 7.

The second technical session is at Labatt/London on September 27. This is followed by the last technical session of the year, which is the AGM at Molson/Toronto on November 22.

Judging from the attendance, comments and members’ reaction, the ODTC was a huge success once again!