A milestone in Krones’ history
On 19 June 2018, at Steinecker’s facility in Freising, history was written. Following a good year of construction work, our new experimental brewery opened its doors: the Steinecker Brew Center.
The inauguration was attended by a total of 250 guests from clients and the sector as a whole. They included members of Krones’ Executive Board, experts from academia, various clients and vendors, plus staff involved in creating and completing the pilot plant. Supervisory Board Chairman Volker Kronseder also insisted on being present for this path-breaking event.
The programme was quite something! One of the highlights for the visitors was a tasting of the first five beer varieties specially created in the Steinecker Brew Center for the inauguration ceremony. Special recipes had already been developed for these first brews. For example, not only were familiar beers like Pilsner, Helles and wheat beer brewed, but also two authentic specialties – a potent India Pale Ale and a dark festival beer.
These brews marked the end of the exciting process of commissioning, for which we drew upon the expertise of all our colleagues. The fact that the beers were so well received by the guests made all the hard work of the past few weeks and months worth while, and is all the more gratifying for that. It can safely be said that the optimum working conditions that the Brew Center with all its technical refinements offers have also more tan justified rendered the efforts beforehand. 😉
The Steinecker Brew Center is the world’s most sophisticated experimental brewery, and gladdens the hearts not only of brewers. With the kit planned in accordance with Steinecker’s philosophy, all brewing processes used worldwide can be selectively and reproducibly imaged. The pilot plant is fitted with the appropriate machines, and can thus cope with all conceivable scenarios, which opens up numerous new options in terms of research and development.
Specifically, this is what it looks like: with a capacity of 5 hl, the system is constructed as a modularised 5-vessel brewhouse. The basic configuration, comprising mash tun, wort copper, lauter tun, sedimentation tank and whirlpool, is equipped with an abundance of sophisticated kit. Besides a high-pressure hot-water heater, various wort boiling systems and energy recovery features, a multiplicity of measuring instruments ensure comprehensive production data acquisition. In addition, variable-use machines like mash filter, decanter and centrifuge also enable further brewing processes to be utilised and examined. The BOTEC F1 process control system guarantees complete automation of the kit together with high flexibility of the processes desired. With the arrival of digitalisation and Industry 4.0, clients from all over the world can experience the brewing process digitally as well, and communicate with the brewmaster live by camera. What more could one wish for?
In this new competence centre, we can now conduct research and trials together with and for our clients, so as to develop new recipes, for example, or optimise already-existing processes.
Besides the clients, our staff will also benefit from the new pilot plant. For example, technological commissioning engineers can be trained directly. Basically, a large number of mechanical, electrical and process-technological training options are conceivable that will be implemented in the future.
For the future, the first ideas from the in-house research department are ready and waiting, and we’re looking forward to being able to conduct in the first field tests.
With the inauguration of the Steinecker Brew Center, Krones AG will be able to further underline its status as the world’s market leader when it comes to kit for producing, filling and packaging beverages and liquid foods.
I’m looking forward to the first shared steps with our clients for creating and testing innovations. And to keep you up to date as well, I shall of course be posting more reports.
