laboratory informatics


yeast, and other testing determines the exact strains that exist in the product, as well as the condition of the yeast throughout its process. Tis is done to keep the wild yeast strains out of the beer, so that the finished product has only those strains that are desired. Even in these examples, there are


still processes that are not linked to a system. At Bell’s, tanks clearly still have clipboards attached to them. At BBC, some measurements are still taken with handheld, standalone instruments. Gardner says: ‘At BBC, you’d readily find paper records as well, but they’re working hard to improve that. It’s as much a culture change as it is a technology change. Paper is simple


MANUAL PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS ARE STILL PROMINENT IN THE BEER INDUSTRY


and tangible, and technology is difficult – particularly when consideration is not given to the corresponding culture change. But the benefits are huge; getting data into the system, and getting rid of the paper, allows BBC to get more eyes on the data and allows them to make better decisions quickly.’ Tese breweries’ processes are now


differently each time, but there are many biochemical and agricultural variables intrinsic to the brewing process, providing many opportunities for things to go awry. Additionally, liquid products have


their own special needs; volume is not always as clear to measure as weight. Most soſtware systems are proficient with dry measurements, but making and managing liquid measurements can be tricky. Integrating this data between systems is difficult. Chemical manufacturing, however, is


oſten based on specific formulas. Brewing is probably more different than similar to the production of liquids in a chemical plant, just because of the variations in the brewing process. Additionally, the varieties of yeast used


in brewing require specific management and testing. Brewers add yeast strains that they want in their products, but other yeast strains can grow on their own. Some amount of testing is done to manage the desired


www.scientific-computing.com l


increasing the amount of data they must manage. As each brewery pushes to brew fresher and fresher beer, there are more production runs, generating more testing data.


R&D Research and development (R&D) is somewhat different for these breweries than in other industries. Bell’s is unique in that it has no R&D laboratory; instead it owns a brewpub that is operated independently of the plant. If the brewpub produces beer that becomes especially popular, they let the plant know that this beer has potential for going into the larger process at the plant. Concurrently, the plant comes up with its own new products for packaging. Bell’s owner, Laura Bell, works with the head brewer to develop ideas for products they want to try, and they just make them. Unlike the largest brewers, at Bell’s, these two people can make a decision about what to try next, and just make the trial product. At BBC, R&D work has traditionally fallen


on a few shoulders, but in recent years that has changed. A new product development team works tirelessly at the company’s


@scwmagazine


R&D brewery in Boston to develop new beer styles. Efforts are currently under way to deploy informatics solutions to this group as well. Te rigidity of a production brewing system would not appropriately accommodate the needs of a new product development group. Nevertheless, data analysis is important, so striking a balance in which new product development remains flexible, while data is retrievable, is critical for success.


More growth issues Although Bell’s and BBC are relatively large, they still do much laboratory work manually, compared to the very largest breweries. In the pharmaceutical industry, even small companies purchase automated systems and do quite a lot of integration. However, except for the very largest brewers, manual processes and systems are still prominent in the beer industry. Tere are few brewers in the United


States larger than the largest craſt brewers, such as Bell’s and BBC. However, if these two companies continue to grow, one more issue they might need to address is that of a continuous process. Today, Bell’s and BBC view every part of production relevant to the LIMS as something that happens in a tank. However, the world’s largest brewers are using continuous feeds for popular products. Sampling is somewhat different in these processes, and the concept of a material lot changes since multiple lots of material are being pumped through the pipes. Tis does affect the process within systems such as LIMS and ELNs.


Craft products Whether beer is delivered to us in draught or packaged form, it requires proper care in manufacturing, just as other products do. While we might see craſt beer production as something of an art, the consumer will not tolerate large variations in it, which means that the scientific part of the process will continue to be important to the brewing industry. l


*Andrew Koehring’s title on his business card is literally ‘*’ to denote that he ‘wears a wide variety of hats’.


Gloria Metrick is the owner of GeoMetrick Enterprises (www.geometrick.com), specialising in the implementation of Thermo Scientific SampleManager and the LabWare LIMS/ELN products. GeoMetrick Enterprises is the home of Out on a LIMS: The Newsletter and Blog For People Who Risk Life and LIMS on a Daily Basis.


DECEMBER 2015/JANUARY 2016 7


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40