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BREWING & BEVERAGES


alcoholisation system. Alfa Laval understood what I was trying to achieve and worked closely with me to set the plant up and deliver great results.” Designed to help brewers looking to tap into


the nolo market with a smaller capital investment than for traditional brewery equipment, it allows for single-pass stripping at low temperatures and short residence times. Furthermore, the module can be configured to recover and dose aroma back into the product, further retaining taste. This results in the product being treated gently, removing alcohol in vacuum conditions and allowing the flavour and general quality of the drink to be retained. Crucially, production speed is not


compromised during this process, with high flow rates of up to 100hl/h. Combined with low running and maintenance costs due to a lack of rotating parts in the stripping column, the module has enjoyed increasing appeal for businesses looking to make an impact in a growing and lucrative market. “It isn’t easy to brew drinks that are truly


GETTING SMASHED IN A VACUUM


An automated beer de-alcoholisation module from Alfa Laval is helping Drynks Unlimited satisfy the demand for alcohol-free beverages


cider, it wanted to take a new approach to brewing that would retain the flavour of fully alcoholic craft beer, lagers and ciders, in all but volume. Alfa Laval was called in to provide a fully automated beer de-alcoholisation module to create great-tasting alcohol-free beverages. COVID-19 has affected all walks of life, and


W


the market has continued to gravitate towards no and low alcohol beer, cider, spirits and wine post-pandemic, with Kantar reporting that sales have grown 51% in this category in the year up to 21 February 2021. This change has been seismic and has


resulted in industry catching up with surprising shifts in consumer behaviour. However, one UK brewery has remained ahead of the curve in this area – Drynks Unlimited, a small, Manchester-based and independent business dedicated to providing the best ranges of alcohol-free beer, lager and cider possible. “As we often say, great alcohol-free drinks


start life as great alcoholic drinks,” explained Richard Clark, Founder and MD of Drynks Unlimited. “Unlike other breweries, alcohol-free is all we do – it is not a side business dwarfed by hard beer, cider, wine or spirit production. Drynks Unlimited’s secret is not in trying to replicate the taste of something alcoholic – it is about focusing on taste, which is a key


5 SEPTEMBER 2022 | PROCESS & CONTROL 4


ith brewing start-up Drynks Unlimited looking to meet increasing demand for alcohol-free beer, lager and


reason behind why consumers select certain beverages.” Yet even within this growing category of


non- or low-alcohol drinks, otherwise known as ‘nolo’, there is variation and vagueness. The UK Low Alcohol Descriptors Guidance published in 2018 by the Department of Health states that low-alcohol pertains to drinks of 1.2% abv or below, whereas alcohol-free refers to beverages of no more than 0.05% ABV. EU rules, class drinks below 0.5% ABV as alcohol-free. Key to Drynks Unlimited’s approach has


been its use of brewing technology that simplifies this situation. The company owns the UK’s first purpose-built vacuum stripping plant. By opting for this equipment to distil base beers and ciders to remove the alcohol, the company sets a different course from the majority of brewers making non-alcoholic drinks. Traditionally, the alcohol removal process


involves high temperatures and atmospheric pressures, resulting in impaired taste. With this clearly a situation to avoid, Drynks Unlimited decided upon a fully automated, plug-in beer de-alcoholisation module from Alfa Laval, graduating from a three-month rental to outright purchase after 12 months. “The Alfa Laval team were excellent in all


aspects of the project; from the initial commercial discussions to everything technical,” said Clark. “As well as research and development, this included setting up the equipment and providing training on the de-


alcohol free,” explained Clark. “To do so requires a very distinct approach, and nothing else will suffice if you wish to retain the drink’s flavour...” The fact that consumers do not need to


compromise on taste removes a key obstacle to uptake of non-alcoholic drinks. According to Drynks Unlimited’s own research, 42% of Brits don’t expect a low or non-alcoholic drink to taste like its full-strength equivalent. Combining this benefit with changes in drinking habits means vacuum stripping plants are potentially attractive options for brewers looking to capitalise on shifting consumer behaviour. These changes could be seen even pre-


pandemic, with the Society of Independent Brewers’ (SIBA) British Craft Beer Report March 2020 showcasing that the number of 18-24- year-olds who say they don’t drink alcohol increased by 6% to 23% in the 12 months preceding its publication. Bearing in mind the shift in purchasing habits already highlighted, it is a logical to assume this figure has likely increased further, and across more demographics. Taking these changing behaviours into


account, Drynks Unlimited is well-situated for further growth. With these shifts in mind the company has already launched its new SMASHED range of nolo beers, lagers and ciders, which have been brewed at full strength before alcohol is carefully and gently removed via vacuum stripping. “Manufacturers are beginning to make more


0.0% drinks and the consumer is absolutely wanting these changes,” concluded Clark “While alcohol-free drinks have previously been perceived as unsociable, being able to produce refreshing, sociable and, above all, authentic, has allowed us to stand out from the crowd.”


Alfa Laval www.alfalaval.co.uk


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