We at the SBR are not, in spite of the stressed economy of the magazine, for sale! Thus we do not let ourselves be ‘convinced’ to bring covert advertising. When we, in spite of this, occasionally choose to bring unedited material from the suppliers to our industry – and even more so when the supplier is and advertiser – in the SBR our attitude is that this has to be justified and explained. Below you’ll find both the press release from Pentair Plc. on the launch of their small size beer membrane filter fit for use in craft breweries, as well as the ‘case report’ from an application of the filtration system at the Princen brewery in the Netherlands. The compelling reason for bringing this is, as I hope most of our readers will agree, that we feel that the fact that the waste-free, environmentally friendly cross-flow filtration technology is now also available to small breweries. Our principle in such cases is that we work very hard to source unbiased feed-back from breweries where such new products and technology has been installed in order to get their unfiltered views on the experience with it. You will note that this is not the case here, but we have from Pentair received a direct contact to the Princen brewery for that purpose, only it was not possible for us to receive and edit this feed-back before the deadline for this issue of the SBR. It will consequently be brought in a later issue of the magazine.

Pentair.com

With the development of the BMF +Flux Compact S4, Pentair makes the benefits of diatomaceous earth (DE)- free beer membrane filtration accessible to craft and small breweries. The first BMF +Flux Compact S4 systems are already operating successfully at the Princen Brewery in the Netherlands, and two other breweries in Europe.

The BMF +Flux Compact S4 is equipped with four type R-30 membrane modules. Its filtration performance of 30 to 60 hl/h makes it ideally suited for breweries with an annual output between 10,000 hl and 100,000 hl.

Compared to DE filtration, membrane filtration provides major performance benefits. Complex DE handling and disposal is eliminated. In addition, Pentair’s Beer Membrane Filtration gives brewers a fully automated process that can be interrupted at any time. This true start/stop filtration is especially beneficial to craft brewers who produce a wide variety of beers. Small batches of beer can be run with constantly excellent beer quality and very low beer loss. This provides considerably more turnover for craft beers, which are often exclusive runs.

Fast installation, easy integration

Pentair’s Beer Membrane Filtration technology provides flexible installation and integration. The preassembled BMF +Flux Compact S4 filter unit is a stand-alone solution on a stainless steel frame. To install the BMF in an existing brewery all that is needed are incoming and outgoing beer connections, water, power, compressed air, and carbon dioxide. The compact structure of the BMF +Flux Compact S4 unit that measures 3.5 to 1.5 meters is a major advantage for easy integration.

In 2002, Pentair introduced the world’s first commercial large-scale BMF system for DE-free beer membrane filtration. Since then, more than 100 BMF systems have been commissioned, currently filtering more than 100 million hl of beer annually.

Case study

Beverage filtration solutions BMF + Flux Compact S4 Princen Brewery – 20,000 HL Annual output

No going back to de filtration

Pentair’s new compact Beer Membrane Filtration (BMF) system is the ideal solution for craft and small breweries with a 10,000 to 100,000 hl annual output. The first BMF +Flux Compact S4 was installed at the Princen Brewery in the Netherlands in early 2017 and continues to operate successfully.

“From the beginning, we wanted to concentrate on a Premium Pils to challenge the established brands,” explained Mark Schneider, director of Princen Brewery. His strategy has proven successful and since 2013, the Dutch brewery has continued to grow. Currently, the annual beer production is 20,000 hl that is distributed in kegs and 100 or 200 hl tanks.

BMF allowed Princen to eliminate DE Initially, Princen used diatomaceous-earth (DE) filtration. This process was labor intensive and required expensive quality management to achieve maximum freshness and taste stability. The DE’s iron content, oxygen intake, and sedimentation quality contributed to the challenges. In addition, complex DE handling, including supply and disposal, was required.

The brewery’s goal ‘premium quality with low manual labor requirements’, for which the Princen Brewery strived, looked completely different. Consequently, the brewery looked into BMF as this type of filtration is DE-free and gives brewers a fully automated process.

In early 2016, Pentair installed a pilot BMF system at Princen, to perform initial tests in regards to creating the perfect membrane infiltration process for smaller breweries. “We realized straight away that there was no going back to DE filtration,” Schneider recalls.

True to his word, the DE filter at Princen has not been used since the BMF pilot was installed. Princen ordered a BMF +Flux Compact S4 and the brewery leased the pilot system to cover the time until the new filter could be delivered and commissioned. This was a good test on the pilot system that operated nearly 24/7 to accommodate Princen’s production.

In January 2017, the BMF +Flux Compact S4 went into operation at Princen. This BMF system features four type R-30 membrane modules with a filtration capacity of 30 to 60 hl/h. The preassembled filter unit is a stand-alone solution on a stainless steel frame. All that is needed to install the BMF in an existing brewery are incoming and outgoing beer connections, water, power, compressed air, and carbon dioxide. The filter unit’s compact footprint, which measures 3.5 by 1.5 meters is a major advantage for easy integration.

Making BMF a viable option for craft and small breweries

Pentair introduced the world’s first commercial largescale BMF system for DE-free beer membrane filtration in 2002. Since then, more than 100 BMF systems have been commissioned that currently filter 100 million hl of beer annually.

With the introduction of the BMF +Flux Compact S4 Pentair offers craft and small breweries major advantages compared to DE filtration. In addition to eliminating the negative aspects of DE, BMF provides the flexibility of true start/stop filtration, a fully automated process, and a constantly high microbiological safety.

Schneider is pleased with making the move to Pentair’s BMF +Flux Compact S4. “Membrane filtration has made our beer much fresher and lighter,” he said. “Our analyses show this just as clearly as the positive feedback from the market.”