Packaging (Bottles, Draft, Cans) Session
Gregory S Deuhs, Craft Brewers Alliance
ABSTRACT: The construction and implementation of a
packaging quality laboratory for a large craft brewery. The Redhook Ale
Brewery located in Woodinville, WA, is a large craft brewer producing
175,000 bbl of beer per year. The brewery is part of a larger
corporation, Craft Brewers Alliance, which operates four breweries
within the United States. The brewery does not have a formal packaging
quality program or the dedicated laboratory and equipment to conduct
meaningful packaging quality analysis. The current packaging quality
program consists of a Zahm & Nagel caustic-based, bottle headspace
analyzer, a bottle cap crimp gauge, and a scale to determine fill
heights. This project encompasses the design, construction, equipment,
and staff support to successfully support packaging operations for
bottle and draught product. This project also incorporates quality check
procedures used elsewhere in the company and the training of two new
laboratory technicians dedicated to packaging quality. The end project
result is a fully functional laboratory that checks headspace dissolved
oxygen, bottle quality, cap, code dates, secondary packaging quality,
extensive bottle defect detection, draught beer quality, and micro
integrity. The craft beer industry in the United States is a very
competitive market. Gone are the days of placing a six pack of beer on
the shelf and having it sell itself because it is different from the
mainstream American beers. Craft beer today must meet or exceed the
customer’s expectations, compete favorably with competitors’ beers, and
match industry standards. A recall of beer for any reason is extremely
costly in both reputation and lost sales.
Gregory Deuhs
received an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, WI. He is
a graduate of the UC-Davis Master Brewer and of the Villanova
University Six Sigma Black Belt Certification programs. Greg started his
brewing career as the head brewer at the James Page Brewing Company in
Minneapolis, MN. From there, he served the industry as an assistant
brewmaster at The Stroh Brewery Company, brewing team leader at the
Miller Brewing Company, and director of operations at the Craft Brew
Alliance. His current role is brewmaster for Pabst Brewing Company,
Milwaukee, WI. Greg is a diploma member of the Institute of Brewing
& Distilling (IBD) and conducted this project in conjunction with
the IBD Master Brewer Examination Module 5 requirement.
VIEW PRESENTATION 190
