How IoT Is Addressing Quality and Sustainability Challenges in the Beer Industry

Fremont, CA: Despite market growth, brewers continue to face key challenges in quality, sustainability, and efficiency. Efficient production is crucial for success, and by integrating technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) into the filtration process, brewers can improve efficiency and quality, meet sustainability goals, and deliver the perfect pint to customers.

Quality and Efficiency Challenges

The beer-making process is complicated, with stringent quality requirements to maintain each brew's unique taste and flavor. Large-scale brewers face the additional issue of ensuring uniformity across many facilities. Historically, it has been challenging to get and assess significant real-time data to resolve possible concerns before they influence product quality.

Uniformity is required throughout the filtering process to produce a high-quality product. If one of the filtering machines' temperature settings is incorrect, the entire batch of beer may be ruined. If this problem is not resolved soon, numerous batches may be affected, and an entire production day may be lost.

A lack of insight into quality performance parameters and the possibility of human error can cause inconsistencies in flow rate and temperature data. Brewers may not discover these flaws until after the situation, making it impossible to recoup lost product or time.

Sustainability Challenges

Brewers worldwide are increasingly concentrating on sustainability programs and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes. Brewing consumes a lot of water; making one gallon of beer takes around 4-8 gallons. Beer brewing also demands a lot of energy. According to Brewer's Association research, producing one barrel of beer requires 50-60 kWh (about 50,000 watts). Leveraging membrane filtration for microbiological stabilization over thermal installations is an excellent first step toward achieving sustainability goals by reducing energy consumption, as flash pasteurizers utilize up to 80% more energy on the thermal and electric sides than beer final filtration with membranes, but new technologies are available that can enable even more significant energy savings.

Brewers realize the potential for water and energy savings. Still, without precise data, it is difficult to spot patterns and focus on efforts that will positively impact the environment.