Quality has been paramount at Beerze Brouwerij from day one. Owner Ivo Kaanen and his brewing team have been running their own kettles since last year. The brewery in Vessem, North Brabant, is a relative newcomer to the Dutch SME brewing scene. That is why Kaanen knows full well: with enthusiasts, you only get one chance to make a first impression. And that can only be done with beer of impeccable quality.
In Ivo Kaanen's view, an absolute prerequisite for quality is that you, as a brewer, know as precisely as possible what you are doing. To meet his own high quality standard, he went looking for the best possible solution that fit his budget. Existing methods, such as an SG meter, did not satisfy him. "With those you measure after the fact, at a point in the brewing process where you actually have very few options left to make adjustments", explains Kaanen. "We were looking for a better, more accurate compass."
An accurate compass
In his search for the best possible quality-analysis solution, Ivo Kaanen came across Beer-o-Meter. "For us it truly fulfils a need for fast and precise measurements of the parameters that we consider relevant in brewing", he says. Brewing as a fun hobby where you just experiment: as a professional brewer you cannot get away with that. Beer-o-Meter brings Beerze Bier light in the darkness - more and better parameters, with greater accuracy, that provide the grip needed to produce consistently high-quality beer.
In the day-to-day work at the brewery, the Beer-o-Meter tests for pH and Total Fermentable Sugars (TFS) have become a fixture. "As a brewer you want to know the residual sugar situation: from the moment a beer leaves the kettle right through to packaging. You really need to be certain whether you can fill a beer with confidence." Kaanen makes a simple calculation: "The cost of complaints about beer that fails to meet customer expectations ultimately exceeds what a professional measurement tool like Beer-o-Meter costs."
Handling change
Ivo Kaanen and his brewing team also discovered that Beer-o-Meter has them well equipped to handle change. "We noticed this when we sourced our malt for The Brave from a different supplier. The same type of malt, but from a different maltster. Yet with that change, our tried-and-tested recipe suddenly produced a beer with a noticeably different colour", says Kaanen. Thanks to Beer-o-Meter and the expertise of the team that developed the quality-measurement solution, they were able to adjust the recipe. Despite the change, the bold, blonde beer is once again exactly as enthusiasts have come to love it.
Thanks to the straightforward method of measuring fermentation degree with Beer-o-Meter, Beerze Brouwerij was able to achieve another unexpected benefit. "By using Beer-o-Meter we have been able to fine-tune our recipes to the point where less malt is needed. The precise TFS measurement data showed us that we could manage with a smaller malt bill - but without any loss of flavour or quality. Thanks to Beer-o-Meter we save 15% on our raw materials."
Quality to survive
If there is one thing Ivo Kaanen has learned as a brewer, it is that quality awareness demands discipline. "You have to be willing to put in the effort" - of that the Beerze brewer is firmly convinced. "But that effort pays off. We experienced that working with Beer-o-Meter too. It takes a little time, but trust me: the results do come. Only a brewer who sets the very highest quality standards for themselves survives in this market. As a craft brewer you have to deliver quality to justify your price to consumers. An individual brewery that delivers substandard beer harms the entire sector. It effectively advertises Big Beer. And that can never be the intention."
Want to save on raw materials at your brewery too?
Quality is not a luxury; it is a must. And by truly knowing what you are doing, your brewery gains greater economic returns. Get in touch with Beer-o-Meter and discover how smart process control can get more out of your brewery. Book an appointment today!