ANDY TVEEKREM

Market Garden Brewery

atveekrem@marketgardenbrewery.com
TOBIN EPPARD
President
MASTER BREWERS ASSOCIATION OF THE AMERICAS
Safety First
Master Brewers Vision
To be the globally recognized
knowledge authority in brewing technology
and brewery operations management —
dedicated to the concept of
UNITED WE BREW™.
 Observations on
Tracing Dissolved
Oxygen in Beer
Packaging
 Why All The Fuss About D.O.?

• It’s your Brand!

• Market realities– beer is sitting on the shelf longer at
retail.
• Many craft beer styles are prone to oxidative flavor
change (e.g. IPAs)
• Diligence is rewarded…often the solution is simple and
inexpensive.
If You Package Beer, Then You
Need A D.O. Meter!
Shake Pierce Measure
Common Elements Across All
Package Types… The Usual
Suspects.
• The Beer

• Seals & Gaskets

• Pumps
 Beer

• D.O. in Bright Beer Tank– should be under 30 ppb

• From Tank to Filler– 0-10 ppb pickup
• Across the Filler– under 50 ppb
• Also:
• Styles Differ in Oxygen Induced Flavor Change
• SO2 Content
 Seals & Gaskets

• Clamp Gaskets
• Worn Out Hose Ends
• Rotary Manifold Seals
• O-rings on CO2, Vacuum, and Snift Buttons
• These Items Can Bring Very High Pickup, Often Without
Warning
 Pumps

• Leaks
• Cavitation
• Pump Types– low shear, low rpm preferred
o Centrifugal, Diaphragm, Rotary Lobe types
• No pump, push with tank counter-pressure is ideal
Low Shear, Low RPM Pumps
Beer Pumps: A Brief Digression
A
Centrifugal
Pump
A Rotary
Lobe Pump
Uh oh!
Beer
waste…
but
D.O.
problem?
The Lobe Pump Seal Kit Price!
 Bottling 101: Jetter

• Positioning and Pressure

• Water Temperature
• Hot (180°F) and Deaerated is ideal
• Adjust for the foam quality– cap on tight, dense foam not
big “fisheye” bubbles
 Canning 101: Gas Usage

• Low pressure CO2 flush in pre-fill zone

• Environment prior to lid seating is usually most important

• Under lid flushing

Can Pre-purge
and Filling
Post-Filling,
Pre- Seaming
Can Gassing Tunnel
 Extra Credit Items

• Elastomers
• Vacuum Efficacy
• Smooth Transfers
• Stops/Starts and Operating Conditions
• Package Rinsing
• Gas Purity/Headspace of Filler Bowl
Elastomers
Vacuum Line Size Change
Smooth Transfers
Ionized Air
Rinsing
 For Low Speed Canning…

• Check pressures and adjust to optimize

• Don’t back up the seamer/ smooth and steady wins the
race
• Contain the environment around filling and seaming
• Adjust fill heights up or down to improve D.O.
Pressure Is Important
Make Sure You Can Read Gauges!
Supersize ‘em
 What About Kegs?

• Sanitizing with Steam really helps with D.O. (and micro!)

• If not using steam, watch out for residual sanitizer (PAA!)
and/or rinse water
• Look at elastomers
• Look at overall filling operation
• Sample them post fill
Keg Filling Seals
Keg Sampling Options
 Summary

• Low D.O. is the Sum of Many Factors

• Creatively Use a Portable D.O. Meter to Track Down
Variables– it’s your light in the dark places
• Smooth and Steady Running Helps
• Investigate Everything You Can
• Be Diligent!
And put zwickels everywhere!
Thank you!