Brewing is a multiple-step process involving malting, milling, mashing, lautering, and boiling, to name a few. It requires precision and constant monitoring, as even a small imperfection in the process can result in not achieving the desired level of quality. IoT devices have several applications in areas that require constant monitoring of processes and real-time changes when necessary. The implementation of IoT for breweries can reduce employees’ burden by assisting them in monitoring the entire beer-making process, from production and packaging and distribution of ales.
Leveraging IoT for breweries to monitor…
Breweries have to monitor their products not only throughout the brewing process but until it reaches the consumers. Hence they need to monitor…
…wastage
While packaging alcohol into bottles, breweries have to maintain specific levels of pressure, pH balance, temperature, and flow in packaging pipes to avoid wastage. Excess pressure and flow can result in the over-spilling of alcohol. Unbalanced pH and temperature can result in immoderate foaming, which leads to more wastage. IoT sensors can constantly monitor every aspect of the packaging process and determine the causes of over-spilling and immoderate foaming of alcohol to reduce wastage.
Sugar Creek Brewing, a North Carolina based craft brewery, is using AI and IoT to reduce their beer wastage.
…quality
The taste and quality of an alcoholic drink depend on the composition of ingredients and how the drink is brewed. Breweries brew ales with the help of multiple machines that perform different steps involved in brewing. Brewers can embed IoT devices in their machinery to monitor the quality of alcoholic drinks right through the production process. For instance, they can monitor how well a mill is grinding and crushing the ingredients or how well the filtering machines are functioning to filter out all undesirable particles. Such monitoring can stabilize the flavor of alcoholic drinks and enhance their quality.
…supply chain
Suppliers and transporters involved in the beer-making supply chain also need to maintain specific temperature and pressure levels to avoid excessive foaming. IoT sensors can monitor the temperature level of the supply tanks in real time and alert drivers so that they can maintain the temperature and pressure at optimal levels. With IoT devices embedded in supply tanks, brewers can track them in real time to resolve any problems faced while delivering alcoholic drinks. For instance, if a carrier gets stuck in traffic, then brewers can advise other carriers to take different routes.
Rogue Ales is already using IoT in its supply chain. Rogue Ales has its own farm to grow the ingredients of alcoholic drinks. They have embedded IoT devices in their shipment tanks that take ingredients from farm to brewery. IoT devices help them to track whether the shipment has met quality standards. If they find the shipment to be non-conforming, then they can discard it before it is used to brew alcoholic drinks.
Breweries across the globe have already started implementing IoT, and the results are mind-blowing. For example, the Sugar Creek Brewing company mentioned earlier is saving $30,000 a month because of reduced waste. Surely, leveraging IoT for breweries will be the next major transformation in the beer and ale-making industry.
