Craft Brewers Conference 2017: GEA meets craft beer brewers at trade convention in the USA

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Düsseldorf (Germany), March 10, 2017 – GEA will present its technology and services at the 34th Annual Craft Brewers Conference (CBC), the world’s largest trade fair for the craft brewing community. This conference, held from April 10-13, 2017, will attract craft beer brewers from all over the world to Washington, D.C. At stand 2619, GEA will welcome interested visitors to view their technological and process solutions for the craft beer industry.

The craft beer scene currently flourishes on all continents. Depending on the regions and the marketability of the products, a wide variety of technologies is required to complete the brewing process. The common denominator in the process is the fact that product quality and application flexibility must go hand-in-hand with cost-effective solutions. “It’s exactly because of these requirements that we have developed specialized brewing systems and components that offer modular expansion possibilities and flexible use – and that also can provide flexibility for experimentation by the individual brewer,” says Andreas Holleber, in charge of brewery business at GEA. “We place great emphasis on efficiency in resource input – by which we mean saving energy and water, and ensuring outstanding yield.”

In addition to components dedicated to the specific needs of craft brewers, GEA will also present its service concept at the show. This concept starts with a worldwide service network and promises an all-around, trouble-free package for craft beer brewers.

Other highlights at the GEA exhibit will include:

A brewhouse for every craft beer

The GEA CRAFT-STAR™ is designed for medium-sized specialty brewhouses, with batch sizes of 35 barrels (40 hectoliters) of hot wort. Equipped with two, three or four vessels (mash tun kettle, lauter tun, and combined whirlpool/wort kettle, depending on the configuration), it is possible to produce seven brews within 24 hours. The CRAFT-STAR™ is preassembled and tested at GEA’s Kitzingen facility in Germany as a compact “plug & play” system with process piping, instrumentation, and an automatic control system. Commissioning on site takes just a few days. With an extract yield of up to 98 percent, the brewhouse’s lauter tun offers top performance with respect to extract efficiency for special malts. At CBC, GEA visitors will have the opportunity to carefully examine a three-vessel CRAFT-STAR™ and learn more about its many special features. Beers brewed with the GEA CRAFT-STAR™ have regularly won awards, most recently, at the Great American Beer Festival 2016.

One unit – five processes with GEA centrifuge skids for craft brewers

The second highlight at the GEA stand will be a GEA centrifuge skid for craft brewers. Available in four sizes, these compact units are multifunctional and are designed for production output of 875 to 87,500 barrels (1,000 to 100,000 hectoliters) per year. A single machine allows brewers to run up to five processes – an excellent benefit in terms of efficiency. Additionally, the separator’s clarifying output can be adjusted allowing production of both cloudy wheat beer to virtually clear blond lager. With up to 30 percent reduction in production time and 10 percent increase in yield, brewers confirm they make more beer with the piped and pre-assembled skids.

You will find GEA at stand 2619.

About this trade fair

For its 34th sector-wide fair, the Craft Brewers Conference expects more than 14,000 visitors in Washington, D.C., US. With its many exhibitors and its extensive seminar program, the fair focuses on the latest in trends in the craft brewing industry. For more details, please see https://www.craftbrewersconference.com/.