International Beer Day

To mark this year’s International Beer Day on the 5^th August, which celebrates brewers the world over, Flowcrete India has compiled the following flooring advice to help beer producers ensure that the finish beneath their feet will provide a clean and reliable surface on which to brew the perfect pint!

The beer market in India has been going from strength to strength for some time now, to the point that in 2014-15 a 6% industry growth meant that 286 million cases were produced to meet the ever-increasing demand for Indian brewed beers.

Part of the 4.5 billion dollar industry’s growth can be attributed to nation-wide lifestyle changes that have led to more consumers with disposable income and discerning tastes expecting more high-quality beverages. The vast quantities that producers are expected to meet was exemplified by market leader UB Group, which in 2015 saw approximately 50 million cases of beer roll off its production lines.

This boom means that India’s brewery industry has to ramp up production volumes while simultaneously ensuring that high standards are maintained throughout the entire lifecycle of each keg, bottle or can of beer.  

Getting a brewery’s building materials right is critical to this, as if any aspect of a facility fails when subjected to the daily stresses and strains of beer production then it could not only interrupt the daily operational activity, but may even pose a dangerous contamination risk! Choosing the optimum floor finish is central to ensuring a hygienic, effective brewery, as if there are cracks or gaps in the finish then it can quickly start to harbour bacteria, mould, dust and grime.

To avoid this, all brewing and kegging rooms need a floor that meets the following criteria in order to provide sufficient protection against the challenging on-site conditions it will be faced with:

Impact Resistance

The floor needs to be robust enough to withstand the continuous impact, wear and abrasions from kegs, hose ends, barrels, pallets, trolleys and forklifts and the chosen system needs to be able to maintain a functional finish despite point loading from heavy equipment operating at full capacity.

Anti-slip

Breweries are inherently slippery places with spillages and frequent cleaning often leading to excess water onsite. The floor should be positively textured in order to enhance traction underfoot, minimising any potential slip risks and safeguarding the health of employees.  

Thermal Shock Resistant

Excellent resistance to thermal shock is required to survive steam cleaning and the extreme temperatures that the brewing process can create. If the floor is not thick and durable enough then sudden changes in heat can quickly cause cracks to appear in the finish.

Chemical resistant

The brewing process necessitates a variety of chemicals, salts, yeast, alcohol, malt enzymes, brewing sugars, acids and by-products which are heated, moved, mixed and mashed onsite. Should these substances spill onto the floor in sufficient quantities then they could erode the surface layer of an insufficiently robust finish. Even the cleaning agents and detergents used to sanitise the brewery could eat away at the floor and potentially cause a problem further down the line. Therefore, brewery floors need to be resistant to all the various degrees of acidic and alkaline chemicals as well as the ingredients used throughout the process. 

Cleanability

Spillages that are left unaddressed or water left to pond are prime causes of bacterial contamination. Floors should be seamless and impervious, preferably with coving along the edges, in order to help the cleaning routine quickly and effortlessly remove excess liquid, unwanted substances and contaminants out of the area. Floors should also be sloped to drains so that liquid can rapidly flow out of the contamination sensitive production environment.

Antimicrobial

Antimicrobial flooring solutions can be installed to make brewery floors as hygienic as possible. Specialist resin systems are available that have a powerful bactericidal additive incorporated within the floor that discourages the growth of harmful microorganisms.

Easy to Maintain

A busy brewery needs a reliable floor area, as otherwise frequent repairs or an early refurbishment can lead to long periods of unprofitable and potentially business-damaging downtime.

Equally the ability of the floor to speed up the cleaning process helps to reduce labour costs and means that there is even more time available to get on with the vital task of producing case after case of high quality beer.

A long-lasting, easy to maintain floor can in fact be a business advantage in the long run, as the maintenance itself will require less time, energy and resources while the initial cost of the coating can be divided into many years of effective surface – making it cheaper over time than alternative materials that will fail sooner.