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Fourpure completes £2.5m brewery expansion
Fourpure Brewing Co. has concluded its £2.5m expansion with new kegging and canning lines. The brewery, which is part of the Lion Little World Beverages quartet of craft beer brands, has switched to an automated keg operation to improve safety, quality and productivity at its site in Bermondsey, London, as well as upgrading its existing canning line to provide greater flexibility and optimise performance.
This new upgrade and expansion will help the brewery to keep up with the consumer demand for craft beer that has doubled since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Fourpure’s upgraded kegging system now has advanced cleaning equipment that sterilises kegs using pressurised steam at 130°C. The state-of-the-art technology – which is not always seen in craft breweries where it is more usual to see sanitising chemicals used – will increase the efficiency of Fourpure’s production and improve flavour retention in keg. This is also a big plus for low and no alcohol beers where the self-protection that alcohol normally provides is reduced. The new system provides an exceptional degree of consistency in results, while the switch from a manual to automated process will assist with the heavy lifting of kegs, allowing 60 kegs to be filled every hour, easily and safely.
Fourpure Brewing has completed its £2.5m expansion with new kegging and canning lines to improve productivity / Picture: Fourpure Brewing Co.
Meanwhile, Fourpure’s new optimised canning line will increase speed and performance, providing more flexibility for in-line labelling of cans. To complete this upgrade in equipment, Fourpure has taken on new units on the industrial site in Bermondsey where it is based, allowing the creation of a purpose-built packaging area.
Steve Morris, head of operations at Fourpure, said: “We’ve always had a state-of-the-art canning line but previously it was a little like a racehorse on a greyhound track – this latest suite of updates makes us Ascot-ready. The new, completely bespoke designed kegging and canning facilities will form a crucial part of our continued expansion and future success. The demand for our canned beer has doubled since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the improved facilities mean we can fulfil this increase in sales, while still meeting world-class hygiene and safety standards.
“Carrying out this update in current times has obviously brought its own challenges and I am incredibly proud of the excellent safety standards our team met throughout. We were also really happy to be able to support a number of contractors during this process, many of them smaller businesses and many brewing specific.”