Among the key characteristics of the machinery that especially impressed the decision-makers at the brewery was its ability to keep residual oxygen values low. Also attractive is that the patented KHS DRS-ZMS filling system uses just 210 grams of CO2 per hectoliter of beer. “We need a lot less carbon dioxide than the usual quantity common to the market to yield the same or even better residual oxygen values,” says Mike Herrmann, KHS Sales Germany and the man responsible for the project.
Also special is that Pyraser closes its beer bottles with roll-on aluminum caps, which ordinarily means that more oxygen would normally be pressed into the bottle compared to the amount allowed with classic steel crown closures. This would be detrimental to the beer as the product would then age more rapidly. To minimize oxygen pickup, the KHS filler therefore blasts the aluminum roll-on caps with CO2 in the capper. This joint development with the brewery means that the very good oxygen values in the bottle are the same as those for crown closures.
Pyraser Landbrauerei fills up to 26,000 bottles an hour – with Pyraser Landbier, among other beverages.
Furthermore, the Innofill Glass DRS works with automatic CIP caps. “On the one hand, cleaning is considerably simplified as a lot less effort is needed for operation. On the other, the time saved as a result boosts efficiency in production,” says Master Brewer Helmut Sauerhammer. The number of manual interventions is reduced, as are toolless format changeovers thanks to hygienic QUICKLOCK fast-acting locks. The program is automatic and operated at the press of a button. Up until now employees had to place the CIP caps on the filling valves by hand. Cleaning processes can now be preset for specific times. They start automatically, with no manual intervention necessary. Any potential contamination of the filler, as could be the case where CIP caps are applied manually, is also prevented.
The new investment is also impressive with regard to sustainability. With its separate cooling circuit, the ECO vacuum pump significantly reduces water consumption, meaning that Pyraser Landbrauerei uses only 80 liters an hour instead of the previous 800.
Pyraser Landbrauerei fills up to 26,000 0.33-cL bottles of beer or a maximum of 24,000 bottles of soft drinks per hour – with no hitches whatsoever since commissioning. “I’ve never known the first filled product to be ready for sale as quickly as here,” says Saurhammer. “We’re delighted."
