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Industry
Brewing industry
Challenge
High dissolved oxygen (DO) levels affecting beer stability
Solution
Implementation of Pentair Haffmans portable CO2/O2 Gehaltemeter, type c-DGM
Results
Significant reduction in DO levels, improved production processes, and better CO2 purity management
BOXING CAT Brewery SUCCEEDED IN LOWERING DO LEVELS SUBSTANTIALLY
Founded in 2008 in Shanghai, Boxing Cat is one of the most popular and internationally recognized microbreweries in China. Boxing Cat has three brewpub locations, a central production site in Minhang, Shanghai area, and employs approximately 200 people.
Continuing the tradition of craft beer and combining it with an excellent cuisine, provides the foundation for the brewery’s success. To date, Boxing Cat produces 30 varieties of premium craft beer, including year-round, seasonal and specialty release beers.
Balancing growth and quality, while brewing the best beer possible was a decisive factor when Boxing Cat approached Pentair. “Although we do not bottle our beer, we were aware of the importance of oxygen pickup and its impact on beer stability,” said Brewmaster Michael Jordan. “We wanted to collect dissolved oxygen data and see if there was room for improvement with our in-house processes to minimize oxygen ingress during beer transfers, dry hopping or kegging.”
In 2015, Boxing Cat started a pilot trial with Pentair Haffmans portable CO2 /O2 Gehaltemeter, type c-DGM. The instrument is used at-line and combines the determination of the dissolved CO2 content based on Henry’s Law with a highly accurate optical dissolved O2 (DO) measurement.
“I think, the c-DGM is a very valuable tool for craft brewers to use.”
- Michael Jordan, Boxing Cat Brewmaster
"We used the c-DGM at several locations during our brewing process,” Jordan explained. “Carbon dioxide and oxygen levels were measured at the end of fermentation, prior to dry hopping, post dry hopping, prior to tank transfer, after tank transfer, and after adjusting the carbon dioxide content in the Bright Beer Tanks".
The c-DGM’s O2 measuring range is 0 to 2,000 ppb in liquids, the CO2 measuring range is 2.0 to 10.0 g/l. The insights provided by the instrument allowed Boxing Cat to significantly improve its production process.
"We found out that our DO levels were higher than expected, which led us to adjust our processes of line purging and tank purging. We also saw increases in DO on several occasions after adjusting carbonation levels. The most important outcome of this pilot trial is that the c-DGM enabled us to identify that we have a high variability of CO2 purity, which resulted in the decision to switch our CO2 supplier,” Jordan said.
Overall, the brewery succeeded in lowering DO levels substantially. “The c-DGM is very precise, and also provides the possibility for quantitative recordings, which is important as our brewery grows, and we look toward the future, where we might bottle beer or consider filtration. I think, the c-DGM is a very valuable tool for craft brewers to use.”
Related Products
HAFFMANS PORTABLE OPTICAL CO2 /O2 /TPO METER c-DGM
Combining the internationally accepted determination of the dissolved CO2 content with a highly accurate dissolved O2 and TPO measurement.
HAFFMANS PORTABLE INTELLIGENT CO2 METER i-DGM
Fast and accurate determination of the CO2 content in beer and carbonated beverages based onHenry’s Law.
HAFFMANS PORTABLE OPTICAL O2 / TPO METER o-DGM
Portable optical O2 / TPO meter combining high accuracy with excellent measurement stability, frequent calibration is not required.
