Stancold’s Food Projects division works with food and beverage producers around the country, helping them to fit-out new builds, extensions, or reconfigure an existing space. Yet their team have noticed that whitewall partitioning is predominantly specified in food production spaces rather than drinks-processing areas.
Drinks production usually takes place in enclosed machines such as the ones used for fermentation or bottling, so the production line does not need to be in a hygienic space.
That said, areas where the machines and vessels are opened for filling or sampling could still benefit from being in a hygienic environment. A producer can also use a whitewall partitioning to create a temperature-controlled environment for product storage.
Based on feedback BFBi provided to Stancold and general industry insights, many assume whitewall partitioning in storage facilities isn’t essential for beverages.
According to Ruth Evans of the BFBi, it isn’t uncommon for cider producers to keep their batches outside rather than in a dedicated temperature-controlled space. That insight led Stancold to investigate how beverage production can benefit from temperature-controlled environments.
Firstly, it’s worth highlighting the three elements whitewall partitioning can achieve for food production facilities:
- Their specialist coating allows for easy cleaning and the ability to maintain a hygienic environment for food production.
- Their freestanding nature allows for their use to segment any area of a factory. The panels are not dependent on existing walls, unlike whiterock panelling.
- Most important for this blog piece, the whitewall panelling technology we use is insulated, so in combination with refrigeration equipment can be used to maintain a consistent environment for a chilled, frozen or ambient environment.
The third feature, consistent thermal performance, is the most relevant for beverage production.
The major UK beverage production sectors can access considerable advantages from using climate-controlled storage for their product, so in this article, Stancold has broken down these advantages by some of the primary product categories.
Beer and Cider:
Consistent Conditions, Consistent Results
Over the last twenty years, craft beer has turned into a revolution with new, independent brewers, each with their own unique branding and message, popping up everywhere. As a Bristol-based company since their founding, this is especially relevant to the Stancold team. Bristol has multiple craft breweries and pubs that are eager to serve these local pints.
Brewers manage countless variables to craft their signature beer. The last thing they need is inconsistent storage compromising their hard work.
When beer being stored is stored in an environment with inconsistent temperatures, the hops are susceptible to degradation and off flavours start to emerge. This could result in some kegs tasting a bit off. A craft brewer shouldn’t have to risk inconsistent kegs as their brand and reputation grow.
Temperature fluctuations also can contribute to a process called ‘skunking’, which is when the light-sensitive oils in hops turn into sulphur compounds due to light exposure. Temperature fluctuations accelerate hop degradation, making brews even more vulnerable to this light-driven off-flavour. Stancold’s temperature-controlled cold stores lock in stable conditions, preserving hop integrity and helping to keep every keg skunk-free.
Chemical oxidation is a brewer’s worst enemy, generating off-flavours and stale aromas that undermine quality. By storing product in our climate-regulated cold rooms, brewers and distillers preserve optimal chemical stability and protect every batch from oxidative damage.
Fluctuating temperatures cause metal caps to expand and contract, compromising seal integrity and allowing oxygen ingress. Rubber keg gaskets face the same stress, cracking under inconsistent temperature conditions. Letting in too much oxygen will ultimately lead to product inconsistency amongst in a brewer’s storage area.
Preserving Cider Character by Controlling Barrel Conditions
Cider’s vulnerability to temperature changes exceeds that of beer, simply because it rarely contains hops. Those hop-derived antioxidants normally slow degradation. Without them, cider ages faster under inconsistent conditions.
Also, the increased sugars in cider make it subject to microbial reactivation, which could cause several problems including too much carbonation or unwanted sour flavours.
Located in West Bristol, Stancold is on the doorstep of the UK’s cider heartland, so this issue is especially relevant to us.
Local, cider producers, and sometimes brewers, often utilise wooden barrels for aging, which sets off a process referred to as extraction.
Extraction is the physicochemical process by which soluble and volatile compounds in the wood migrate into your cider or beer. This may sound like a negative thing, but a little bit of extraction makes cask cider unique in texture and taste!
Too much extraction turns into what is referred to as over-extraction. This makes the cider overly dry and bitter with a harsh wood taste. Fluctuations in temperature will cause the wood to expand and contract leading to over-extraction.
The consistent temperature that a whitewalled space can provide will help facilitate the appropriate level of extraction for cider producers aging their product in wooden barrels.
Whisky Distilleries:
UK whisky distillers routinely age their product over multiple years, sometimes multiple decades. The whisky’s prolonged stay in oak casks transforms its texture and elevates its complexity of flavour.
Producers have been ageing their whiskies in oak barrels from as early as the 15th century, so this methodology is far from new.
Ensuring Whisky Ages Gracefully, Not Wastefully
When ageing whisky, producers must factor in the angel’s share, which represents the spirit lost to evaporation in the barrel.
Angel’s share is a given in crafting premium whisky, yet consistent temperature-controlled storage practices help limit spirit loss.
Temperature-controlled storage can reduce a barrel’s annual evaporation by 1%. That seemingly small figure quickly adds up over a decade or more of ageing.
Over ten years in a temperature-regulated environment, you can reduce whisky evaporation by roughly one-third versus uncontrolled storage, preserving more of that premium 25-year-old spirit.
Angels rightfully claim some whisky, but temperature-regulated storage ensures they don’t overindulge.
UK spirits beyond whisky generally lose less to evaporation, yet the growing popularity of barrel-aged gin threatens to erode gin yields as well.
Synchronising Oxygen Exposure for Consistent Whisky Character
Oxygen flow through oak casks is essential to whisky maturation, softening harsher compounds and creating a rich, amber colour.
It is a delicate balance as too much oxygen can have a negative effect. Excessive oxygen can create flat flavours and make the product too brown.
Oak casks undergo thermal expansion and contraction under temperature swings, which can increase oxygen ingress during the whisky maturation process.
The link between whisky and oxygen has a direct bearing on consistency. In a warehouse lacking precise climate control, barrels in cooler corners will let in less oxygen than those in warmer zones, producing two very different spirits after ten years of ageing.
Soft Drinks:
One of the best parts of opening a can of your favourite soft drink on a hot summer’s day is the pop and fizz sounds it makes, but if a soft drink is stored outside of a temperature-controlled environment, it can lose that element before it reaches the consumer!
The Cold-Store Formula for Unwavering Fizz
As soft drinks producers know better than anyone, during the production process, CO₂ is forced into the liquid at a very high pressure to give it the fizzy texture and taste. This is what makes the product a ‘carbonated’ beverage.
Consistent cold temperatures help keep the CO₂ inside the beverage. Cold liquids hold more dissolved gas than warm liquids. If the product’s storage space goes through temperature fluctuations, the bubbles can escape from the liquid and create a dull, flat taste.
CO₂ can escape from the liquid at even the slightest temperature swing, so a small amount of thermal bridging in a cold store could negatively affect a producer’s soft drink products!
Consistent Cooling for Consistent Colour and Character
Also, much like the other kinds of beverages above, temperature swings can increase the product’s exposure to oxygen. In the case of soft drinks, fluctuating temperatures can create multiple reactions in the product that create a different, darker colour.
Plus, swings in temperature can also create sugar reactions that make the product taste too sweet or just a bit off.
The Potential ROI of Temperature Consistency
As mentioned, the majority of Stancold’s whitewall installations take place in food production spaces rather than beverage production, but the beverage industry could benefit from the increased implementation of whitewalled temperature-controlled storage spaces.
Keeping beverage products in spaces that are subject to temperature swings could lead to inconsistent product. Temperature-controlled spaces built using insulated whitewall partitioning will help producers keep their beverage products consistent.
In the case of whiskies, it means the ‘angels’ aren’t getting too much of your product!
By nature, beverage production spaces don’t require food-safe whitewall partitioning to the same extent as beverage products usually go through enclosed machines to be produced.
It is the storage of these products, especially when they are subject to an ageing process where cold storage areas built with whitewall can really benefit UK beverage producers.
Implementing and maintaining these areas in your facility can ensure that your product is consistent, tastes the way it should and is not subject to excessive amounts of loss through evaporation.
Contact the Stancold Food Projects team to learn more about how they can assist with your cold storage needs:
0117 316 7000
