Two Roots Brewing Co. debuted its non-alcoholic craft beer line in 2019. The company wanted to take advantage of the fast-growing non-alcoholic beer category, which offers unlimited potential for craft brewers as different flavors and aromas can be created to meet the needs of various audiences.
“Attempting to make non-alcoholic beer taste great was a daunting task,” said Kevin Barnes, vice president, Brewing Operations for Two Roots Brewing Co. “Having tried many non-alcoholic beers from both macro and craft breweries, only a very few were enjoyable.”
In the past, non-alcoholic beer in the North American market was made using the arrested fermentation process or an alcohol-stripping process that yielded an inferior product not only in terms of taste but also in smell and colorization. Fortunately, there have been many innovations in dealcoholization equipment and processing.
Two Roots Brewing Co. researched the various processes available to dealcoholize beer and selected vacuum distillation technology. In this process, brewed beer is gently heated at a low pressure to reduce the boiling point and thus keep the inherent flavors intact. The alcohol separates from the beer along with its natural aromas, which are reintroduced back into the beer to help the non-alcoholic version maintain its original taste, color and essence.
“To create a gold medal-winning product requires not only the right equipment but also a partner who supports the process and understands the goals, which is why we selected API Heat Transfer,” explained Tim Walters, executive vice president, Lighthouse Strategies, parent company of Two Roots Brewing Co.
With experience in brewing that dates back more than 130 years, the Schmidt SIGMATEC Dealcoholization System has become a market leader worldwide. API Heat Transfer also supplies wort coolers, beer pasteurizers and heat exchangers for all phases of heat recovery and product cooling in the brewing process.
API’s SchmidtTM SIGMATEC Dealcoholization System is easily installed into any current brewing process. The equipment fits in the middle of a brewery’s process line, so the non-alcoholic brews do not have to run on a different line, nor is it necessary to change recipes as required by some other alcohol-stripping processes. The SIGMATEC system has an integrated PLC system that automates the entire solution, and recipes and settings can be pre-programmed to ensure product consistency.
Walters remarked, “API’s wealth of experience and engineering know-how assisted us throughout the design of our unique equipment requirements. We couldn’t be more pleased with the final result received before, during and after our equipment installation.”
Barnes added, “API’s SIGMATEC system treats the beer as gently as possible while retaining the integrity of flavor and aroma. Their state-of-the-art technology allowed us to achieve our gold medal-winning quality.”