When edge technology meets the art and science of brewing, something beautiful happens.

New Belgium Brewing Company has strategically deployed technology at the edge to support ambitious business goals, including producing a million barrels of world-class beer every year.

You’d be surprised how many conversations I’ve had over the last few months that center around data, AI and beer. Homebrewing is a popular hobby, and I know a number of folks who have tried it. Some kept it up, others didn’t, but they were all just brewing for themselves and were pretty flexible about how the beer turned out.

But in professional brewing, you don’t have nearly as much flexibility. Once you establish a brand, people know what your beer is supposed to taste like, and they expect it to be the same every time. That’s not as easy as you might think. Beer is a living thing that’s created via an organic process. As a home brewer, you can probably replicate your successes now and then if you don’t change any of the variables. In larger-scale operations, there are lots of variables that need to be tightly controlled to get consistent results. In fact, I’d bet there’s more similarity between a large-scale brewing operation and an advanced pharmaceutical manufacturer than your average homebrewing setup.

I recently engaged in a discussion with New Belgium Brewing Company. This company has evolved from a minor craft brewery to a national giant. One of their most loved beers is presently brewed at four different facilities. Even though each facility features a unique water source and altitude, the final product must still maintain the same taste. How do they achieve this consistency despite the differences? The answer is data!

Directing a batch of beer through numerous steps at multiple breweries can be likened to an art form that is enhanced by data. The process begins with ensuring the source ingredients are consistent and accurately measured. Whether these ingredients are acquired from the main supplier or alternates, identifying and tracking their exact features is crucial to producing a top-notch outcome. As the brewing progresses, the process necessitates the precise control of temperature, pressure and timing, with alerts and automatic corrections applied as needed to maintain everything within tolerances. Therefore, installing sensors at various points of the brewing journey is critical to enable brewers remotely monitor and automatically regulate the process.

After the beer is brewed, it has to be bottled and packaged. A high-speed production line is where a dented can or fallen bottle can cause a backlog. This results in more damaged containers, a lot of beer spillage and a massive mess that needs to cleaned up before brewing can continue. An alternative solution? Data.

Sensors installed along the line can monitor beer flow, the speed, and location hence informing New Belgium of how much has been packed and what remains. By comparing flow rates along the line, any leaks can be detected to help minimize waste. Cameras also monitor the line as everything moves at a high speed. Computer vision identifies fallen or damaged containers and can halt the line in a few seconds. This allows for cleanup and reset before the situation escalates.

After packaging, the distribution of beer is a complex process due to the sensitivity of the product to external factors. If the shipping conditions are not meticulously controlled, the end product will lose its potential to offer an appealing experience to the consumers. It is thus helpful to gather and analyze data during the distribution process. Monitoring metrics like the shipping container’s temperature or the time spent on the retail shelf can enhance the consumer experience.

In commercial beer production, it’s essential to identify valuable data and process it using advanced technology to gain insightful outcomes. According to information gathered from the IT team at New Belgium Brewing Company, the use of real-time data analytics and AI inferencing at the edge has played a significant role in enhancing efficiency, compliance, sustainability and savings.

You can gain more insights from this case study or by listening to this podcast episode.

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