Nestled into the hills of the southeastern coastal area of the Fujian province, lies a modern city that has made a name for itself as China’s sneaker manufacturing capital.
Putian has some incredible temples, parks and museums.
It is also home to Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Putian Brewery, which opened in 2017 – and has the capacity to produce 1.5 million tons of beer a year. According to AB InBev, that makes the brewery the largest such facility by capacity in Asia Pacific.
Budweiser is the King of Beers there so the company realised – with this much enthusiasm for beer, there must be an appetite for something different.
We were approached by a division of ABI, ZX Ventures, to bid on the equipment for one of their brands, Goose Island – with an idea to bring a craft brewery to this fascinating city.
And boy, were we excited by their vision!
We were also ready to sink our teeth into a really high-end project, one that encapsulates creativity, capacity – and style.
THE PROJECT
The ZX Ventures team wanted a high-end brewpub with equipment to match, but needed a solution that made both patrons and the local brew team happy.
Our answer – a full turnkey solution for a 600L brewery nestled in a brewpub environment.
This included a 3-vessel, manually operated, steam-heated brewhouse with wort sample station, HLT, CLT, FVs, BBTs, COP vessel, and yeast brinks.
We also provided a flow panel to the cellar as it is in a separate room, mobile pump, glycol chiller, banded brewery hose, washdown hose reels and complete installation including process piping.
What made this project special was that our team was involved, every step of the way. From installing the equipment and the process piping, to helping get electrical wires into the distribution panel – we were there.
Because building a brewery is like buying a car – we want to create the perfect piece of machinery – and the end goal is to ceremoniously hand over a set of keys and be on your way.
THE CHALLENGES
The pressure was on from the beginning.
Goose Island is a really strong brand, having brewpubs all over the world from different manufacturers, so we wanted to make sure we delivered a great outcome.
The initial challenge we came across was the layout.
The brewery was split into two rooms, splitting the hot and cold sides.
Working with the client, we were able to implement a flow panel and were able to pipe hot liquor, wort and a CIP line from the hot side into the cellar.
We also decided to implement a CO2 main line which then fed into the panel.
Another challenge was the allocation of spacing near the ceiling for all of our piping and ensuring we did not interfere with the utility connections for the rest of the site. Luckily we are Tetris veterans and it came together well.
THE SOLUTIONS
Looking back on the finished project, we can confidently say, this is one of the best brewpubs we have ever designed and installed.
What makes it special for us – this was the first full turnkey project we have done for Zx Ventures. This brewery was about more than just providing a great product and space for Putian, it was about building relationships with one of the most respected names in the game.
Being able to work with their team to design the layout, equipment and process piping proved invaluable for our experience. And the added bonus – our teams really clicked. Everyone worked well together through the process and solved any problems that arose.
Our local team can speak Mandarin and English so switching between the languages to communicate with the client, contractors and designers proved advantageous.
We are happy to say, we have now completed a further two turnkey projects for ZX Ventures in Seoul – and the latest in Bangalore.
THE BEER
After all – this is what it’s all about.
Putian already had a massive production brewery in their city – it met a demand for their big name brands.. So, people already had a taste for it.
That said – the local clientele was ready for something new and while most were not ready for anything too out there, Goose Island Putian offers a wide variety of beers for the local palate.
The brewer there did an amazing job of brewing world-class beer straight out of the gate. While we’d like to say it was because of the equipment, it was his skills he picked up over his brewing career, but I think we helped a bit.
A BESPOKE OUTCOME
The Goose Island project was a real challenge. But, what always comes with a challenge is the feeling of accomplishment.
The brewing team is getting positive feedback – about the flavours in the beer, but also about how great the space looks.
There is sometimes a trade off between aesthetics and functionality with some breweries, but with Goose Island – we managed to nail both! (If we don’t say so ourselves.)
We loved bouncing ideas with the brewing team, putting it together conceptually, then physically. Our vision really did come to life!
And the best part – we have made some awesome new friends, who are like minded and just as excited by all this as we are.
The team on the ground are knowledgeable, experienced, enthusiastic about innovation – and damn good fun.
They took a leap with us. And we came up with a really cool solution, proving we can play with the big boys. We realised our own capabilities for these really high end projects – and we can’t wait to get involved in more!
