Ask The Brewmasters

Hi David,
We use plastic zip ties. A unique color for each year
Regards,
Daniel Carey
New Glarus Brewing Company

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Daniel Carey
Brewmaster
New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus WI
(608) 527-5850
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That's a great idea, thanks Dan!  Are you using the zip ties on fittings that get fully submerged in cleaning chemicals or just fittings and equipment that are mounted in-line permanently?  I'm curious about how well the zip ties survive repeated exposure to caustic and acid cleaners.  P.S. I'm a Wisconsin native and New Glarus had a major influence on my jump into the craft beer industry from chemical engineering!  Big fan of everything you do.  Cheers!

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David Johnson
New Terrain Brewing
Golden CO
(262) 894-2853
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2023 11:06
From: Daniel Carey
Subject: Traceability for small brewery Parts such as butterfly valves

Hi David,
We use plastic zip ties. A unique color for each year
Regards,
Daniel Carey
New Glarus Brewing Company

------------------------------
Daniel Carey
Brewmaster
New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus WI
(608) 527-5850
------------------------------

Thanks for your kind words, David.

Depending on color, the ties begin to fade in as little as six months if parts go through repeated COP.

Typically we rebuild valves every year or two and the color is still bright enough to differentiate.

Of course, in-line parts that are not exposed to COP will hold color for years.

Regards,
Dan Carey
New Glarus Brewing

------------------------------
Daniel Carey
Brewmaster
New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus WI
(608) 527-5850
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2023 22:38
From: David Johnson
Subject: Traceability for small brewery Parts such as butterfly valves

That's a great idea, thanks Dan!  Are you using the zip ties on fittings that get fully submerged in cleaning chemicals or just fittings and equipment that are mounted in-line permanently?  I'm curious about how well the zip ties survive repeated exposure to caustic and acid cleaners.  P.S. I'm a Wisconsin native and New Glarus had a major influence on my jump into the craft beer industry from chemical engineering!  Big fan of everything you do.  Cheers!

------------------------------
David Johnson
New Terrain Brewing
Golden CO
(262) 894-2853
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2023 11:06
From: Daniel Carey
Subject: Traceability for small brewery Parts such as butterfly valves

Hi David,
We use plastic zip ties. A unique color for each year
Regards,
Daniel Carey
New Glarus Brewing Company

------------------------------
Daniel Carey
Brewmaster
New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus WI
(608) 527-5850

I guess if you can’t tell what colour the zip tie is anymore then maybe it is time to rebuild the valve :)

Doug Pengelly


Original Message:
Sent: 1/19/2023 11:21:00 AM
From: Daniel Carey
Subject: RE: Traceability for small brewery Parts such as butterfly valves

Thanks for your kind words, David.

Depending on color, the ties begin to fade in as little as six months if parts go through repeated COP.

Typically we rebuild valves every year or two and the color is still bright enough to differentiate.

Of course, in-line parts that are not exposed to COP will hold color for years.

Regards,
Dan Carey
New Glarus Brewing

------------------------------
Daniel Carey
Brewmaster
New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus WI
(608) 527-5850
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2023 22:38
From: David Johnson
Subject: Traceability for small brewery Parts such as butterfly valves

That's a great idea, thanks Dan!  Are you using the zip ties on fittings that get fully submerged in cleaning chemicals or just fittings and equipment that are mounted in-line permanently?  I'm curious about how well the zip ties survive repeated exposure to caustic and acid cleaners.  P.S. I'm a Wisconsin native and New Glarus had a major influence on my jump into the craft beer industry from chemical engineering!  Big fan of everything you do.  Cheers!

------------------------------
David Johnson
New Terrain Brewing
Golden CO
(262) 894-2853
------------------------------

We use an engraver to put a three digit code on the exterior of items like sample ports/zwickels. We have a corresponding spreadsheet that we update that has notes like "last date of service" and what parts were swapped. Although I like the idea of adding in Mr Carey's solution as well. Then you'd get both a visual indicator in the brewery and permanent tracking/inventory to see what parts have gone missing on the backend.

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Mat Olive
Lab Technician
Ninkasi Brewing Company
Eugene OR
(541) 521-8106
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Track the tank, pump, etc. by keeping the parts from that equipment together during wash, sanitization, etc.  Then replace all the gaskets at once on whatever your schedule happens to be.

A few small mobile sinks is a convenient way to keep parts together during cleaning, etc.

Stainless parts can be etched with a 9V battery and a light acid solution .... it would be painstaking work though and requires some sort of mask.  Attached is an example, my first attempt doing this with a vinyl mask created by a friend.  Search for 'etching stainless'.  Of course, you could hire a company to do this.

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John Heasley
Haussli
Portland OR

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Second on the color coded zip tie method.

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Moriah Guise
On-Site Production Manager
Levante Brewing Co
West Chester PA
(615) 972-8252
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Hi David. We've had success using a metal stamp. We wanted to mark all our PRVs for recording in our testing log. We don't believe this had any detrimental effects on the performance of the PRVs or ability to effectively sanitize them but would love to hear from this community any opinions regarding this. See photos. We have not used it on any other pieces of equipment. Cheers!

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Derek Allmendinger
Head Brewer
Unmapped Brewing Co.
Minnetonka MN
(952) 843-3262
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I was going to recommend something along these lines. I originally purchased a alphabetical/numerical punch set from Amazon to label keys, but they do work well on 304SS. I would just make sure to punch in an area that would obviously be crucial to process. Maybe along the outer flange of a butterfly, etc. and have a corresponding spreadsheet that others have mentioned. The color coding with zipties is a great idea for quick reference.

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Austin Edwards
Brewmaster
Stats Brewpub
Atlanta GA
(770) 570-0160
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-18-2023 11:30
From: Derek Allmendinger
Subject: Traceability for small brewery Parts such as butterfly valves

Hi David. We've had success using a metal stamp. We wanted to mark all our PRVs for recording in our testing log. We don't believe this had any detrimental effects on the performance of the PRVs or ability to effectively sanitize them but would love to hear from this community any opinions regarding this. See photos. We have not used it on any other pieces of equipment. Cheers!

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Derek Allmendinger
Head Brewer
Unmapped Brewing Co.
Minnetonka MN
(952) 843-3262
------------------------------

In some cases, a paint pen can come in handy or an industrial labeler. I already see engraving and punch stamping in the thread.
I have also used zip ties. Plastic cable seals can work and they have a unique serial number
In a similar vein, if you are concerned at some point about incompatibility between products vs cleaning capability, then you may look at the color-coded gaskets, etc. available on the market.

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Jonathan Morse
Dipl. Brew
Etobicoke ON
(416) 708-0244
JonathanMorse(416) 708-0244
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