If there’s one common principle that everyone in the beer industry shares, it’s the importance of ensuring the quality of every beer that reaches consumers. We often think of gleaming beakers and pristine white lab coats when the idea of quality control comes up, but maintaining certain standards doesn’t necessarily require building a brewery or excessive costs.
(MORE: Building a Lab on a Budget)
Brewers Association technical staff and committees work to provide advice, checklists, videos, manuals and seminar presentations, emphasizing the importance of implementing and maintaining a program quality. These resources run the gamut from fundamental approaches to more advanced techniques. No matter how much beer we produce or how long a brewery has been in business, it is worth reviewing and revising the approach to quality. So I’ve compiled a list of five valuable resources to help maintain and improve quality standards.
1. Build the pyramid
The quality pyramid describes the essential components of a formal quality program, including the order of approach.
2. Establish a base
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are the building blocks for defining, sharing and executing the standards necessary to ensure quality and consistency in the brewhouse.
3. Start with quality
This presentation from the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) 2017 offers an in-depth dive into “knowing your beer” and what to consider when starting a lab program.
4. Refine your processes
Once again, we rely on past CBC presentations to provide information on contamination detection and yeast cell count and viability.
5. Finish strong
Whether or not you have a faucet system on site, quality manual projects can equip you with the tools and knowledge to ensure your beer is delivered to consumers the way you want it to be.
Want to go further? Consider attending a workshop on the basics of beer quality, reviewing ASBC’s testing methods training, and getting your copy of Quality management: essential planning for breweries.
Do you have questions about accessing Brewers Association resources? I am happy to help you.
