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EJ Beverage launches draught line conversion kit for home beer brewers
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Saturday, 07 June, 2014, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Denver
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fiogf49gjkf0d EJ Beverage, a division of the Eldon James Corporation, would be launching the Brew Ultra Draught Line Conversion Kit for the home dispensing market.
It comprises PVC-free and anti-microbial coiled tubing and a coiled length of PVC-free clear tubing with a red stripe for the gas line.
It would be showcased at the 2014 National Home-brewers’ Convention, slated to take place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, between June 11 and 14, 2014.
The beer line was developed and tested to help prevent the build up of bio-film within the tubing walls. The gas line was co-developed with the New Belgium Brewery to address concerns of unseen mold build-up and hidden valve failures that could cause products or cleaners to back up in the gas line.
EJ Beverage’s Brew Ultra draught line conversion kit
While the conversion kits are new to the market, the Eldon James Corporation has been developing products for the various sectors, including the food and beverage industry, for the last 27 years.
The company, which is one of the leading plastics manufacturers, is located in Colorado, a hotbed for micro-breweries. Thus, brewing and dispensing applications have become a logical starting point for a new venture.
“We originally developed PVC-free and anti-microbial tubing for the medical market through Eldon James’ medical division approximately 10 years ago,” stated Greg Kinney, director, food and beverages, EJ Beverage.
“Because the medical market has been aggressive in eliminating PVC from medical device applications, we knew that the food and beverage market would soon follow with similar intentions,” he added.
“We started consulting with several experts in the beer and brewing industries, and found that they have long been searching for an alternative for their dispensing systems,” Kinney said.
After many years of successfully helping the medical industry eliminate PVC from patient care and other applications, Eldon James began testing their tubing for food and beverage applications.
“We began testing for beverage applications over two years ago, and were amazed at the results,” explained Mark Timbrook, director of marketing, Eldon James.
The Research Centre Weihenstephan for Brewing and Food Quality tested the tubing against the top four beer-spoiling bacteria and documented that it is upto 100 per cent effective against all bacteria tested.
“The combination of bacteria build-up and the ‘plastic taste’ that you may get in traditional dispensing systems have contributed to the flavour and contamination issues that brewers have been keenly aware of,” continued Timbrook.
“The testing not only proved that our tubing was effective against the buildup of bacteria, but Weihenstephan also concluded that there was no noticeable change in the taste of the product passing through the tubing. This addressed our ultimate goal of ‘serving beer the way the brewer intended’, and therefore EJ Beverage was born,” he added.
After receiving these positive results from laboratory testing, EJ Beverage then pursued some practical testing through the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins Colorado, the Airbrau Beer Garden in Munich, Germany, and several other “real world” applications.
Kinney added, “In our laboratory and field testing we found that the tubing helped protect the flavor of beer. By eliminating the PVC and all of the plasticizers that go with traditional beverage tubing and then adding an antimicrobial liner, we found an excellent combination that is gaining a lot of excitement in the industry.”
Paul Olson, a long-time brewer, draught specialist, and most recently, owner Keg Whisperer, LLC, Colorado, now recommends PVC-free tubing to all of his clients.
“I have installed my last PVC line,” stated Olson, adding, “Nobody wants their beer to taste like a shower.” He has installed and maintained many high-profile systems, including a three-tap system in the state governor’s mansion.
EJ Beverage now has a full line of PVC-free and anti-microbial tubing products for the food and beverage market. Because of the significant growth in the home brewing market, it is their home dispensing kits that are getting a lot of the attention right now.
“Once the Brew Ultra kits were finalised and ready for the market, EJ Beverage offered a limited time opportunity for the public to order direct from the manufacturer,” stated Timbrook.
“The response was greater than expected. For a period of time, we allowed home-brewers to sign up online as part of a pre-launch promotion for the kits,” he added.
“We limited the orders to a maximum of four kits per order over a period of four days. While the number of orders that came in impressed us, what really surprised us is how many orders came in with two, three and four kits per order,” he added.
Timbrook reported that the feedback they received about the kits had always been great, and that they usually mention at least one of three things:
- The elimination of the plastic taste that they had in their system;
- The complete reduction of bacteria in their lines between cleanings, and
- The coiled tubing helps keep the tubing off of the floor and more organised
Olin Schultz, chief executive officer, MoreFlavor! Inc, stated that they were the first to carry the EJ Beverage line of tubing and kits.
He said, “The Ultra Barrier Silver from EJ Beverage is the new gold-standard for draft beer tubing. It is odour-free, flavour-free, PVC-free and has a silver anti-microbial liner. I also love how the unique coiling will keep your kegerator clean and organised.”
MoreFlavor! Inc is now carrying a full line of tubing for EJ Beverage through their online retail site, www.morebeer.com, and through their wholesale division, www.Fermentap.com.
“We are thrilled to have MoreFlavor! on board,” said Timbrook. “Not only do they reach a great audience directly through MoreBeer!, but Fermentap also gives us a great outlet as a wholesale supplier for the more than 800 home brew supply stores throughout the United States.” he added.
Kinney concluded, “Whether it is a large craft brewery or a brand new home-brewer, the sentiment is the same. There is an innate desire to serve beer the way the brewer intended. EJ Beverage now offers a new solution to help meet that noble goal.”
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