The Innofill Glass Micro – perfect for small and medium-sized breweries
Lakefront Brewery invests in the innovative filling system
Lakefront Brewery is situated in the former American brewing capital of Milwaukee, a fact owner Russ Klisch is very proud of. He's more or less grown up with the brewery trade; when he was a boy his grandfather, who drove a delivery truck for the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company, often brought beer home with him after work. Says Klisch, "I thought it was a cool job if you got to bring beer home at night." With his background it's no wonder that Klisch wants to do his bit towards again making Milwaukee a center of the brewing industry. And with his successful Lakefront Brewery, he has! In order to meet the ever growing demand for quality Lakefront beers Klisch recently invested in an Innofill Glass Micro monoblocked with a rinsing and crowning system. "This was exactly the right decision to make," smiles Klisch. "The commissioning phase was extremely short and since then the filler has run like clockwork. Our lab results confirm that we have extremely low oxygen pickup in our beer which is a major aspect for a company that attaches such great value to quality." Klisch also praises the low CO2 consumption, the minimal amount of water used for cleaning thanks to targeted hygienic design and the very efficient use of energy through the application of servo motors. Lakefront Brewery has not only acted as a pioneer in investing in the innovative KHS filling system. For instance, in 2006 it created the first gluten-free beer to be approved by the US government. New Grist, as the tipple's called, is now the brewery's top product with sales notching up around 13,000 barrels a year. Lakefront was also the first brewery in the USA to brew a fruit beer since Prohibition and the second in the country to be bold enough to launch a pumpkin beer. What's more, in 1996 Lakefront introduced the first certified organic American beer to market in the form of Organic ESB or Extra Special Bitter. In 2012 the brewing company sold over 20 styles of beer in 33,000 barrels, including classic beers, seasonal beers and specialties brewed only once. Eighty percent of the products sold by Lakefront are attributable to its four classic brews New Grist, Riverwest Stein (an amber lager), Lakefront's Indian Pale Ale and Fixed Gear (an ale). With a share of 60% Wisconsin is still the biggest sales market for Lakefront Brewery which is also active in 35 other US states and exports to Canada, Australia, Japan and South Korea. Regional revenues and exports focus on one product alone: New Grist. According to Klisch, New Grist is growing on consumers not just for its health aspect but also thanks to its excellent taste which he describes as being "of fruity berries and a little reminiscent of cider".
