When Phil Sisson returned home to Scotland in 2019, he wasn’t just leaving a London career in studio management behind. With a growing passion for beer brewing and the accolade of winning the 2016 Great British Home Brew Challenge, he was taking his first steps into the world of commercial beer brewing.
Today, Simple Things Fermentations is Phil’s thriving independent brewery business. Located in the southside of Glasgow, its beers can be found in some of the best shops, bars and restaurants in Glasgow and Edinburgh. It’s also sold directly to a growing customer base via the business’s online shop.
The beer market is a competitive place and one of the things that has helped Phil build the Simple Things Fermentations brand is its traditional approach to brewing. All the business’s beers are vegan friendly, unfiltered, unpasteurised and naturally carbonated through re-fermentation.
According to Phil: “A slow and low fermentation keeps our beer clean, crisp and refreshing and allows for a full array of delicate flavours. However, our re-fermentation process required careful temperature control and as our business grew and production volumes increased, energy costs started to rise. Business Gateway suggested that I contact Business Energy Scotland for support to help us modernise our brewery equipment”.
“Not only are we saving money and reducing our carbon footprint, but we have also increased production capacity which is allowing us to increase sales and grow the business.”
When Phil spoke to his Business Energy Scotland advisor, he explained how his beer was being carbonated by a process called ‘in package (cans and kegs) re-fermenting’. And that this required storing the cans and kegs in a room that was heated to a constant 20 degrees, 24 hours a day, for 14 days before being ready for sale.
He was keen to upgrade the current fermentation tanks to modern sealed units. These units would allow the carbonation process to take place prior to packaging, removing the need for the heated space, and the energy bills that went along with it.
New fermentation tanks would retain enough of the CO2 that is produced during primary fermentation and allow it to be used to carbonate the finished beer product. The process not only saves energy but also reduces the amount of CO2 that is released to the atmosphere.
Our advisor got to work to support Phil by calculating the cost and environmental savings that could be achieved through this upgrade.
A summary report was presented, showing how three new tanks and an associated chiller upgrade would support the switch to the new process and provide over £1,500 per year in energy savings.
With the addition of a small lighting upgrade in the brewing area to energy efficient LEDs, the report estimated that the business could cut its carbon emissions by an estimated 37%.
While an investment of around £34,000 was needed to implement the changes, Phil successfully applied for funding from the Scottish Government’s SME Loan Scheme and received an interest free loan with a £20,000 cashback grant that has enabled him to make the upgrade.
“I am glad I got in touch with Business Energy Scotland. The project would not have been possible otherwise.”
Phil said: “While this fermentation process is novel in the UK, it is one commonly used by European brewers. The support from Business Energy Scotland and the access to the Scottish Government’s SME Loan Scheme has enabled us to push ahead and make the investment at our Glasgow brewery. Not only are we saving money and reducing our carbon footprint, but we have also increased production capacity which is allowing us to increase sales and grow the business. I am glad I got in touch with Business Energy Scotland. The project would not have been possible otherwise.”