Type of works: Supply and installation of Airedale's Ultima Compact energy-efficient chiller.

Beer has been brewed at Southwold on the Suffolk coast since 1345, and the Adnams family has maintained this tradition since 1872 when they acquired the Southwold brewery. Today, Adnams employs almost 300 people in its brewing and hotel businesses operating two hotels and 84 public houses. The installation of an energy efficient chiller supplied by Airedale, ensures that the environmental impact of new fermentation rooms is kept to a minimum

Adnams has recently developed selected export markets for its range of bottled beers and was confirmed as the fastest growing beer brand in 2000/2001. Cask conditioned beers continue to mature in the cask and have to be handled very carefully to ensure that the yeasts produce wholesome beers.

A £1.8 million investment in new fermentation rooms at Southwold prompted Adnams to address energy considerations. An energy-efficient chiller supplied by Airedale provides chilled water to a large storage vessel containing a 25% concentration of food standard glycol to cool the beers after primary fermentation has taken place. The beers are then carefully monitored to ensure that the secondary fermentation continues inside the cask, producing the classic real beer.

“Environmental awareness and sustainability feature prominently in the Adnams approach to business,” said David Forster of Fourstar Refrigeration. “The installation of the energy efficient chiller, together with its sophisticated controls, will ensure that the environmental impact of the new fermentation rooms will be kept to a minimum,” he concluded.

Airedale has supplied Adnams with an Ultima Compact 225 kW chiller complete with electronic expansion valves and phenolic-coated condenser coils to offer protection against the coastal environment.