Three clicks to the perfect beer – Flottweg separator with integrated recipe control in action at French brewery “Little Atlantique Brewery”

A passion for fresh beer, brewing craftsmanship, and creativity – that’s what the French brewery Little Atlantique Brewery from Nantes stands for. By using a Flottweg separator and the integrated Flottweg recipe control, the brewery has made its processes more efficient and cost effective.

 

In 2019, the Little Atlantique Brewery (LAB) was founded in Nantes in a historic industrial building on the banks of the Loire River, which has been carefully restored. In this way, the company has preserved the industrial charm of the past while carrying out the operations of a modern brewery. The location at the mouth of the Loire also symbolizes the brewery’s philosophy: combining tradition with innovation.

The brewery pays special attention to its range of different beer types: “Most of our beers, our standard product range, are German beers. This was to set us apart from other breweries. We have a Hefeweizen, a Doppelbock, and a Schwarzbier,” explains Arthur Pasquet, brewmaster at LAB. “We are also proud to have extremely fresh beer on site, as we use 1000-liter dispensing tanks that are filled immediately after centrifugation.”

BrewPub – a unique concept

A special feature of the brewery is its BrewPub, where the freshly brewed beer is served directly on tap. Guests can sample the various beers in a pub covering 3,000 square meters: “Here in our BrewPub, people from different cultures and people celebrating different occasions can meet to spend special moments together,” explains Jérôme Pallier, founder of Little Atlantique Brewery. Their vision is to make beer a cultural experience that brings people together and inspires them.

 

In addition to the various types of beer that are on offer in the BrewPub, there is a selection of dishes available featuring fresh regional ingredients. Not only can visitors stop for a drink in the BrewPub, they also join guided brewery tours where they are offered tastings and given an explanation of the brewing processes.

Flottweg separator AC1700 in action at Little Atlantique

In 2021 the brewery finally decided to buy a Flottweg separator, which was put into operation in 2022 and has been in daily use ever since. The AC1700 separator is used at LAB to clarify all their beers. “All our beers pass through the centrifuge at the stages between fermentation, storage, and the bottling containers,” says Arthur Pasquet, describing the application of the disc stack separator.

 

The previously used centrifuge was no longer able to meet the demands of production. “Initially we had a centrifuge that was delivered along with the entire brewing plant. We reached its limits quite quickly because the throughflow was somewhat too restricted,” explains the brewmaster. The old centrifuge was also challenging to operate: “To begin with, it was necessary to have a person controlling the centrifuge at nearly all times, especially since there was no automatic control,” says Arthur Pasquet. “The problem was mainly a lack of operators, as the team initially consisted of only two people. And since we also had to brew and fill at the same time, that means we would be down one person, because they had to exclusively operate the centrifuge.”In 2021 the brewery finally decided to buy a Flottweg separator, which was put into operation in 2022 and has been in daily use ever since. The AC1700 separator is used at LAB to clarify all their beers. “All our beers pass through the centrifuge at the stages between fermentation, storage, and the bottling containers,” says Arthur Pasquet, describing the application of the disc stack separator.

 

The previously used centrifuge was no longer able to meet the demands of production. “Initially we had a centrifuge that was delivered along with the entire brewing plant. We reached its limits quite quickly because the throughflow was somewhat too restricted,” explains the brewmaster. The old centrifuge was also challenging to operate: “To begin with, it was necessary to have a person controlling the centrifuge at nearly all times, especially since there was no automatic control,” says Arthur Pasquet. “The problem was mainly a lack of operators, as the team initially consisted of only two people. And since we also had to brew and fill at the same time, that means we would be down one person, because they had to exclusively operate the centrifuge.”

For these reasons, Little Atlantique Brewery finally decided to purchase a new clarification separator that separates the fine solids as well as the hops component from the beer produced. On the one hand, the new centrifuge had to meet the brewery’s throughflow requirements and provide sufficient capacity; on the other hand, the company wanted a machine that was less time-consuming to operate, which had been a major pain point in daily use. In the end, the solution to these problems was provided by the Flottweg separator AC1700 with its automated recipe control. The separator was delivered as a plug-and-play solution and put into immediate operation.

Flottweg’s recipe control a decisive advantage in daily use

With the intuitive and simple recipe control of the Flottweg separator, Little Atlantique Brewery can now save its various beer processes simply and easily. These can be reused at any time and can be optimized and adjusted in a variety of ways with just a few clicks. For the brewery, though, the major benefit was the time saving: “Recipe control was a crucial factor in our choice of this machine, because we can leave it unattended and it will adapt to turbidity fluctuations independently throughout the entire production day,” explains the brewmaster. 

 

The separator’s ease of operation with the recipe control ensures optimum quality and yield with constant results throughout the entire brewing process at LAB. At the same time, it gives the brewery more flexibility in terms of time and staffing: “Essentially, the recipe control means that we have one more person on the team. Because this occurs in the background and is done automatically by the machine, it frees up another person for the whole day,” explains Arthur Pasquet, who coordinates all beer-related production activities in the brewery. “Throughout the whole working day, it essentially takes only three clicks to keep the machine running independently, from the first cleaning to the final cleaning. This saves us time and money.”

Customer focus and fast service

The first time he contacted Flottweg in 2020, former brewmaster Simon Hicher and Jérôme Pallier were already convinced: “It was important for us to have a dedicated contact person from France who is easy to reach and who answers our questions quickly.” Flottweg met all these requirements and helped the brewery find a suitable separator for its throughflow. For brewmaster Arthur, this customer-focused support was an important foundation for a trusted partnership.

 

In addition, Flottweg is always within easy reach when it comes to customer service and further collaboration: “It was also important for us to have a contact person for customer service, i.e. all the maintenance. We place great value on regular maintenance and the ability to obtain replacement parts or fast repairs.” This enables the brewery to plan its processes over the long term and thus prevent unplanned downtimes. But should questions or uncertainties arise, Flottweg’s teams are always available: “In both the technical and customer service fields, it is now very easy to reach someone by phone and get answers to our questions,” explains Arthur Pasquet.

Based on his satisfaction with the separator’s recipe control and the customer service, Pasquet would gladly choose Flottweg again: “For me, automation, ease of use, the relationships with Flottweg and the quality of customer service are clear reasons why I would choose Flottweg again.”

 

In its collaboration with Flottweg, Little Atlantique Brewery has found an optimal solution that, in addition to improving efficiency, also improves the quality of the brewing processes over the long term and has equipped the brewery for the future.

 

Author: Julia Deliano, PR- and Content Manager at Flottweg