Quality Systems from

Basic to Enhanced

Kevin HryclikJan 2016

Quality Systems

What makes up a Quality System?

Is it about analyzing the beer for alcohol, pH, bitterness?

Is it about microbiology where you check for yeast or spoilage bacteria?

Are there other components that make up a Quality System?

Components of a Quality System

Raw material qualityAnalytical programMicrobiological

programSanitationSensoryPackagingPest Control

Quality Holds Management

Product TraceabilityConsumer MonitoringHousekeeping ProgramInternal Audit ProgramLab SafetyQuality Performance

Basic vs EnhancedWhat is the difference between a basic

system and enhanced?Why do I need anything more than a basic

system?It is about managing riskThe risk that your product does not meet

your specifications.The risk that your product does not meet

your customer’s expectations

Basic vs EnhancedA basic system will give you some information for

control but you may be missing a level of detail that gives you more confidence that the product meets all criteria.

An enhanced system can give you a higher confidence level that your beer is achieving the level of quality you have outlined.

What I hope to outline for you over the remainder of this presentation is what each quality system component needs to have in place for a basic system and some ideas for further enhancement.

Raw Material ManagementBasic SystemIncludes the

examination of materials at delivery for acceptance prior to transfer into bulk storage or transfer of bagged product to inventory.

FIFO is practiced

Enhanced SystemCaptures the batch

#’s or lot #’s and links the use of these identifiers with production.

Data systems allow the retrieval of info on materials used by brew or production lot.

Analytical Program

The analytical program is composed of several components.Decisions on what chemical or physical

characteristics of the beer that need to be analyzed

Reliability or robustness of resultsHow to interpret the results of your analysis

– that being the need to create specifications

What needs to be Analyzed?

Basic Program

You need to be able to prove any claims you are making about the product.

Typically on a beer label in Canada is the volume and the alcohol content.

Additional quality parameters can be brought in including: AE, pH, colour, bitterness, CO2 and air in package.

Enhanced Program

Analytes to be considered are:SodiumDiacetylEster & or Sulphur

componentsTotal Package

OxygenInitial Haze and

Forced HazeFoam

What needs to be Analyzed?

Basic Program

You need to be able to prove any claims you are making about the product.

Typically on a beer label in Canada is the volume and the alcohol content.

Additional quality parameters can be brought in including: AE, pH, colour, bitterness, CO2 and air in package.

Enhanced Program

Analytes to be considered are:SodiumDiacetylEster & or Sulphur

componentsTotal Package

OxygenInitial Haze and

Forced HazeFoam

Reliability or Robustness of Data

Basic Program Follow the basic

maintenance & calibration programs outlined in the manufacture’s manuals for the measuring devices you have purchased.

Participate in a collaborative lab testing exchange.

Enhanced Program Introduce the use of

control beer into the daily or batch analysis programs.

Track through SPC the performance on the instrument controls

Reliability or Robustness of Data

A robust analytical control program will help you avoid those famous requests from

your brewer:Could you go back and check

again?

Or better still…..

Go back and recheck until you get it right!

Specifications

Basic Program Every parameter

should have a target value.

High and low limits are typically listed

Enhanced Program Specifications include

a green zone, yellow zone and red zone.

Yellow zone starting point can be calculated using SPC.

Data is plotted on charts.

Data is shown on SPC charts.

Specifications

Microbiological Monitoring• The basic program should be focused on yeast

health & your ability to effectively clean your brewing vessels & equipment.

• Yeast health takes into consideration the viability of the yeast and the level of bacterial contamination.

• Viability can be performed using a stain such as methylene blue to identify dead cells and then you examine under a microscope the ratio of dead cells to live cells.

• Bacterial contamination can be performed by checking the beer after a fermenter is filled.

Microbiological Monitoring

Basic Program

Be able to determine yeast viability

Check for contamination in fermenters by sampling and incubating samples both aerobically and anaerobically on agar plates.

If you produce unpasteurized beer keep shelf life samples at room temp and check these after some length of storage.

Enhanced Program

Builds on the basic program and will check beer in aging, and bright beer and finished product. Typically a larger sample size is millipore filtered for increased sensitivity to detect contamination.

ATP type swabs can be used to verify equipment is clean before allowing the process to proceed.

Sanitation Program

Basic Program

Ensure brewhouse vessels and transfer lines are cleaned weekly.

Clean all fermenters and aging tanks after being emptied.

Clean bright beer tanks at a pre-determined frequency (example after 5 uses)

Enhanced Program

A master cleaning schedule is created and used to monitor the frequency of cleaning.

CIP and area cleaning are defined in procedures.

CIP cleaning is verified with checks on solution concentration and temperatures. (in-line instruments and automated reports)

Cleaning is verified (audit)

Sensory Program

Basic Program A daily sensory line-up

check should be set up to taste in-process beer from aging through to bright beer and sample finished product from each bright beer tank.

Enhanced Program Include raw materials in the

daily line up and checks on aged finished product.

Develop a brand profile map for your brands and evaluate the performance of weekly production to the “trueness to profile”.

Include evaluation for raw material changes and proposed process changes.

On going training program for taste panel participants

Sensory ProgramProduct Profile

Map Attributes of the brand

are highlighted and normal intensity levels for those attributes are defined.

This can be shown visually with a spider web plot.

An evaluation form can then be developed that scores the current production on how close it matches the “true to profile” map.

Packaging Quality

Packaging Quality

Basic Program Build a defined program for

the quality checks you are going to perform.

Select and test for the top quality or food safety parameters such as air in package, CO2 in package, caustic carry over in washed bottles, bottle inspection testing, finished product check for inclusions (bottles), can seam checks and carton integrity.

Enhanced Program Evaluate the frequency of

tests with the goal of increasing checks to minimize product at risk. Example: include checking for caustic carry over every 2 hours vs. once per shift.

Evaluate Total Package Oxygen vs. air and have targets for improvements.

Increased automation for inspection – filtecs, missing label detection, wet case or missing bottle detection, leaking closure detection (along with the equipment testing protocol)

Pest Control

Basic Program Enhanced Program Typically monitored

through a professional pest control service company

Weekly tours of the brewery by the service provider.

Detailed reports of activity and remediation.

Action taken to eliminate areas of risk such as missing screens, poor seals on doors

Install traps in brewery and tour for rodent & insect activity

Quality Holds Management

Basic Program Product suspected of

being out of compliance will be set aside in a hold area with signage.

Enhanced Program All product is labeled on hold

(tag applied to each pallet). The row that the pallets are put

into are identified with a chain or cone at the front of the row.

Chaining and locking the end pallets together is a requirement and the key is kept with Quality.

Tracking of all product movement while on hold is done as the product is inspected or sorted or reworked.

A final reconciliation is performed to ensure proper containment of the product was achieved.

Product Traceability

Basic Program Early systems used a

notch code on a label. The position on the label corresponds to the month it was packaged.

The disadvantage of this system is the requirement to withdrawal an entire month’s production if a serious issue is determined.

Enhanced Program Use ink jet or laser coders

to apply a detailed code. The detail includes not

just month and date, but can include line #, location, and minute code.

Typically codes are applied to both the primary and secondary packages.

Further enhanced with bar codes on pallets for tracking through logistics.

Consumer MonitoringBasic Program A phone number is

provided to consumers to provide feedback on quality concerns.

Calls received are investigated.

Enhanced Program In addition to the basic

program all calls are classified for the type of complaint and entered into a data base.

Monitoring of the data base is performed to see if trends are developing (graph the type of complaint by the number of containers produced monthly).

Convene problem solving teams to work on reducing consumer complaints.

Housekeeping Program

Basic Program Informal walk through

with “to do lists” created to assign to employees.

Enhanced Program Define the frequency a

formal housekeeping check will be performed (typically all areas are inspected monthly)

Define standards for each area inspected and a rating scale for the tour. Provide a score that is published.

Provide an incentive program for achieving & maintaining a high score each quarter

Internal Audit ProgramEnhanced Program

This component of a quality system is found in more advanced quality programs

Typically this system is put in place as quality testing is moved from technicians to operators.

An internal audit is performed to assess the level of compliance to the standards. Questions or observations include:

Ability to find SOP and follow steps correctlyFollowing safety procedures and requirementsCorrect interpretation of the results (compared to

specs)Understanding reaction plans for out of spec results.

Lab Safety ProgramBasic Program

An informal walk through is performed monthly looking for hazards. These a documented and assigned to an employee to correct.

Enhanced Program

Introduce a check sheet that defines the standards.

Checks should also include evaluation of employee practices such as wearing PPE.

A risk assessment can be performed for the lab to highlight where the higher risk activities are located which can then lead to enhanced safety procedures.

A scoring system can be introduced on the monthly checks and used in an incentive program.

Safety Check Sheets and Scoring

Quality Performance MonitoringEnhanced Program

This component of a quality system is found in more advanced quality programs

Performance measures can be created from data generated from the analytical, micro, packaging & sensory programs.

One example is to record the number of tests performed in a week or month that are in the “green zone or green and yellow zone” of a specification for a stage in the brewing process. You can then average the process area scores or use a multiplier to generate an overall quality score.

This quality score can give an indication if continuous improvement is being achieved.

The various quality performance scores can be used in employee incentive programs.

Quality Performance Monitoring

Quality Performance MonitoringEnhanced Program

You can also track the number of holds created in packaging on a monthly basis.

Or you can measure the Hls of beer held each month.

I would caution that these metrics should not be used for incentive programs since you do not want to dis-incent an employee for being cautious and put product on hold for a potential quality issue. An incentive program that rewards for staying below a certain value may give second thought to putting product on a precautionary hold.

SummaryKey “Take-Aways”

All breweries, regardless of size, need a quality program. Quality programs are not just about checking alcohol and

bitterness & other components in beer, but include many other disciplines.

Quality systems reduce the risk that your customers will receive product that does not meet their standard.

If you are starting up a new brewery you will want to ensure your quality program has at least the basic components of the items reviewed today.

Enhancing your basic programs helps you to reduce the risk of non compliant product.

Quality Thoughts to leave you with…

“Quality is the best business plan.” ~John Lasseter

“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much

better than two doubles.” – Steve Jobs

“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.”

~Henry Ford

“People forget how fast you did a job – but they remember how well you did it”  ~Howard Newton

"Quality is not a sprint; it is a long-

distance event." - V. Daniel Hunt

“Do or do not… there is no try.”

~Yoda"Quality is everyone's

responsibility." - W. Edwards Deming

Quality Thoughts to leave you with…

"Quality is everyone's responsibility." - W.

Edwards Deming