The Future of the Microbrew Industry

We’ve all taken notice of a beautiful Colorado nature scene ruling a label on your favorite craft beer label — we’ve seen the power behind a woman’s left hand, a Montana mountainside, streams with fly fishers, and even a yeti. Do any of you think you will ever see a supercritical CO2 extraction machine on your next IPA? Who knows, this could be the next great branding secret. I honestly believe that you'll being seeing an IES Pale Ale in the next two years, but hey, thats just me.

The micro-brew industry has always been shrouded in mystery, this is no secret, and tomorrow’s microbrew market will not be any different. Trade secrets have even been taken to the grave, while recipes are hidden from even those that work on the very bottling lines that package their products. 

100 years ago the choices were “Pilsner” or “Stout”. 50 years ago, we came across the battle for the states, Wisconsin dominating the country, while a little-known Colorado company could not leave state lines. 10 years past, we started hearing about IPA and Nitrogen. What's next? What do we expect from those trailblazers from yesterday? 

Science is nothing new to innovation, truth be told, science has always blazed the path to the future of every industry - from the harnessing of the power of the flame for industry to the distillation of crude oil for kerosine. The microbrewing industry is no different and the future of the microbrew industry can be found in the extraction of oils through supercritical carbon dioxide. A Louisville Colorado based company, Isolate Extraction Systems Inc. is creating the science for the future of your favorite industry. Through R&D, innovation and listening to what our clients need, we have created the perfect machines to take your brewery to the next generation. 

Tomorrow’s GABF victor will be created in a sterile lab, created through the extraction of selectively grown hops, broken down into terpene oils, alpha and beta oils/waxes. How did this progression come to be? It came out of necessity, the need to secure the best oils from the top growths, during the perfect grow seasons. The future growth of the micro-brew market has become possible through the use of supercritical carbon dioxide extraction and its because of innovators like IES’s Kelly Knutson who have made the future possible, today. 

Hop extraction is nothing new, In the late 1800’s the NY Hop Extract Company supplied gasoline extracted hop resins, sold to brewers across the nation. Today we use selective parameters to create harmonies between pressures and temperatures that take gaseous CO2 and turns it into Sub or super-Critical liquid – a vulnerable state between a gas and a solid that allows for selective processing. What remains is shelf-ready extract, preserved and ready for storage. 

“Extracts have better longevity [than raw hops], particularly in countries with developing logistics or harsher climates,” said Alex Barth, CEO of John I. Haas

As a brewer have you ever said to yourself, I wish this crop was an everyday possibility? This was an incredible yield! This batch had the perfect amount of bitter! Supercritical CO2 extraction allows for you to have those needs/wants fulfilled for as long as you pay your electricity bill (as long as the refrigerator stays on). Through CO2 Extraction, you can take your oils, store them away and create your own product management programs for your favorite microbrew.

Whether or not you think a lab is an appropriate place to create the next Guinness Stout, the truth is that the selective preservation of the hop's unique oils and terpenes through supercritical co2 extraction is the next generation of the micro-brewing industry. What are your favorite flavor profiles when it comes to your top micro brews? Do you recognize the profiles that a beta or alpha can produce? Come into our facility's lab and let us show you the future of your industry.

IES’s Supercritical CO2 machines have been strategically engineered to create the perfect flavor profile, based in the heart of Colorado’s micro-brewing industry, IES has the machine that fits your budget. We look forward to hearing from you. Please email Aaron Furman, at [email protected] with any questions regarding a site visit with a fully functioning lab built for your extraction needs.

#smallbatch #craftbeer #alesmith #beersnob #beernerd #drinkcraft #drinklocal #brewery #ilovebeer #craftbeerporn #instabrew #cheers #hophead #co2oil #co2extract #co2extraction #supercriticalco2 #IES #IsolateSystems