We are in the age where transparency is key, especially when it comes to what goes into our food and drink. Aside from being educational, we are seeing more and more breweries blurring the lines between manufacturing zones and public spaces through public tours around their facilities. Often, these events involve a walking tour around a working brewery, followed by a keen sampling of the delights to round off with.

Beer Tourism is growing and with it the number of craft brewers opening new establishments. The Brewers Association (BA) reported that 997 new brewers opened in 2017, whilst only 165 closed in the US. The Brewers Association of Australia reported that 95% of all beer sold in Australia is made in Australia, so it is no surprise that beer tourism, with so much local produce, is big business down under.

Last month, Australia celebrated their growing beer industry with Good Beer Week, giving a special nod to the estimated 420 new craft brewers appearing last year. It is no surprise that beer tourism has had rapid growth with these new acquisitions. One of the best ways to market these new local beers is through visitor tours, where locals can pay to see the beer being made, taste it and have the opportunity to buy it too.

Whilst implementing visitor tours, safety is key, especially in sites where there is working machinery. Creating a safe environment starts from the ground up, leaving visitors with the single concern of when they get to sample their pint.

Visually pleasing and safe environments for tours

Flowcrete Australia’s range of Flowfresh antibacterial enhanced polyurethane floor finishes are the ideal solution to overcome the inevitable challenges that a brewery floor will face. Flowfresh is also HACCP International certified. Food and beverage producers operating a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) based food / drink safety programme can specify these flooring materials with the knowledge that they will meet the relevant regulatory authority’s standards for safe procurement, production and processing of their product.

Bright Brewery, located in rural Victoria, Australia installed 2,000 square metres of the heavy-duty system Flowfresh SR, with the knowledge that it could withstand demanding onsite operating conditions. These conditions included regular interaction with chemicals, hot water, residual beer and yeast, mixed acid detergents and acid sanitisers. Its properties, including resistance to sugars and chemicals, as well as temperature resistance were integral to this project.

Bright Brewery used contrasting colours to create walkways and different zones

Aside from resistance from potentially harmful substances, the flooring also needs to be able to support extremely heavy machinery, high footfall and wheeled equipment. Where beer is concerned, there is also the chance of spillages and so slip resistance is key to help keep visitors and staff safe, even when the floor’s surface is wet.

Slip resistance is incredibly important for keeping staff and visitors safe

As well as being completely functional, this space also needed an appealing interior design and welcoming aesthetic to visitors. The floor was applied in a Warm Buff shade in heavy-duty areas, and in striking Tile Red for the walkways, to add definition and distinction to safe pedestrian zones as opposed to functional areas, whilst reinforcing brand identity through the use of brand colours.

Tile Red zones are used as walkways while the areas covered in Warm Buff show heavy duty areas

Flowfresh is also very easy to clean thanks to its seamless and impervious nature, meaning that visitors will be welcomed by a bright, stylish and hygienic setting. It’s durability also means that this aesthetic will stand the test of time and remain visually pleasing for the long term.

Easy to clean areas thanks to seamless and impervious nature

Also located in Victoria, the White Rabbit Brewery, sister brewery to Little Creatures, utilised 400 square metres of Flowfresh SR in on-brand Coral Red to provide a robust, ultra-hygienic floor that simultaneously adds colour into the brewing area. This created the ideal foundation for their ‘Journey of the Beer’ tour.

If you would like any more information about flooring solutions for the food and beverage industry, please leave a comment below and a flooring expert will get back to you.