Californian craft beer brewers have teamed up and commissioned a de-alcoholising plant with Sigmatec technology offered by the New York-based heat transfer solutions provider API Heat Transfer.

Dealcoholising technology was developed in Germany.

The new technology has been designed and developed to produce beer with an adjustable final alcohol content of 0.0% to 0.4% and will have the capacity to process 2.5 to 4.2 barrels per hour using vacuum rectification technology.

It also provides options for integrated and separate aroma recovery, inlet beer dosing, brewing water dosing and a standalone clean-in-place unit.

The alcohol removed during the de-alcoholisation process can be concentrated up to 80% volume if necessary.

API Heat Transfer spokesperson Karl Heinz Sautner said: “The California brewers selected SIGMATEC technology due to its high standards of flavour profile recovery, hygiene, flexible control, construction techniques and production volumes.”

"The California brewers selected SIGMATEC technology due to its high standards of flavour profile recovery, hygiene, flexible control, construction techniques and production volumes."

The de-alcoholising plant is expected to commence operations later this year, while plans for further plant installations are underway.

Sigmatec de-alcoholisation system is currently being used by more than 100 plants worldwide for its de-alcoholisation feature, as well as its Aroma Recovery Unit, which allows the companies to redirect the aroma components into the wine / beer.

Additionally, the alcohol-rich vapours are condensed, cooled and stored in a tank in the form of industrial alcohol that can be immediately marketed by the company.

Sigmatec plants are offered in various capacities ranging from 2.5 to 170 barrels per hour, which can be used for various products and formulations.