La Tropical improves brewery efficiency with Qdos pumps and FaBLINE hoses
Fluids Handling

La Tropical improves brewery efficiency with Qdos pumps and FaBLINE hoses

Photo of Watson Marlow Watson Marlow Send an email 8 minutes ago
28 6 minutes read
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Precision dosing and hygienic hose technology enhance beer quality and canning performance

Maintaining consistent product quality is one of the biggest challenges facing modern breweries. From accurate ingredient dosing to minimising dissolved oxygen during packaging, every stage of the brewing process has a direct impact on flavour, shelf life and production efficiency.

For Cervecería La Tropical, one of Miami's most historic breweries with deep Cuban heritage, improving process consistency and reducing manual intervention became a key operational priority. To achieve these objectives, the brewery implemented a Qdos® chemical metering pump and FaBLINE™ PTFE hoses from Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions (WMFTS).

The result has been greater dosing accuracy, improved canning-line performance, reduced dissolved oxygen levels and enhanced overall brewery efficiency.

Automating tetra hop extract dosing

La Tropical uses a Qdos 60 peristaltic pump every day to accurately dose tetra hop extract (tetrahydroiso alpha acids) and meter chemicals within its clean-in-place (CIP) system.

Prior to installing the Qdos pump, the brewery relied on manual dosing methods for hop extract. While effective, manual dosing can introduce variability and requires ongoing operator involvement. The brewery sought a more consistent and efficient solution that would improve product quality whilst reducing labour requirements.

By automating the process, La Tropical has achieved significantly greater consistency in tetra hop dosing and reduced the risk of costly over-dosing. The brewery has also freed up valuable operator time by eliminating the need for daily manual intervention.

Accurate hop extract dosing is critical because even small variations can influence beer characteristics including bitterness, foam retention and overall sensory quality. The Qdos chemical metering pump is designed specifically for precision chemical dosing applications and delivers dosing accuracy of ±1% with repeatability of ±0.5%, making it particularly suitable for micro-dosing applications measured in millilitres per minute.

fi-aflex fabline ptfe hoses la tropical

Why peristaltic pump technology matters

Peristaltic pump technology offers several advantages when handling sensitive brewing ingredients such as tetra hop extract.

For La Tropical, the Qdos pump delivers:

  • Low shear pumping that protects the integrity of viscous hop extracts and prevents emulsion damage
  • A fully contained fluid path that eliminates sticky spills and simplifies cleaning
  • Santoprene tubing that offers strong chemical resistance for acidic tetra hop applications
  • Full CIP compatibility using the same cleaning chemicals already used throughout the brewery
  • Valve-free operation that eliminates the risk of crystallisation often associated with tetra hop dosing

The enclosed design also protects operators from exposure to aggressive CIP chemicals by keeping fluids safely contained within the pumphead.

Fernando Finol, Brewing Supervisor at La Tropical in Miami, said:

“We used to dose the hop extract in a manual way. We wanted that process to be done automatically and with a lot more precision and this is why we bought the Qdos pump.”

“Inaccuracy in dosing hop extract is really bad for the quality of the product and it could render the finished product unacceptable for the market. So precision is key when it comes to dosing hop extract.”

“For this particular application it was very critical to have a high level of accuracy especially because the amount of hop extract that we are using is very small. We want to be dosing tetra hop extract at a rate that will vary between 0.2 mL/min to 1.2 at the most. Accuracy is very important because 0.1 can throw my whole specifications off.”

Simplifying brewery cleaning operations

The brewery also benefits from the ability to integrate the pump seamlessly into existing cleaning procedures.

Finol added:

“It is important for us to be able to CIP the Qdos pump with the same chemicals that we use for the rest of the brewery. They are very easy to CIP, they are very user friendly and the pump is very easy to reverse flow the hop extract that is in the line.”

“Hop extracts are very messy. Some of them require to be held in a closed container so the Qdos pump is perfect to dose hop extracts without any mess or issues.”

“It’s the best peristaltic pump you can find and the Watson-Marlow support team is great.”

To support installation, La Tropical also implemented the Qdos Hose Connector Kit, a flexible PTFE hose accessory that enables safe and secure integration of Qdos pumps into existing process lines. The hoses are compatible with aggressive and corrosive chemicals and can operate reliably at elevated temperatures commonly found in brewery environments.

fi-la tropic qdos

Tackling dissolved oxygen on the canning line

While accurate ingredient dosing was one challenge, La Tropical was also experiencing issues with elevated dissolved oxygen levels on its canning line.

Dissolved oxygen is widely recognised as one of the most significant threats to beer quality. Excess oxygen can negatively affect flavour stability and dramatically reduce shelf life.

After identifying that existing PVC hoses were contributing to oxygen pickup, the brewery replaced them with FaBLINE PTFE hoses featuring a blue EPDM cover and Tri-clover connections.

The results were immediate.

Fernando Finol explained:

“The issue we were having in our canning line was a high level of dissolved oxygen pickup, which was very detrimental to our beer. We realised it was coming from the hoses that we were using and we didn’t solve the issue until four or five months after commissioning the line.”

“For every 10 ppb (parts per billion) of dissolved oxygen you have one less month of shelf life. That is very considerable and the flavour profile the beer changes dramatically. It’s the No 1 enemy of beer. But FaBLINE hoses have worked like magic to reduce our oxygen levels by 50 ppb and it allows us to be within the spec that is required, so it has helped a lot.”

“In our canning line we have 12 FaBLINE hoses and they have reduced the oxygen pickup to almost nothing.”

Improving carbonation retention

La Tropical also deployed larger FaBLINE hoses fitted with anti-static PTFE liners and EPDM covers for transferring bright beer through a flash pasteuriser.

Previously, the brewery experienced carbonation losses when using conventional beer-grade EPDM hoses.

According to Finol:

“We are using a FaBLINE from our bright beer tank to our flash pasteuriser to transfer already carbonated beer. Before using the FaBLINE for this application, we were getting a lot of loss of carbonation with EPDM hoses due to foam. Over time the EPDM hoses were getting wrinkles inside or rough surfaces – this creates nucleation sites which can be one of the reasons for carbonation loss.”

“Due to its patented smoothbore profile FaBLINE allows us to reduce the losses of carbonation and the losses of beer due to foaming, and this will increase our efficiency. Also, their CIP ability and the fact that they can withstand any chemical and at any temperature that we use in our process is an advantage.”

Designed for demanding brewery applications

The hygienic design of FaBLINE hoses has provided additional benefits beyond dissolved oxygen reduction and carbonation retention.

Finol continued:

“FaBLINE is one of the best investments you can have in your brewery if you have been having these issues. We never thought they were going to be as good as they are, and they have exceeded our expectations.”

“The overall assembly feels exceptionally robust, and the internal finish appears very smooth. It is clearly a very high-quality hose designed for demanding sanitary process applications.”

“From a process performance standpoint, our trial results were positive. During beer transfer, we did not observe any measurable increase in dissolved oxygen (DO), and we did not see any meaningful change in dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2).”

“The very smooth inner liner appears to help maintain stable product flow and does not promote CO2 breakout during transfer.”

“This is the highest-quality process hose I have personally handled in a brewery environment, and I do not think there is a better hose in this category on the market. It is clearly built for long service life, sanitary integrity, and demanding duty. For breweries that need maximum robustness and process hygiene, I believe FaBLINE is a very strong solution.”

Long-term benefits for brewery operations

In addition to product quality improvements, FaBLINE hoses help breweries improve operational efficiency through:

  • Increased service life, reducing replacement frequency, downtime and labour costs
  • Reduced CIP downtime and lower spending on cleaning chemicals and utilities
  • Improved flow performance, shortening loading and unloading times
  • Enhanced compatibility with CIP chemicals, reducing the risk of product spoilage and costly recalls

Supporting consistent beer quality

As breweries continue to focus on quality, efficiency and sustainability, accurate dosing and hygienic fluid transfer systems play an increasingly important role in daily operations.

For Cervecería La Tropical, the combination of Qdos peristaltic pump technology and FaBLINE PTFE hose solutions has delivered measurable improvements across multiple areas of production. From precise tetra hop extract dosing and simplified CIP procedures to lower dissolved oxygen levels and improved carbonation retention, the brewery has strengthened both product quality and operational performance.

The project demonstrates how carefully selected brewery pumping and hose technologies can help brewers improve process control, reduce waste and maintain the consistency that today's competitive beer market demands.

Further information can be found at www.wmfts.com

Watson Marlow
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Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions

About us

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG) peristaltic tube and hose pumps meet requirements including: value for money; low cost of ownership; reliability and ease of maintenance to the food and beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical, mining and many other industries.

We demonstrate how pumps deliver significant process efficiencies over the lifetime of the equipment. Whether performing flavouring addition in food processing, chemical metering in water treatment or mineral recovery, we have a solution which can cut pump downtime and reduce costs through higher accuracy metering and transfer. WMFTG has dedicated application engineers available to help customers make the right pump and tubing choice from a range providing microlitres per minute to 80 cubic metres per hour flow rates.

The only part of the pump to come into contact with the product is the tube or hose. This means there are no seals or valves that can wear or fail. Replacing the tube or hose can be performed quickly and safely. Peristaltic pump benefits include:

Total fluid containment with no seals No ancillaries Handle viscous and abrasive slurries and sludge Self-priming capability Dry running without damage to the pump In addition to their range of positive displacement pumps, Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group has added PTFE-lined chemical and industrial hoses to their range. Aflex hoses are reinforced to withstand the most severe conditions and use.

Where we supply to

Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, North America

Industries we supply to

Automation, Chemicals, Consultants, Components Electronics, Energy and Power, Food and Beverage, Glass Ceramics Cement, Metals and Minerals, OEM, Paper and Pulp, Pharmaceutical Cosmetics Toiletries, Plastics and Rubber, Recycling, Textiles, Tobacco, Water and Wastewater

  • Flexicon PF7 tabletop peristaltic liquid filling machine

  • Sterile ReNu SU Technology cartridge

  • Quantum and ReNu SU Technology cartridge - Make sterile connections in non-sterile environments

Photo of Watson Marlow Watson Marlow Send an email 8 minutes ago
28 6 minutes read
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